What started off in week 1 as the chance to get acquainted with my LIA's organization, the International Legal Foundation, turned - in week 2 - into the chance to represent the NGO under the lights of the biggest arena there is in the field: the United Nations!
Some Context
I first learned about the ILF's interactions with the UN during my interview with them back in December. The chance to engage on the highest level of NGOs and IGOs was a key aspect I was very drawn to, and was a reason I pursued an internship with the Foundation.
Soon into the start of my internship, my supervisor, Leah, informed the intern team about the UN Development Programme's (UNDP) Annual Meeting on the Rule of Law and Human Rights, a yearly conference considered the premier global forum for discussing international justice, peace, and human rights and the ways they are pressured today. As a justice and law-focused NGO, the ILF routinely attends this and similar events, and as interns, we had the exciting chance to represent the Foundation by attending the meeting, engaging with state representatives, and listening to a plethora of accomplished and inspiring panelists and speakers. Moreover, as Leah and the Foundation's executive director, Jennifer, were away in Vienna, Austria, attending the 35th Session of the UN's Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), the ILF's interns would be attending the AM by themselves. I also had the chance to help design promotional material for the "Equal Access to Justice for All in Criminal Justice Systems," a side event to CCPCJ hosted by the ILF in collaboration with the Governments of Canada and Brazil, NYU's Pathfinders program, and various coalitions and Groups of Friends.
Understanding the AM
As noted earlier, the AM is a forum for discussions around the rule of law. More specifically, the meeting situates this discussion in the development sphere, given that it is facilitated by the UN's Development Programme. Specifically, rule of law appeared to be presented as an aspect of development, one that was noted to have declined as countries divert resources away from "foundational governance and institution-building at precisely the moment they are needed most." Paired with various other international dynamics, including poverty, conflict, and military expenditure, development is presented as a seed that "cannot take root without security," which itself cannot be "sustained without the rule of law." In other words, the reason rule of law is so critical, especially in developing countries, is because it is imperative before quality development can take place.
It is in this conversation that the AM seeks to invite speakers from around the world to offer their context-relevant insight to in-person and online viewers from across the globe. In regard to the UN's agenda, the AM is a platform to reflect on Phase IV of the Global Programme, which was served to 100 countries, and look forward to Phase V, which will occur from 2026 to 2029. The three-day conference was split into two parts over three days: Tuesday and Wednesday, June 2 and 3, which involved various NGOs and UN-partners, and June 4, which was a closed, invite-only session, featuring two Partners Advisory Group Meetings.
Starting Off
Day 1 of the AM took place on June 2 bright and early at 8am, for breakfast and networking. Both days were built on various panels, with coffee breaks, networking, and lunch filling in the time gaps. Day 1 opened up with an opening speech by UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo, followed by a panel.
After a much-needed coffee break, we started off with Plenary 1, which explored people-centered security. Each panelist drew on a plenitude of experience in leadership to discuss security through a people-focused lens. For example, Mr. Abubakarr Suleiman Jeng (The Gambia, National Security Advisor) articulated 5 pillars on which people-centered security is built: citizen-voice via national assessments, community co-ownership, democratic feedback loops, institutional accountability, and the inclusion of marginalized groups. I was especially inspired by Ms. Amat Al-Salam Al-Hajj (Yemen, Abductees' Mothers Association), who founded the Abductees' Mothers Association, and described her work with families of disappeared individuals, and Mr. Yurii Antoshchuk (Ukraine, Obiedannian Foundation), who talked about recovery working groups which predated the Russo-Ukrainian war, allowing them to be employed to rebuild social trust during the conflict. Mr. Carlos Benítez Verdún (UNDP Guatemala), who I would have the chance to speak directly with later, offered a viewpoint especially relevant to the Canadian perspective when he discussed his experience in Guatemala to stress treating Indigenous traditional authorities as partners rather than beneficiaries.
Following lunch, a Focused Country Discussion took place, with Lebanon taking the centre stage. We were very fortunate to have Mr. Adel Nassar (Lebanese Minister of Justice) among us, who touched on various points, including the experience of reforming with severe resource constraints and achieving gender parity in key judicial bodies. The panel also had a very strong legal perspective, with Mr. Georges Okais (Member of Parliament), a former judge, criticizing Lebanon's politically divided parliament, Prof. Marie-Claude Najm (Dean of Law and Political Science), and Mr. Imad Martinos (Head of the Beirut Bar Association). Mr. Okais's comments stood out to me, as they spoke to the salience of the overall theme of the AM: rule of law is directly linked to investment and recovery, as investors will naturally retreat from committing to arenas where agreements can't be enforced and are thus not guaranteed.
While the panels ended at 3pm, Day 1 of the AM was not yet done, as the UN hosted an in-person networking reception at Palladino's Steak and Seafood by Grand Central Station. The event was a fantastic opportunity to speak directly with various panelists and meet with UN and UN-affiliated professionals. I also met many UN interns, who offered some great conversations as fellow students. Besides all the card-collecting, I met some pretty extraordinary people from around the world who offered significant insight into the work they do to contribute to the UN's mission.
Day 2 of the event hit the ground running with Plenary Session 2, which explored Human Rights, Prevention, Due Diligence and Accountability. I was especially fascinated by the words of Ms. Habiba Osman (Malawi Human Rights Commission), who discussed
her experience being detained in 2012 while sharing her work in Malawi monitoring and supporting human rights. I was also interested in Professor Juan Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture from 2010 to 2016, and the namesake of the Méndez Principles, an international set of principles regarding the way investigative interviews are conducted to ensure they both respect human rights and collect accurate information. Hearing from the very individual after whom the principles were named was a true honour.
I was especially looking forward to Plenary 3, which adopted the theme, "Business is Never Neutral," partly because I had interacted with multiple of its panelists during yesterday's networking reception and had already received a sneak peek into what they would share. Interestingly enough, one of the most interesting panelists was one who self-confessed that he was the only human rights non-expert on the panel. Despite that, Mr. Christopher Rowe (Church Pension Group), who oversees the investments of a major Christian organization in the U.S., effectively articulated how investors can adopt a viewpoint which prioritizes human rights when making investment decisions. I was very interested in the comments of Professor Anita Ramasastry (University of Washington) on Human Rights Due Diligence because of how I felt it crossed directly into my International Relations classes on human rights and international development. She shared the need to examine how conflict dynamics affect business decisions, an area of study that sits at the intriguing intersection of human rights and development, a perfect topic for the AM.
The AM ended with Plenary 4, which focused on Mission Transitions and Gender Equality and was hosted by Marina Walter (UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States). The words of Ms. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda (UN Women) stood out as she noted the need to reframe financing around security and address structural barriers to women's leadership. Ms. Ilwad Elman from Somalia was especially inspiring given her real, hands-on experience with women-led organizations already doing peacebuilding.
Day 3 ended with a speech from His Excellency Mr. Shigeru Umetsu, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the U.S., who reaffirmed support for the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
The AM stood out as the highlight of my LIA so far because of how it placed me directly into the discussions that would drive the UN's work and put me among the thinkers and leaders that had committed their careers to serving humanity. Besides the knowledge I gained from the discussions, I was especially thrilled with the conversations I had, the connections I made, and the experience of being at the AM.
Lessons on Leadership
Given that this is my "Leadership-in-Action" project, my reflection would not be enough without discussing the lessons I took away on what it means to be an exceptional leader worthy of emulation. Fortunately enough, my time at the AM placed me directly among some of the most accomplished leaders in the field of diplomacy, human rights, and international relations. A memorable conversation I had was with the Gambian National Security Advisor, during which I inquired about what drove him to his work, in regard to both his current job and his storied career with the UN before a government position. He was quick to say that it was simply a passion for driving impact. While this might have appeared as a cliché, his words proved that this mission meant more than just prestige to him, as he shared how it can be easy to be discouraged by the harsh realities of our world, especially in the conflict-affected, indigent regions the UN's bodies exist to serve. When I asked if multiple degrees and a strong education were imperatives for a UN career, given how many degrees people in the space possessed, he pointed to his education as the ideological and academic source of inspiration for his work. He shared that it is this foundation that helps to inspire him when he is discouraged.
It wasn't that being a leader, for him, meant that he needed to adopt such a nuanced and realistic sense of passion; it was this passion for his craft and the impact it necessitated that preceded his leadership.
Moreover, perseverance appeared as a leading characteristic for leadership, especially as it was so clearly exemplified by the event's panelists. Individuals like Ms. Al-Salam Al-Hajj, Mr. Antoshchuk, and Ms. Osman showed me that perseverance was both the predecessor and accompanying factor of many leaders. Whether that meant experiencing the grief, pain, and confusion at losing a family to an abduction, being subject to humiliation and pain in a prison, or helping your country recover only to see more fire rain from the skies - these leaders were tested by their conditions, and came out even more capable. In my own life (at the moment at least!), I don't think about such extremes; but for all of us, we face challenges that test and scare us. While they are often almost negligible compared to the suffering others have endured, they are still mountains in their own way - keeping us from realizing our fullest potential, and we owe it to ourselves to push past them to become the best versions of ourselves.
Onto Other Things
Back at the office, I'm continuing to help out with fundraising efforts by organizing our donor and contact list. My key project this week was developing composite stories based on real cases of the ILF's work in Myanmar. This duty was especially informative because it showed me the real ways the ILF works with indigent and vulnerable clients to support justice. Reading real stories of individuals who were caught in unfortunate circumstances and who were helped by the ILF taught me a great deal about how the ILF operated and how it nurtured real and positive impact in the lives of its clients and lawyers. These composite stories will serve to provide an opportunity for individuals to learn about the ILF while identifying information is kept safe.
Outside of work, I continue to travel to Yonkers on the weekends to attend church and enjoy the presence of my church family. This week I had the chance to help lead worship!