Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON Vol. 3, No. 5, September 1999

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Meet some of the 1998-99 Interns
By Linda Pinnacle & George Roberts, Youth International Internship Programme

The recruitment for the 1999-2000 Youth International Internship Programme was launched in the spring of this year. After receiving just under 600 outstanding applications, the difficult process of selection has begun. To date, we have selected 19 interns, 8 of whom have already begun their placements abroad, leaving four positions yet to be selected. Our placements this year are quite exciting, ranging from Geneva to the lovely Island of Mauritius.

The 1999-2000 Youth Internship Programme looks to be one filled with exciting experiences and promising results.

Ursula Casabonne

Ursula, whose previous studies emphasized Russian and Slavic Studies, was very enthusiastic when advised that her internship would be with United Nations Development Programme in Bratislava. Some of her duties included assisting in the preparation and formulation of projects required for the implementation of the RBEC Country programmes in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Yugoslav Republic, Slovenia and Malta; assisting in monitoring programme activities in these countries; and advising on related financial matters including necessary revisions and reappraisals. Most notably, Ursula was assigned as a research assistant to a Programme Manager, in which capacity she was instrumental in the production of a Regional Human Development Report.

Her last month included preparing a course on Human Development which will be taught at the undergraduate level in 13 universities of the region.Upon completion of her internship, Ursula was given a contract position at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington D.C. As a result of her work experiences and contacts made during her placement, Ursula plans to move to Peru to work at the UNDP country office. In her words, Ursula reports that “on the whole, it has been an incredible experience, which has widened and deepened my understanding of Eastern Europe and of the UN system itself.”

Charlotte Garay

Charlotte is originally from Hamilton, Ontario, and has a background in International Relations. She was placed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland. She has adapted very well to her new environment, and by all accounts has done very well. Charlotte was invited to join her supervisor, Ms. Floor, on a four day trip to Istanbul for a conference on NGO Law. In addition, UNHCR sent Charlotte to both New York and Washington for various meetings with NGOs and USAID. Charlotte is creating a Catalogue of Capacity-Building Resources for NGOs in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.The aim of the Catalogue is to provide UNHCR’s NGO partners in the former Soviet Union with information on, and access to, various materials to aid in their development. The project has involved a survey distributed to NGOs globally to assess their resources and liaison with various NGOs in the US, Central and Eastern Europe, and the CIS to determine their available resources and further needs in the area of capacity-building.

Charlotte is also taking advantage of the language training offered at the UN, currently studying Russian. Charlotte’s internship was recently completed, but she was offered a contract position and has remained in Geneva.