Interning at the Armenian Mission to the UN

NEW YORK, N.Y.—–The Permanent Mission to Armenia in New York launched an internship program at the Mission, giving six Armenian youth an opportunity to get hands-on experience at the United Nations. While gaining valuable experience in this field, the work done in the program will have a direct impact on urgent Armenian issues, such as the safety and security of Nagorno-Karabagh. The internship began July 26 and continued until Aug. 20 at the Permanent Mission to Armenia building in New York City.

The interns range from high school students to a college graduate and include Meghri Baronian, Varak Baronian, Anita Issagholyan, Ara Sarajian, Karni Semerjian, and Talin Tuestad, all from northern Jersey and the greater New York City area, and have extensive involvement in their local Armenian community. “Entering college interested in a political science major, this internship gave me hands-on experience in the field,” said Varak Baronian. “At the same time I made a difference for Armenia.”

Interns Meghri Baronian and Talin Tuestad will be entering their senior year of high school, while interns Varak Baronian and Karni Semerjian will enter their freshman year of college. Ara Sarajian graduated this year from Merrimack College with a bachelors of science in business administration. Anita Issagholyan has an undergraduate degree from UCI, a master of science in global affairs from NYU with concentrations on international relations and human rights.  Their responsibilities included attending meetings with staff, prepping materials, conducting research on UN activity as it relates to Armenia or surrounding regional, and assisting with any day to day activities.

Azerbaijan’s oil rich revenue has allowed them to drastically increase their staff at embassies worldwide. “We were very pleased to host the interns at the Mission for four weeks,” said Garen Nazarian, ambassador and permanent representative at the Mission. “They provided valuable assistance to our diplomats and showed dedication and strong work ethic that were wonderful to observe.  I hope that the interns found the program educational and interesting.  Because of the success of this summer’s program, we plan on having interns next summer as well.  It is always wonderful to see such young, professional members of the diaspora take interest in the work of the Mission and, more importantly, the welfare of Armenia.”

Below are articles written by the interns.

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Week 1
By Ara Sarajian

NEW YORK, N.Y.—–On Mon., July 26, I, along with five other interns, began our internship at the Armenian Mission to the United Nations. I knew very little about what we would actually be doing at the Mission or what I should expect. I thought it would be a good idea to participate in this program before I applied to the Gateway Program in Washington, D.C.

On our first day after introductions were concluded all the interns had the pleasure of being taken on a tour around the UN. We were able to gain access into a few places that tourists are not allowed, such as the Security Council’s meeting hall room. All the interns were also able to sit in on a quick presentation on “Attempts to Prevent Trafficking” just to get a sense of what they were like. The part of the tour that interested me the most was seeing all of the gifts to the UN from current UN nations. The most interesting gift, in my opinion, was a large block of the Berlin wall that had the word “freedom” spray-painted on it.

Throughout the week we worked on various assignments, mainly our country briefs; one of our main tasks at the Mission was to create briefs on countries that Armenia does not currently have any relations with. The briefs will be used as an educational tool for the staff to help cultivate bilateral negotiations with the various countries.

Two interns and I were able to sit in on a Genocide and Torture Prevention lecture, which discussed the healing process and after-effects of genocide, the neglected genocide that took place in India, and issues facing the Gaza strip. It was very interesting to hear the speakers and intellectuals discuss other genocides and acts of torture parallel with the Armenian Genocide.

After attending events at the UN, I am hoping that I can continue to take advantage of my front-row seat. I am also looking forward to next week, when we will meet the Armenian ambassador at our weekly staff meeting.

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Week 2
By Varak Baronian and Karni Semerjian

The second week of our internship at the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations provided significant insight into various procedures at the mission. With our projects we continued to research and compile information pertaining to nation-states with which Armenia would like to establish diplomatic relations. The list included states such as Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuvalu, Mauritius Islands, and Sudan. The purpose of this research was to provide the Mission, specifically Ambassador Garen Nazarian, with information to assist with future bilateral negotiations. We feel honored and fortunate to have this opportunity where we acquire knowledge on a range of topics and ideas to which we have not yet been exposed and will only find with an internship like this. There is a sense of camaraderie and professionalism among the interns and the Mission staff which helps foster a learning environment. Our days at the Mission involve working closely with diplomats which offers us a chance to learn more about our homeland, Armenia, as well as the geopolitical climate of the region. The interns have also been assigned individual tasks to fulfill the Mission’s needs on a daily basis. Meghri Baronian has been archiving the library, which consists of the Mission’s books, maps, legal documents, and historical references. Meanwhile, Karni Semerjian has been contacting all the different Missions throughout the city in order to update the “Blue Book,” a directory of all the different Missions with a list of their diplomats and staff members. We recently had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), Arpine Korekian and Karen Dadurian. We discussed issues such as gender-based violence, reproductive health, and gender equality, pertaining to Armenia as well as the rest of the world. They also spoke about population dynamics, including growth rates, fertility and mortality, migration, and age structure. They talked about the UNFPA’s work around the world and the challenges the organization faces as it provides support to nations with different cultural backgrounds. We look forward to the work we can do in the coming weeks here at the Mission of Armenia to the United Nations.

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Week 3
By Meghri Baronian, Talin Tuestad           

This week, while we continued to work on our projects that included creating country reports for the ambassador, organizing data, and assisting with day to day work, we also had a week packed with activity at UN. On Aug. 12, we attended the Launch of International Year of Youth conference at the United Nations. The conference was founded upon the importance of youth and the idea of youth being the future leaders of the world. It also encompassed the need of bringing together youth from all parts of the world for the common purpose of peace and understanding. At the conference, several ambassadors and delegates were in attendance. There were also entertainment groups such as “Move for Autism” dancers and “The Bond singers,” who dedicated their pieces to the United Nations Year of Youth. Also, Monique Coleman, from “High School Musical” and “Dancing with the Stars,” was a guest speaker. Overall the conference was a good experience and taught us about the efforts the UN is making to empower today’s youth around the world.

The next day, we visited the Map Library of the United Nations, where we took a tour of a collection of maps and atlases. We saw detailed and intriguing maps of Armenia and other countries. We were also taught how to access digital maps from the UN database. One of the issues we learned about was the motion to change the name of countries to what the native country calls itself (for example, Armenia would be changed to Haiastan). This issue came about after people began to have misunderstandings about countries or had trouble recognizing them because a different name was used. Another job done at the Map Library is the inspection of each country’s flag before it goes to the UN to be displayed. It is their responsibility to identify any faults on the flags and to correct them. If the flags are not inspected carefully and mistakes are not identified, once it is displayed and representatives from that country notice a problem, they report to the Map Library.

Later that day, United Nation Representative Nane Avetisyan from the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) came to the Armenian Embassy to talk to us in detail about what they do and how the organization works with nations around the world to reach their developmental goals. The UNDG has 32 agencies, including UN Aids and UNICEF. When there is an issue and decisions have to be made, these agencies come together and discuss their ideas and thoughts, then make a decision. We learned that the UNDG has millennium goals which are major developmental goals unique to each country. Some of these goals are related to development, education, maternal health, reducing poverty, and reducing child fatality. Avetisyan also spoke of the challenges that nations around the world face to keep up with advancements. This includes the use of computers and regular access to the internet. She explained current programs being implemented by schools in countries such as Turkmenistan to help students learn how to use computers. Turkmenistan has a population of over five million, and currently only has the capability to provide internet access to about 5,000 citizens, most of whom reside in the capital.

Over the past three weeks, working at the Mission has taught us a lot about the United Nations and what they do. Now going into our last week, we are excited to see what else we can learn before we leave.