As part of a growing collaboration with the Bangkok-based civil society organisation Humanitarian Affairs Asia, two final-year Westminster students have been selected to join the prestigious Social Impact Internship programme focusing on youth leadership, social change and sustainable development.
Humanitarian Affairs Asia (HAA) is an influential civil society organisation that works closely with the United Nations office in Bangkok and aims to inspire youth to champion societal change and contribute to sustainable development. These highly competitive internship opportunities are offered to Westminster students thanks to a collaboration between the University of Westminster and HAA. The Social Impact Internship programme offers direct exposure to HAA’s work surrounding youth empowerment, strategic partnerships, advocacy and research. The two Westminster interns selected for the programme, Mauminah Hussain and Momina Nehmat, will start their internships in July 2023.
Speaking about what it means to have been selected for this internship, Mauminah Hussain, a final year International Relations and Development BA Honours student, said: “I am incredibly excited and grateful for this opportunity with HAA. Being able to connect with global peace activists and challenging myself within a driven environment that empowers individuals to achieve a universal vision of positive social change is what I dream to achieve.”
The internship also gives students the unique opportunity of experiencing living and working abroad as it takes place at the HAA offices in Bangkok. Momina Nehmat, a final year Politics and International Relations BA Honours student, added: “I have always dreamed of working in an NGO, and making a real change in the world, and to have been given this amazing opportunity to work and live in Bangkok will be an unforgettable and valuable experience!”
This fruitful institutional collaboration with HAA has been made possible as a result of the University of Westminster’s endorsement as an Associate of the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN-DGC) in 2022. The UN-DGC is a UN body that works to strengthen the UN’s civil society and youth engagement and is devoted to supporting the efforts of its associated organisations in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since this endorsement, the University of Westminster has had the opportunity to build on its Associate status through cooperating and forming relationships with an international network of organisations, such as HAA, that recognise the importance of youth as key drivers in sustainable development and the progression towards a sustainable future.
As part of this cooperation, a number of Westminster students will take part in HAA’s renowned annual University Scholars Leadership Symposium at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok in August 2023. The symposium gathers over 1,000 young leaders from around the world who are passionate about social change and gives delegates the opportunity to network, hear from humanitarian speakers and engage in humanitarian projects. Multiple NGOs and international organisations, including ten UN organisations, will be present at the symposium, providing an excellent professional development opportunity for our students.
Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad, Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy who has been at the forefront of mobilising this collaboration, commented: “Institutional cooperations such as this are the epitome of the type of global partnerships for sustainable development that UN SDG 17 advocates for. The opportunities borne out of such collaborations not only provide incredible career opportunities for our students, but also enhance our University’s international reputation and contribution to the SDGs.”
For more information about the University’s engagement with the UN, please contact Dr Sahar Taghdisi Rad.
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