Our events
The Careers division aims to maximise career opportunities for students passionate about the International Development and International Affairs sector. We break new grounds through reaching out to a diverse array of external organisations and exploring new event formats besides the traditional talks and panels.
We wish to continue providing students with opportunities to hear from and interact with high-profile speakers and experienced professionals, while expanding into new terrains like embassies, media firms, think tanks and political risk consultancies.
Partnership with BAFUNCS
The British Association of Former United Nations Civil Servants (BAFUNCS) established partnership with the society last year. A series of intimate discussion sessions were held, with students interacting with former UN civil servants in an informal setting. Each session has a unique theme and focuses on one unique aspect of the UN’s various functions and agencies.
While continuing with the current concept and format, we aim to develop the ongoing project with BAFUNCS into a more structured series with higher frequency. We aim to facilitate sustained communication between the BAFUNCS members and the participants, and ultimately, offer insights into different routes into the UN.
PAST EVENTS
In Coversation with Dame Higgins
The highlight last year was the flagship event with Dame Higgins, the first female president of the ICJ. Dame Higgins shared with us her perspectives on the controversies of ICJ cases, as well as career prospective for women in the sector of international law.
Development case challenge
5 teams of selected participants competed in the inaugural Development Case Challenge (DCC), devising and presenting their solutions to a case adapted from a real-life UN Project in Burkina Faso. The panel of judges consisted of 2 professionals from development consultancies and 2 members of BAFUNCS, one of whom worked on the original UN project herself. The teams were able to get a sense of the international development sector and find out at the end of the day how the case was solved in real life. The competition was followed by a light-hearted networking session.
We look forward to expanding the scope of the DCC this year, and welcome applicants from all degree backgrounds.
Other Events
Besides the flagship event with Dame Higgins, throughout the year, we also had with us a range of speakers, including Steve Crawshaw, Director General of Amnesty International, and professionals from establishments like FCO, EBRD and the EU Commission. A webinar was also set up allowing students to talk to Roberto Amorosino, Senior Recruitment Officer of the World Bank.