SIPA International Fellows Meet with UN Officials at Annual UN Day Event

SIPA’s International Fellows Program (IFP) hosted its annual UN Day on November 15, bringing together distinguished diplomats and UN officials with the next generation of global leaders.

The day-long program, held at various locations including the Foundation for the Global Compact, the US Mission to the UN, and the UN Secretariat, featured high-level discussions with key diplomatic figures, including H. E. Cherdchai Chaivaivid, vice president of the UN General Assembly’s 79th Session, General of the UN, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the UN; Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN; Ambassador Norberto Moretti, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN; Ambassador Dorothy Camille Shea, US Deputy Representative to the UN; and Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the UN. 

For half a century, SIPA’s International Fellows Program has put graduate students from across Columbia face-to-face with global transformation as it happens. Now under the leadership of Ambassador Victoria Nuland, who shaped US foreign policy as the US Under Secretary of State before joining SIPA as the Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of International Diplomacy, the two-semester seminar helps ambitious scholars translate international upheaval into practical solutions.

“Our International Fellows study the UN all year,” said Ambassador Nuland, “but there is no substitute for visiting UNHQ, feeling the vibe there, and hearing from senior leaders from every continent to gain a deeper appreciation of the value of the institution and its challenges.” 

“It was a joy spending the day in Turtle Bay with our brilliant, engaged students, and we are grateful that the IFP endowment allows us to make that trip and one to Washington every year,” she added.

During the day-long event, students engaged in substantive discussions on pressing global issues, from global health and climate action to gender equality. 

“Hearing firsthand from ambassadors and UN officers about the important work they do and the challenges they face has given me a new appreciation for how powerful—and how complex—international cooperation can be,” said Eden Kaduri MIA ’26. “Despite the current polarization within the UN, it remains the best platform we have to address global conflicts.”