Earlier in the week I posted a few photos I took of the SIPA graduation ceremony with my phone.  This is the follow up post I promised now that our media team has had some time to publish information for distribution.  The entire ceremony was captured and can be viewed by clicking here.

Kofi Anna was the graduation speaker and here is his address to the SIPA Class of 2011.

Here are a few more pictures to enjoy as well.  The President of the University, Lee Bollinger, and his wife shared a special moment with their daughter who graduated from the MIA program.

What kinds of friendships can you expect to develop as a SIPA student?  The kind where someone helps you to graduate, even when you cannot make it to the ceremony.  This graduate is holding a gown draped on a hanger with a photo of the missing graduate.

Mr. Annan likely had a sore hand and tired feet at the end of the day – he shook the hand of every graduate and hung out at the reception (with his lovely wife).

A SIPA graduate . . . with a possible future SIPA student.

I really enjoyed the 2011 edition of the SIPA graduation ceremony.  After being held inside for several years the ceremony this year was held outside.  Everyone was nervous all week because the weather forecast was foreboding, however the rain held off and and no one had to get wet.

Tents were set up so we were not worried too much about the ceremony itself, but the reception area was not entirely covered.  As it turns out, we had nothing to worry about.  When I took this picture I was standing on the steps of . . .

. . . Low Library . . .

. . . which is where the graduates assembled prior to the ceremony.

Kofi Annan addressed the graduates and we are working on getting his speech on line.  When it is ready it will appear on this blog.

SIPA graduates will return to the main quad for the University Commencement on Wednesday.  Congratulations to the class of 2011!

One unique asset available to SIPA students is our UN Studies Program.  SIPA students have incredible opportunities to learn directly from those with UN experience and participate in unique programming and here is a great example.

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The following post was contributed by second year SIPA student Richard Parker.  Richard is working in our office this year and he, along with several other students, will be contributing posts throughout the year.

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I decided to take a break from paper writing and finals studying to update the blog. This month has been long and crazy! On the 12^th the SIPA Pan African Network (SPAN) hosted their annual African Diplomatic Forum. The theme was: Climate Change as the new Security Threat- Implications for Africa. Our keynote speaker was Congressman Donald Payne and we had two panels with many notable and distinguished panelists. I served as the host for the event and also the coordinator for the Human Security panel. Needless to say I was beat after it was all said and done.

The next week I had a group presentation for my Peacekeeping in Africa class which drained the rest of the energy from my body. We presented on Liberia and to our surprise one of my professors colleagues who works for the UN (at the Liberia desk of course lol) was in the audience observing the presentation.

But after that was Thanksgiving!!!! I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Me and my mom did the normal turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce etc…which is always a treat…but the rest of the holiday well let’s just say it wasn’t a holiday. On Black Friday, while most people spend hours waiting on line to get in to department stores, I spent hours online in the library writing the first of 4 (four, cuarto, quarte, quattro) 20 (twenty, vingt, venti, veinte) page papers. Only this type of thing happens at SIPA. So in true David Letterman style I present the top 10 things that only happen at SIPA (in no particular order)

10: You meet someone from a country that you can barely find on a map

9: You hear languages that Rosetta Stone doesn’t have a disk for being spoken on the 6^th floor café

8: You have professors who are real life rockstars at the United Nations

7: You complain about Lehman library but never manage to study elsewhere and get mad when undergrads take all the tables in group study

6: During finals time when studying with friends, someone says they’re about to make a food run and you know that means either Hamilton’s, Sub Conscious or Appletree

5: You have a 2 minute pitch

4: You cringe at the thought of producer theory

3: Riding in the elevator with Mayor Dinkins or a visiting ambassador or head of state seems normal

2: You know the best time to go to the café in order to avoid the line

1: You study with and learn from the worlds best and brightest

So maybe not as funny if you don’t go to SIPA but it was worth a try anyway. Back to paper writing…see those of you starting in the spring in a month!

Hosting the ADF conference

The following post was submitted by Sawako Sonoyama.  Sawako is working in our office this year and she, along with several other students, will be contributing posts throughout the year.

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10 years ago, the UN Security Council passed resolution 1325 that focused on increased representation of women in the Security Council. The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction.

This resolution marks the first time the Security Council has recognized the link between the security of women and peace. This is a landmark because the Security Council finally understands the ability of women to take on two roles:  “victim” of Conflict and “change agents” of Peace.

10 years have passed. How have we done? Five speakers convened at SIPA today on a panel for the UN Studies Program and spoke on this issue from their various issues:

• Atul Khare, Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations.

• Judy Cheng-Hopkins, Assistant Secretary General for Peace Building Support to the Peace Building Commission, and SIPA Alumna.

• Betty Achan Ogwaro, Chairperson of Sudanese Women Forum of Darfur, Southern Sudan

• Barbara Crossette, former NYT Foreign Correspondent and journalist.

• Juergen Heissel from the UN Security Council Peace Austrian Peace Keeping Mission

The panel started with an interesting debate surrounding the information gap in conflict zone. Mr. Heissel gave a brief history of the Security Council’s evolution in working with women in conflict zone. The problem that persists today is still the information gap. There is no consistent and comprehensive way to report on acts of violence against women in armed conflict. There is no way to measure how much we have made progress. There needs to be a more concrete data so evidence based policy making could be deployed to helping these women on the ground.

However, Ms. Ogwaro responded by saying that the Council will never have enough data. Too many times, there were women dishonored, hurt, and killed in front of the eyes of a Peace Keeping officer. The numbers are there, however, the mandates are not matching what needs to be done to help women in conflict. Furthermore, why will a Sudanese women be able to provide data when they are too busy protecting their lives and the lives of their children?

Finally, SIPA alumni Ms. Cheng-Hopkins provided a strict remark on the progress made.  After 10 years, 3% of negotiators and 0% of mediators in conflict zones are women. To improve these numbers, she recommended that at least 15% of post-conflict aid budgets should be endorsing women and peace building. There is much more work to be done in incorporating women into peace building.

The following entry was contributed by Erisha Suwal, a second year student at SIPA.  Erisha is working in our office this year and she, along with several other students, will be contributing posts throughout the year.

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Being in New York has been one of the best experiences while at SIPA. Early last year during the General Assembly (GA) meetings at the UN, I along with three other students organized a protest to demand from the then Nepal Prime Minister that Nepal’s constitution be written on time and that the government expedite investigations on the people disappeared during Nepal’s decade-long Civil War.  It was an intense experience. I distributed pamphlets on the streets of Jackson Heights, a South Asian neighborhood in Queens, and had heated discussions with many people.  It was interesting to see that many fellow Nepali men thought that as a student in Columbia, I should become a doctor or an engineer but not get into politics. Although not all Nepalis think this way, it is a common sentiment.

The foreign advisor to the then Prime Minister also called me directly to request that the protest be called off.  It was terrifying, as I was exposed to the challenges of political activism. Nonetheless, organizing the event introduced me to other Nepali political activists in New York, to institutions and informal groups that worked for justice in Nepal.  Also, because of this event, I became aware of the India China Institute at the New School.  Since then, I have attended many events on Nepal organized by the New School and even audited a class on Nepali Society and Politics.

Another highlight of being in New York is my current internship with UNIFEM (part of UN Women). Prior to joining SIPA, I had limited work experience in the development field. Most of my work was in the financial sector and my development experience came from summer internships throughout my undergraduate years. Interning with UNIFEM provides an excellent opportunity to gain more work experience and to understand how the UN works from the inside. Also, as I’m interested in the political participation of women, working with UNIFEM’s Governance, Peace and Security division could not have been a better match.

Between the extra activities and internships (and awesome parties) I am making the most of my time at SIPA.

Top flight events are a mainstay at SIPA.  For some evidence, check out what is happening this Monday.  The good news is that if you wish to participate from your computer, you can.  See the end of this entry for details on how to view the event live.

Prospects for 21st Century African Agriculture

Time: Monday, 6:30 pm

Type: Discussion

Moderator(s):

Mamadou Diouf
Professor of History, Director Institute for African Studies
Committee on Global Thought
Columbia University

Speaker(s):

Kofi Annan
Former Secretary General
United Nations

Jeffrey Sachs
Director, The Earth Institute
The Earth Institute

Program Notes:

It is widely recognized that agricultural development can play a key role in eliminating hunger, reducing poverty and food insecurity, increasing trade, and promoting wealth in Africa.  However, the full potential of African agriculture is far from being realized.  Part of the 2010-2011 World and Africa Series, this panel seeks to explore the possibilities for boosting the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of African agriculture in the 21st century.  It will consider those cutting edge programs, policies, and technologies that are paving new roads forward with regard to unleashing the full potential of the continent’s agricultural economies.

Kofi Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving two terms from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006 and was the first to emerge from the ranks of United Nations staff. In 2001 Kofi Annan and the United Nations were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace with the citation praising his leadership for “bringing new life to the organisation”. In 2009, Annan was named a Columbia Global Fellow by University President Lee Bollinger.

Jeffrey Sachs is the Director of The Earth Institute, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He is also Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. From 2002 to 2006, he was Director of the UN Millennium Project and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals.

This event is co-sponsored with The Earth Institute.

This event can also be viewed via live webcast.

Real:

http://www.columbia.edu/acis/networks/advanced/events/live.ram

Windows Media:

http://akami.cc.columbia.edu/asxgen/wmtencoder/live.wmv.asx

Last week I noted that some SIPA students were in Haiti as part of their professional development work when the earthquake occurred.  The Record, a Columbia University publication, recently ran an article about the SIPA students and others from around the University that were in Haiti at the time.  A portion of the article is below and to view the whole article please visit the web site of The Record.

Shortly before 5:00 p.m. on Jan. 12, Elisabeth Lindenmayer, director of the United Nations program at the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), was in Port-au-Prince with six of her students, exiting a van outside the United Nations Development Programme building. A longtime U.N. peacekeeper and former assistant secretary general and deputy chief of staff to Kofi Annan, she and her students were in Haiti for a week-long trip. They were conducting research on the role of the private sector in social and economic development and its link to state-building. After close to a week of interviews, they were scheduled to leave the next morning.

As they stepped onto the street, the earth shuddered. The building they were about to enter started to crack, and a deafening roar filled the air. “Get out,” Lindenmayer yelled. Some students threw themselves on the ground; others stayed in the van.

Although members of the Columbia community lost family and friends, the Columbians who were in Haiti were extraordinarily lucky. Remarkably, no one was injured, and a total of 10 students, faculty and staff members were able to be evacuated out of the country with support from a team working from Morningside Heights.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

George W. Ball Lecture

Kemal Dervis
George W. Ball Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at SIPA and former head of the United Nations Development Programme

Globalization After the Great Crisis of 2008-2009:
Continuity or Fundamental Change?

6:30pm
Kellogg Center, 15^th Floor
International Affairs Building

The following was prepared by SIPA student Abibata Shanni Mahama, a second year MIA student concentrating in Economic and Political Development.

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Prior to SIPA, my concern was mostly how to get adjusted to a new environment and culture entirely different from Ghana but little did I know that there were resources at Columbia University which could easily make me feel at home. This thought vanished right away after the International Students Orientation organized by The International Students and Scholars Office which is very resourceful in getting international students settled for classes. They touched on every bit of student life in a different environment from academic, expressions, language to social life.  As part of the orientation, they  planned  activities for International students to get accustomed to the City of New York and historical places in the United States. The interactions I got from my fellow students alone boosted my morale and confidence of studying at SIPA which is situated in the heart of New York City with easy access to transport and Broadway shows.

SIPA also has a  rich blend of Student and Faculty of different nationalities from all over the world representing all continents. Each year approximately 50% of the students at SIPA are international. In fact some students from different schools at Columbia University jokingly refer to SIPA as “Mini UN”. The diversity of rich backgrounds and knowledge make learning fascinating as we learn from each others culture aside academic work. I have particularly achieved a lot of understanding of global issues pertaining to policy by interacting with students from regions relevant to my research for deeper analysis of the issues at stake.

For example, before I came to SIPA I had a little knowledge of Africa until I took courses in Economic and Political Development where a wide array of topics are centered on the African Continent where development struggles to address the need of the people that are the targets of the projects. This has given me an insight into the problems and challenges of Africa in terms of development and also paved the direction of the processes to be followed in formulating and implementing policies in the most deprived regions of concern if I ever come across similar issues after graduating from SIPA.

International students at SIPA are treated the same as United States citizens. Every student is equally important and relevant. However, the grading system of SIPA is different from other schools. Therefore it is important to find out from respective professors on their grading pattern.

Last week at Columbia former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan discussed climate change during his delivery of the Gabriel Silver Lecture at Columbia’s World Leaders Forum. Annan is part of the first cohort of SIPA’s Global Fellows Program, a distinguished group of global leaders, each of whom has played a significant role in designing, shaping, or implementing solutions to critical global problems.

The following description of the event comes from the Columbia News Web site:

The Gabriel Silver Memorial Lectures were inaugurated in 1950 at the School of International and Public Affairs to foster international understanding and world peace. The first lecture was given by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Annan’s talk on climate change coincides with a range of Columbia-hosted events showcasing other leaders on the issue, including Sir Nicholas Stern, noted economist; Denmark’s minister for climate and energy, Connie Hedegaard; and the University’s own experts in climate science and policy.

The Columbia Global Fellows Program was established to bring to campus each year a distinguished group of global leaders, each of whom has played a significant role in designing, shaping or implementing solutions to critical global problems. In May, SIPA Dean John H. Coatsworth announced Kofi Annan as one of three inaugural Global Fellows; the others include Alfred Gusenbauer, former chancellor of Austria, and Tung Chee Hwa, former chief executive of Hong Kong.

You can view a full video of Mr. Annan’s speech by visiting this link.

Faridah Nassali is a native of Uganda and is entering her second year as an MIA student concentrating in Economic and Political Development.

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What I did for summer…

This past summer, I worked as an intern at the International Women Tribune Centre in New York. It was a wonderful experience and I worked on various projects on peace building including but not limited to working on Uganda Radio program/drama on Res. 1325 and 1820.

This was on the most interesting part of my projects because reading the role-plays in the drama projects day-to-day life of the communities back home and most especially the stereotype of gender roles. It was more like bringing my community and placing it in a small office in New York.

I also had an opportunity of attending a couple of UN meetings on issues of gender and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). But what was even more interesting was getting a chance to work close to the UN. I met a couple of people, who may be important in my networking and professional development.

Anyone interested in the work the United Nations is doing will find a wealth of opportunity at SIPA to engage with people associated with the United Nations. The United Nations Study Program (UNSP) promotes teaching, training, and career development in the pursuit of multilateral solutions to global dilemmas. Under the direction of Elisabeth Lindenmayer, the Program brings together scholars and practitioners to address the main priorities of the UN – security, development, human rights and the environment – strengthening synergies between the Columbia community and those within the UN system.

In addition there is the United Nations Studies Program Working Group (UNSPWG).

The UNSPWG assists the UNSP in the organization of a series of lectures and panels each semester through which students can get “live sources” of information and expand upon the knowledge acquired though readings they do in their coursework.

Today these two resources combine to present the following:

“Planet UN”—A documentary on the challenges of the UN in the 21st century

Speakers will include representatives from the UN in human rights, development and peacekeeping

6:00 P.M. – Kellogg Conference Center, 15th Floor, International Affairs Building

We are pleased to announce that SIPA Professor Michael Doyle has won the 2009 American Political Science Association (APSA) Charles Merriam Award. This award recognizes “a person whose published work and career represent a significant contribution to the art of government through the application of social science research.”

Professor Doyle is the Harold Brown Professor of United States Foreign and Security Policy at SIPA and holds joint appointments in the Columbia School of Law and the Political Science Department. His recent publications include Making War and Building Peace: United Nations Peace Operations, with Nicholas Sambanis (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006) and Striking First: Preemption and Prevention in International Conflict (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008).

Professor Doyle has appeared on this blog before when in January he was  appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to a new term as Chair of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF).

Joseph Stiglitz, University Professor of International Affairs; Business School, Economics; Chaired Professorship of Finance and Business; Co-Director, SDEV PhD Program, and José Antonio Ocampo, Director of the Program in Economic and Political Development at the School of International and Public Affairs, have been appointed to the new Commission of Experts of the President of the United Nations General Assembly on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System. Professor Stiglitz will serve as the chair. The Commission will seek to identify broad principles for the reforms needed to ensure global economic progress. For more information click here.