Diplomacy Up Close: A CID Intern’s Reflections on a Transformative Day at the United Nations

On Tuesday, November 25th, 2025, I had the opportunity to join Bineta Diop’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) seminar class for a day trip to the United Nations, organized through CID’s Student Seminar Series and generously funded by the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights.

During the fall seminar, Mme Diop’s sessions drew on her extensive personal involvement in the WPS agenda and her experience within the United Nations system. Through my internship at CID (part of Northeastern University’s co-op program), I had the opportunity to join this seminar with students from across Harvard, broadening my educational perspective in parallel with my professional growth. In class sessions, we explored the workings of the UN—especially the Security Council—through detailed simulations that helped us better understand its mechanisms.

The seminar was offered to Harvard students by the Harvard Center for International Development and the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at Harvard Kennedy School.

A Day at the United Nations

Our trip to the United Nations, kindly offered by Mme Diop and hosted by the Deputy Secretary-General and her team, provided our group an up-close look at how the UN operates. 

After an early-morning bus ride to New York City, our group met outside UN Headquarters and entered to attend the “UNITE to End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls” conference in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. The panel, which included United Nations General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, Mexican journalist Marion Reimers, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, and several other distinguished speakers, gave us a firsthand look at professional UN convenings. Through personal stories, they conveyed the urgency of issues requiring global attention.

Following a brief lunch, we toured the UN building. Stepping into the Security Council Chamber was a highlight. The scale of the room, its high ceilings, and the iconic circular table all underscored the gravity of the decisions made there. Our guide’s descriptions of how deliberations unfold helped me connect the theory from class to the real-world negotiations for resolution and peacekeeping missions. Standing in that room, I thought about the people who sit in those seats and the communities affected by their decisions.

In the afternoon, we visited the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union to the UN, where we met with Political Officer Salem Matug in Mandela Hall. We then heard from Ms. Fatou Sombie Kabore, a WPS Policy Analyst with both the African Union and the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN). She outlined the AWLN’s mission, and Mme Diop, as one of the organization’s leaders, emphasized the importance of women’s leadership across politics, business, academia, and communities throughout Africa.

Our final stop was the UN Women building, where Ms. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda (UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support) shared reflections that deeply moved many of us. She spoke about compassion, determination, and the responsibility to use privilege for good—and to extend opportunities to others whenever possible.

Carrying These Lessons Forward

As an undergraduate student at a pivotal moment in figuring out my career path, an experience like this offered learning opportunities that a classroom alone cannot provide. Personal reflections from those in public service are invaluable for understanding what meaningful change requires.

The day was transformative. It offered a rare, inspiring look into the optimism and commitment that drive people into public service, and it served as an important reminder of why continued work toward a more just and humane world matters.