SUMMER SCHOLARS BLOG: Sreenidhi Rao
Istanbul, Turkey where United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regional office is located
Greetings from Istanbul! I can scarcely believe it. I am finally in a place which I have seen only in movies and photos and working with my dream organization!
What led me to this internship was multiple reasons. I always had a fascination for how multilateral organizations particularly the UN works. My biggest motivating factor was the learning-based approach adopted by the Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) initiative of the UNDP. Since there is no quick fix advocated here, I was interested in how the local government organizations perceived this approach.
A little about my work
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is the lead agency on international development in the United Nations that focuses on eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. The focus areas of its work are:
sustainable development
democratic governance and peacebuilding
climate and disaster resilience
The UNDP works with over 170 countries in building capacity, policies, leadership skills and resilience towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Mayors for Economic (M4EG) focuses on economic inclusive growth and job creation in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. It builds on the learnings of Phase 1, to enhance economic growth by designing and implementing the Local Economic Development Plans (LEDP). As a regional initiative of the EU and UNDP, it seeks to strengthen the capacities of local governments, create inclusive innovation processes for the design of investable projects corresponding to LEDP and invest in portfolios of projects that bring tangible benefits to its citizens.
It is a holistic approach to municipal development through Portfolio Journey and Urban Imaginaries. My initial month was remote followed by a month in the office and then back to remote again.
As a Strategic Design Fellow, my work allowed me to explore multiple options and get involved in different projects. Currently, I am engaged in two different projects. One project focuses on building crisis portfolios for Ukraine and Moldova while the other project focuses on building a course structure for people to engage in the process of portfolio thinking and design processes.
One of the highlights of my internship was also organizing the Show &Tell event.
It provided a platform to engage with the M4EG network and hear the learnings so far from the municipalities implementing the projects. It was an incredible experience as I got the chance to travel to Georgia (a beautiful country) and coordinate the event in person. There was a moment during the different official events and dinners when I felt a lump in my throat as I took stock of where I had reached. A year ago, with the uncertainty of the pandemic, I did not even know if I would have had the chance to go to Columbia University. Now, I was sitting at an official UNDP dinner, surrounded by extraordinary colleagues working towards a common goal. I felt incredibly grateful not just to be able to attend my dream university but also to be part of my dream internship (a big thank you especially to the UNA-NYC scholarship).
On another note, I had a wonderful time exploring the city and the different food options in Istanbul. I have gulped down numerous Baklavas, Knafehs and Rice puddings (the latter reminding me of Kerala payasam).
I sat mesmerized watching the 700-year-old ritual that is the Sufi dance by the whirling dervishes as their white robes spanned out with every spin, the right palm raised to the heavens and the other pointing to the ground.
I even got a chance to experience the famous Turkish baths or hammams where I was thoroughly steamed, scrubbed and left to sleep in a happy blissful dream of soap suds and massages.
I spent my time here to the fullest, haggling furiously in broken Turkish (completely unsuccessfully), picking up souvenirs for everyone I know (successfully) and trying every single dish under the sun (also successfully). I walked everywhere (New York having trained me extensively for this purpose) and explored both the known touristy places as well as the not-so-well-known areas (that the locals were kind enough to tell me).
Istanbul has an overabundance of cats and evil eye symbols and my phone storage is already groaning with the sheer number of cat photos I have taken…
Until then, Nidhi
____
Our Summer Scholars Blog, a collection of reports from post-grad scholars that UNA-NYC has sponsored globally, showcases our fellows' experiences with UN agencies and non-governmental organizations in the country where they are working. Learn more about our Summer Scholars fellowship program and fellows here.