Pardee School Graduate Students Visit UN Small States and Think Tanks in NYC
At the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, students are given opportunities to meet, connect, and learn about how people, communities, and organizations are working to advance human progress. From January 13 and 16, 2026, a group of 16 International Relations graduate students traveled to New York City to visit the United Nations (UN), think tanks, and leading NGOs.
Here, they got to meet with UN officials to discuss issues and efforts relating to foreign relations, enjoyed a tour of the UN headquarters, and were introduced to learning opportunities and career paths.
Led by Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Pardee School Professor of the Practice of International Relations, and Nicholas D’India, Graduate Advisor in Student Services, the students visited six missions as well as a number of global policy groups. Mission representatives from Singapore, Malta, Lithuania, Colombia, Paraguay, and Qatar were present to discuss their operations and goals for peacekeeping, with Singapore being the informal chair for the Forum of Small States (FOSS).
Students were introduced to UN leaders including Ahunna Eziakonwa, Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa; Saman Zia-Zarifi, Executive Director of the Physicians for Human Rights; and Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. Additionally, they got to meet Andrew Cole, Deputy Global CEO at FGS Global and father to a Pardee undergraduate.
Throughout the trip, students were encouraged to follow their own interests and explore how small states accomplish their goals in the UN system and global affairs. Following the visits to various missions, an alumni reception was hosted by Samantha Rothaus (Pardee’07, LAW’10) at Davis+Gilbert LLP on January 16.