Auslandspraktika
Turning Ambition into Action – Internship at the Green Climate Fund (October 2020)
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest climate fund established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It supports the mission of keeping climate change well below 2 degrees Celsius (compared to pre-industrial levels).
Since 1 July 2020 I have had the unique opportunity to be working at the Headquarter of GCF in Incheon, a city in South Korea near Seoul. To be honest, I did not expect to travel to South Korea when I applied for the internship. On 19 March 2020 I was invited for the first round of interviews. It was in the midst of the pandemic: countries started to close their borders and locked down. But I kept on doing the assignments and interviews and on 28 June I was on my way to South Korea. Lesson learned from that: always try! Even when the odds seem to be against you there is a chance to get where you want to be.
At GCF I work in the Office of Governance Affairs. We provide support across the governance structure of the organization. This includes different aspects: First, we support the decision-making process of the Board. The Board includes the representative of developed and developing countries. They decide which strategic direction the GCF should take and approve the implementations of climate projects of the Fund.
As meetings now take place in a virtual setting and people are working from different time zones, there are sometimes calls until late in the night. As part of my work, I follow up these discussions and draft summaries of it. It is compelling to me as I can see how a group of state representatives negotiates and tries to find common ground on an issue.
Another aspect where I support my team is the work on complementarity and coherence with other climate funds. Collaboration between different actors in the field of climate finance is key for scaling up projects and having the transformative impact needed.
At the moment we are also preparing an annual report to the Conference of Parties (COP), where we report on new activities of the Fund. This is to inform states and other stakeholders of what we have achieved during the year. I get great support from my team as well. This creates a work environment where I can learn and contribute. Therefore, in the first few weeks at GCF I had a steep learning curve. But I also realized how much I could use from my educational background in European Global Studies, where we engage in academic discussions in law, economics, and politics. I can use my knowledge gained at university and contribute to the overall goal of the Fund – climate action.
Working together with people from over 70 different nations at GCF is a unique experience. I encourage everybody to take the opportunity to gain this sort of experience. It gives you new insights and understandings of our present world. And for me I fell in love with the Korean culture and I am thrilled to explore this beautiful country on weekends.
I hope to continue to contribute to the everyday effort of millions of people in protecting the only home we have – Earth. If you would like to connect with me or ask questions please get in touch with me on LinkedIn.
Yannick Scheidegger
Ein Praktikum im Epizentrum der globalen Politik (September 2017)
Wahlkampf, Election Day, Inauguration und die ersten 100 Tage unter dem neuen Präsidenten – was als halbjähriges Hochschulpraktikum begann, wurde eine fünfzehnmonatige Anstellung auf der Schweizer Botschaft in Washington D.C., in einer Zeit die spannender nicht sein konnte.
Die Botschaft in den USA gehört zu den grössten Auslandsvertretungen der Schweiz, entsprechend vielfältig sind die abgedeckten Themen, wobei fast jede Sektion – ob Politik, Wissenschaft, Public Diplomacy oder Wirtschaft – eine Praktikumsstelle anbietet. Ich durfte mein Praktikum im Büro des Verteidigungsattachés absolvieren, welches die Interessen des Departments für Verteidigung und Bevölkerungsschutz in den USA und Kanada vertritt und neben militärischen Themen insbesondere auch sicherheitspolitische Fragestellungen bearbeitet. Für Personen mit einem Flair für internationale Sicherheitspolitik kann die amerikanische Hauptstadt ohne Frage als globales Epizentrum schlechthin bezeichnet werden. Sei es das amerikanische Engagement in der NATO, die US-Einsätze im Nahen Osten oder die Lage im Südchinesischen Meer: Mein Praktikum bot die einmalige Gelegenheit, diverse
hochaktuelle Entwicklungen unmittelbar am Puls des Geschehens zu verfolgen und darüber an interessierte Stellen des Bundes berichten zu können.
In Washington beschränkt sich die Arbeit eines Praktikanten aber nicht einzig auf die Recherche und das Verfassen von Berichten im Büro. Täglich finden in dieser Stadt zahllose Veranstaltungen von Thinks Tanks, Anhörungen des Kongresses sowie Diskussionsrunden und Vorträge unterschiedlichster Organisationen statt. Diese Vielfalt an Akteuren, die sich mit politischen Themen auseinandersetzen und so einen „Wettbewerb der Ideen“ kreieren, fasziniert immer wieder aufs Neue.
Wer nun aber denkt, Washington sei eine langweilige Beamtenstadt, die ausser Politik nicht viel zu bieten habe, täuscht sich. Das kulturelle Angebot kann ohne weiteres mit den grossen amerikanischen Metropolen mithalten und unzählige Ausgehmöglichkeiten sind die beste Gelegenheit, Personen aus der ganzen Welt kennen zu lernen und neue Kontakte zu knüpfen.
Patrick Raschle, Student im auslaufenden Masterstudiengang European Studies.
Internship Reports from Bangkok (June 2017)
Francesco Bee and Lena Friedrich, students of the Master’s program in European Global Studies, are currently doing an internship in Bangkok (Thailand).
Francesco Bee
Sawadee-Krap! My internship takes place at Asia Centre, an NGO stationed in Bangkok. My research project - which should be presented in July at a Conference hosted by Asia Centre - is focused on National Human Rights Institutions in Southeast Asia, their mandates and compliance with international standards. In my daily work, I am undertaking research, writing summaries and assisting in drafting reports. Apart from my research I assist in organizing events and activities: At the end of May we hosted a public lecture from the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
Doing an internship in Bangkok, in such a metropolis, also gives me the opportunity to work in an international environment with various kinds of stakeholders from international and local civil society, academia and the private sector. This international environment can very well be illustrated by the composition of colleagues in the office: We are two Swiss, two Bhutanese, two Singaporeans, one Russian, one British and one Thai.
Lena Friedrich
I am doing an internship in the area of policy and regulatory research at the European Association for Business and Commerce (EABC), which is the European Chamber of Commerce in Thailand. However, as Europe is not a nation but a confederation of states, it must be called an Association according to Thai laws. Due to the fact that the EABC aims to increase European trade and investment in Thailand, I do learn a lot about Thai laws, the structure of Thai economy and common issues for foreign companies operating in Thailand. Also, the daily work routine is significantly different to the European working schedule: a meeting considered to be “very early” would be at 9 o’clock, everyone starts working late in the morning but stays until late in the evening. At lunchtime, my Thai colleagues introduce me to all kinds of street food, which is cheap, extremely delicious and literally everywhere to find. Eating my lunch on the sidewalk surrounded by skyscrapers or taking a mototaxi: I enjoy every day of working and living in the vibrant capital of Thailand.