Emilie Nguyen, Master's in International Development and Globalization, 1st year
Country of fieldwork: Côte d'Ivoire
Canadian NGO: UNAC
Local NGO: UNDP
Currently finishing the final week of my internship, I now have a better perspective on my journey throughout these past 17 weeks at the UNDP in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. After a few years working full-time as a federal public servant in Montreal, I decided to return to do my master’s in International Development and Globalization at the University of Ottawa, just to have this international internship present itself - the very same program a few of my friends back then and I had wanted to apply for during our undergraduate studies before the global pandemic hit. I had only recently realized this because the name of the program has slightly changed over the years, but it is the same program that I finally got to experience. This shows that it really is never too late to explore the career path you’ve always been curious about!
The experience has immersed me in the inner workings of one of the UN’s most wide-reaching development agencies. The UNDP, created as we know it today in 1965, operates in over 170 countries and is a leading multilateral development organization contributing to eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities and exclusion. Its mandate includes supporting countries in developing policies, leadership, and partnership skills, strengthening their institutional capacities, and sharing solutions to problems related to sustainable development, democratic governance, climate & adaptation, and crisis response.
The UNDP remains resolutely committed to supporting Côte d'Ivoire's sustainable development aspirations, particularly in three major areas: i) Inclusive governance, rule of law and modernization of institutions; ii) Inclusive growth and reduction of inequalities; and iii) Sustainable management of natural resources, adaptation to climate change and resilience.
Under the direct supervision of the Policy and Strategy Unit, I contributed to resource mobilization activities, strategic advisory support functions, and program activities, as well as to building partnerships and alliances with all stakeholders (i.e. external and national partners). I also participated in knowledge development and management efforts through the sharing of my academic knowledge acquired during my studies.
Throughout the internship, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside dedicated professionals who have generously shared their knowledge and welcomed me into a dynamic and fast-paced working environment. From engaging in multilateral partnership meetings, to witnessing how UNDP supports national priorities through their many initiatives, projects, and programs, I’ve gained invaluable insights into the complex field of international development, much more than I could have gained solely through classroom textbooks.
This experience has truly given me a clearer direction in my professional aspirations. In addition, it has deepened my awareness of the sometimes very unequal political, economic, and social dynamics that shape development work. Although I’ve studied the impacts of globalization, I was still shocked to see how every policy, interaction, program, and project is influenced by the complex global and local ever-shifting multilateral networks and collaborations.