United Nations Workshop Photo Gallery
By Aleena Siddiqui
On March 20 and 21, the Carnegie Mellon Sustainability Initiative team traveled to the United Nations in New York City for a workshop hosted by the United Nations Academic Impact to discuss implementation of the Global Goals with other universities. Director Alex Hiniker designed and led the convening, with participation from the four current interns: Purva Bommireddy, a senior in the College of Engineering, Ameena George, a first-year in the Tepper School of Business, Cristina Goeller, a second year masters student at Heinz College, and myself, a junior in the College of Engineering.
The team also toured the United Nations, listening in on a United Nations Security Council briefing and attending events as part of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. We also had the opportunity to sit down with representatives of the New York City Mayor's Office of Operations to share experiences on how cities and universities address the Global Goals.
Through the Sustainability Initiative, CMU identifies how the university contributes to the Global Goals and implements programming to make connections across education, research, and practices. Attending meetings and connecting with other students helped us see where our work fits into the larger picture of the Global Goals. It was great to hear how other students work to localize these internationally-framed goals to make a meaningful impact on their campuses and communities.
Sustainability Initiative interns (from left to right: George, Siddiqui, Bommireddy, Goeller) in the Economic and Social Council Chamber at the United Nations headquarters. Upon arriving at the UN, Hiniker gave the interns a tour of the headquarters to see various chambers, meeting rooms, and art pieces donated by member states to the UN.
Interns presenting at a meeting about universities implementing the Global Goals in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library at the UN Secretariat. Hiniker designed and facilitated the workshop, which was hosted by the United Nations Academic Impact to connect students, staff, and faculty from Carnegie Mellon University, The New School, Lehigh University, and New York University. CMU interns presented on the history of the Sustainability Initiative, the Voluntary University Review, the Pittsburgh Youth Leaders in Sustainability Network, and the Storytelling for Sustainability series.
A breakout group of participants from each of the attending universities at the UN meeting sharing their conversation highlights on implementation of the Global Goals. Conversations ranged from curriculum integration and student engagement to research and innovation for sustainable solutions and operational sustainability on campus. We left these meaningful conversations feeling inspired and with a strengthened enthusiasm for cross-university collaboration.
All of the attendees from the UN meeting pictured in the UN Secretariat. The university meeting featured representatives from the Carnegie Mellon Sustainability Initiative, Lehigh University’s UN Partnership, The New School’s Graduate Program in International Affairs, New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, and the United Nations Academic Impact.
The Change the World Model UN Conference opening ceremony taking place in the General Assembly Hall. Interns sat in on part of a model UN conference where middle school, high school, and university students gathered to debate global issues and collaborate on solutions. This served as a reminder of the importance of youth in the rooms and conversations that are shaping the future.
The Sustainability Initiative team pictured at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library. The team felt at home presenting in the UN library because the Sustainability Initiative is also housed in Libraries, with the Sustainability Studio in Hunt Library serving as the Sustainability Initiative’s brick and mortar location. Libraries serve as a neutral destination that is unaffiliated with any specific school or college, thus a perfect place to house the Global Goals, which recognize the work of all academic disciplines and partners across campus.
Aleena Siddiqui is a junior double majoring in materials science and engineering and environmental and sustainability studies. From Grosse Pointe, Michigan she is the outreach & programming intern. She focuses on finding meaningful ways to engage with the campus community and shares resources that allow for connections between students, staff, and faculty in our collective efforts toward sustainability. She is expanding on the team's work with the Youth Sustainability Network that serves as a landing point for students across Pittsburgh colleges to connect and lead in efforts togethe.