Summer at the United Nations: Lessons in Diplomacy, Climate Action, and Global Governance

By Nabiya Imran

Before the first meeting of the day starts at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City at 10 am, diplomats from various countries can be seen grabbing coffee at one of the several cafes in the building, conducting some last-minute informal talks, converging with like-minded countries on agenda items, and stepping into negotiation rooms with the goal to make progress on national priorities. These activities would continue until lunch hour would strike, and even then, the diplomats would continue to engage before the second round of meetings at 3 pm, with the possibility of informal engagement after that. For about three months this summer, I witnessed and participated in these negotiations and meetings as an intern with the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations.

I was assigned to work with the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly, which was quite relevant to my field of study at The Fletcher School: international development and environmental policy. This committee’s agenda addresses items related to economic, financial, and environmental affairs, including, but not limited to, macroeconomic policy questions, poverty eradication, finance and technologies for development, South-South cooperation, agriculture development, biodiversity, and climate change. As an undergraduate International Affairs major, I had previously learned about multilateral diplomacy, especially the work of the UN, and being able to be directly involved in it was a great learning experience.

Nabiya at the Opening Ceremony of HLPF 2024

On a daily basis, I supported Second Secretary Ms. Aleena Majeed (who leads Second Committee negotiations for Pakistan) in conducting research and assisting in drafting speeches, reports, and policy briefs for diplomatic use related to climate finance, just clean energy transition, AI governance, and finance for sustainable development. While I was mostly accompanying her to meetings, there were instances when events were taking place concurrently and I had the opportunity to represent Pakistan in the meetings myself. Being assigned to work with a female diplomat was an especially unique experience because the multilateral diplomacy space to this day is very male-dominated, and it was encouraging for a young graduate student like me to see a woman leading economic, financial, and environmental negotiations.

I truly enjoyed participating in the negotiation processes of Pact for the Future, Global Digital Compact, Terms of Reference for a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, and Multi-Dimensional Vulnerability Index. I was also involved in preparatory meetings for the Third UN Ocean Conference and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.

Nabiya with parliamentary delegation during the HPLF 2024

The highlight of my internship was possibly being able to attend the 2024 High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. With SDG 13 (climate action) being one of the goals under in-depth review this year alongside SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals), it was interesting to learn about innovative solutions that various countries have developed to achieve various SDGs. However, the lack of sufficient financial flows and inadequate means of implementation have hindered progress on the goals, especially for developing countries, and this issue was highlighted throughout the forum. The HLPF agenda included various side-events, which I was delighted to attend, especially the one on de-risking energy investments.

This past spring semester at Fletcher, I took Climate Change Policy and Law, and one of the key components was an in-class COP simulation, which gave me some insights into how environmental negotiations take place. Being able to participate in negotiations and coordination meetings at the UN allowed me to see it all in real life- the roadblocks, the long hours, Global North-South divisions, the unique perspectives of SIDS and LDCs, coordination among the G77 and the role of the Secretariat.

After the internship, I have a newfound appreciation for all diplomats because I saw them working around the clock, always on the go and having to coordinate with one another during meetings. It also gave me insights into why the pace of our progress on environmental challenges at the UN is slow. It is not an easy task to bring almost 200 states to consensus, address capacity constraints of middle- and low-income countries, ensure implementation of GA resolutions (since they are not legally binding), and encourage sufficient political will. At the same time, it was often frustrating to see a lot of negotiations happening with insufficient concrete action and operationalization.

Coincidentally, Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14 occurred during my internship as well, and I had the opportunity to participate in the Independence Day celebrations. In addition to my time at the UN, I was able to explore the amazing museums in New York City on the weekends. I am very grateful to the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy for supporting this internship, and I am very excited to continue the MALD degree at Fletcher through the Fulbright program. I look forward to contributing to stronger action on climate and energy policy after graduation.

Nabiya Imran is a MALD student at The Fletcher School, Tufts University studying climate action and energy policy through the Fulbright program