School of Diplomacy Partners to Provide Prestigious Fellowship Opportunities in Geneva  

Geneva Centre For Security Policy

As a professional school, the School of Diplomacy's Office of Internships and Career Development works closely with students to tailor their internship experience to their interests and career goals. The Office partners with organizations around the globe to provide students prestigious internship opportunities. This Summer, the School launched a Fellowship Program with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).

GCSP was created almost a quarter of a century ago and has been providing excellent executive education programs in international security policy bringing together professionals from all over the world and creating a tight networking community of thought leaders. Diplomats, military officers, and civil servants are among those who participate in these exclusive courses offered by GCSP. Most of them represent the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue, the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and other international organizations from South and East Asia, and the African continent. GCSP provides three executive long-term programs in Geneva and some tailor-made courses in New York City, Dakar, Amman, and Baku.

GCSP delivers quality education based on diverse blended, online, customized courses and other services. In addition, GCSP facilitates a digital platform for a peaceful dialogue, cultural, and educational exchange among participants. They inspire through events, interviews, relevant global insights, and dialogue between guest experts and participants.

House of Peace

GCSP offers a fascinating opportunity for a professional development, the Global Fellow Initiative (GFI). Through the School's partnership, the GFI is available to a School of Diplomacy student each year. This summer program "Young Leaders in Global and Security Policy" (YLGSP) lasts for 8 weeks at the House of Peace in Switzerland.

Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the traveling portion of the program was suspended, and summer courses were held entirely online. This summer, the first School of Diplomacy fellow at GCSP, graduate student, Priscilla Plat, participated remotely. Priscilla notes these benefits of the program,

"Since the internship-fellowship was done remotely, the Center organized weekly coffee meetings for all the experts and fellows to meet, discuss current events, and network. During those sessions, I got to learn more about the work of former Vice-President of Burundi, Dr. Gervais Rufyikiri, as well as former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and, - Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Ambassador Yvette Stevens. Keeping in contact with those two senior practitioners and fellow Africans will certainly benefit my career path in the long run".

GCSP Fellow Priscilla Plat

After graduating from the YLGSP program, Priscilla highlights how thriving and profitable her experience was:

"…not only does this fellowship program provide its participants with executive courses, conferences, seminars, workshops and the chance to participate in regional or issue-specific collaborative designs but it also offers exclusive networking connections; notably, GCSP's experts, executive-in-residence, associate, doctoral and government fellows, who are obviously very talented and knowledgeable in their respective fields. Furthermore, these occasions induce incoming individuals to show up and improve their communication skills, which we know is essential to maintain excellent abilities in that area."

Currently, Priscilla Plat is collaborating with the GCSP, contributing research, data collection, and other leadership activities with a regional focus on Africa, conflict prevention, and the nexus between terrorism and organized crime in all its forms.

The School of Diplomacy promotes the GCSP fellowship for Master's degree students in the spring semester of each year. The candidate selection process involves both the School of Diplomacy and GCSP. Diplomacy students interested in learning more about the Fellowship and to apply, contact Director of Internships and Career Development, Dr. Catherine Ruby, at [email protected].

Categories: Nation and World