During the 2021-2023 school years, 13 students from SIGS had opportunities to work with 10 UN organizations through participation in conferences, internships, or projects.
During these experiences, our students not only get the chance to gain global competence but also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In this installation of our SIGSers Go Global Series, master’s student Xiao Yanan shares her work at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) China Office as a program coordination assistant.
Xiao Yanan, a master’s student majoring in Resources and Environmental Engineering at SIGS, is passionate about the environment. “I want to evaluate environmental crises from a broader perspective and make efforts in environmental protection using my professional knowledge,” said Yanan, whose research focuses on risk assessment of antibiotics and water pollution control.
At SIGS, with several classmates, Yanan founded the Student Carbon Neutrality Research Association to share carbon neutrality knowledge, green skills, and industry and policy research with the public. Determined to mitigate the impact of extreme climate events on people’s lives, she also interned at the Shenzhen Urban Planning and Land Resource Research Center, contributing to Shenzhen’s drainage and flood prevention planning and management efforts.
Xiao Yanan at UN Compound in Beijing
Seeking to broaden her experience and contribute on a larger scale, Yanan applied to become a United Nations Volunteer (UNV) through the UN’s collaboration program with Tsinghua University. Starting in September 2022, she worked at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) China Office as a program coordination assistant for a year. As a volunteer, she participated in policy analysis and research on environmental issues in China, project management support, monitoring and evaluation, planning and support for promotion and capacity-building activities, and hosting high-level delegations.
“I am not a typical UNer,” said Yanan. Unlike many of her peers at UNEP, Yanan did not have prior experience working in international organizations or abroad before her internship. Nevertheless, she made a unique contribution: applying what she learned in her academic career to her work at UNEP. “I discovered that both policy and project research reports require the same ability as conducting literature reviews. In professional-related project meetings, my environmental background was an advantage and sometimes I could even provide new insights,” said Yanan.
At UNEP, Yanan also gained new perspectives and professional skills through participation in events like International Youth Day and Youth Consultation Dialogues, where she represented UNEP and introduced its green skills initiative and programs, and World Environment Day (WED). “From being afraid to speak up and of making mistakes initially to communicating with different stakeholders efficiently, I oversaw the entire progress of the event and handled various unexpected situations,” Yanan reflected, speaking of her work during the WED event.
Xiao Yanan (second from left) poses for a group photo with UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen (center left)
Yanan offers encouragement to those interested in pursuing this kind of opportunity: “Bravely step outside of your comfort zone, and believe in yourself.” For Yanan, embracing this philosophy meant gaining professional skills and new perspectives that she could apply in her research and future career path.
Compiled by Zhu Lijing, Zhao Mengyuan, Ye Sijia & Alena Shish
Written by Alena Shish
Edited by Yuan Yang
Photos provided by Xiao Yanan
Reviewed by Zhang Chengping & Chen Chaoqun
Layout by Yang Jun
