Originally contributed for the 70th Anniversary celebration of the School of International & Public Affairs of Columbia University.

Going back to my Balkan roots, in summer 2016 I found myself in Kosovo for a mission with UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The transition from my first master’s year at Sciences Po in Paris, to my second year at Columbia was through Kosovo– an inspiring experience that exceeded expectations.

Touchdown in the capital Prishtina felt familiar yet new, comfortingly reminiscent of my childhood in Albania, but this time another version with a different purpose.

Getting to work, I was soon immersed in efforts to mainstream gender and the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) in Kosovo, a post-conflict zone and hub of international presence. Weekly, I was in meetings with UN Women partners – EU, Kosovo government, OSCE, World Bank, civil society – and even top government officials, including the prime minister of Kosovo. Among my favorite assignments was providing input and setting up linkages between the SDGs and national development strategies of Kosovo and the European Union there.

Another highlight was launching the HeForShe Campaign in Kosovo during the internationally renowned DokuFest film festival. The cooperation with the UN Kosovo team made for a spectacular launch in which colleagues and I spoke with Kosovars about engaging men and boys in gender equality, brought to Kosovo a world famous filmmaker-Mehrdad Oskouei- to support the cause, and collaborated with local artists to design artwork illustrating gender equality.

Meanwhile, editing and translating for the transitional justice program, I gained insights into the organization and staff’s initiative to obtain reparations for victims of conflict-related sexual violence in Kosovo from the war in the late 90s. Indeed, the heavy legacy of the conflict, which UN Women and other agencies worked to remedy, could be felt throughout the area.

Overall, the internship was a glimpse into a dream job – one of aid coordination with some of the largest global organizations, while working with the stellar team of UN Women in Kosovo to make a positive impact on the ground. Through it all, I met inspiring and supportive colleagues, made lasting friendships, and formed a connection with the people I met in Kosovo.

The impact of UN Women in Kosovo in the field is direct – my fulfillment from partaking in this work reinforced my desire to make a difference with international organizations in development, especially for democratization and women’s empowerment.

Background: Klevisa Kovaçi ’17 was a dual degree student at Columbia University and Sciences Po, specializing in Economic and Political Development.