AMHERST, Mass. — For the second year in a row, Prof. Armen Baibourtian of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a former ambassador, hosted a group of students at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
“For many of us this was the first time visiting the United Nations,” says Shea Kelly. “With Professor Baibourtian’s first hand experience working in the UN alongside meetings we were offered an insider’s perspective.”
Studdents started their day with a tour through the outside garden of the UN, where gifts from various members of the United Nations are displayed. “We saw fascinating pieces, including part of the fallen Berlin Wall, a sculpture gifted by The Soviet Union, and a Japanese Peace Bell,” reports Kelly.
Baibourtian arranged meetings with Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanian, the permanent representative of Armenia to the UN and with John Ericson, from the Office of human Resources Management.
Mnatsakanian spoke of some of the most prioritized initiatives of the General Assembly in the coming years such as disarmament, peace and security, and development and human rights. He also discussed the unique and difficult position the UN holds, as they have 193 member states that must work to structure a common solution to global events.
