Intern at the Organization of American States (OAS)

2011.1.20-2011.7.20

Seon, Jihye

Latin American Studies

             As a student of Latin American Studies, it was a great opportunity to intern at the OAS during the last six months. I had the good fortune of being selected by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the “Supporting Future Latin American Expert” program. Through this program, I joined eighty other OAS interns from all over the world as one of two interns from Korea.

 I was assigned to work in Institutional Relations for the Department of International Affairs (DIA). The DIA is responsible for organizing the relationships between the OAS and Institutional partners, observer countries (such as Korea), outreach programs and civil society groups. The Institutional Relations, where I worked, is in charge of coordinating relationships with external institutional organizations, United Nations agencies, Inter-American institutions, International Financial Institutions as well as the Study and Research Center. One of my duties was to profile information about partner institutions for the OAS’ internal and external use. The DIA is one of the more politically active departments in the organization, so in this regard I learned a lot about the protocols in place at the OAS and the process of forging relationships with other International Organizations.

            The First Inter-Regional Democracy Forum was an especially exciting event for me. All of the heads and representatives of the various Regional Organizations participated in the forum, discussing the state of their respective nations. Jean Ping, the chairperson of the African Union was a keynote speaker during the forum. He explained the need for African Countries to spend more time focusing on capacity development to solve their problems.                                                                                                  

           Aside from my duties at the OAS, I also enjoyed attending meetings of the Parliament Council, which met at the OAS main building. Every week, 53 member country’s ambassadors participate in the Council meeting in order to discuss various issues. Through these Council meetings, I learned a lot about the different characteristics unique to the various participating nations. This experience was like a living education for me.  Also living in DC provided plenty of opportunities as a student. It’s easy to find prestigious think tank lecture series’ and there are various events held year round. 

          Lastly, I want conclude my report by expressing my appreciation for the GSIAS professors, faculty and colleagues in our department. It couldn’t have been possible to have these good experiences without their full support; I am grateful towards all of them. Thank you.