The following blog post was written by fellow UHPer and Spring 2023 SURE Award recipient, Anuka Upadhye (International Affairs Major, ’23). Read on about how Anuka utilized the SURE Award funding to further expand upon her research experience!
I used my SURE Award to attend the UN Water Conference from March 22nd to 24th at the UN Headquarters in New York City. As someone who is interested in international environmental issues, specifically water justice and climate change, I was really excited that the UN was hosting its second water conference after 46 years. Thanks to the GW Sustainability Department, a cohort of GW students and faculty were able to attend. Some of the highlights were being able to sit in the General Assembly hall and observe a plenary session, where representatives of member states discussed the future of water security in their respective countries and made voluntary commitments to help other countries finance water projects. This conference was the first time I witnessed international climate change policy in action, and helped me understand how the UN worked. It was also amazing to see so many people who are interested in global water issues under the same roof, and I felt united being near people that understood the stakes of climate change and water. Unfortunately, I left the conference with mixed opinions. Many of the events over-represented global north countries, excluded the voices of marginalized groups, and lacked tangible results. However, I am grateful for the SURE Award and the UHP for giving me the opportunity to step foot in the UN Headquarters and get an inside look on what actually happens behind closed doors. Going to the conference has allowed me to be a more coherent critic of the UN’s current shortcomings, and actively channel the frustrations I felt during the conference into ways to address current gaps in the field. Overall, getting this experience has solidified that I would like to work on climate change and water justice throughout my career because of the urgency to solve these global issues. Without the SURE Award, I would not have found this clarity. Thanks again!
Interested in applying for your own SURE Award funding? Find out more about the application process here!
