VOICES is a performance that compiles responses submitted by the incoming 2013-2014 class into a medley of skits and readings that will take place during New Student Orientation 2013.

The goal is simple: to hear from as many incoming students as possible! Tell us a story. Write us a poem. Lay down a beat. Responses can be any shape or size!

Responses will be used in the VOICES performance anonymously, of course!

Visit http://go.miis.edu/voices to add your voice to the mix!

Working at the Terrorism Prevention Branch at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna has thus far been a greatly rewarding experience.

The day usually starts off around 9:00am after going through the U.N. security gates. Once through the gates, I walk past the Memorial Plaza, which includes a large fountain surrounded by all the flags of the Member States. This is one of my favorite parts of the day, not only because I like flags (who doesn’t?), but because it has a particular U.N.-ish feel that is always pretty cool.

Once in the office, if I don’t have any tasks that I need to finish up from the previous day, I usually head upstairs to see what’s crackin’. I work in section III of the Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) which covers the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa. One of the main goals of the TPB is to provide technical assistance to aid Member States in their efforts in the fight against terrorism. My section organizes trainings, conferences and workshops in those specific regions on various aspects regarding the fight against terrorism. There is always some meeting going on somewhere that requires a presentation to be put together, or proposals to be drafted. My day consists of preparing various presentations on a wide array of topics such as preventing the financing of terrorism in Colombia to drafting a proposal to hold a workshop in Libya on mutual legal assistance, all of which keeps me busy.

Once the day is over, I will once again walk past the memorial fountain and all the cool flags of the world, and head out to fill my stomach with some delicious schnitzel or some other Austrian delicacy.

I feel extremely fortunate to get to spend the next two months back in the Bajo Lempa.  As we wrote about previously, Team El Salvador 7 coordinated with La Coordinadora and La Asociación Mangle on three main projects last January.  The project that I focused my time on was to help assess the potential for ecotourism development in the area (you can read our final report on our website under the projects section).  One of our primary objectives was to obtain the communities’ vision for such ecotourism development: how they would like to see their communities grow and why. Meeting after meeting we heard the same message: to develop sustainably, protect the natural resources, create better opportunities, promote education, and always for the benefit of the youth/future generations/children. The communities’ emphasis on promoting better futures for their youth has instilled a core understanding of sustainable development. Furthermore, it has motivated the creation of programs to support the youth and enable them to pursue academic and career goals, which in turn provides opportunities for the youth to stay and give back to their home communities. We had the fortune to meet some of the young people who participate in these programs, and their determination to build better futures for themselves and for their communities was truly impressive. They just get it: the need to pursue education, to get involved in their communities, to protect their natural resources, and to promote sustainable development for the next future generations.

Most of my time here this summer will be spent helping to evaluate the Local Plan for Sustainable Extraction of Natural Resources (PLES): a very well structured policy that enables the local communities to benefit from their natural resources in a manner that does not degrade them nor prevent future generations from also benefitting from the local resources such as the mangrove forests and fisheries.  My work this summer will be in continuation of that which the Team El Salvador PLES group started in January (you may also find their final report under the projects section).  The PLES was created in 2008 as part of the Decreto 14, a national law that enabled the creation of local management plans for the mangrove ecosystems.  However, as Decreto 14 only had a 5 year lifespan, it ended in April of this year, leaving the continuation and legal backing of the PLES uncertain.  Thus, La Asociación Mangle and La Coordinadora, wanting to maintain the local management of their resources, has urged for the evaluation of the PLES in hopes to renew its legal backing.  I look forward to helping to support these efforts!

Under the motto “Looking Back, Moving Forward”, scholars and students presented on a variety of topics. Japan and China dominated the discussions, but Central and Southeast Asia were equally represented.

On Friday and Saturday evening, panelists and discussants enjoyed MIIS hospitality through the performance of Takeo drummers and Chinese instrumental musicians.

The center supports and promotes the close link between clean oceans and economic growth as part of a national strategy that was introduced by President Clinton. The preservation of the U.S. Great Lakes and U.S. coasts sustains jobs and contributes to the economy in these regions. The gains speak for themselves but more work needs to be done. Therefore, the continuity of the work and efforts of the Center for the Blue Economy are necessary and valuable.

]]> http://blogs.miis.edu/gstile/2013/06/prof-leire-carbonell-aguero-welcomes-a-baby-boy/feed/ 0 http://blogs.miis.edu/gstile/2013/06/professor-kavenoki-speaks-at-ti-conference-in-russia/ http://blogs.miis.edu/gstile/2013/06/professor-kavenoki-speaks-at-ti-conference-in-russia/#comments Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:02:02 +0000 GSTILE http://blogs.miis.edu/gstile/?p=2140 Continue reading →]]> Professor Kavenoki spoke on June 3, 2013 at the 5th Industry of Translation and Interpretation International Conference in Perm, Russia on the T&I Market in the United States, Russia, and Other Geographic Locations in the Russian-English Combination. The conference was held at the National Research Polytechnic University.

She also gave an open lecture on June 5, 2013. The topic of this lecture was the training of T&I Professionals in the United States.

To view an article about the conference (in Russian), please click here.

The second presentation was for the members of the Indian American Muslim Council. Four students and Prof. Iyer presented at the webinar which was attended by over 50 members all over the US and was titled Gandhi’s Gujarat or Modi’s Gujarat?: Reflections from the Field. 

Prof. Iyer continues her commitment to Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding through her Center for Conflict Studies.