Editor’s note
Ye Jian, a Master’s student majoring in Political Economy, once served as a student secretary and secretary general of School of Global Governance of Renmin University of China (RUC). He has been on a public internship from July 2022 to January 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters.
As an intern of the United Nations Headquarters, his main tasks can be divided into three parts, namely conference support, website operation, and documentation. “My team is part of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS). We need to regularly analyse the safety and security situation of UN agencies, systems and countries around the world, and give certain advice on construction.”
There is this “most impressive experience” he mentioned about his internship, and he descried it as an “encounter in a lift”. “One day when I was taking the lift, I met Mr. Xu Haoliang, Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).” Xu Haoliang is now the highest ranking Chinese official in the United Nations system. “We had a great conversation and exchanged our ideas. Later we successfully invited him to give a lecture to my fellow students of School of Global Governance.”
“During my internship, what I am most proud of is my idea of building connections among the interns from all over the world, and I actually did it.” Ye said. The United Nations is the largest intergovernmental organization in the world. During his internship at the United Nations, Ye Jian noticed that there were many Chinese interns and staff members in various departments and agencies of the United Nations, as well as in the representative offices of the United Nations in various countries. But they barely knew each other, not to mention staying in contact, which led to a lack in communication and exchanges. “So I discussed with some friends and set up a group for Chinese interns that scattered in different international organizations to get in touch. Later, more and more interns joined us. According to the statistics, by December 31 2023, the figures for countries and organizations where our members were at have already reached 53 and nearly 80. This is how I built a link of the world.”
When talking about his gain from the internship, Ye mentioned that most Chinese students that went for internships in international organizations would gain a broader international perspective, so did he. What’s more, he himself was offered a precious chance to detach himself from the same old living pattern and viewed it more objectively and comprehensively. “This is how I got a totally renewed and profounder understanding of my own live and of life itself.”
In discussing how his educational experience at RUC helped him, Ye stated, “I personally believe that to accomplish something, one needs the cooperation of three conditions. The first is personal ability, the second is the opportunity of the era, and the third is the platform’s support.” He sincerely thanked RUC and all the teachers for their help and support. They have not only taught him a lot about the United Nations, international organizations, and global governance but also pointed him in the right direction for his life’s development.
The second piece of advice is from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: “The victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while the defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” Ye Jian believes that in doing anything, one must have a comprehensive and strategic plan. That is to say, we must be prepared for risk management and have a Plan B, so that we can advance or retreat as necessary.
The third piece of advice comes from the Tao Te Ching, which is also Ye’s favorite book: “Reversal is the movement of the Tao.” Whether as a civil servant or an international civil servant, we must have our competitive advantages and a differentiated development strategy to stand firm and remain stable.
