Internship

Interning with the g7+ Secretariat was extraordinary. My coworkers were immensely welcoming and helpful in adapting to life in Timor-Leste, which was a tremendous change from the United States. I also had the amazing opportunity to be immediately involved in high-level political work. For example, in preparation for a summit in Timor-Leste I attended a meeting with the Timorese Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and another with a director of the Chinese Embassy in Timor-Leste. I prepared remarks for the g7+ Deputy General Secretary for his various international engagements, and I conducted research for the g7+ ahead of a high-level development aid summit in China. Though I only interned with the g7+ Secretariat for about two months, I was doing and involved in so much, and I learned even more.

My time interning with the g7+ Secretariat in Timor-Leste was an unforgettable experience that broadened my perspective on international cooperation and post-conflict recovery. Being part of an organization led by countries themselves allowed me to see development from a truly local and self-determined angle, while also providing me with hands-on experience and insight into the inner workings of international organizations such as the United Nations. Beyond the professional experience, living in Dili for two months and connecting with Timorese culture taught me crucial lessons that I will carry forward in both my career and life. Most importantly, this experience was only made possible through the warm welcome, friendship, and assistance of the Secretariat team, to whom I am very grateful.

My internship at the g7+ office in New York City was a unique and enriching experience. I had the great opportunity to assist the g7+ Secretariat during the busy weeks of the UN General Assembly, gaining first-hand exposure to discussions on peace and development in high-level meetings and side events. This experience deepened my understanding of how international organisations operate and made me realize the importance of cooperation among “fragile states”, especially in times of declining multilateralism. I am very grateful to the g7+ Secretariat for giving me the opportunity to contribute actively and for all their support during my time in New York.

This internship helped in achieving my goal regarding understanding the difference between theory and practice within international relations. I was able to understand the modes of diplomacy practiced within the members of the g7+ and how to understand a diplomat’s perspective along with attempting to convince one of aligning with a certain view. The most crucial experience I gained at this internship was attending the Ambassadorial-level meeting on South-South Triangular Cooperation for building and sustaining peace at the UN. This conference helped me recognize the ways in which ‘fragile’ states cooperate with each other as long as with the ‘north’. This internship gave me greater clarity in whether I would want to continue with my current career aspirations of working in diplomacy and international relations.

Through my experience with the g7+ Secretariat in Timor-Leste, I learned that if we truly want to help, we must first listen, understand the people, their context, and their culture and then involve them in the process. We must not impose a solution upon them, but rather let them be the solution themselves. Choosing to come to Timor-Leste for this internship with g7+ Secretariat one of the best decisions of my life. Even though one month is not nearly enough to discover everything this beautiful country has to offer, I feel truly blessed to have had the chance to live, see, and experience Timor-Leste. It enriched me in so many ways and made me grow both personally and professionally. Obrigada Barak! (August – September 2025)