Students of the Széchenyi István University had the opportunity to get acquainted with several United Nations (UN) institutions based in Budapest at a programme held on 10 April at the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The event provided information on inspiring international career opportunities.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a key element of the Széchenyi University strategy. While the institution supports their implementation through a number of initiatives, such as gender equality and quality education, it is continuously working to provide its students with a wide range of international opportunities. In this context, the event on 10 April provided an overview of career opportunities in the Budapest offices of the invited UN agencies.

In her opening speech, Dr. Eszter Lukács, Vice President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations of the University, thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for its support and said that as a member of the Hungarian UN Society, she considers it her personal mission to familiarize the students of the univeristy with the goals and programmes of the UN. She also spoke of the close cooperation between the institution and the UN. "Széchenyi István University has been a founding member of the UN Academic Impact (UNAI) network since 2010. This is an initiative that connects higher education institutions around the world, focusing on the goals and mission of the UN. Since its inception, more than 1,600 institutions from around 150 countries have joined the programme," she said.

Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations, welcomed the participants (Photo: András Adorján)

Jayashri Wyatt, Head of Education Programmes of the United Nations Department of Global Communications, sent an official welcome address to the opening of the programme, in which he praised the international activities of Széchenyi István University. "I am truly inspired by Széchenyi University's commitment to education, open dialogue, research and development, and the Sustainable Development Goals. I thank you for your hard work and continuous efforts to achieve our common goals, as education is a key element in promoting sustainable development," she said.

Vincent Klein, Special Adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, began the series of speakers, who presented the eight UN agencies operating in Hungary and their work. He explained that there are hundreds of staff working for the UN in the capital..

Vincent Klein, Special Adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Photo: András Adorján)

The FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, also maintains a regional office and service centre in Budapest, and Adrienn Budai, HR Officer, presented its activities. She stressed that their primary task is to assist colleagues working around the world. With a modern office in the city centre and more than 210 colleagues, the team is made up of 35 employees of different nationalities. The FAO SSC (Shared Services Centre) welcomes recent graduates from the Széchenyi University in areas such as HR, finance, procurement and even travel management.

Adrienn Budai, HR Officer at FAO SSC (Shared Services Centre) (Photo: András Adorján)

The IFRC (Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) was represented by Evangelia Trikili, Regional HR Manager and Elena Gál, HR Manager, who spoke about the mission and tasks of the Red Cross. In addition to its European regional headquarters for humanitarian work, the organisation also has a global service centre in Budapest. Elena Gál encouraged people to visit the IFRC's careers page and open up to humanitarian job opportunities.

Evangelia Trikili, Regional HR Manager of the IFRC (Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) (Photo: András Adorján)

Elena Gál, Senior HR Manager of the IFRC (Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) (Photo: András Adorján)

After the presentations, the students had the opportunity to put questions to representatives of the Ministry, the FAO and the Red Cross. They focused on the application process and traineeship opportunities.

The programme held at the Innovation Park of Széchenyi István University in Győr was not short of student questions (Photo: András Adorján)