10 June 2015
PhD student enjoys United Nations essay writing success
Hiva Rafiei
Essex Business School student Hiva Rafiei has won the United Nations Academic Impact Global Essay Contest and will now travel to New York to speak at the United Nations.
The Iranian-born student is studying for a PhD in Organization Studies under the supervision of Dr Manuela Nocker after completing her Masters in Global Project Management at Essex.
Her essay is inspired by the competition’s theme of ‘Many Languages; One World’. She said: “The essay is basically a trilogy depicting three different 'episodes' that I have personally experienced in three totally different contexts and geographical locations over time. The point is to show that regardless of our nationality, linguistic and cultural differences we, as human beings, share a lot more than we differ.
"At the end of the essay, I argue that the key to 'global sustainable development' is to recognize and value all these differences. What matters the most is to realize that coming together, we form a unity out of all diversities.”
The competition is organised by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), in collaboration with ELS Educational Services with university students from all over the world invited to enter. Hiva will now speak at a Global Youth Forum at the headquarters of the United Nations and will speak from the very rostrum at which heads of state and government address the General Assembly.
This year’s competition encouraged those entering to think about the post-2015 global development agenda, in the context of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, and the definition of new goals reflecting the imperative of global sustainable development that recognises, and is enriched by, cultural and linguistic diversity.
In recognition of the UN’s 70th anniversary, this year's contest has as a theme "Seventy for Seventy" so there will be a total of seventy winners , ten in each of the six official United Nations languages and an additional 10 chosen on merit from the remaining entries in all languages. These winners will be invited to New York to participate in a series of events during the week of July 20-26, 2015. These events will include a Global Youth Forum on the sustainable development agenda in the context of multilingualism, cultural diversity and global citizenship at United Nations Headquarters, preceded by a preparatory students' conference at Adelphi University sponsored and arranged by ELS Educational Services.
Hiva is delighted with her success: “Writing the essay was a really beautiful time as I was really able to enjoy myself.”
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