Events and News
Internship Opportunity with the Mission of Canada to the United Nations of Geneva - Application Deadline December 2, 2024!
The Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva (the “Mission”) will open an internship position during the winter 2025 semester, to run from mid-January until April 2025.
The Mission represents Canada at multiple Geneva-based international organizations covering a variety of substantive issues, including human rights, international law, humanitarian affairs, migration, health, labour, UN governance, and disarmament.
The Host Organization Requirements for this internship:
• Applicants must hold Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.
• Applicants must meet their university requirements for co-op placements.
• Applicants should demonstrate:
o interest in and knowledge of international law and/or international affairs;
o excellent analysis, research, written and oral communication skills;
o self-motivation, initiative, flexibility, time management, ability to handle multiple tasks & strong judgment;
o good interpersonal skills & ability to work cooperatively, including in a diverse and international workplace.
• Fluency in both of Canada's official languages will be considered an asset.
• Current enrolment in a graduate program will be considered an asset.
• The successful applicant will be subject to a security clearance screening. Holding a Government of Canada reliability-level or secret-level security clearance prior to the internship will be considered an asset.
• The successful applicant will need to present proof of travel and medical insurance for the entire duration of the internship.
For further information, including details of the internnship, renumeration and directions on how to apply can be located on this form.
Good luck to all applicants!
Western IR X AIR Symposium - Ending Wars and Finding Peace - November 20, 2024
On November 20th, 2024, The Association of International Relations hosted a Symposium “Ending Wars and Finding Peace,” where esteemed scholars and leading voices in conflict resolution, international law frameworks, transitional justice, and peace studies were invited to examine these multifaceted themes.
Through a deep exploration of justice within legal frameworks, historical shifts in foreign policy, and the pivotal role of youth participation in peacebuilding, the event provided Western students with a platform for meaningful discussions on sustainable peace and reconciliation. After the panel, students were provided an opportunity to network, ask questions, and deepen their understanding of complex global dynamics and potential career paths.
Internships at Salzburg Global in 2025 - Details available here!
Salzburg Global is now welcoming applications for several Salzburg-based internships in 2025.
Please note there are various start dates throughout the year, and we applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
While the internships are unpaid, Salzburg Global provides interns free room and board at Schloss Leopoldskron, travel from and return to the intern's country of residence, insurance, visa processing assistance, and excellent networking opportunities with our international program participants.
July 2020
The International Relations program has been following the efforts of the President’s Anti-Racism Working Group and their May 2020 final report. Please access the report here. We look forward to implementing the changes and recommendations of the President’s Anti-Racism Working Group moving forward. The IR program is committed to anti-racism program review, improved communication and accountability following the report’s guidelines. If you have concerns or would like to discuss these or other issues further, please contact the IR director.
The International Relations Program is delighted to announce its inaugural Ambassador-in-Residence: Guillermo Rishchynski.
Mr. Rishchynski has had a distinguished career in Canadian diplomacy, with particular expertise on trade, development and Latin America. Guillermo Rishchynski joined the Department of External Affairs and International Trade in 1983 as an Assistant Trade Commissioner. He has served abroad in Rio de Janeiro, São Paolo, Amman, Melbourne, Jakarta, Chicago and from 1999-2002, as Ambassador to Colombia in Bogatá. In Ottawa, he has served the department as Deputy Director, Latin America and Caribbean Trade Division, and Director, Team Canada Task Force and Inspector General. He joined the Canadian International Development Agency in 2003, serving as Vice-President of the Americas Branch until his appointment as Ambassador to Brazil in 2005. In 2007, he was appointed Ambassador to Mexico and in 2011 he was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. In 2016, Mr. Rishchynski was appointed Executive Director for Canada at the Inter-American Development Bank. He retired from the IABD and the Government of Canada in 2019. He now resides in London, Ontario.
Mr. Rishchynski will be a valuable resource for IR students, advising them about career opportunities as well as meeting with them to discuss global affairs. He is happy to hear from students and can be contacted at: grishch@uwo.ca.
We look forward to introducing you to Mr. Rishchynski at events in 2020-2021.
Welcome to Western, Mr. Rishchynski.
There have been changes to the International Learning Award eligibility, effective the 2019-20 academic year, which foster greater access for students to finance an international learning experience. These changes include:
- lowering the cumulative average requirement from 80% to 70%
- expanding the timeframe for eligible international experiences starting from the summer immediately following a student’s first year until the end of April in their fourth year
For more information click here.
Congratulations to the 2018-2019 graduating IR class! Their final policy report is available here.
Nicholas Schivao and Aaron Joshua Pinto, both graduates of the International Relations program were highlighted by OpenCanada as Canada's future foreign policymakers for 2018. Click the links above for the details.
Study Abroad Opportunity in May
Western University now has a partnership with the University of Windsor, offering students the opportunity to participate in Windsor's EU Study Abroad Program. This program is entering its 10th consecutive year. Over 180 students have participated in the program since its creation in 2009. Information on the course may be found here.
For more information see the video below
Congratulations to IR students at the Undergraduate Essay Awards
Congratulations to the 3 IR students who attended the undergraduate essay award conference in Dublin in October. Allyson Fox, Andrea Burke and Lauren Paparousis all received the award. Their award winning papers are below.
Conflict Management Strategies in Burundi (Allyson Fox) http://www.undergraduatelibrary.org/2017/politics-international-relations/conflict-management-strategies-burundi
Modeling After: Searching for a Solution to Sub-Saharan African Corruption in Rwanda (Andrea Burke) http://www.undergraduatelibrary.org/2017/politics-international-relations/modeling-after-searching-solution-sub-saharan-african
Poetry After Mauschwitz: Holocaust Memory in Art Spiegelman’s Maus (Lauren Paparousis) http://www.undergraduatelibrary.org/2017/literature/poetry-after-mauschwitz-holocaust-memory-art-spiegelmans-maus
Congratulations to Daisy Li
Daisy, a graduate of the IR program (2016) has had her Undergraduate History Thesis, "The Social Stratification of Ethno-religious Conflict", accepted for publication in the 2016-2017 issue of The Yale Historical Review. Congratulations Daisy! For more information on the publication, please visit: http://historicalreview.yale.edu/
Congratulations to Aaron Pinto on receiving the Queen's Young Leadership Award
Aaron Pinto (IR 2014) attended the Queen's Young Leaders award ceremony at Buckingham Palace where he received his award from Queen Elizabeth. For more information on the ceremony and Aaron's achievements, please read these articles written at Toronto Star and CTV News.
IR Graduate Named Queen’s Young Leader
Congratulations to Aaron Pinto (IR 2014) who has been selected as a Queen’s Young Leader for Canada in 2014! This award acknowledges the exceptional work of young people (aged 18-29) who are playing leadership roles in their communities and transforming people’s lives. Aaron is the co-founder of a project to help people living below the breadline. The project delivers food hampers to migrants, the elderly and survivors of abuse. Aaron will be traveling to London in the summer to receive his award from the Queen. For more information on the Queen’s Young Leaders Award, please go to: http://www.queensyoungleaders.com/#
Congratulations to Surer Mohamed: Highly Commended at the Undergraduate Awards
The Undergraduate Awards is a pan-academic international awards program that rewards students for innovative approaches to their subject area. Submissions are judged by academics in each subject field. Students whose papers win or are highly commended represent ‘the most creative and nuanced arguments and ideas coming out at the undergraduate level internationally’. Surer’s essay challenged the trope of the African "tribalism" as singularly responsible for ethnicized political conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the paper, she analyzed the limitations of this conception of ethnicized conflict, and attempted to move towards a more nuanced understanding which includes the actions of individual leaders, the structures of African states and exacerbating international factors. Surer’s essay received a highly commended distinction in the Politics and International Relations Category. She will be attending the UA Global Summit in Ireland in November 2014.
