Kahane UN Program

The William and Elizabeth Kahane United Nations Program at Occidental College supports United Nations-focused programming both in New York and Los Angeles.

Its flagship program is the unique Oxy at the UN Program. Each fall a select group of Occidental students move to New York City to conduct high-level internships at United Nations agencies, country missions (government offices) and related non-governmental organizations. Placements are complemented by academic seminars which engage a range of distinguished guest speakers.

The Kahane Program is equally dedicated to bringing the United Nations to Oxy’s Los Angeles campus. Each spring United Nations Week includes a wide variety of on-campus events—including prominent speakers, academic workshops and multi-media presentations. The Kahane Fund enriches how Occidental students can engage with the United Nations and, more broadly, the global community.

Oxy at the UN Program on Instagram

One highlight of my work was researching how Artificial Intelligence can streamline work in UN spaces. I coordinated with colleagues in London and New York to discover how AI can accelerate progress for peace and diplomacy and co-pioneered the development of an AI demo within the Mission.

Mia Thiagarajan ’24

Oxy at the UN Program participant

Faculty Directors

Cynthia Rothschild

Faculty Director, Kahane UN Program; Resident Assistant Professor, Diplomacy and World Affairs

Diplomacy & World Affairs

rothschildc@oxy.edu

Rothschild is the on-site faculty director of Oxy at the U.N. She is a writer, a trainer, and an advocate whose work has revolved around and traveled through the UN for over two decades.