Duke University Annual Career Trip in D.C.
On January 5 th -7 th Romina Damini, MIP Fellow, attended the Duke University Annual Career Trip in D.C. She held the position of Student Ambassador from her Masters’ Program (MIDP) and she hosted the International Social Policy Panel (with a focus on Global Health and Poverty Reduction). She had the opportunity to discuss and share ideas with representatives of the World Bank, UNHCR, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and USAID. Taking into consideration that the panelists work with different topics related to health, social policy and development, Romina mentioned that in many ways, these topics overlap and need to be addressed interdependently. Romina said: “Girls’ access to education has a very considerable impact on women and children’s health outcomes. Poverty, hunger, and lack of welfare benefits, in turn, have great negative impacts. Studies have shown that gender awareness can enhance the response to emergencies and epidemics. However, in practice, cross-sector strategies can be tricky to formulate and implement”. During her session, she discussed about some effective ways to incorporate cross-sectoral issues like gender and disability into development and humanitarian assistance.
In addition, Romina Damini raised the issue of climate change and emphasized the fact that increasing agricultural yields and productivity has been a massive part of the strategy to combat hunger. She said: “The World has reached a point in which agriculture emits around 30 percent of all greenhouse gases and occupies 40 percent of the planet’s land. Poor countries and impoverished populations will be the largest victims as climate change worsens. As the IPCC’s latest Assessment Report points, malnutrition is one of the largest consequences of climate change, because increases in droughts and floods are expected to have serious negative effects on crops and livestock. Strategies to combat hunger should take the effects of agriculture on climate change into account”. During her Career Trip, Romina Damini visited two important institutions; IFC and Oxfam.
During her Career Trip, Romina Damini visited two important institutions; IFC and Oxfam.
Romina Damini
