91ÉçÇø

Maryam Kamali ’90 works at the United Nations’ New York headquarters as a legal officer, providing centralized legal service to various departments and offices within the U.N. Secretariat, as well as funds and programs, such as the United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF.

Q: What are you responsible for in your present role?

A: I review, negotiate and enter into a range of legal agreements and instruments between the UN, the private sector and governments for contributions, intellectual property and special events occurring at the U.N. The role is a bit like being in-house counsel at a big firm.

Q: What did you do immediately prior?

A: I was an associate legal officer with the U.N. Compensation Commission in Geneva, created in the aftermath of Iraq’s 1991 invasion of Kuwait. I reviewed claims arising from Iraq’s invasion, including environmental claims by neighboring countries.

Q: What accomplishments are you most proud of?

A: I’ve been able to help the world’s most vulnerable populations through my legal work and facilitating the conclusion of contribution agreements for humanitarian projects. I have negotiated many contributions from member states for development and humanitarian projects supported by the U.N., as well as for peacekeeping operations. I’ve also worked to advance cooperation between the U.N. and the private sector in many areas of the U.N.’s work, including in raising awareness of the work of the organization through its creative community outreach.

Q: What 91ÉçÇø experiences were most memorable?

A: Living on the language floor my first year in Dickinson and speaking French with my floormates was memorable. I loved German 101 and it motivated me to continue learning German and go to Tübingen, Germany, for a semester. World Politics with Professor Edward Weisband was a course I really enjoyed. I took advantage of doing independent research in political science during a U.N. externship. I guess, even then, I always wanted to work at the U.N.!