Shams Banihani, a policy analyst with the United Nations Development Programme, will visit the University of Wisconsin–Madison for presentations in early March on the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and UNDP’s work in poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, gender equality and building green jobs.
Banihani, a 2003 UW graduate in business administration, also will give a talk about internships and careers with the United Nations and her journey from UW–Madison to the UN.
Banihani, a native of Jordan, currently works for the UNDP program “Scaling up Local Innovations for Transformational Change,” which supports countries in adapting successful innovations for national use and delivers multiplier effects, such as clean energy, women and girl empowerment, education and employment. The aim of the program is to reduce inequalities and disparities at the local level.
She began her career as a banker, foreign exchange and bonds trader and institutional financial specialist in the CEO’s office of the largest bank in the Middle East. She later served as a consultant with the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics, a joint project of UNDP, UN Women and the National Democratic Institute.
All of her campus presentations are free and open to the public:
- Exploring Employment and Internship Opportunities with the UN, 4 p.m., Thursday, March 7, Tripp Commons, Memorial Union.
- MDG Progress and Scaling up Innovations at the Local Level, 7 p.m., Thursday, March 7, Tripp Commons, Memorial Union
- The Importance of Green Job Creation for Women & Youth: What Can Local Governments Do? 1 p.m., Friday, March 8, Auditorium (Room 121), Pyle Center. Registration for this event requested at www.uwalumni.com/ghs.
Banihani’s UW–Madison visit is being hosted by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) International Programs, Division of International Studies, Global Health Institute, GlobeMed UW, Global Studies, ISS-Millennium Development Goals Awareness Project, Model United Nations, School of Business International Programs, Wisconsin Alumni Association, and WUD-Global Connections.
Questions about Banihani’s visit may be directed to: mdgap@studentlife.wisc.edu.
– by Kerry G. Hill