“This week at the United Nations in New York was one of the most valuable experiences of my entire career.”

Experience abroad is always a valuable asset for the development of one’s personality and skills. For this reason, WU offers its students a range of mobility grants, including the Prof. Ewald Nowotny Mobility Grants. These grants are aimed at students who would like to attend international scientific events to further develop their academic skills and network with the scientific community. Until June 15, WU students can still apply for grants for the coming winter semester. Student Anna Moshammer is the recipient of a Prof. Ewald Nowotny Mobility Grant. We asked her to share her experiences.

WU Blog: You received a Prof. Ewald Notowny Mobility Grant. Can you tell us what possibilities and opportunities this grant opened up for you?

Anna Moshammer: I was honored to participate in the 71^st session of the UNCITRAL Working Group II (Arbitration and Conciliation / Dispute Settlement) as a delegate of ELSA International. The session took place from February 3 to February 7, 2020, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

WU Blog: What were your experiences during this series of meetings?

Anna Moshammer: I stood out as a young student during the session because most of the representatives were older. You need a certain kind of expertise to be able to negotiate international rules for a country. However, I benefited from being so young because many representatives were interested in learning more about me, especially how it was possible for someone my age to take part in such a conference. This is why I was able to lead interesting discussions with many international representatives (mostly from Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, Belgium, and France). We exchanged contact information, which extended my scientific network considerably, and which might help me get an internship in the future.

With regard to the topic, which was discussed in the scope of the session, I was able to understand the essential concepts and modalities of arbitration procedures for the first time. Unfortunately, I haven’t had many points of contact with arbitration procedures over the course of my studies. Therefore, it was very interesting to see how this works in different countries and how the procedure works on an international level.

WU Blog: How would you sum up the experience?

Anna Moshammer: This week at the United Nations in New York was one of the most valuable experiences of my entire career. From an academic point of view, it was incredibly awesome and interesting to experience first-hand how different countries and organizations interact to create international rules. It was especially interesting to see which countries cooperate and which do not. From a personal point of view, I gained a lot from the informal side events of the conference because I had the opportunity to exchange views with delegates from different countries and to get to know them personally. They shared a lot of background information with me and were very interested in me, and my academic and personal interests in the conference. I took with me my interest in the topic of arbitration procedures and I strive to participate in a conference of an international organization as the delegate of a country.