Mahima Sharda

Mahima Sharda
International Crisis Group
New York City

I cannot express in words how much I will miss the International Crisis Group. I have learned so much over the course of my internship, met incredible people, and had an opportunity to work hard on issues I care about.

One of the highlights of my time at Crisis Group was having the opportunity to organize and host a roundtable discussion on how climate change is going to affect human conflict. An example that was discussed was a case about how farmers experiencing drought and subsequent bad harvests in Sudan, became herders instead and moved southward. This left a string of violent interactions between them and the previous inhabitants and herders in that area who claimed the space was theirs. These types of conflict are only going to increase. I considered the effects of climate change will be stronger in much of the developing world than in those that were the biggest culprits of the emissions and felt disappointed that these longstanding tropes of imbalance only seem to perpetuate.

I also had the chance to have a one-on-one conversation with ICG’s main expert on the conflict in Afghanistan. His analysis of the situation was saddening and heartbreaking, and much of what he predicted has played out in reality over the last few weeks, although not even he could anticipate the speed at which the Taliban were to remerge. I was thankful at ICG to have a chance to speak with such amazingly qualified people so frequently and to hear such esteemed insights even before they hit the press.

Finally, in my last few weeks, my effort was focused on the nonprofit’s annual report, of which I was able to draft entire sections independently. I appreciated my work, as I was given the responsibility to undertake tasks that may commonly be done by those with substantially more experience at other organizations. I summarized much of Crisis Group’s work from the last year and learned about each report or even conflict as I went along.

Crisis Group was the perfect place to advance my thinking about human rights, find a platform to gain expertise and the requisites that are there. I am so thankful to everyone at the organization for taking a chance on me, and to the Gallatin Global Fellowship for making it financially feasible, and for teaching me the academic underpinnings that would allow me to make the most of this opportunity.

Mahima Sharda /
International Crisis Group /
New York City, USA /

As my work at the International Crisis Group has developed over the past month, so have I. Building on some of the projects I discussed in my last post and starting some new ones as well has given me an opportunity to reflect more critically. I have been thinking more about human rights in development and some of the challenges faced by international nonprofits when attempting to balance diverse stakeholder interests.

This month, I have continued to draft communication for external stakeholders to the organization summarizing ICG’s policy research on conflict, including on gender and government-citizen relations. Furthermore, I have been working on a document summarizing some of the key groups and individuals ICG works with on a regular basis, some of the nuances of communicating with each, the biases they bring to the table, and the kinds of work they expect from the ICG. I have also assisted in organizing round-table events covering a wide array of subjects including climate change and its impact on at-risk groups, scarcity, and conflict.

These activities have given me pause, and a chance to think more about how context is key for human rights think tanks. The kind of information that would be useful to policymakers in one area, could be exceptionally different from that needed by others merely fifty kilometers away. I really appreciate the Crisis Group’s approach on this, as it operates in 40 countries with numerous local offices across the world. This allows the organization to stay relevant, and produce information that isn’t solely theoretical, but also practical and applicable. This also aids in the organization’s efforts to decolonize its work, rather than only producing content developed in the West.

I have also had the honor of speaking one-on-one with a number of ICG’s experts in critical areas about current events, including the director in charge of teams doing work on the Syrian conflict and the recent governance challenges in Lebanon. These conversations have been a highlight of my internship so far, as being able to pull the ears of renowned experts on these topics is a true privilege. And, unfortunately, one that I will sorely miss when my time at the Group ends in less than a month.

Mahima Sharda /
International Crisis Group /
New York City, USA /

With New York City roaring back to life, the weather getting warmer, and the days getting longer, it’s been a great month. Likewise, my first month at the International Crisis Group has been nothing but rewarding, thought-provoking, and a source of growth for me. The internship so far has given me the opportunity to meet new people, build on my previous professional experience, apply what I have learned during the academic portion of the Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights, and learn practical new skills that will help me with my long-term career ambitions.

The team I have worked with has been kind and supportive. I have had the opportunity to connect with a number of individuals located around the world, both right here in New York as well as from Belgium to Kenya. With this geographical diversity comes divergent perspectives, backgrounds, and approaches to human rights work. I have found this to be particularly interesting; while all of my colleagues share a passion for human rights, they each have unique ideas about what human rights means and how to achieve it.

My first project was to draft a multi-page bulletin on behalf of the Group’s president discussing some of the past month’s events centering on conflict. They include the skirmish between Israel and Palestine, the United States pulling its troops out of Afghanistan, and protests in Colombia. The assignment required that I conduct an extensive literature review to familiarize myself with the issues as well as Crisis Group’s responses to them. I learned the diverse array of mediums that the think tank uses to add value for policymakers and inform them. I realized the minute level of detail required in real-world human rights work, given that each word is nuanced. Any word could be interpreted in many ways and spark controversy. I also learned drafting skills in a formalized professional environment.

Secondly, I worked with a staff member to edit and fact check information on a new program that will provide fellowships to underprivileged students in Africa. It was interesting to see how a program is deployed from inception to launch, along with the many obstacles that can rise throughout. There too, I found myself considering the human rights implications in the field of education. A variety of subjects including equity, fairness, gender, race, and monetary constraints were debated, and the curriculum was a particular point of contention. My time at Gallatin allowed me to structure my thoughts in a coherent way during this conversation and helped me consider the many sides using a systematic methodology.

The internship also has instilled in me a strong work ethic, one which is adapted to today’s increasingly globalized world. I work alongside people from different countries with a broad range of communication styles and have to constantly convert meetings’ time zones to ensure I am punctual. Looking ahead, I cannot wait for some of my upcoming projects, which include a variety of events featuring speakers from around the world, and an examination of the Group’s methodologies for evaluating success.

Mahima Sharda / 
International Crisis Group /
New York, USA / 

My name is Mahima Sharda, and I’m originally from Jaipur in India. Growing up there, I saw first-hand the challenges faced by women when struggling to be fully included and recognized in society. In addition to physical or sexual violence, women face strong cultural norms that hinder their ability to be treated equally to their male counterparts–at home, at school, or in the office. Equal participation in all aspects of society is a human right, whether that means access to employment, fair pay, safety, or information.

It is for this reason that I wanted to focus on the intersection of women, peace, and security at the International Crisis Group (ICG) this summer, as part of the Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights. I want to find tangible ways of advancing women’s rights in countries where the gender gap is particularly large.

To this end, I will be working on three projects at the ICG. First, I will be conducting academic research on the plight of female refugees and matriarchs in the Middle East. I will also be working with ICG to measure and document the tangible impacts of their work on public policy decision-making. And, finally, I will be critically evaluating the think tank’s approach to gender-related topics from a human rights perspective, comparing it to current theory and thought leadership.

In addition to my academic understanding of this subject matter, which I gained through the fellowship, I hope to bring my professional experience to the ICG. I want to draw connections between this role and the ones I have held previously at the UNDP in India and at the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the UN here in New York.