Professional Affiliation

A keystone piece of the Cornell Humphrey Fellowship

The Professional Affiliation (PA) experience provides Humphrey Fellows the chance to adapt their classroom learning to real-world settings. Fellows reflect all they learned during their Fellowship — academic courses, leadership workshops, and many opportunities to develop and expand their networks — as part of a 6-week affiliation with a US-based organization. Fellows provide an important role in the organization's operations while forming connections and collaborations that may last long beyond the Fellowship Year.

Spotlight on 2021-22 Professional Affiliations

Andressa Lanchotti, United Nations Environment Program

Andressa Lanchotti completed her professional affiliation at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), focusing on regulations in extractive industries. Formed in 1972, the UNEP is the global authority that sets the international environmental agenda, implements an environmental dimension within the UN system, and advocates for global environment conservation and sustainability. During her time at the UNEP, Lanchotti worked to bridge the gap between the UNEP’s new global regulatory standards for mining waste (the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management or GISTM) and Brazil’s mining industry’s regulatory framework. Among her many accomplishments while working with the UNEP, Andressa authored a 50-page paper on modernizing Brazil's tailings (mining waste) management at the state and national levels and developed proposals to foster technical cooperation and knowledge sharing between the US Government and UNEP and to develop training programs for Brazilian mining regulators.

Hazel Flores-Davila, FONTAGRO

Hazel Flores-Davila partnered with FONTAGRO, a “sustainable co-financing mechanism” for the development of agricultural technology in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain. She was able to connect with her PA organization during the Humphrey Fellowship’s trip to the Washington Leadership Forum. During Flores-Davila’s time at FONTAGRO, they were able to both identify new opportunities to build the capacity of the organization’s Knowledge Management and Communication plan and work with the organization’s member states to implement those improvements. Additionally, Hazel developed a workshop proposal to improve the visibility of the activities, research, and knowledge generated by FONTAGRO and its member states.

Batzaya Tsegmid, Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations

Batzaya Tsegmid worked with the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations. During her time with this organization, she conducted a study on the experience of implementing the UN development system reform plan for the next five years through the Pooled Fund. Tsegmid also conducted a study on an implementation plan for the "International Year of Rangeland and Pastoralists, 2026" that was initiated by Mongolia. Lastly, they updated the profile of Mongolia's UN agencies and mechanisms for UNDP, FAO, IFAD, Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, Financing for Development, and more. Batzaya may continue in helping organize the "International Year of Rangeland and Pastoralists, 2026" project after completing the Humphrey Fellowship.

The 2020-21 Professional Affiliations

Since the 2020-21 Fellowship Year occurred in the midst of a global pandemic, many PAs took place online. Nevertheless, Fellows continued to innovate, make new contacts, and learn new skills to bring back home to their countries.