The following reflection is from Celine Ioffe, a Pace University undergraduate who participated in the POL270 Global Politics of Disarmament and Arms Control class in Fall 2025. Students had the opportunity to engage in civic engagement assignments with disarmament advocacy efforts in the context of the UN General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) meetings in New York City.

As the daughter of religious refugees from Ukraine and Latvia, I carry with me a familial awareness of what is at stake in international policy spaces. My parents escaped from the collapsing USSR during a time of uncertainty and chaos, leaving behind everything they knew to come to America. Their goal was to ensure that their children would grow up in a place where they could choose their own path and live without fear of persecution. This sacrifice has shaped how I see the world and my place in it.

Following this immersion at the UN, I now know that I want to continue working in political spaces to ensure that the opportunities that I have been given because of my parents’ courage continue to be accessible not just to people in the US, but to people everywhere who seek safety and freedom.

Being a youth participant in one of the most monumental international policy arenas developed my understanding of what global policymaking looks like in actual practice, beyond what can learn in textbooks or news articles. I witnessed firsthand how the global political landscape is constantly ebbing and flowing based on what is happening around the world including various crises emerging, how alliances shift, and the individual differences each nation can make in the course of negotiations. No two meetings are ever the same as each country is always evolving, whether in terms of the policies they advocate for or the individuals they send to represent their interests at the forum.

Although I am fascinated with the work of the diplomats, this experience affirmed for me that I want to work with NGOs on advocacy for specific, concrete change. Attending the NGO Humanitarian Disarmament Forum (HDF), I had the opportunity to speak with representatives from the Stop Killer Robots campaign, who gave me insight into the important role of civil society organizations in shaping global policy. These advocates bring moral clarity and urgency to discussions that often become overwhelmed with technical or political jargon. I learned that the UN can be a place for everyone to get involved and take action on the issues they care about. The only way any semblance of peace is achievable is through international cooperation and the work of building consensus across political, cultural, and economic systems.