Lumen Summer 2015 - Flipbook - Page 12
story by Ian Williams
The risks and rewards of wor
Life as a United Nations peacekeeper working in some of the world’s most
volatile conßict zones can be tough, confronting and often dangerous.
K
ym Taylor is used to surviving in
difficult conditions while facing the
fear of being kidnapped. She’s
also worked and lived under the threat of
heavy shelling while rockets fly overhead.
The role is a world away from Kym’s
early life in the Riverland and student days
at the University of Adelaide where she
graduated with a Bachelors of Arts and
Law with Honours in 2000.
Since joining the UN in 2005 Kym has
worked at its headquarters in New York
and been assigned to roles in Darfur,
Sudan for two years and most recently
Libya. They are two of Africa’s most
volatile and difficult regions.
Despite the dangers, Kym says the
rewards of working in such places are huge.
“Getting to know local people, their
customs and traditions, makes you feel
like the world is opening up in front of
you,” says Kym.
“Darfurians are renowned for their
hospitality and honesty. You feel very
humble working with people who suffer
from conflict and are just trying to survive,
and raise and educate their children.
“I quickly came to appreciate how lucky
I was to come from Australia and grow up
somewhere like Adelaide.”
Kym credits her experiences at the
University for triggering her interest in
broader human and legal rights issues.
She became closely involved in student
life, first in the debating club and then in
student politics, serving as President of the
Students’ Association, as a board member
of the student union and also as a student
representative on University Council.
Left: Kym meeting with a local council member
in Ghat, on the border of Libya and Algeria
Right: Kym with local children in Ghat
10 Lumen | Summer 2015
“The University of Adelaide didn’t
just provide me with a degree, it
provided me with a much more rounded
education,” says Kym.
“When I was a student I fought for the
right to an accessible education but I
did not truly appreciate that it is in itself
a great privilege and something many
people in the world do not have.
“So just being able to attend a university,
let alone a very good one like Adelaide,
hugely shaped my life and career.”
After graduating from the University
Kym joined Wallmans Lawyers practicing
in commercial law and was offered a
Chevening Scholarship at Cambridge
University to study her Masters of
Law, focusing on human rights and
international law.
