Lumen Summer 2015 - Flipbook - Page 13
king in war zones
She then interned with the International
Law Commission in Geneva and was a
political advisor on human rights and
international law to the Australian AttorneyGeneral. Before joining the United Nations,
she was also an attaché in the Australian
Permanent Mission to the UN.
While winning a position in the UN
is very competitive, the opportunities
are significant for people who are
really committed.
“Students who want to do this sort
of work need to choose the relevant
subjects, get involved in groups on
campus and volunteer organisations,
and build their personal knowledge and
network of contacts.”
Since last year Kym has been a
Special Assistant with the United Nations
Support Mission in Libya working with a
range of UN agencies.
Because of heavy fighting in Tripoli, the
UN mission was evacuated to Tunisia in
July where the humanitarian program is
now being coordinated.
Risk is an every day part of the job, but
Kym tries not to worry. Her response to a
difficult situation is to try and stay calm.
It’s an approach that worked well in
Darfur and Libya which posed quite different
yet equally confronting challenges.
“The living conditions in Darfur were
very tough,” says Kym. “I slept outside
under a mosquito net most nights
because it was too hot inside as there was
rarely electricity to run the air conditioners.
“I was sick a lot of the time from
stomach bugs and infections, I showered
out of a bucket, and I lived with the risk of
being car jacked or kidnapped.”
Libya was a different sort of challenge,
living and working in the same UN
compound, travelling in armoured
vehicles and adhering to strict curfews.
The quality of living was much higher
but Kym faced the threat of heavy shelling
and rockets flying over the compound.
Despite the risks, she says it’s amazing
how normal life can be. Day-to-day living
goes on, albeit with lots of rules and
procedures to follow.
“You need to be very security
conscious, but for me the risks are
outweighed by the opportunities and
satisfaction of my work,” she says.
“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity
to work in very different countries and
cultures because I’ve seen for myself that
while religion and politics can be very
different, fundamentally people are not.
“Most people want the same
things – to live in peace and provide
for their families.”
Main image: in the desert near the border of
Libya and Algeria
Above: Kym attended an ANZAC Day dawn
service at the Commonwealth Cemetery in Tripoli
|e University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 11
