Aida Diana Farkas (Romania)

July 16, 2019

Internship at Council of Europe

Strasbourg, France (September 1, 2017 - August 31, 2018)

Tasks:

  • European Commission against Racism and intolerance
  • Contribution in  drafting the  briefing papers and reports on various countries, participating in contact visit to Moldova
  • Preparing drafts programs for ECRI visits in different countries
  • Contribution to the organization of the Conference on General Policy Recommendation no.2
  • Receiving, reviewing  and dispatching incoming correspondence particularly with civil society from various countries Intercultural Cities • Drafting reports on various Spanish cities
  • Interpreting data and graphics Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
  • Representing the secretariat at the seminar“Being LGBTI and Roma: at the crossroads of discrimination”
  • Contributing to the organization of the above-mentioned seminar
  • Preparing the follow-up report of the seminar Other contributions: European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. No Hate Speech and Cooperation Unit, Framework Convention for the protection of National Minorities 

Skills and knowledge gained:

During this internship I have learned,  first and foremost, what does it mean professionalism and commitment for defending human rights at its highest level. In a very warm and diverse environment, I have improved in both professional and personal level. For instance, professionally, I  improved my abilities to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines in a demanding environment by working with different units within the Anti-discrimination department.  On a personal level, I confirmed my beliefs that kindness, tolerance, acceptance, professionalism, and commitments are the crucial qualities of a great leader. 

How does the internship advance your future career?

Due to the internship and the tasks fulfilled, I manage to obtain a temporary contract in the Roma and Travellers team, more precisely in the JUSTROM project, which deals with the access to justice of Roma women. Being involved in such a project represents an achieved goal for me because this project fully corresponds to my expertize and field of interest. 

Future plans:

Regarding my future plans, I am highly committed to further contribute to the work of Roma and travelers team of the Council of Europe. On the long run, I also take into consideration to further my studies by pursuing a Ph.D.