At a time of profound challenges to multilateral diplomacy, Boston University students found reasons for hope this summer at the heart of global governance: taking advantage of international Geneva, Switzerland.

During the month of June 2026, students who were enrolled in BU’s study abroad class, IR 421/621, or “Global Governance and Global Challenges,” engaged with practitioners from eight international agencies — including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization and the UN Human Rights Council, among others. The class introduced students to the global challenges these organizations tackle and the crises many face as both funding and trust in global governance dwindle.

Some call this time a geopolitical recession, with many donors diverting global aid budgets to defense in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and others — especially the U.S. — pulling back from global agencies in the wake of COVID.

On a visit to the World Health Organization, students heard about the final push to achieve a global pandemic treaty that has been four years in the making from the professionals negotiating the text. They also saw the bare flagpole outside WHO headquarters where the U.S. flag once flew, taken down since the U.S. withdrawal from WHO on January 22.

But students also found inspiration in the work international civil servants do. At the Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid, Kaylee Pickering (CGS’26, CAS’28) commented, “It was just really inspiring and brought a lot of hope to me to see how passionate (an OCHA staff member) still is and see the dedication and drive of aid workers like herself.”

Cooper Formica (Journalism & IR ’29) added, “you hear a lot about the work that the United Nations does, but it is really fascinating to get to see the organization in person and hear form the people who work to make this such an amazing organization.”

“Global Governance and Global Challenges” is a BU Study Abroad summer course taught by Mark Storella, Pardee Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy, who previously served as U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva. BU Study Abroad also offers semester programs in Geneva focused on the same issues. Storella shared his experience teaching this course,

“It is gratifying for me to be able to share with students not just the background of these institutions but also the art of multilateral diplomacy in a place where I represented the United States for several years.”

Students focused on how UN agencies and the work they do could be reformed — from environmental protection to AI regulation and economic development — to meet emerging threats.

Zakiya Majeed-Landau (IR with a minor in Arabic ’27) summed up, “It has been a really positive experience. It is easy to forget the work that international organizations do…. It is has given me a lot of hope and inspiration.”

The summer course was not all work. Students also traveled around Switzerland to visit Bern, the Swiss capital, and scenic terraced vineyards at Lava, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With Geneva at the center of Europe, many students also took advantage of weekends to visit France, Germany, Italy and beyond.

A video featuring student reflections can be watched here.

To learn more about Boston University’s Geneva program, you may visit their website and follow students’ travel stories here.

Mark C. Storella is the professor of the practice of diplomacy at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. He served as a United States Foreign Service Officer for more than three decades. Besides being an ambassador to Zambia, he was a deputy assistant secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration and dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Storella has several honors and awards to his name, including the Presidential Rank Award and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Excellence in Service Award. To learn more about his work and accomplishments, visit his faculty profile.