During the week of February 22-25, 2016, a group of LUISS students visited Belgrade with Professor Enzo Le Fevre, through the Discovering International Organizations Project (ASOI LUISS).
The initiative is sponsored by ASP Roma, a student organization that organizes events and programs to help students learn about the complex world of international organizations, focusing on NATO institutions.
After a series of introductory conferences and workshops with national and international experts, the students flew to Serbia to visit some of the most important institutions for modern conflicts and international cooperation.
The delegation visited the Italian Cultural Institute of Belgrade and the Italian Trade Agency where they attended a lecture from General Cesare Marinelli, Head of the Serbia-NATO Coordination Office. The students then visited the offices of the UNHCR, the European Council, European Union, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the OSCE. Finally, they were invited to visit Ambassador Giuseppe Manzo at the Italian Embassy to Belgrade.
As Professor Enzo Le Fevre Cervini explains, “the ASOI project allows LUISS students to learn how these organizations operate on the field, and how they contribute to political, social and economic stability, in a region that still feels the trauma of its past conflict, and at the same time, is caught in the current migrant crisis. This trip allows our students to have a complete vision of the reality of politics in Serbia, including the challenges they face growing both democratically and economically, and in working toward joining the European Union.”
“This experience was very interesting and useful for our university path,” says Giovanna Benvenga, a fifth-year student from the Department of Law. “We saw the practical side of these organizations and the important role that they play in international cooperation and developing countries. Furthermore, I believe it was an important opportunity to clarify doubts about our professional futures.”
“ASOI is an extraordinary group,” adds Raffaele Giurleo, a second-year International Relations student. “It allows students to have real interaction with the world of multilateral diplomacy. It also blends the seminar series with the cultural aspects of travelling abroad. It is a project that all Political Science students should participate in.”
In 2015, thanks to the same project, students had the opportunity to visit The UN Refugee Agency.
