Between 4th and 6th of September 2017 the second session of the Regional Academy on the United Nations has been hold in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic. The team of Szeged, namely Markos Anita and Sedef Bedir as international relations students, together with Molnár Orsolya and Szemenyei Vanda as law students, travelled to the wonderful event. Regrettably, the fifth part of the team, Anna Nagy could not join them because of her press of business. Dr. Sziebig Orsolya Johanna, the assistant lecturer of the Department of International and European Law, made one of the party as an escort.

After a quite long train journey we arrived to Prague on 3th of September and at the night of that day we have already tasted the specialities of the local gastronomy. After this, on Monday we participated in the official opening ceremony followed by the presentation of Michael Sojdrova the deputy of the European Parliament about gender equality. Then, the RAUN coordinator of Prague Alžběta Kuchařová introduced us into the presentation techniques and made some very useful suggestion how to develop our skills in this field. In the late afternoon we had the chance to get to know the historical town through an enjoyable game we played called Scavenger Hunt.

Our second day was also full with interesting lectures. Firstly, Branislava Maranova gave us an insight into the highly appreciated work of the Rosa Center, more exactly the activity of the Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE). Secondly, the coordinator of Vienna, Roman Hoffmann talked about the connection between the women’s situation and developmental issues. After that, Michal Broza the employee of UN Information Centre Prague shared his experiences about the global crises related to gender issues within the framework of sustainable development. Lastly, Michael Platzer, who worked almost forty years for the United Nations, recounted the quite inspiring and instructive details of his life story. We all closed the day in a reception held in a wine cellar, where we had the opportunity to taste the local wines.

The last day of the session was mostly about the presentations of the research groups, meanwhile they could show their results so far and listen to the constructive criticism of the coordinators and consultants.

On our very last day in Prague we had a sightseeing tour where through we had the chance to visit the Castle and the famous Charles Bridge. Hence, we were filled up with memorable experiences, but tired when we started our journey home on the following day. By and large we enriched with valuable experiences which are contributing to our preparation for the final Session in Vienna.

Next time, the team will travel to Vienna in January for the final session of the academic year 2017/2018 of RAUN. The participation of the team of Szeged is supported by International and Regional Studies Institute, the Dean’s Office and the Students’ Union.