Stephanie Zhao is a second-year Master of Public Policy candidate at the Harris School of Public Policy. This summer, she interned in the Natural Resources and Interlinkages Branch of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in New York. In this role, she authored a policy memorandum titled “Financing the Ocean: Quantifying Gaps, Tracking Delivery, and Targeting Equity for SDG14 Implementation.” This involved a comprehensive screening of nearly 700 new Voluntary Commitments made at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference and 3600+ Commitments made from the previous 2 conferences to produce a rigorous, data-driven analysis on global ocean finance mechanisms. She also contributed substantially to the Fall 2025 Ocean Action Newsletter, leading its drafting and coordination, and introduced the “Emerging Priorities” section to spotlight evolving thematic trends in global ocean action.
“Working at UN DESA during these especially challenging times for multilateralism has been both humbling and inspiring. As President Stubb of Finland said at this year’s General Assembly, “each and every Member State of the UN has agency — a say in how the new world order will look.” I am deeply grateful to have contributed, even in a small way, to that collective effort and to have learned from colleagues whose quiet dedication and grace under pressure left a lasting impression on me. This experience truly deepened my conviction to stay engaged in work that bridges policy and human impact, and to keep faith in collaboration even when the world feels most divided.”