"UNSA is a platform for opportunity," says Darko Petrovic, founder of the UN Student Association Maastricht. The existence of this association is life-changing as it is a platform that brings people with different perspectives, opinions, and ideas together on specific subjects. The diversity of people lets ideas flow.
The United Nations (UN) serves as a mirror of the world, requiring us to address themes, challenges, problems, and conflicts from diverse perspectives. You will not find a sustainable solution to any of these if you are stuck in your bubble. Petrovic emphasizes that the beauty of this association is that it is “a door opener”. It brings all these different voices together and creates opportunities for people to find themselves in the future and whatever they want to pursue.
The inspiration behind creating UNSA
For Petrovic, human connection was a guiding principle. He wanted to bring people together for a cause. His passion for Model UN began in high school in Germany and continued in Maastricht, where he realized the absence of a similar initiative.
"Why don’t we have something like this here?" he asked. Conversations with like-minded students inspired the creation of UNSA. The initial goal was modest: a delegation or a conference. But soon, it evolved into something much larger. "Let’s think bigger," as he recalls. "Let’s create an association that can cater to various needs, with Model UN as just one component."
First UNSA event: disarmament
The first UNSA event was a lecture on disarmament at the School of Business and Economics, attended by around 20 to 30 people. Soon after, the association expanded its activities to include delegations, events, journals, and NGO projects.
In the second year Petrovic came up with the idea of creating the project committee, nowadays called the development committee, which does the different NGO work in other countries. “It grew more and more.” And with growth, it just confirmed the initial assumption that we need something that brings people together and that lets ideas flow and can create impact.
Thinking big and bigger is the driver of making a difference/impact.
Petrovic’s vision had always been expansive. "Not everyone is interested in Model UN, but they are interested in the topics the UN addresses," he explains. That is how UNSA came around having more to offer – events, journals, and trips to make it attractive for different audiences. Thinking big was a driving force. "I was sure it would be successful," he says, even though initially he faced logistical and financial obstacles.
UNSA’s role in Petrovic’s career
“I believe that you are the builder, the crafter of your own luck in a way,” he begins with. UNSA brought Petrovic on the professional path. If it was not for UNSA, he would probably not be at the UN right now. “However, this has also a lot to do with coincidence and luck”, he adds.
Organization skills, working with people from different backgrounds, finding common ground, negotiating about events that you want to organize or about any themes in your committee these are very tangible skills that you acquire, and which are indispensable in a working environment. “What you learn at UNSA, you most likely won't be able to acquire during your coursework,” he emphasizes.
“UNSA itself was born out of failure,” he admits, referencing his rejection from the United Netherlands Model UN delegation in 2005. "I decided to create something bigger, an association offering more than just professional delegations." Some things in life are not meant to be. Maybe not now, maybe later, maybe never. But I think one has to embrace the opportunity that can come out of failure and to kind of normalize it and say: “Look, it’s not a big deal”.
From UNSA to Outplay Hunger: Darko Petrovic as the initiator behind the “Outplay Hunger” by the World Food Programme
Darko Petrovic is the initiator behind the "Outplay Hunger" initiative by the World Food Programme (WFP), a groundbreaking effort that aims to leverage the gaming industry to combat global hunger. While the WFP had previously experimented with video games for fundraising and education, these efforts were often "very siloed" and lacked cohesion or long-term impact. In 2022, Petrovic rediscovered his passion for gaming and realized its transformative potential for humanitarian work. As he describes, this was his "lightbulb moment".
Petrovic set up a research team of WFP staff and gaming experts to analyze past efforts and chart a new course. Their goal was to answer a critical question: "How can we leverage gaming to fight hunger?" Through this process, the team developed a sustainable business model designed to harness gaming's vast potential. Petrovic pitched the idea to multiple directors, emphasizing its capacity to generate lasting impact. "It came at the right moment in time," he recalls. "People recognized the potential."
Now serving as WFP's Business Development Consultant for Gaming, Petrovic works to build partnerships across the gaming ecosystem, using the medium to raise funds and tell the WFP's story. "My job is to develop opportunities with the gaming industry, to link them to the Zero Hunger cause," he explains. Through the "Outplay Hunger" initiative, Petrovic demonstrates how creativity and technology can address global challenges.
UNSA as a global player
Petrovic believes that within 10 years, UNSA will become a global player. "Building the brand is crucial," he says, comparing it to his work with Outplay Hunger. "We need to think big, scale up, and focus on impact. There’s no greater motivation than our shared responsibility for this one planet."
Conclusion
Petrovic’s journey from founding UNSA to leading groundbreaking initiatives at WFP shows the power of vision and collaboration. His story is a testament to thinking big, embracing failure, and building opportunities for others—the very principles at the heart of UNSA. “If you want to be effective at work, if you want to be an effective communicator, team player, leader, you better go through the UNSA program in one form or the other, because then you'll be more ready. UNSA is a place to start,” he concludes.
Comments