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100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International

tions, including meetings between NGO representatives and relevant sections
of the Secretariat, facilitating NGO representatives, attendance at various UN
meetings, research and preparation of documentation on questions submitted
by NGO's Permanent Missions, or other groups or individuals. UNOG also
provides assistance to permanent missions and other government representa-
tives on all aspects of cooperation with NGOs.

II. Specifics of Geneva

1. If New York is the decision-making centre, Geneva is mainly the major
operational Headquarter. 65-70 per cent of UN activities are here.

2. Location in Europe.

For UNOG its location in Europe is of primary importance. The birthplace
of multilateralism, Europe is the largest contributor to the UN both in terms of
its financial and intellectual input. Europe is the place where most of the
armament as well as considerable share of world's economic wealth is
concentrated. This continent now in transitional period from the Cold War
international political structure to new arrangement. This transformation can
lead to the creation of the democratic, integrated Europe or to the new division
of the continent by economic boundaries and development of disintegration
processes. In particular the situation in East European countries and the former
Soviet Republics causes considerable concerns. Thus, Europe deserves special
attention on the part of the UN.

A. Opportunity for dealing with European structures, which are the most
developed regional arrangement from the viewpoint of Chapter VIII.

The multiplying European regional and subregional organizations are
another important factor in European politics. UNOG can be the key to work
out the proper division of labour with the CSCE, WEU, EC, NATO, among
others, all of which are instrumental to dispute settlement and the management
of conflict in Europe and Western Asia. The experience of the UN-EC effort on
the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia in Geneva is just an
example of how to successfully employ joint efforts in conflict prevention. Such
work is particularly timely as the CSCE embarks upon setting up its general
Secretariat which will function in a coordinated fashion with bodies in Vienna,
Prague and Warsaw.

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