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my way -- was there anybody who started these lecture series and we delegates, to know what is the most
needed my help? I ended up mee- carry them on. We try to do two important information, and what
ting a colleague from UNICEF, who per year. It's a surprisingly huge are the essential reference docu-
said: "Ah! You are here and we were amount of work. We did one just ments, so that they can participate
looking for somebody who can be before Christmas 2013 with Martti in the process with confidence.
acting head of human resources Ahtisaari, the former President of We are therefore going to pro-
for six months. Can you help?" So Finland, and José Ramos-Horta, vide orientations and briefings for
I was Acting HR for six months, who was the President of Timor Member States, particularly for the
and then UNDP said: "When you Leste. Both of them had been very small Member States who do not
have finished that, could you come important in negotiating peace have huge amount of staff covering
and help us for six months while deals. José Ramos-Horta is now the process. Maybe it would be use-
we find our own person." I really the United Nations' Special Repre- ful if we would do a series of brief-
enjoyed both of these assignments. sentative and Head of the United ings for Member States on some of
Nations Integrated Peace-Building the issues that might be included
When I had finished these two Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOG- on the agenda. For example, why
assignments and was ready to go BIS). It was very interesting to lis- do you need a development agenda
home and do some more retiring, ten to them, and both of them said in the first place? How do you get
I got a phone call from the Secre- the same thing, which is so relevant the right balance between a results-
tary-General's Office saying: "We now for Syria. The most impor- oriented agenda and an inspira-
are thinking of consolidating seven tant quality that the winner must tional and visionary agenda? Why
organizations together, including demonstrate is the forgiveness to would you like to have a limited
UNITAR. You have proven your- the looser. It's so hard, but if you number of results on everything
self as a manager in the system. We cannot make the loser feel that they that everybody could think about?
would like you to do two things: to have hope of playing some useful On all these issues, why is it better
be the manager of UNITAR; but role in the future, you are sowing to have ten or fifteen results rather
also to help the efforts of the SG to the seeds of the next war. than 150? What are the advantages
consolidate UNITAR with these six of having this result instead of ano-
other organizations." Another thing that we do in Geneva ther result? What indicator should
is to run a lot of training courses we think about and what does a
Q: So that's what you did? here, both online and actually face- good indicator mean? Some are
to-face. Our target audience is the technical matters; some are almost
Well, that's what I came to do. It Geneva-based delegates to the UN, philosophical. Why is it important
has not progressed as easily as I particularly the new ones who have to have universal goals instead
think the Secretary-General would just arrived, and particularly those of having goals just for the deve-
have wished. I think the initial from countries that do not have loping world -- just like MDGs?
idea was a lovely idea, but trying their own national diplomatic aca- What were the shortcomings of the
to make reality match the ideal has demy. We teach negotiation skills, MDGs? How do we learn from that
been a lot more difficult. resolutions, drafting, etc., but also experience, and do even better this
to understand how the different time.
Q: UNITAR is often mentioned UN bodies work, the rules of the
in Geneva for its assistance Human Right's Council, the rules There is a lot of work going on right
to humanitarians through of the First Committee, the rules of now. The problems is not that there
UNOSAT. What are the other the Security Council. That's what is not enough information, the pro-
contributions you make to In- we do. blem is that there is far too much
ternational Geneva? information. Thus, the poor dele-
Q: What are your plans for the gate who is covering three commit-
There are two reasons why people Institute in 2014? tees all by himself/herself is ove-
should know about us. My prede- rwhelmed. So we asked: "Would
cessor, Carlos Lopez, started the We have a very interesting new it be helpful if we could draw this
Geneva Lecture Series because he programme. There is a big discus- information together, synthesize it,
felt that the people of Geneva do sion going on in the UN about the and make it more comprehensible
not really know much about the Sustainable Development Goals, -- easier for the Member States to
work of the UN. He wanted to in- and the new Post 2015 develop- grasp?" So we are now putting to-
troduce a series of presentations ment agenda. There are so many gether a series of briefings for New
which would be slightly populist, different, but related, processes York and Geneva, and hopefully
not academic, and everybody could going on, that Member States are that will help to get this agenda
get an understanding of the issues drowning in information. It was decided. But, once the agenda has
that the UN is dealing with. Why suggested that UNITAR could help been decided, there is something
are these issues important? He delegates, including newly arrived more important. If this is going to

I 10 International