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international

Interview with
Ms Tatiana Valovaya

Director General, United Nations Office at Geneva

She is the first woman to be Director-General crowds of people everywhere… You could see
of the United Nations Office Geneva, and she people but not the architecture.
will be remembered in history for having shown
to future generations of young women that I was overwhelmed by the Palais, by its
everything is possible as long as you are focused, architecture but also by its meaning. You
hardworking and persevering. know, I have been in many empty buildings,
and sometimes you feel that emptiness. But
Ms Valovaya carries a considerable burden here you did not feel the emptiness, the Palais
of responsibility on her shoulders and, despite was alive even without people. There is a lot
her busy schedule in this challenging Covid of history here, and I was just thinking how
pandemic reality, she took the time to answer important it was that, after the First World War
our numerous questions. As one might expect, right up into the Great Depression, members
as most things, this encounter was also online, of the League of Nations sat together to find
and the Director-General’s knowledge about the financial resources to build this palace for the
conference application TEAMS is impressive. multilateral organisation – and how important
Indeed, she was more adept at these online it is now. Since I love to take photographs,
connections than the journalist sitting on one day I brought my camera and took some
the other side trying desperately to adjust the pictures. Then I shared these pictures with
camera. One might think that somebody of some of my colleagues only to show how
her stature would be annoyed by this, but not different the Palais looked.
the Director-General. She was patient and
friendly. Some of these photos were immediately used
by the internal magazine produced by our
Before we leave the space to the Director- staff, and then somebody showed them to the
General, let us briefly mention that she has been Centre de la photographie de Genève. That is
a diplomat, a journalist and a well-known and how it was decided that it would be a good
highly respected economist with more than 35 idea to show them online, to show them to
years of international experience to her credit the people of Geneva, so that they could see
and, despite it all, she is modest and gracious. the beauty and the architecture of the Palais.
So, Director-General, over to you, please… It also served to remind that, although the
Palais was not open to the public, life went
First of all, we would like to congratulate you on and the work continued. It was a time for
on your photo exhibition. How did that come reflection, a time to rethink and prepare for
about? another round of international multilateral
In fact, it is not my photo exhibition but the activities. It happened purely by chance and
Palais des Nations’ one. I just happened to be my role was not central. The Palais was the
clicking on my camera. I’m not the important main character.
UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferre coming to the Palais, checking on how things model for generations of women?
actor in this. It was during the first lock-down.
“You should never go back. We had closed the Palais to most of the people You are the first woman appointed Director-
in order to prepare it for safe return and new General of the United Nations Office Geneva.
You should always go forward.” working conditions for staff. Of course, I was How does it feel to be a forerunner and a role

were progressing. It was the first time that I It is very important that the United Nations
saw the Palais without people. Earlier, when I Office at Geneva is finally led by a woman. I’m

w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h was in the Palais, it was always full of crowds, the thirteenth Director-General and the first
w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h