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“It is often said openly – and is really doing. So, it’s important to allow This year, we had a virtual high-level segment on
people to see what we are doing and how disarmament, with a very active participation, and I
rightly – that the sphere of important this work really is. I really think think it was a very important achievement.
disarmament can evolve only through it will depend on the subject, on the type of
meeting and on the organisers. Why do you think that disarmament is not so interesting
a larger participation of women. for women?
It is crucial, and we need a more You are also Secretary-General of the It is interesting for women, but we need to build up their
Conference on Disarmament and the Personal capacity. For instance, in the Office of Disarmament
balanced representation. ” Representative of the Secretary-General to Affairs we have a lot of young women, and we see that
the Conference on Disarmament. Is this a in a number of delegations, there are already quite a few
new experience and a new domain for you, young women, but it takes time for them to grow up and
and how do you perceive this responsibility reach the rank of ambassador. So, we have to promote
considering that the Conference has been women’s participation. The Secretary-General is really
paralysed for so long? And in the context of the showing the example. In our United Nations system,
previous question, can issues on disarmament, there are quite a high number of females in key positions
often sensitive and usually confidential, be in the disarmament area.
At the same time, another lesson of the discussed online?
pandemic is that virtual and hybrid tools can There was a period in my career when I was What is your vision of the future of Geneva as a diplomatic
give us additional benefits. Now we can include the head of the international department of and conference centre? Will its role be strengthened, or,
more actors in multilateral discussions. the Government of the Russian Federation, on the contrary, will the move online leave it weakened? These days, because I could not bring my library here,
and that covered all international issues. At I really hope it will be strengthened. Why? Again, as a I mostly read online. I read newspapers. I start my day
Many small states that could not send their that time, I was involved in all the items on result of the pandemic, we see how important in-person reading news from different sources, Russian, British,
delegations to meetings here in Geneva are the international agenda. meetings are. We really see that Geneva is a very important U.S., French… I have been reading more and more non-
now participating virtually. Representatives place for this kind of meetings. We are really proud of fiction. I’m really very interested in history, and I think
from civil society and academia, who have So, I was aware of the issue of disarmament. our work during the pandemic. We had Libya talks that it’s a very important subject.
been involved in all our virtual meetings, are But at the same time, of course, I am in a brought about a ceasefire. We had discussions on Libyan
really very important in making decisions. new position, and for me it is very important, political and economic issues. We had a conference on I’m now reading a lot about the history of Switzerland,
especially since I am a female. It is often Afghanistan, resulting in pledges reaching 3.3 billion USD. Geneva and the Palais des Nations. It is very interesting
So, I think the future will be hybrid: many said openly – and rightly – that the sphere We had the continuation of the inter-Syrian dialogue. We for me to understand what was built and why, and how
meetings in person but quite often with of disarmament can evolve only through a had the Geneva International Discussions’ meetings. The negotiations took place. Lots of things took place here
additional hybrid elements which can enrich larger participation of women. It is crucial, Secretary-General is planning to convene informal talks in Geneva which are connected with my native country,
our discussions and really make possible and we need a more balanced representation. on Cyprus at the end of April. We understand that there Russia.
inclusive multilateralism. When we are meeting, the majority of the will also be significant hybrid and virtual meetings in
ambassadors are still men. We need to change the future. We are building our capacity here in Geneva Speaking about writers: I love Russian literature, but I
So, you think that there will be a combination the situation. to provide support for this kind of conference activities, had to read it at school, so my favourite writers were
of the two? The meetings will be in person and to be able to provide technical support and multilingual those I did not have to read for school purposes. I have
webcast at the same time? At the same time, the Conference on interpretation for hybrid events. If we combine these two always had two favourite writers: Balzac and Dreiser.
No, not all the meetings. It depends upon Disarmament depends upon the consensus elements - preserving and strengthening our traditional They are still very important for me. Speaking about
the type of meeting. Quite a number of among the member states, so, we have to role, developing the new elements - we will really be able Russian literature, I really love Russian poetry, not
informal or highly sensitive meetings will support them. It is a very difficult period to strengthen our role and place. only Pushkin but also the so-called Russian poetry of
still be only in-person. But there are quite a now, we still cannot see enough trust among the Silver Century. What is interesting in this period,
few events that are open and of interest to the Member States, so, we have to support them Speaking about writing and the media, what are your is that many prominent poets are women. There are
public. If people can watch them online, it is and help them to build this trust. favourites – periodicals, magazines, newspapers, online two absolutely fantastic poets of the end of the 19th
very important also for the United Nations and in print? And who are your favourite writers (world and beginning of 20th century: Anna Akhmatova and
because people want to know what we are For me, what is really important is that all the literature), the real masters of the pen, be it in Russian, Maria Tsvetaeva.
doing. members of the Conference value it and praise in English or in another language?
it as a body. It is the only multilateral body on In Moscow, I have a huge library, and I buy books like What hobbies do you have – photography, music, plastic
Before coming to Geneva, I worked in close disarmament, and although we cannot go on a “bookaholic”. I am afraid that books one day will stop arts, painting…?
collaboration with the United Nations and I with our substantive decisions at the moment, being printed, therefore I keep on buying. When I used I would say that my main hobby in normal times is
knew a lot about it’s work. However, when I we still hear from all members how important to travel to New York, London or Paris, I always returned travelling, and as a result of that and because one likes to
came here, I realised that I knew maybe only it is to go on and support the Conference on home with a suitcase full of books. I think I have enough keep memories, I like photography. I’m also interested in
about 10 percent of what the United Nations Disarmament. books to last to the end of my days. painting, and I write.

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