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Interview with Vladimir Gratchev, Director, Division of
Conference Management, United Nations, Geneva

Vladimir Gratchev is a Department of Peace-
pleasant man whom keeping Operations under
you may bump into Kofi Annan, Iqbal Riza and
early morning when he Lakhdar Brahimi. I have
enters the Palais or late also to add the name of Rolf
at night when he is lea- Knutsson, who has been and
ving the office. He is a remains my tutor and
hard-working man who mentor for many years. I
strives for a high quali- was lucky and privileged to
ty of work. He gradua- work under these outstan-
ted with honours from ding personalities. This is
the prestigious Moscow how it all started for me in
Institute and had a the UN. After Kofi Annan
career in the Foreign was elected Secretary-
Ministry of the USSR General, I worked in his
and the Russian Executive Office from 1997
Federation before joi- until 2003. This was the
ning the UN Secretariat. most exciting time in my
UN career since I was
Recently, he has written entrusted with political mat-
a book about one of the for twenty years, I followed passed away. Historically, ters, such as Iraq, humanita-
well known and influen- what I consider to be the this was a very interesting rian and peacekeeping mis-
main part of my career in the
diplomats
in
tial period, during which Ronald sions. Therefore, many
Soviet/Russian times, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Reagan, who was in the nights were spent in the
of my country. During this
Yuli
Ambassador Oval Office, was describing Security Council. In 2003, I
Vorontsov who played period I had three assign- the USSR as "the evil empi- made a move to Geneva as
an important role in ments: in New York where I re". His Presidency started Chief of the Central
diplomacy throughout worked at the Soviet off with difficulties in the Planning and Coordination
the whole period follo- Mission to the United relations between the USSR Service of the Conference
wing the Second World Nations, as well as in the and the United States but it Services Division. In 2006, I
War up to the first deca- Consulate General, which at ended with the beginning of was selected to succeed
de of the twenty-first that time was being set up. Perestroika and the warming Omar Abou Zahr as Director
century. We here at My assignment came to an up of the political climate of the Division which, under
Diva are very honored end in 1979, due to the between the Super Powers. my watch, became the
that Mr. Gratchev Soviet Union's military When my assignment came Division for Conference
accepted to grant us involvement in Afghanistan to an end, I returned to Management comprising of
this interview because which caused sanctions Moscow and worked for two 620 regular budget posts
customarily he does imposed by the United years for the First Deputy with an biennium budget of
not talk to the press. States and its Allies against Foreign Minister. Then, I approximately US$250
However, he did make Moscow. For one year I was assigned to India as the million
an exception for Diva's worked at the US desk of the Political Counsellor and wit-
readers, and now we Ministry of Foreign Affairs nessed the transition from Q: How many meetings
leave the floor to and after I was reassigned to the USSR to the Russian do you organize yearly?
him Washington for nearly six Federation there.
years as an assistant to DCM services more than
Anatoly
In 1993, upon the comple-
Q: Could you tell us Ambassador 10,000 meetings a year,
something about who Dobiynin -- a highly distin- tion of my mission there, I since UNOG is one of the
you are and what you guished diplomat who was was granted temporary biggest conference centres
have done? also the Dean of the appointments in the United of the United Nations.
Diplomatic Corps. He deser- Nations Secretariat in New
I started my career after I ves a place in the Guinness York -- first for five months, DCM has more than seventy
graduated from Moscow Book of Records, because then six months, then eleven clients, both regular and
he had served at his post in
State months and so on. For three- extra-budgetary. It provides
Institute
for
Washington for twenty-four
International and-a-half years I was the services to UNCTAD, ECE,
Relations
years.
desk officer for UN opera-
(known now as MGIMO consecutive CD, UNFCCC, UNCCD,
University) in 1975. Then, Unfortunately, he recently tions in Haiti in the etc. and 60 per cent of our
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