Page 8 - DIVA_1_2019

i n t e r n a t i o n a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l

Asia, but it has now been open to
all UN Member States. Chad and
Senegal were the first countries
outside our region to become
Parties in 2018, and many more
have expressed their intention to
join. This is an example where
one of our regional conventions
is becoming global.
Another example is that, with the
engagement of our sister regional
commissions in the UN, our
conventions can inspire other
regions. Our Aarhus convention
on environmental democracy
is one example. Latin American
countries have looked at our
experience, have negotiated the
Escazú Agreement, and are now
going to ratify it.

Q: So you are a kind of innovating Interview with Ambassador
hub?
This is what I tried to indicate.
On some key issues for Idriss Jazairy
sustainable development such
as transboundary cooperation,
resource use, pollution prevention,
sustainable transport etc., we have Executive Director, Geneva Centre for Human Rights
decades of experience, which can Q: Will the secretariat be based here in Geneva? Advancement and Global Dialogue
be shared with others. Yes. Here at the UNECE, we are the custodian of the UN
Road Safety Agreements, and we host the secretariat of UN 1) Mr. Ambassador you have a long and impressive career. I have also devoted part of my career to civil society. I served as the
Q: You talked earlier about donors. Are they generous towards Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr Jean First of all, could you tell us a little about yourself? Executive Director of ACORD - an international consortium of
you, or is it difficult to raise money for your projects? Todt. Now we will establish the secretariat of the UN Road I am currently the Executive Director of the Geneva Centre for NGOs, encompassing Oxfam, Novib (Netherlands) and CCFD
One thing is to raise money, and another thing is to have the Safety Trust Fund. All the Regional Commissions cooperate Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, a think- (France) among others. We carried out numerous projects
capacity to absorb it. So, I think we could do more but not with us. You know, everybody talks about the number of tank holding special consultative status with the UN. I have and initiatives to enhance the protection and empowerment
much more with our current staff numbers. We are 188 people persons who die annually of malaria, but nobody talks about held this position since July 2016. I was previously a Board of victims of civil strife in Africa. From 1995 to 1998, I was a
in the organization, and we use about 180 consultants. the deaths from road accidents, which kill more than twice as member of the Geneva Centre. member of the Board of CARE/USA.
Over the last years, our budget has been cut, and cut. We will much as malaria. So there is a lot of work to be done. We need In addition to my current function as Executive Director of
see what the next one will bring. I wish that we could have political support, money and the private sector. Everybody Prior to my current professional role, I represented my native the Geneva Centre, I am also the UN Special Rapporteur on
more in-house experts. needs to be engaged in this issue. country Algeria through different functions: After having the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the
served as a Presidential Adviser to the former President of enjoyment of human rights.
Q: You have recently created a UN Trust Fund for road safety. Q; Listening to you talk about the way you work, I get the Algeria Houari Boumedienne for 7 years, I was nominated as
Could you tell us more about that? impression that you are drawing a lot on your experience Ambassador of Algeria to Belgium, the USA, the Holy See and 2) Looking back at, what is the position that gave you the most
We are very happy to host the UN Road Safety Trust Fund. from the private sector. But now, my final question: how is it the UN office in Geneva. personal satisfaction?
It was established in April 2018 by a General Assembly to be a woman among all these men? The first position that gave me greatest personal satisfaction was
resolution. Since that time we have done quite a lot. The fund We’ll need to attract more women, to achieve gender balance. At the inter-governmental multilateral level, I was elected that of President of the International Fund for Development
needed some constitutional documents, and we have had our We need to work more for women’s empowerment. At in 1984 and subsequently re-elected President of the where I led this specialised agency of the United Nations to
first two meetings of the Advisory Board and the Steering UNECE, we have reached gender parity at senior levels some International Fund for Agricultural Development, a Rome- develop approaches to empower the rural poor and in particular
Committee. These two bodies are broadly representative, years ago, so we are doing pretty well. But most importantly, based UN specialized agency which plays a major role to smallholder farmers and their husbands. Poverty was not their
not only of the UN organizations, we have the private all these efforts will have to be sustained over time! That’s the scale up rural development and to enhance the social and fate but just reigned in the imagination of international who
sector, NGOs, academia and of course Member States from real challenge. Even in our region there is a lot to do! Our economic empowerment of poor people. I have also held were unable to see this low level of income could signal an
all regions because it’s a global initiative. The Fund has just statistical division calculated that women in our region earn other functions in the field of international relations and untapped potential that needed to be unleashed. Following on
approved five pilot projects for a total of approximately USD 28 % less than men on average. This means not only lower human rights; in 2009, I was the President of the Conference the footsteps of my eminent predecessor, Abdul Mohsen Al
1 million. These 5 projects will address key components of wages but also lower pensions, and higher risks of poverty. on Disarmament. The following year, I was the Chairman Sudeary, I was put in the position of being able to unleash this
national road safety systems in a number of low- and middle- This is simply not fair! of the Council of the International Organization for potential, thus demonstrating that those rural dwellers who were
income countries, which constitute the target of the Fund. MF Migration. seen as a burden on society were in reality its “New Frontier”

D I VA - I N T E R N AT I O N A L D I P LO M AT I N T E R N AT I O N A L D I P LO M AT - D I VA