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Interview with His Excellency
Mr Joseph U. Ayalogu,

Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United
Nations in Geneva and Ambassador to Switzerland

Mr Ambassador is not a
newcomer to diploma-
cy. For more than
thirty-two years he has
been defending the
interests of his native
Nigeria around the
world -- from Australia
to Egypt, passing by
Ukraine,
Ireland,
Hungary and Yugoslavia
-- before he arrived in
Geneva two-and-a-half
years ago as Nigeria's
ambassador to the
United Nations and to
Mr
Switzerland.
Ambassador has a lot on
his plate, and as if this
were not enough, he is
also the Permanent
Representative
of
the
Nigeria
to
on
Conference
Disarmament.
As he puts it: "In
Geneva we work long rights and disarmament human rights issues. Either
hours. In the morning were subjects close to way, you have to react on the
we start off with his heart, but that he did spot. Recently, with the setting
group not want to be restricted
regional up of the Human Rights
meetings. Then more in his preferences as Council, it is taking more time
major meetings. Then then he would leave and we are far more engaged
working luncheons, and other areas unattended. in human rights issues than
then working hours Everything required his ever before. During the pre-
taking you onto 11 p.m. attention. vious Human Rights
or even longer. During a Commission, we only had one
single day, you can Q: It seems as though the session lasting about six weeks
switch focus between Ambassadors in Geneva all and after that you could take a
Rights, have a special interest in
Human break, but now you have about
Intellectual Property or human rights? four long sessions a year, in
Hard
Disarmament. addition to inter-sessional
work but very exciting Yes, it is one of the challen- meetings of working groups.
and intellectually enri- ging areas they have to deal So you have to be there all the
ching." with. There are always time. I would say that human
human rights' issues every- rights issues are one of the
His Excellency is a fine where -- either your own more engaging areas in
diplomat and when country has a lot of human Geneva now, and we expect it
asked whether he had rights' challenges or you are to be even more so in the
an area of preference from countries that are future.
he told us that human concerned about global

24 1 2007 Diva

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