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GENEVA'S BUSINESS
IS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Interview with
Michael Moller
Acting Director-General,
United Nations Headquarters, Geneva
officer, P1, step 1 in UNHCR. I was The last time I worked in the Palais
It's not every day that you
sent to UNHCR's regional office in des Nations was almost twenty years
meet a man like Michael
New York in the early 198os before ago. I was actually the political advi-
Moller, the Acting Direc-
returning to the Secretariat. Before sor to Mr Petrovsky, who was then
tor-General of the United
coming here in November 2013 I the Director-General. In the inter-
Nations.
had about thirty years of experience vening years, I lived in Geneva again
with the UN in a mixture of field as the Director of the Kofi Annan
He is dedicated to Internatio-
and headquarters' assignments. Foundation.
nal Geneva, to the prestige of I was three times in New York and
the City of Calvin, and to the this is my fourth time in Geneva. My initial assignment has been to
work carried out here by the I have been in Mexico, in Haiti, in manage the place until a permanent
United Nations and its agen- Iran, in Cyprus -- a nice mix of head- occupant is found for this office. It
cies, the non-governmental quarters and field experiences. It is was only once I came here that I
organizations and even the important to be familiar with both started to see the full picture -- the
aspects as you move up the ladder mandate given to me, the possibi-
other international organiza-
in the system. I consider myself to lities and the things that could be
tions.
have had a very full and lucky life so changed. During the first couple of
far and I would like it to continue weeks I started to realise the dimen-
During his few months in of-
like that. sions of the job and what I would
fice he has become known as
like to make of it. I did not have any
a man of action, who likes to Q: You were appointed in Nov- preconceived ideas at first.
see things moving in every- ember 2013 to be Acting Head
body's best interests. Pragma- of the United Nations Office at Q: What has turned out to be
tic, straightforward and hard- Geneva. Did you actively seek the most challenging part of
working, he is committed to this post or was it unexpected? your job?
making all of international Ge-
neva work better together. It It came completely out of the blue! One of the things I realised very
My predecessor was called back to quickly is a general observation
is no secret that many people
assume a high post in his govern- -- the perception of International
hope that he will be confir-
ment, so they needed an expe- Geneva among the general public,
med in this appointment so
rienced person to take over and my among colleagues and also in the
that he can continue what he
name came up. It must be one of the world's capitals is very narrow. They
started, namely to put Geneva
fastest recruitments in the history of do not know the full extent of what
back in the limelight. Here is the United Nations -- it took about a is going on here. They see it as an
Mr Moller. week. It all happened very quickly! expensive city with lots of meetings,
I was on my way to Geneva anyway, many people have a good life -- but it
so I threw in a couple more suitcases stops there. In fact, there is the most
Q: Could you tell us something and off I went. extraordinary amount of very impor-
about your background? tant substance decided here that af-
Q: When you accepted this fects people all over the world every
I started my career here in Geneva appointment, what were you day. But this knowledge is invisible.
on 14 March 1979. Thirty-five years hoping to accomplish and what We are now in a very difficult period
ago I began as a junior professional are your initial perceptions? for Member States, because when
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