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Public Diplomacy at Work: Geneva (UNOG) & Paris based International Organizations tour-at glance(UNOG, UN ECE, UNCTAD, IRC, WIPO, WTO, ITU, WMO, WHO, ILO, UNHCHR, OECD, IEA, WB-Paris, UNESCO, ICC)Organized by Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic, Chairman for Intl. Law & Global Pol. Studies
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STUDY TRIP REPORT
of our visit of International Organizations in
Geneva and Paris
21st of April to 28th of April 2012
Bachelor Programme
Export-Oriented Management 2009
Hospitality kindly provided by
DISCLAIMER
This study trip report contains information that is based on minutes taken by
students of IMC FH Krems and is intended as a summary of what has been said
and discussed during the meetings at the International Organizations that were
visited. The reader is cautioned that these minutes may be subject to errors
stemming from misunderstandings or misperceptions on the part of the students.
Therefore, any quotation from this text is discouraged.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
At this point we would like to acknowledge all the people who made this unique
study trip, which no other university in Austria has ever conducted, possible. First
and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Dr. Anis
Bajrektarevic, Chairperson for International Law and Global Political Studies at the
IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems. Besides many in-house visits of
speakers from all over the world, and several visits to all relevant organisations in
Vienna (UN, OSCE, EC) he initiated and organized this special event for the 5th
time. We do deeply appreciate all the time and effort Prof. Bajrektarevic invested
throughout the past months. Without his personal reputation and contacts, none of
us would have had the chance to benefit from such a diverse and highly
informative programme.
Secondly, we are very grateful for the work of the organisation team – Magdalena
Froschauer, and Maximilian Hanke– both prior to and during the study trip. Jakob
Sterlich deserves to be given special credit as well, as he not only generated a
significant amount from the Austrian Students Union, but also brokered access to
the special funds of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research.
Due tribute goes likewise to each and every organizer and speaker of all visited
Geneva and Paris entities and International Organizations.
To conclude with, we would also like to express our gratitude to all the sponsors
for their support, be it financial or in kind.
Table of content
1. Introduction.......................................................................................................1
2. Timetable..........................................................................................................2
3. Our destinations................................................................................................5
3.1. Geneva.......................................................................................................5
3.2. Paris...........................................................................................................6
4. Monday, 23rd of April 2012...............................................................................8
4.1. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).....................8
4.1.1. The Organization.................................................................................8
4.1.2. History..................................................................................................9
4.1.3. Mission...............................................................................................10
4.1.4. Structure............................................................................................11
4.1.5. UNECE Internship Program...............................................................15
4.2. Austrian Mission in Geneva......................................................................15
4.2.1. Introduction........................................................................................16
4.2.2. The Austrian Mission in Geneva........................................................16
4.2.3. Humanitarian Affairs – Mag. Eveline Jamek......................................17
4.2.4. WTO – Dr. Martin Fagerer.................................................................19
4.2.5. Human Rights – Dr. Johannes Strasser,Mag. Thomas Unger and Mag. Guschlbauer...........................................................................................21
4.2.6. Disarmament – Dr. Peter Steiner.......................................................22
5. Tuesday, 24th of April 2012............................................................................24
5.1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU)..........................................24
5.1.1. Historical Background........................................................................25
5.1.2. Mission & Main Activities...................................................................25
5.1.3. Legal Framework...............................................................................27
5.1.4. Membership.......................................................................................27
5.1.5. Decision Marking Bodies and Process..............................................28
5.1.6. Presentation and Discussion.............................................................28
5.1.7. Internship Opportunities.....................................................................29
5.1.8. ICT Exploratorium..............................................................................29
5.2. International Labour Organisation (ILO)...................................................30
5.2.1. The Organization...............................................................................31
5.2.2. History................................................................................................31
5.2.3. Structure............................................................................................33
5.2.4. Scope of work....................................................................................34
5.2.5. Question and Answer Session...........................................................35
5.3. World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO.....................................35
5.3.1. Intellectual Property (IP)....................................................................36
5.3.2. Brief History.......................................................................................36
5.3.3. Scope of Work...................................................................................37
5.3.4. Goals.................................................................................................38
5.3.5. Strategies...........................................................................................39
5.3.6. Methods of work.................................................................................39
5.3.7. Core Tasks / Functions......................................................................40
5.3.8. Members............................................................................................41
5.3.9. Decision making bodies.....................................................................41
5.3.10. Governing Bodies...........................................................................42
5.3.11. Standing Committees.....................................................................42
5.3.12. Permanent Committees..................................................................43
5.3.13. Working Groups..............................................................................43
5.3.14. Question and Answer Session........................................................43
6. Wednesday, 25th of April 2012.......................................................................44
6.1. Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)......44
6.1.1. History................................................................................................45
6.1.2. General Overview..............................................................................46
6.1.3. Aims...................................................................................................46
6.1.4. Organizational structure.....................................................................47
6.1.5. Current topics.....................................................................................48
6.1.6. Question and Answer Session...........................................................49
6.1.7. Internship Opportunities.....................................................................49
6.2. Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD........................................49
6.2.1. Role and Responsibilities of the Austrian Mission....................................50
6.2.2. Question & Answer Session..............................................................50
6.2.3. Internship Opportunities.....................................................................51
6.3. International Energy Agency (IEA)...........................................................52
6.3.1. General Information...........................................................................52
6.3.2. Main Topic.........................................................................................53
6.3.3. Questions and Answer Session.........................................................55
7. Thursday, 26th of April 2012...........................................................................55
7.1. The World Bank Group (WB)....................................................................55
7.1.1. Decision Making Bodies.....................................................................57
7.1.2. The Structure.....................................................................................58
7.1.4. The World Bank as a Lender.............................................................62
7.1.5. The World Bank as a Knowledge Broker...........................................62
7.1.6. The World Bank as a Gatekeeper to Development Finance..............63
7.1.7. Lending instruments...........................................................................63
7.2. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)..........................................................................................................64
7.2.1. The organization................................................................................65
7.2.2. Historical Overview............................................................................66
7.2.3. International Structure........................................................................66
7.2.4. Field of Activity...................................................................................66
7.2.5. Education...........................................................................................67
7.2.6. Natural Sciences................................................................................68
7.2.7. Social and Human Sciences..............................................................69
7.2.8. Culture...............................................................................................69
7.2.9. Communication..................................................................................70
7.2.10. The Millennium Development Goals...............................................70
7.2.11. Organizational Structure.................................................................71
7.2.12. Financing........................................................................................73
8. Friday, 27th of April 2012................................................................................73
8.1. International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)..............................................73
8.2. ICC and the Department of Policy and Business Practice........................75
8.3. Question and Answer Session.................................................................77
8.4. ICC International Court of Arbitration, Secretariat and Arbitration Rules..78
8.5. ADR, Expertise and Dispute Boards........................................................80
8.6. Question and Answer Session.................................................................82
8.7. Internship Opportunities...........................................................................83
9. Not visited International Organizations due to cancellations...........................83
9.1. United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)................................................83
9.2. L’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie....................................84
9.2.1. History................................................................................................84
9.2.2. Objectives and Mission......................................................................85
9.2.3. Decision Making Process and Organization......................................86
9.2.4. Admission Criteria..............................................................................88
9.3. International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC).........................................88
9.3.1. History................................................................................................88
9.3.2. Structure of the ICRC.........................................................................89
9.3.3. Mandate and Mission of the ICRC.....................................................90
9.3.4. Activities of the ICRC.........................................................................90
9.3.5. Museum of the ICRC in Geneva........................................................92
9.3.6. Internship/Employment Opportunities................................................92
10. Diaries 21st of April – 27th of April 2012......................................................93
10.1. Saturday, 21st of April 2012..................................................................93
10.2. Sunday, 22nd of April 2012...................................................................93
10.3. Monday, 23rd of April 2012...................................................................94
10.4. Tuesday, 24th of April 2012..................................................................97
10.5. Wednesday, 25th of April 2012.............................................................98
10.6. Thursday, 26th of April 2012...............................................................100
10.7. Friday, 27th of April 2012....................................................................101
11. Conclusion.................................................................................................104
12. Credits.......................................................................................................106
1. Introduction
Gaining knowledge about international organizations is a fundamental part of our
study program “Export-Oriented Management”. However, getting the great chance
of expanding our theoretical knowledge by experiencing the organizations on hand
was definitely something unique.
Thanks, to our International Relations and Law professor Prof. (FH) Dr. Anis
Bajrektarevic, who proposed us the opportunity of visiting the most important
international organizations in Geneva and Paris. He arranged informative
speakers within many different international organizations for us. Many thanks, to
the team of students who organized our study-trip and to those who supported
them through fund-raising programs. Several months of intensive preparations
finally turned out to be a great success, as we could enjoy an interesting program,
with remarkable speeches at a quite reasonable price.
On April 28, we, our group consisting of 53 students (51 Bachelor-students, 1
Exchange-student and 1 Master-student) started our trip at 9:45 pm in the evening
heading Geneva, Switzerland. What followed were 6 days of exciting new
experiences, which not just strengthened our class spirit, but also provided us with
social contacts to successfully enter into the future business world.
This report provides a summary of our study trip to Geneva and Paris. It briefly
reflects the main organizations we visited and provides impressions and pictures
of our unique experiences.
1
2. Timetable
Day Place Programme
Saturday,
21st of April
Krems
22:00 departure from Krems
Sunday,
22nd of
April
Geneva
Free day
10:00 arrival in Geneva
Monday,
23rd of April
Geneva
09:30 UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe) Topic: UN ECE – Scope and work;
Speaker: Mr. Jean Rodriguez, Senior Public Information
Officer, Office of the Executive Secretary
15:00-16:30 Austrian Mission Briefing
Welcome: Austrian Mission to IOs Geneva
Welcome: Bot. Dr. Christian STROHAL
Humanitarian Affairs: BR Mag. Eveline JAMEK
Human Rights:
BS Mag. Peter GUSCHELBAUER
BS Dr. Johannes STRASSER
Att. Mag. Thomas UNGER
WTO: Dr. Martin FAGERER
Disarmament: ObstdhmfD Dr. Peter STEINER
Tuesday,
24th of April
Geneva
10:00 ITU (Intl. Telecommunication Union);
Speakers: Mr. José Maria Diaz Batanero, Corporate Strategy
Division, Ms. Chelsea Haines, Intern
2
Topic: History, structure & activities of the Organization
11:00 ILO Meeting at the Reception of the ILO with Mr.
Martin Hahn
Topic: Sectoral Activities Department & The Mandate of the
ILO and its activities
Speaker: Mr. Martin Hahn (Basic Metal and Mining
Production Specialist)
15:30 - 17:15 WIPO (World Intellectual Property
Organisation);
Topic: General overview of the history, structure and
activities of the Organisation;
Speaker: Ms. Francesca Fusco; Information Assistant WIPO
Customer Service Centre
23:00 – Departure to Paris
Wednesday,
25th of April
Paris
07:00 Arrival at Paris
14:00 OECD (The OECD Auditorium)
Welcome/ Speakers: Mr Andrew Gentry, Public Affairs and
Communications Directorate; Mrs Marion Gratt, Attaché
Austrian Delegation to the OECD
Aprox. 14:15-15:15 OECD – briefing of the Austrian Mission
Topic: OECD and the role of Austrian delegation at the OECD
Speaker: Mrs Marion Gratt, Attaché Austrian Delegation to the OECD
3
17:20-18:30 IEA (International Energy Agency)
Topic: IEA – An Overview
Speaker: Dr. Timur Gül
Thursday,
26th of April
Paris
10:15 the World Bank
14:00 – 16:30 UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation)
Métro : Ségur
Welcome: Ms Isabell Ladiges on behalf of the Austrian Delegation
14:30 – 16:00 A film and discussion with a staff Member of UNESCO (in German)
16:00- 16:30 UNESCO-guided tour
Friday, 27th
of April
Paris
10:00 – 12:30 ICC (Intl. Chamber of Commerce)
Speakers: Mr Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac; Ms. Alma Forgo; Ms. Calliope Makedon Sudborough
10.00 – 10.30
Presentation: the ICC and the Department of Policy and Business Practice
10:30 – 11:00
Presentation: the ICC International Court of Arbitration, its Secretariat and the ICC Arbitration Rules
11:00 – 11:30
Presentation: ADR, Expertise and Dispute Boards
4
11:30 – 12:00
Presentation: the ICC Events department and of the ICC Institute of World Business Law
12:00 – 12:30
Presentation: the World Chambers Federation (WCF)
respectively Free day
Approx. 22:00 Departure back to Krems
Saturday,
28th of April
Krems
Approx. 17:00 arrival in Krems
5
3. Our destinations
3.1. Geneva
Geneva is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland right after Zürich.
Situated where the Rhône River exits the Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the
Republic and Canton of Geneva. This city has a population of 191,803 and the
suburbs around the city centre extend partly over Switzerland and France. In
general, Geneva is considered to be one of the most qualified global cities in the
world.
Geneva is a worldwide centre for
diplomacy and international
cooperation. Moreover, it is widely
regard as one of the most important
major global cities, mainly due to the
fact that it inhabits numerous
international organizations, including the
headquarters of many of the agencies
of the United Nations (such as WHO,
ILO, ITU, WIPO etc.), the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
the World Trade Organization (WTO)
and so on. Additionally, the well-known
Geneva Conventions were signed here,
which regulate the treatment of wartime non-combatants and prisoners of war.
Geneva has been described as the world’s sixth most important financial centre by
the Global Financial Centres Index, ahead of other financial strongholds such as
Tokyo, Chicago, Frankfurt and Sydney. Besides, it hosts several headquarters of
big multinational companies including HP, Procter& Gamble, Sun Microsystems,
DuPont and many others.
6
Geneva is also a famous scenic hotspot with a lot of showplaces including the very
famous Cathédrale St Pierre, Geneva Grand Theatre, University of Geneva, The
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (one of the first
academic institutions to teach international relations in the world) and CERN, the
world largest particle physics laboratory to which scientist from around the world
travel to in order to conduct research and exploration on fundamental forces and
antimatters that lead to the creation of the universe.
The Jet d‟Eau - a large fountain that jets water up to 140 meters is one of the city’s
most famous landmarks and one of the largest fountains worldwide.
3.2. Paris
Paris, the capital of France and the capital of
Love, is not only one of the most preferred
tourist destinations worldwide, one of the
world's leading business and cultural centres,
but also a major centre of economic activity.
Its influence in politics, education,
entertainment, media, fashion, science and
art, all contribute to its status as one of the
world's major global cities.
Regarding to the International Organizations, the International Energy Agency
(IEA), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the
7
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Paris Club are all located in
Paris, which once again proves that Paris is one of the most important economical
and political windows to the world.
The Paris Region also hosts 37 of the Fortune Global 500 companies in several
business districts, notably La Défense, the largest purpose-built business district in
Europe. The international importance of Paris and France in this respect is
underlined by the fact that French is the official language of diplomats as well as
one of the working languages in most International Organizations.
Paris is situated on the River Seine with 45 million tourists every year in the Paris
Region, 60% of who are foreign visitors. Paris is proud to offer its famous historic
sites, such as the Notre Dame, the Victory
Gate, La Tour Eiffel, and so on. In addition, as
one of the most famous shopping streets in the
world, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées
attracts tens of millions of tourists from all over
the world. With its long history, great culture
and beautiful environment, Paris is becoming a
more and more charming city for many people
and an important international centre of the
world.
8
4. Monday, 23rd of April 2012
4.1. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE)
Date: 23rd of April 2012
Time: 09.30am
Topic: Scope of work of the UNECE
Speaker: Mr. Jean Rodriguez, Senior Public Information Officer, Office of the
Executive Secretary
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
4.1.1. The Organization
First a short overview concerning history and a brief introduction of the
organization was given. Traces of history go back to the foundation of the
organization in the year 1947. At that time it was one of the five local economic
commissions of the United Nations. The others are Economic Commission for
Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia.
The underlying idea was to generate an organization that supports the
development of trade in the post war area in Europe. The organization played an
essential role at that time and therefore Mr. Rodriguez pointed out the
organization’s crucial role in the past. The organization’s aim is to encourage
economic cooperation among its member states. The United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe has 56 member states and reports to the UN Economic
and Social Council. A major aim of the organization is to promote pan-European
economic integration. The member countries of the UNECE cooperate under aegis
of UNECE on economic issues. All in all more than 70 international professional
organizations and non-governmental organizations take part in UNECE activities.
Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
4.1.2. History
The General Assembly of the United Nations advocated that the Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC) create an Economic Commission for Europe with the
purpose of giving effective aid to the countries which suffered by World War II.
That was the start point for the creation of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe. The UNECE was in fact a parallel entity to the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) set up with the
objective to reconstruct Europe after World War II and to promote long-run pan-
European economic integration.
During the first years the organizations functions have been on a provisional level.
The Council provided a review of the Commission’s work to be undertaken not
later than to the year 1951. That had the reason to determine whether the
Commission should be terminated or continued and if it continues what
modification should be undertaken and which should be made in its term of
references. According to Article 1 the major objective of the organization is to
initiate and participate in measures for facilitating concerted action for the
economic reconstruction for Europe in order to raise the level of European
economic activity and for maintaining and strengthening the economic relations of
the European countries, both among themselves and with other countries of the
world. In 1947 sponsoring investigations and studies of economic technological
problems and developments as well as the collection, evaluation and
dissemination of economic, technological and statistical information was added to
Article 1. In addition special consideration during its initial states in order to
measures facilitating to economic reconstruction of devastated countries of Europe
which are member of the United Nations. The Commission is empowered to issue
recommendations on any matter within its competence directly to the participating
governments. Those recommendations are subject to different qualifications: First
referring to the activity of the Commission, which functions within the framework of
the policies of the United Nations and under the general supervision of the Council
which is subject to the provision that the Commission takes no action in respect to
10
Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
any country without the agreement of the government of that country. Second the
Commission is required to submit for the Council’s prior consideration any of its
proposals for activities that would have important influence on the economy of the
world as a whole.
The Commission unanimously adopted resolution 1(VI) on its future in June 1951.
This considers that constructive economic co-operation was essential to maintain
peace, reaffirmed its faith in the possibility of such co-operation within the
framework of the Commission and recommends that it should continue its work in
this direction. Finally the Committee’s recommendations the Council in its
resolution 414 C (XIII) expressed unanimous appreciation of the work of the
regional commission and therefore decided to continue them indefinitely. Due to
this decision the ECE became a permanent body of the United Nations.
During the Post Cold War period the commission’s main concern was to integrate
of countries in transaction in the global economy while using its experience of the
harmonization to facilitate the integration of Central and Eastern European
countries. The number of members was increased from 34 to 56 members. This
resulted from the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslav Federation as well
as Czech and Slovak Republics.
At the end of the Cold War ECE expanded the activities to Central and Eastern
European countries and to central Asian republic. These republics desired to be
members of ECE as well as the ESACAP. The ECE has continued and to adapt to
changing geopolitical background of Europe. The ECE has gone through two
major reforms, one in 1997 and one in 2005.
4.1.3. Mission
The UNECE acts as a multilateral platform and smooth the progress of greater
economic integration and collaboration among its member countries and wants to
promote sustainable development and economic prosperity through the following
tools:
11
Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
Policy dialogue
Cooperation of international legal instruments
Development of regulations and standards
Exchange and application of best practices as well as economic and
technical expertise
Technical cooperation for countries with economies in transition
UNECE’s terms of reference have been defined by ECOSOC. In addition UNECE
contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of the United Nations through the
provincial implementation of the outcomes of global United Nations Conferences
and Summits.
4.1.4. Structure
The governing bodies of the UNECE are the Chair, the Executive Committee as
well as six Sectoral Committees addressed to each of the six divisions. At the
moment Mr. Uglješa Zvekić is the Chairperson of the UNECE supported by the
Vice Chairpersons Mr. Aharon LESHNO-YAAR and Mrs. Maria CIOBANU. The
work is divided into the following six main departments: environment, housing and
land management division, the transport division, the statistic division, the division
for economic cooperation and integration, the division of sustainable energy as
well as the trade and timber division.
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Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
4.1.4.1. Environmental Policy
It is one of the most important objectives of the UNECE to protect the environment
as well as human health and to promote sustainable development in its member
states. The strategy used by the UNECE is based on a four-pillar approach,
including the cooperation of governments to formulate an environmental policy and
support its implementation, the assumption of an active role in certain regional and
cross-regional sectoral processes, the conduction of performance reviews of
countries and the negotiation of environmental treaties.
4.1.4.2. Housing and Land Management
The condition of better housing and security is another goal of this committee. Mr.
Rodriguez pointed out that there is an urgent need to establish higher standards
13
Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
with regards to housing as currently more than 50 million inhabitants within Europe
live under very poor conditions in informal settlements.
4.1.4.3. Statistics
The focus is to develop statistical standards and guidelines in order to enable
statistical offices to exchange experiences, supporting countries in the
development of their national statistical systems and the establishment of an
online database of economics and gender statistics.
4.1.4.4. Sustainable Energy
The goal of this program is to promote a sustainable energy development strategy.
Mr. Rodriguez mentioned two major challenges in this area: Firstly, the fact that
sustainable energy shall be used and secondly, the establishment of links between
the member states. Core objectives include the assurance of access to high
quality energy for all inhabitants of the UNECE’s region, the security of energy
supplies, and a development towards a more sustainable energy use as well as to
establish energy networks across the region and energy efficiency. Therefore the
Commission promotes the usage of cleaner sources in more efficient ways.
4.1.4.5. Population
This unit is promoting policy dialogues among the UNECE member states based
on demographic changes in Europe and North America. It supports the
implementation of the final document of intergovernmental conferences on
population issues and contribution towards better informed policy making by
organizing programs concerning data collection and research.
14
Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
4.1.4.6. Technical Cooperation
UNECE also provide technical cooperation in English and Russian to South-East
European, Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries. the aim is to
meet the needs of the countries by offering tailor-made support in a fast and
flexible way. These activities are coordinated by the Regional Advisor and carried
out by the UNECE Statistical Division, in collaboration with national and
international statistical organizations to ensure the best expertise and avoid
duplication of work.
Additionally, they promote international standards in official statistics with a view to
providing relevant, reliable and comparable data to policymakers and users of
statistics. The most recent technical cooperation activities are:
- Promotion of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official
Statistics
- Technical support for population and housing censuses
- Development of gender statistics
- Development of statistics on international migration
- Improvement of the production and dissemination of short-term economic
statistics
- Improvement of Millenium Development Goal (MDG) indicators
4.1.4.7. Trade
The UNECE's trade programme is focus on the following areas of work:
Developing and maintaining effective international trade-related instruments,
norms, standards and recommendations, in response to the needs of the global
economy.
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Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
Reducing barriers to trade in goods and services in all countries, and UNECE
member States in particular, through greater implementation of international and
UNECE norms, standards, instruments and recommendations, especially in trade
facilitation.
Facilitating trade policy development through the provision of an international
platform for the exchange of views, particularly for the benefit of countries with
economies in transition. Examples include trade security, European integration
and sustainable development.
4.1.5. UNECE Internship Program
In accordance with UN rules, The United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe on an ad hoc basis assigns the internships to graduate or post-graduate
students, who have specialized in a field related to UNECE programs.
The Internships are offered free-of-charge and without financial remuneration
that’s mean that all costs connected with the internship, including travel,
accommodation and insurance, are borne by the intern or his/her sponsor.
Additionally the United Nations accepts no legal or administrative liability for
interns who are not accorded the status of a United Nations staff member.
Applicants have to complete an internship application form which is indicated the
field of activity the candidate wishes to work and the available dates. Also Interns
are required to submit a certificate of good health and, wherever applicable, to
obtain themselves the appropriate visa. All this information has to be sent via mail:
([email protected]). Mr. Rodriguez also mentioned that additional information on
the internship program of the UNECE can be found on the homepage of the
institution and the procedure described should be followed
(www.unece.org/oes/internships/internship_prog.htm).
4.2. Austrian Mission in Geneva
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Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
Date: Monday, 23rd of April 2012
Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Topic: Austrian Mission to International Organizations in Geneva
Speakers: Bot. Dr. Christian Strohal, BR Mag. Eveline Jamek, BS Mag. Peter
Guschelbauer, BS Dr. Johannes Strasser, Att. Mag. Thomas Unger, Dr. Martin
Fagerer, ObstdhmfD Dr. Peter Steiner
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
4.2.1. Introduction
The Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations and Specialized Agencies
in Geneva invited us to participate in a mission briefing on our first afternoon in
Geneva. The briefing was held at the premises of the council of the European
Union (the “Blue Box”). It comprehended very interesting speeches on a variety of
topics.
The ambassador, Dr. Christian Strohal, opened the briefing with a highly
interesting and concise presentation of the office in Geneva and its purpose. BR
Mag. Eveline Jamek followed with her presentation of her field of work, which was
Humanitarian Affairs. Furthermore, Mag. Peter Guschelbauer, Dr. Johannes
Strasser and Mag. Thomas Unger talked about Human Rights. Dr. Martin Fagerer
and Dr. Peter Steiner closed the briefing with their presentation of the WTO,
respectively Disarmament.
4.2.2. The Austrian Mission in Geneva
The first part of the presentation, held by Dr. Strohal, was dedicated to the work
tasks of the Austrian Mission in Geneva, as well as the reason for its location in
Geneva. The permanent Mission of Austria to the UN and Specialized Agencies
17
Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
based in Geneva acts as an intermediary and representative between the Austrian
government and the institutions in Geneva.
A permanent mission generally performs multilateral relations between a state and
International Organizations or other representations as opposed to an embassy
that executes bilateral relations between two states. The importance of the
communication between the organizations and the Federal Governments in form
of the Mission is crucial to uphold constructive relationships on a multilateral basis.
In a nutshell, the Austrian Mission enables the UN to broaden its area of impact.
Major fields of concern include the UN specialized agencies – especially Health,
Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs, Economic and Development affairs,
Disarmament as well as the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Main issues and
responsibilities of the Austrian mission are, among others, the maintenance of the
relations between Austria and the various organizations in Geneva, the promotion
and representation of Austrian interests, active participation in negotiation and
decision making processes and finally the reporting on activities to the Austrian
Federal government.
Furthermore, Dr. Strohal stressed the strategic importance of the location in
Geneva.
Geneva is small, which enables the Austrian Mission to easily communicate with
other representatives. Furthermore, there is no other city where more global
issues are dealt with, as it is the largest UN city in the world – New York has a
more political focus, Vienna and Nairobi are more specialized in certain branches
of the UN.
4.2.3. Humanitarian Affairs – Mag. Eveline Jamek
After this very interesting introduction of the Austrian Mission and its presence in
Geneva we had the pleasure to listen to the presentation of humanitarian affairs,
held by First Secretary Mag. Eveline Jamek. Geneva has a longstanding tradition
as center of international humanitarian law, refugee protection and humanitarian
assistance. Ms. Jamek is the person responsible for communication and the
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representation of Austria to several international institutions dealing with
humanitarian affairs and development plans for aid-seeking countries. The
Austrian mission is monitoring the developments in the humanitarian field and
linking government assistance/support with the different organizations.
After the short introduction she continued her speech with the presentation of the
most important international organizations and the explanation of their tasks in the
area of humanitarian aid:
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): It is the most important
organization in the area of humanitarian affairs. It is an independent neutral
organization ensuring humanitarian protection. Its main commitment is
responding rapidly and efficiently to the humanitarian needs of people
affected by armed conflict or by natural disaster. Other important areas of
commitment activities are the protecting civilians, improving access to
health care and building respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
Office of the United Nationals High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
It is the world’s leading refugee organization and it leads international action
to protect refugees and other persons displaced by conflict.
International Organization for Migration (IOM): It is the world’s leading
migration organization. In close cooperation with its Member States such as
Austria IOM carries out projects for the benefit of migrants, based on the
principle of humane and orderly migration.
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): is the arm of
the UN Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to
ensure coherent response to emergencies. OCHA's mission is to mobilize
and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership
with national and international actors,
The humanitarian organization play an important role in providing help and
assistance in recent crisis, such as the earthquake in Haiti, the floods in Pakistan
and and food shortages in Africa. The organizations and their activities are mainly
financed by voluntary donations. The Austrian Mission liaises closely with all these
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organizations and participates actively in their proceedings. Austria supports a
range of specific projects carried out by these organizations across the world.
4.2.4. WTO – Dr. Martin Fagerer
After the general introduction by Dr. Strohal, Dr. Fagerer commenced with his
presentation of the World Trade Organization. His highly interesting speech was
structured in five parts.
4.2.4.1. History
The WTO was founded in 1995 in Doha, as successor of the General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It is one of the youngest international organizations
and today governs the GATT, the GATS (General Agreement on Trade and
Services) and the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights).
Today, the WTO consists of 157 member states, with the last enlargement round
having taken place around Christmas 2011, where, amongst other, Russia and
Monaco joined the organization.
4.2.4.2. Structure
Being the highest authority, the ministerial conference takes place every year,
whereas the General Council, which acts as the central operative body, meets
three or four times a year. The budget is provided by its member states, who
contribute an amount corresponding to their amount of trade – Austria ranks
among the top 20 of contributors to the budget.
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4.2.4.3. Goals
The main responsibilities of the WTO are the reduction and elimination of tariffs
and other trade barriers. Furthermore, it deals with the integration of developing
countries into the multilateral trading systems. In order to achieve the mentioned
objectives, the WTO administrates existing agreements, acts as a negotiating
forum for further liberalization of current trade rules and for new agreements, and
enforces trade rules through dispute settlement.
4.2.4.4. Principals
The functioning of the WTO is based on the most-favored nation treatment,
national treatment and legal certainty. The WTO is a member-driven organization.
This approach is pointed out by its organization principles. Proposals are
submitted by the member states and all decisions are taken by consensus.
Thereafter, the results of a negotiation have to be ratified by the parliaments of the
member states.
4.2.4.5. Critics
Concluding this very interesting presentation, Dr.Fagerer openly addressed the
public criticism on the WTO. One of the main points is the “lack” of democracy –
some organizations claim that the WTO is not open for everyone, but only the big,
rich trading countries. This, however, is not true because you have to get elected
to join the WTO. Furthermore, there is the principle of consensus, which means
that every country has a vote equal to the next country, thus granting complete
democracy. However, there sometimes are decisions that are not directly made
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within the WTO. The next area of criticism concerns the development dimension.
Dr. Fagerer stated, that there is a program in place to help developing contries
directly while also helping developed countries – e.g. via infrastructure projects,
which not only help the local population, but also the possible future business
partners because some areas are easier to access. Last, but not least, the third
issue addressed was concerning the environment and fair trade. The WTO deals
with trade, and not production itself, and therefore is not responsible for fair trade.
4.2.5. Human Rights – Dr. Johannes Strasser,Mag. Thomas Unger and
Mag. Guschlbauer
This second presentation about Human Rights dealt with the protection of Human
Rights started with an explanation of its three layers:
The international level in Geneva, with the HR Council on an
intergovernmental level,
The regional level in Strasbourg and
The national level with Courts etc.
The main part of the presentation focused on the UN’s activities concerning
Human Rights and the various conventional („Treaty-based‟) and extra
conventional („Charter-based‟) mechanisms within the system. The Treaty-based
bodies check the implementations of different conventions.
Furthermore, the presenters stressed the role of the Human Rights Council (HRC),
which is the main organ within the UN dealing specifically with Human Rights. It
consists of 47 elected member states for a period of 3 years each. The
composition of these countries is structured with a quota, so that each region of
the world is adequately represented. Austria is currently a member state, with its
mandate lasting from 2011 to 2014. The Council has 3 sessions per year, where
representatives meet for four, respectively three weeks
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Furthermore, there was an emphasis on the instruments of the Council and the
importance of independent experts and working groups that are established by the
HRC.
Dr. Strasser and Mag. Unger explained the instrument of the universal periodic
review, where representatives from each country of the world meet and evaluate
each other. This review takes place every 4 years. Austria was subject to
evaluation in 2011 and received 166 recommendations from other countries.
Another focus was the Human Rights and the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which is the main UN organ in Human
Rights promotion and protection and which has its office in Palais Wilson in
Geneva.
The last part of the presentation concerned Austria’s thematic focus and the
country’s representation within the international system of Human Rights. Human
Rights are very important within the EU. The topic Human Rights is part of the
second pillar of the EU (common foreign and security policy) and the Commission
represents the 27 EU member states in the UN Human Rights meetings.
Furthermore, the role of non-governmental organizations with regard to Human
Rights was mentioned. There are numerous NGOs present in Geneva, e.g.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others. They participate as well
in the UN activities, which is widely supported by Austria and the EU.
After this final part of the presentation, we were given the opportunity to raise
questions.
4.2.6. Disarmament – Dr. Peter Steiner
Dr. Peter Steiner started his presentation with explaining the importance of
disarmament and UN specialized agencies in this area. Disarmament and non-
proliferation remain indispensable tools to help create a security environment
favorable to ensuring human development, as enshrined in the letter and the spirit
of the Charter of the United Nations. The United Nations office at Geneva (UNOG)
is a center venue for international diplomacy in this field. It is home to the
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Conference on Disarmament - the sole multilateral disarmament negotiating body -
and provides, through the Geneva Branch of the Office for Disarmament Affairs,
substantive and organizational support to a wide range of multilateral disarmament
agreements. In addition, UNOG hosts a large number of disarmament-related
conferences.
Dr. Steiner explained us the components of disarmament and what its objectives
are. Disarmament in general is the elimination/reduction of military capacity.
During the last decade global military spending has been increasing steadily. 2011
military spending was stagnant for the first time in 13 years. Although this is
positive, there are also countries where spending has sharply increased. Real
military spending often varies from official data because countries tend to hide
budgets because of strategic reasons. Dr. Steiner also explained that, that
proliferation of weapon systems, especially of nuclear weapon systems is a
political game. Considering that the atomic bomb has only been used twice it is
clear, that nuclear weapons are political weapons. In some developing countries,
such as Brazil, India or Turkey, we see a nuclear arms race. The problem is that
political importance cannot be reduced. Hence, building confidence through
transparent agreements and international relations is very important.
Beside the efforts in reduction of military capacity, arms control is another
important area of interest. Commitments in arms control include limits to
destructive capacity and the ban of weapon systems, such as unmanned vehicles,
personnel landmines and cluster munitions.
The annual Conference on Disarmament is a multilateral disarmament-negotiating
forum of the international community held in Geneva. The terms of reference
include practically all multilateral arms control and disarmament problems.
Currently the conference primarily focuses its attention on the following issues:
cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament; prevention of
nuclear war, including all related matters; prevention of an arms race in outer
space; effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States
against the use or threat of use of n nuclear weapons; new types of weapons of
mass destruction and new systems of such weapons including radiological
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weapons; comprehensive programme of disarmament and transparency in
armaments.
At the end of the interesting presentation we were again given the opportunity to
raise questions.
5. Tuesday, 24th of April 2012
5.1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Date: Tuesday, 24th of April 2012
Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Topic: History, Structure & Activities of the ITU
Speakers: Mr. José Maria Diaz Batanero, Corporate Strategy Division, Ms.
Chelsea Haines, Intern
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
Our first visit on Tuesday, April 24th 2012, brought us to the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU). We had the unique opportunity to meet Mr. José
Maria Diaz Batanero, member of the Corporate Strategy Division. Mr. Diaz, with
the help of Ms. Haines, gave us an overview of the organization and its fields of
activity. Subsequently to the introduction we were given an overall view on the
structure and decision making bodies of the organization. Mr. Diaz’ presentation
was followed by an interactive discussion and Question & Answer session on
interesting topics, ranging from cyber security and cloud computing to internship
opportunities with the ITU. Following the very interesting and comprehensive
presentation by Mr. Diaz and Ms. Haines, we got the chance to get a guided tour
through the newly founded ICT exhibition even before it was officially opened to
the public. All of us were really impressed and found it extremely interesting to see
the development of information and communication technologies throughout the
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history. The ITU is a specialized agency of the United Nations and a leader in
information and communication technologies.
5.1.1. Historical Background
During the 19th century the numerous innovations in communication demanded
the cooperation on an international level. Therefore, in 1865 the International
Telegraph Union was created and soon thereafter it was followed by the first
regulations on radio broadcasting. Its scope of activities grew due to technologic
advancements and in 1932 the organization’s name was changed to ITU. In 1947
it was declared a UN specialized agency and its headquarters were moved from
Berne to Geneva.
5.1.2. Mission & Main Activities
The ITU is a norm-setting organization with the vision to „connect the
unconnected‟ that is to enable access to telecommunication worldwide. It aims to
develop interlinked systems through collaborative efforts of both the private and
the public sectors. Its objectives include the active integration of developing
countries into the global telecommunication network. The work of the ITU is
divided into three core areas of activity:
Radio Communication (ITU-R)
The radio frequency spectrum is a limited resource and faces the challenge
of accommodating the large number of telecommunication services
available. The Radio Communication division of the ITU manages the
spectrum by assigning frequencies to defined regions. Furthermore, it is
responsible for the allocation of television and broadcasting frequencies.
The registration of satellite orbital positions and development of services
also lay within the scope of the ITU-R.
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Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T)
Within the second sector of the ITU, technical specifications for international
communication services are developed in order to facilitate operations
worldwide. Examples of standardizations provided by the ITU-T include
universal telephone codes and numbering plans.
Development (ITU-D)
The third sector of the ITU addresses the “missing link” of developing
countries. The Development sector of the ITU was established in 1992 in
order to address the lack of inter-linkage and to promote access to
telecommunication networks in the developing world. In 2006 the ITU
launched a project based on the objective to bridge the “Digital Divide”. The
Development sector of the ITU aims to support developing nations in
overcoming their lack of technical or financial resources and offers
assistance and training for capacity building.
In addition, the ITU plays an essential role in disaster management. The
organization improves telecommunication systems to ensure communication for
disaster prevention and in case of emergencies. Furthermore, the organization
collaborates and exchanges information with other UN agencies, such as the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It organizes workshops and
forums on issues associated with telecommunication services. Among the topics
of discussion are safety and consumer protection in internet governance.
Finally, another major activity of the ITU is to provide information on the process
and evolution of telecommunication services. The analysis and findings are
comprised in the World Telecommunications Development Report, which is
published on an annual basis. Hence, the ITU serves as a kind of platform for the
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research, analysis and exchange of data and statistics on trends in international
telecommunication services.
5.1.3. Legal Framework
The legal framework of the ITU is based on the Constitution and Convention,
Administrative Regulations, including Radio and International Telecommunication
Regulations, as well as further basic texts. While the Constitution deals with basic
provisions, the purpose, structure and responsibilities of the Union and the
respective sectors, the Convention focuses on the functioning of the bodies and
additional provisions for conferences and assemblies or telecommunication
services. Regulations concerning the radio frequency spectrum are discussed and
adopted during World Radio communication Conferences held twice a year. These
regulations eventually obtain treaty status and are in principal binding for member
states. Furthermore, International Telecommunication Regulations exist with the
aim of facilitating and improving telecommunication services.
5.1.4. Membership
The ITU is an organization that is based primarily on public-private partnership
since its inception. The ITU membership is basically split upon three different
categories. Currently the organization has a membership of 193 countries and
over 700 private-sector entities, such as Microsoft and Google, as well as
academic institutions. States that want to become member simply have to formally
apply at the ITU to be accepted. ITU membership represents a cross-section of
the global ICT sector, from the world's largest manufacturers and carriers to small,
innovative players working with new and emerging technologies, along with
leading R&D institutions and academia. Sector members are active in a variety of
fields including manufacturing, research and development or services and funding.
The ITU has been founded on the basis of the principle of International
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cooperation between governments (Member States) and the private sector (Sector
Members, Associates and Academia). Hence the ITU is the premier global forum
for its members which are working towards consensus when it comes to issues
which might affect the future operating direction of the ICT industry.
5.1.5. Decision Marking Bodies and Process
The Plenipotentiary Conference disposes over supreme authority and the member
states that meet every four years to set forth the overall strategy of the Union also
revise the Constitution and Convention. Furthermore, this Conference elects the
Secretary General as well as the 46 members equally distributed amongst the
region that constitute the Council, which is the executive body. This respective
body is responsible for implementing its policies and regulations and for the
coordination of activities of the three sectors. The main responsibilities of the
Secretary-General, Dr. Hamadou I. Touré, lie within the administrative and
financial scope. He also supervises the three directors, each heading a bureau of
the three sectors.
Since the ITU is a United Nations Specialized Agency, only its member states are
granted rights to vote. However, agreement of Sector Members is important for the
approval of technical-related recommendations. Most decisions are consenus-
based as already mentioned earlier.
5.1.6. Presentation and Discussion
After an introduction of the organization and its structure, Mr. Diaz explained the
core areas of activity of the specialized agency. He also underlined how important
the ITU’s standards and norms were for our everyday life even though most of us
had a very limited knowledge about the ITU before our visit.
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Mr. Diaz was very open to answer any questions on the work of the ITU. Due to
his enthusiastic personality and friendly attitude, the students were actively
participating in the discussion. Questions raised included, amongst others, the
issue of cloud computing. The discussion continued with security issues and the
ITU’s efforts to combat this serious threat to the information society.
Our visit to the ITU and the presentation by Mr. Diaz were highly informative,
because the topics discussed affect our daily lives. Almost everyone is a member
of social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype, however, one is often
not aware of the underlying threats. Also the interoperability of certain
technologies we use every day, such as smart phones, are enabled and promoted
by the open standards provided by the ITU.
5.1.7. Internship Opportunities
As the very last point of ITU’s presentation, Mr. Diaz Botanero elaborated on ITU’s
attractive internship program, which offers undergraduate and graduate students
the possibility to gain work experience in a truly dynamic environment. Prospective
interns can apply directly online (https://erecruit.itu.int/public/). Applicants are
strongly encouraged to express and specify their area of interest. As for most of
UN agencies, the ITU is also not offering any monetary compensation and hence
costs have to be borne by the students themselves. Nevertheless, Mr. Diaz
Botanero emphasized several times that this is an unique opportunity to gain
valuable insights into the rapidly changing field of telecommunications.
5.1.8. ICT Exploratorium
After the official presentation on the International Telecommunication Union
ended, the students of the IMC were granted an exclusive sneak preview of the
new museum, the so-called “ICT Exploratorium”. This ICT exhibition was definitely
one of the highlights throughout our stay in Geneva. After the presentation, we
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were able to get an advanced tour before it was actually officially opened for the
public. The students were guided in groups and we were shown the developments
of ICTs beginning with telegraphs and ending with the newest technologies that
are available today. All of us really enjoyed the tour and would have liked to stay
much longer to discover all the details of the interactive exhibitions.
5.2. International Labour Organisation (ILO)
Date: Tuesday, April 24th 2012
Time: 11:00 am
Topic: Sectorial Activities Department & the Mandate of the ILO and its activities
Speaker: Mr. Martin Hahn (Basic Metal and Mining Production Specialist)
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
The second organization we visited on Tuesday 24th of April 2012 was the United
Nations specialized agency, International Labour Organization. The ILO, which is
perceived as the one and only agency of the United Nations that successfully
implemented the so called tripartite structure that ensures fair representation of
employers, workers and the government, primarily focuses on the creation and
execution of Decent work.
At the International Labour Office in Geneva, the group was warmly welcomed by
Mr Martin Hahn, who is working as lawyer for the Basic Metal and Mining
Production field within this specialized body. At the beginning, Mr Hahn provided
an extensive overview of the organization itself, its basic mission and how it came
into existence dating back until the treaty of Versailles. Based on this foundation,
Hahn elaborated in detail on how the organization is structured, what are the
objectives and how are they implemented. Moreover, Hahn put special focus on
the International Labour Conference, which takes place every June, and upon the
size of the ILO’s labour force in Geneva and on site with 30 field offices.
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5.2.1. The Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO), based in the International Labour
Office in Geneva, is a specialized Organization of the United Nations
accommodating 183 member states from all continents. Main responsibilities
include the development and supervision of international Labour standards.
According to Mr. Hahn, currently about 1300 people are working for the ILO in
Geneva, and in 30 different field offices. Additionally the organization has several
communication offices to remain in touch with the respective region, in cities like:
London and Tokyo.
With its unique tripartite structure, the ILO brings together governments,
employers and workers at the annual International Labour Conference in order to
set Labour standards, supervise their implementation, raise awareness, develop
policies and devise programs. These are realized by the establishment of
Conventions, Recommendations and Codes of Practices.
According to the ILO Constitution (1919) “Universal and lasting peace can be
established only if it is based upon social justice”. According to this Preamble, one
can easily determine that decent work is key to eliminate of poverty and therefore
the ILO identifies four primary strategic objectives:
Promote and realize standards and fundamental principles and rights at
work.
Create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent
employment.
Enhance coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all.
Strengthen tripartism and social dialogue.
5.2.2. History
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The ILO was created in 1919 as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World
War I to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished
only if it is based on social justice. The tripartite organization initially originated
from a decision made by a commission composed of representatives from nine
countries: Belgium Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
The ILO at that time was and is until now the only organization that brings together
representatives of governments, employers and workers in its executive bodies.
Profound motivations have been the reason for the formation of the ILO including
driving forces in a political, social and economic sense. The most important
political stimulus for the creation of the ILO was the fear of a revolution (like the
Russian Revolution in 1917) hitting the world once again. Social driving forces
included the aim to abolish child labour that was recognized in industrialized
countries. Harmonized international labour legislation and the elimination of
national protectionism or decreasing competitiveness due to single-state
regulations were among the economic grounds of the ILO.
The ILO has made paramount contributions to the world of work from its early
days. The first International Labour Conference, held in Washington in October
1919, adopted six International Labour Conventions, which basically dealt with
working hours in industry, unemployment, and maternity protection, night work for
women, minimum age and night work for young persons in industry.
In the summer of 1920, the ILO was firstly located in Geneva where its
headquarters is located until today. During the Great Depression of the 1920s with
its resulting massive unemployment, the ILO realized that handling labour issues
also requires international cooperation. This resulted in the United States
becoming a Member of the ILO in 1934. Later, as the Second World War became
imminent, the headquarters of the ILO temporarily moved to Montreal, Canada, in
may 1940 for reasons of safety. In 1946, the ILO became a specialized agency of
the newly formed United Nations. During the post-war years between1948-1970,
the number of Member states doubled, the Organization took on its universal
character, industrialized countries became a minority among developing countries,
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the budget grew five-fold and the number of officials quadrupled. In 1969 on its
50th anniversary the ILO even was granted the Nobel Peace Prize: From the post-
cold War period on, the importance of placing social justice at the heart of
international economic and social policies was emphasized by the ILO. Also a
course of decentralization of activities and resources away from the Geneva
headquarters was set forth.
On 4th of March 1999, Juan Somavia of Chile took over as Director General.
Somavia especially emphasizes on the importance of making decent work a
strategic international goal and promoting a fair globalization. Moreover, he
underpins work as an instrument of poverty alleviation and ILO's role in helping to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including cutting world poverty in half
by 2015.
5.2.3. Structure
The ILO is the World’s only tripartite multilateral agency that makes employers,
workers and governments have equal voices and jointly shape policies and
programmes. Each country is represented by two government delegates and one
employer and worker delegate. These meet in the annual International labour
Conference in Geneva, where Conventions and Recommendations are adopted
by means of two-thirds majority votes to set international standards. Through the
ratification by member states, Conventions create binding obligations to implement
the provisions. Recommendations provide the country with guidance on policy,
legislation and practical issues. The Conference also approves the ILO work plan,
the budget, which is contributed by the member states, and elects the Governing
Body.
The Governing Body, which is the executive council, meets between the sessions
of the Conference and consists of 28 government members, 14 employer and 14
worker members. It usually meets three times a year to draft the programme, the
budget and prepare pre-works for the Conference.
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In addition to the International Labour Office in Geneva, the ILO’s Secretariat has
field offices in more than 40 countries. The Office is headed by the Director-
General and works under the scrutiny of the Governing Body, who appoints the
head of the Office. The Director-General is elected for a five-year renewable term.
This year, on May 28th the new Director is going to be elected, which is a very
relevant event regarding future policies of the ILO.
5.2.4. Scope of work
Underlying the ILO’s work is the importance of cooperation between governments
and employers’ and workers’ organizations in fostering social and economic
progress. The ILO aims to ensure that it serves the needs of working women and
men by bringing together governments, employers and workers to set labour
standards develop policies and devise programmes. The very structure of the ILO,
where workers and employers together have an equal voice with governments in
its deliberations, shows social dialogue in action. It ensures that the views of the
social partners are closely reflected in ILO labour standards, policies and
programmes. The ILO encourages this tripartism within its constituents and
member States by promoting a social dialogue between trade unions and
employers in formulating, and where appropriate, implementing national policy on
social, economic, and many other issues. The ILO accomplishes its work through
three main bodies (The International labour Conference, the Governing body and
the Office) which comprise governments', employers' and workers'
representatives.
The work of the Governing Body and of the Office is aided by tripartite committees
covering major industries. It is also supported by committees of experts on such
matters as vocational training, management development, occupational safety and
health, industrial relations, workers’ education, and special problems of women
and young workers.
On this matter, Mr Hahn elaborated on the Social Justice Declaration that was
published by the ILO in 2008, which puts special focus on the following:
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The importance of pursuing an integrated approach
The aspect of decent work - “Menschenwürdige Arbeit”
5.2.5. Question and Answer Session
The presentation was followed by a lively question and answer session. An
example for this, out of numerous questions and answers, can be listed as
followed:
Question: How important are Labour Unions and how are they affecting employers
and the ILO?
Mr Hahn answered that, in general it is easy to negotiate on a top level; however it
is challenging to actually implement respective policies. Moreover, he elaborated
on the fact that Labour Unions are of paramount use for employers, therefore
Labour Unions have to improve the prevailing level of mutual engagement.
5.3. World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO
Date: Tuesday, 24th of April 2012
Time: 3:30 – 5:15 pm
Topic: Intellectual Property and the World Intellectual Property Organization
Speaker: Ms. Francesca Fusco; Information Assistant WIPO Customer Service
Centre
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
The World Intellectual Property Organization is a United Nations Agency, which
has been established in 1967 to encourage creativity and innovation. Respective
outcomes thereof have to be protected on a global basis and hence, the WIPO is
concerned with the promotion of the development and use of intellectual property.
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5.3.1. Intellectual Property (IP)
According to Ms. Fusco, intellectual property is defined as creations of the mind.
Furthermore it can be distinguished between two subcategories:
Industrial Property
Industrial property can be easily reproduced and comprises patents,
trademarks, industrial design and geographical indications such as
certificates of origin.
Copyright and Related Rights
Copyright are related to literary and artistic works, including novels, films,
songs, photographs, architectural designs and many more. Whereas
related rights are concerned with the actual performance of artists,
recordings, broadcasts in the radio etc.
Furthermore, Ms. Fusco mentioned another type of IP which is dealing with the
indigenous cultures, local communities and customs. However, the protection of
innovations and creative expressions with a cultural background is not yet
regulated properly. Hence, the WIPO is currently working on establishing
normative and capacity-building programs in order to draw up legal regulations
concerned with this issue.
5.3.2. Brief History
The Paris Convention in 1883 was the first multilateral forum to discuss the
importance of the protection of intellectual property rights. This was due to the fact
that international exhibitors refused to present their innovations at the International
Exhibition of Inventions in Vienna (1873). As a result of the Paris Convention the
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first international treaty on the protection of industrial property was drawn up.
Furthermore, the Berne Convention in 1886 addressed the problem of the
protection of artistic works, such as copyrights and related issues. Another result
of those talks was the establishment of the United International Bureaux for the
Protection of Intellectual Property (BIRPI) based in Berne, Switzerland.
In the course of time, the importance of intellectual property grew significantly and
in turn also the structure of the organization changed, which consequently led to
the relocation of the BIRPI to Geneva and finally the creation of the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1974 as a specialized agency of the
United Nations system of organizations.
5.3.3. Scope of Work
The WIPO counts currently 185 member states and is concerned with a broad field
of work. Its mandate is to promote the protection of IP throughout the world
through cooperation among states and in collaboration with other international
organizations. Thus, its main activities are basically concerned with:
The harmonization of national intellectual property legislation and
procedures,
The provision of services for international applications for industrial property
rights,
The exchange of intellectual property information,
The provision of legal and technical assistance to developing and other
countries,
The facilitation the resolution of private intellectual property disputes, and
The allocation of information technology as a tool for storing, accessing,
and using valuable intellectual property information.
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Therefore, the World Intellectual Property Organization is focusing on three main
clusters in order to conform to its mandate. Thus, its service to industries, norm
setting services and economic development programs help to foster the protection
of IP on an international level and enhance the development of IP systems in its
member states.
Effective protection of IP rights does also require the organization to engage in
raising awareness and addressing the public. In order to prevent counterfeiting
and product or service piracy the WIPO works closely with:
Public sector & Policy-makers
Intellectual Property offices (in each member state)
General Public and the Civil Society
5.3.4. Goals
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a United Nations (UN)
specialized agency and the leading intergovernmental organization dedicated to
the promotion and use of intellectual property. The Organization seeks to develop
a balanced and effective international IP system that rewards creativity, stimulates
innovation and contributes to the economic, social and cultural development of all
countries, while safeguarding the public interest. WIPO’s mandate is to promote
the protection of IP throughout the world through cooperation among states and in
collaboration with other international organizations.
Additionally, the WIPO has nine strategic goals such as the balanced evolution of
the international normative framework for IP, international cooperation on building
respect for IP and addressing IP in relation to global policy issues. Further, a
provision of premier global IP services, the facilitation of the use of IP for
development and the coordination and improvement of global IP Infrastructure
plays a major role. Other goals state that WIPO wants to develop a world
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reference source for IP information and analysis, a responsive communications
interface between WIPO, its member states and other stakeholders and an
efficient administrative and financial support structure to enable the organization to
deliver its programs.
5.3.5. Strategies
Regarding its strategy the WIPO mainly follows its nine strategic goals as
described above. However, the WIPO has launched the Strategic Realignment
Problem in order to equip the Organization to address today’s challenges such as
the stress on patent and copyright systems as a result of rapid technological
change, globalization and increased demand and reducing the knowledge gap
between developed and developing countries.
WIPO’s member states determine the strategic direction and approve the activities
of the Organization. Delegates from member states meet in assemblies,
committees and working groups.
5.3.6. Methods of work
The main policy and decision making bodies of WIPO are the General Assembly
and the Coordination Committee. Nineteen assemblies and other bodies of the
Member States of WIPO and of the Unions administered by WIPO, traditionally
meet in ordinary or extraordinary session at the end of September. These
meetings bring together WIPO’s 184 Member States, allowing them to take stock
of the progress in the Organization’s work and to discuss future policy directions.
In the General Assembly every government is represented by one delegate and
meetings are usually held every two years. The Coordination Committee consists
of the States which are members of the Executive Committee of the Paris Union,
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or the Executive Committee of the Berne Union and gives advice to the organs of
the Unions, the General Assembly, the Conference and the Director General. Also,
Standing Committees are established by a decision of the General Assembly for a
given purpose. When a Standing Committee determines that sufficient progress
has been made in order to move towards treaty adoption, the General Assembly
can decide to convene a Diplomatic Conference. This is a high level meeting of
Member States, convened purely to finalize negotiations on a new treaty. In
addition to Standing Committees, there are Permanent Committees which are
established by International Classification treaties and which revise and update the
classification systems. A Standing Committee or other body can decide to
establish a working group to examine a particular question in more detail.
5.3.7. Core Tasks / Functions
WIPO is the lead intergovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion and
use of Intellectual Property. Its diverse activities are driven by demand from
Member States. They fall broadly into the areas “Developing international IP laws
and standards” and “Delivering global IP protection services” and include the
following core activities:
Administering 24 multilateral treaties and working with member states to
build agreement on and to support the evolution of the international legal
framework for IP
Providing global IP services that make it easier and more cost-effective to
obtain protection internationally for new inventions, brands, designs and
appellations of origin ; and providing arbitration, mediation and other
alternative dispute resolution services
o Assisting governments and organizations in establishing national and
regional IP and innovation strategies, developing appropriate
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regulatory frameworks for IP and building the infrastructure and
human capacity needed to harness the potential of IP for economic
development
o Providing technical infrastructure that includes : facilitating access to
WIPO’s world-standard databases of IP information; developing
technical platforms to facilitate exchange of information among IP
offices ; training and tools for using IP information
o Building awareness, understanding and respect for IP – including
playing a leading role in encouraging and facilitating international
dialogue on enforcement related issues, as well as providing training
and education programs
o Working in partnership with the UN and other organizations to
identify and promote IP-based solutions to climate change, food
security, public health and other global challenges
5.3.8. Members
WIPO's strategic direction, budget and activities are determined by its Member
States, who meet in the Assemblies, Committees and other decision making
bodies WIPO currently has 184 member states – a list of these member states can
be found in Annex III.
5.3.9. Decision making bodies
All decisions governing WIPO’s strategic direction and activities are made by the
Member States. The WIPO Secretariat coordinates formal and informal meetings
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of the Member State bodies throughout the year. The principal committees and
decision-making bodies are listed below.
5.3.10. Governing Bodies
The following constituent organs, established by the WIPO Convention, are
WIPO’s highest decision-making bodies. They meet in September/October in
Geneva in ordinary session every two years, and in extraordinary session in
alternate years.
The WIPO General Assembly
The WIPO Conference
The WIPO Coordination Committee
In addition the Assemblies of the member states of each of the Unions, (e.g. the
PCT Union Assembly; the Madrid Union Assembly etc.) were established by the
respective WIPO-administered treaties.
5.3.11. Standing Committees
These are ad hoc committees of experts. Standing committees are established by
a decision of the General Assembly for a given purpose, e.g. to determine the
need or otherwise for new treaty provisions. Examples may be the Standing
Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP), the Standing Committee on the Law of
Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT), or the
Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR).
When a Standing Committee determines that sufficient progress has been made in
order to move towards treaty adoption, the General Assembly can decide to
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convene a Diplomatic Conference. This is a high level meeting of Member States,
convened purely to finalize negotiations on a new treaty.
5.3.12. Permanent Committees
The International Classification treaties (i.e. the Locarno, Nice, Strasbourg and
Vienna Agreements) established permanent Committees of Experts with a
mandate periodically to revise and update the classification systems.
Any of the Governing Bodies can constitute committees as required. For example
the Program and Budget Committee, the Committee on Development and
Intellectual Property (CDIP) or the Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE).
5.3.13. Working Groups
A Standing Committee or other body can decide to establish a working group to
examine a particular question in more detail.
5.3.14. Question and Answer Session
Why was the World Intellectual Property Organization neither involved in the
discussion about Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) nor consulted with
respect to this issue?
The WIPO is a neutral agency of the United Nations and does not have to be
consulted concerning changes in the legislation on IP. The organization’s mandate
is to promote and facilitate the protection of IP, but it cannot set enforcement
legislation thereof.
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Are there any new forms of IP for which appropriate protection has not yet been
regulated accordingly?
New forms of IP include the protection of creations and inventions deriving from
indigenous or cultural background, such as traditional knowledge, access to
generic resources, folklore etc. Currently the WIPO is trying to create a framework
for effective protection related subjects.
Furthermore, another emerging field with the need of IP rights is cyber-sporting.
This includes the illegal use of protected brands and names to sell items via the
internet.
How does the WIPO finance its operations?
90 % of the organization’s budget derives from the registration of IP. Mainly
industrial property is registered by participants of the private sector. Hence, only
10 % of the WIPO’s budget is paid by its member states, which is rather
exceptional for the UN system.
6. Wednesday, 25th of April 2012
6.1. Organization for Economic Co-Operation and
Development (OECD)
Date: Wednesday, 25th of April 2012
Time: 02:00 pm – 02:15 pm
Topic: Welcome and Introduction
Speaker: Mr Andrew Gentry, Public Affairs and Communications Directorate
Time: 02:15 pm – 02:45 pm
Topic: History, Structure, Scope of Work and Membership
Speaker: Mrs Marion Gratt, Attaché Austrian Delegation to the OECD
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Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), based in
Paris, is one of the world’s major and most reliable providers of comparable
statistics and economic and social data. Due to numerous researches in the field
of economics and public policy, the OECD is one of the world’s leading publishers
of reports and forecasts in that area. Mrs Marion Gratt, Attaché of the Austrian
Delegation to the OECD, gave us a brief insight into the organization’s mission,
goals, structure, members, areas of work and achievements, followed by an
overview of the role of the Austrian Delegation and a discussion at the end.
6.1.1. History
Historically, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) developed out of the Organization for European Economic Co-operation
(OEEC) that was set up in 1948 to assist the European economy to recover from
the disturbances and impacts of World War II.
Its primary purpose was to execute the “European Recovery Programme”, also
known as the “Marshall Plan” by distributing about 13 billion USD which had been
provided by the United States under the presidency of Harry Truman.
In September 1961, the OECD became the official successor of the OEEC with 19
foundation members, among them, the United States and Canada as non-
European members.
With the scope of work becoming more global, several countries, such as Finland,
Japan, Australia and New Zealand joined the organization between 1964 and
1970. This expansion was followed by Mexico, the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland, Korea and the Slovak Republic.
Today, the OECD consists of 34 member countries (namely: Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea,
Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
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Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom,
United States), and has close work relations with more than 70 countries as well
as co-operations with major international partners such as the World Trade
Organization (WTO) and the European Union (EU). In 2010 Chile, Estonia, Israel
and Slovenia joined the OECD as full members and also Russia was invited for
negotiations of a membership. Furthermore, it offered enhanced engagement, with
a view to possible membership, to Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa
because those countries are key partners.
6.1.2. General Overview
As mentioned above, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) was officially founded in 1960, and came into force on 30th
of September 1961 as an intergovernmental economic organization composed of
currently 34 member countries, representing 80 % of the world’s GDP. The
headquarters of the OECD is situated in Paris, at the Châteu de la Muette. The
OECD’s credo is to stand for democracy and market economy. Further areas of
activity include providing information and guidance on the topics of trade and
structural adjustment, as well as reducing poverty in developing countries.
One way to achieve its goals is to help governments to respond quickly to new
developments, by providing a forum for the exchange of experiences and methods
of resolution, including the coordination of domestic and international policies.
Another field of activity is the allocation of data concerning more than one hundred
developing countries and emerging market economies like China, South Africa,
India, Brazil and Mexico.
6.1.3. Aims
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The OECD has defined its core principles in the “Convention on the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development”, which has been
signed by every member state. They include the intent to:
Maintain financial stability
Raise living standards
Contribute to growth in world trade
Support governments to sustainable economic growth (e.g. in
Morocco)
Boost employment
Assist other countries’ economic development
6.1.4. Organizational structure
6.1.4.1. The Council
The decision making power lies within the OECD Council. It is made up of one
representative per member country, plus a representative of the European
Commission. These decisions are achieved via regular council meetings at the
level of permanent representatives to the OECD and are taken by consensus. The
Council meets at a ministerial level once a year to discuss key issues and set
priorities for OECD work.
6.1.4.2. Committees
In order to progress ideas and cooperate on areas, such as economics, trade,
science, employment, education or financial markets the comities provide a forum
for discussion and co-operation.
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There are about 200 committees, working groups and expert groups, equipped
with a total of 40,000 senior officials. These officials are dispatched by the national
administrations.
6.1.4.3. The Secretariat
The Secretariat in Paris is made up of about 2,700 staff members, who support the
activities of the committees. These employees, which include economists, lawyers,
scientists and other professionals, carry out the work in response to priorities
decided by the OECD Council.
Currently the OECD Secretariat is headed by Mr Angel Gurría, who is assisted by
four Deputy Secretaries-General.
6.1.5. Current topics
Current topics of the OECD that have been addressed during the OECD Forum
2011 were Green Growth, Skills Strategy, New Paradigms for Development,
Narrowing the Gender Gap and Reducing Inequality, Better Life Initiative and
Restoring Trust.
Mr Schekulin, our professor from the first semester, dropped by during the
presentation because he had a meeting at the OECD. He is chairing the
investment committee of the OECD since 2004 and gave us an update about his
work. Within this meeting current issues were discussed with other countries and
with the assistance of the technical expertise from the OECD Secretary. It brings
experts from different fields together to discuss follow-ups of the financial crisis.
There will also be a seminar to convince more countries like China to become
member of the OECD. Additionally, the issue of liberalizing or restricting capital
movements and related set of rules will be addressed to discuss the needs to
prevent weaker developing frameworks from the “big Wall-Street sharks”.
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6.1.6. Question and Answer Session
The presentation was followed by a lively discussion. The focus of the questions
raised was primarily on issues concerning the OECD itself. Mrs Gratt and Mr
Gentry answered the questions regarding the OECD’s control of the
implementation of measures and explained the unique peer pressure system
which exists in the OECD. They highlighted that the OECD always tries to assess
the highest possible standards and to find a common ground for the
recommendations, policies and reforms they propose. Mr Gentry mentioned that
small countries like Austria for example can benefit even more from the OECD
membership.
6.1.7. Internship Opportunities
At the end, our professor Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic raised a question regarding
employment and internship possibilities at the OECD. Mr Gentry encouraged the
students to join the OECD, as the organization is always seeking for ambitious
young people. He referred to the OECD homepage, which provides all relevant
information in the career section. Furthermore, one can apply directly or an
internship by contacting the department of interest. Internships vary in duration
and payment, however, the usual duration is six months. In this context it is to be
noted that applicants only qualify for an internship position if they are citizens of
one of the OECD countries.
6.2. Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD
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Date: Wednesday, 25th of April 2012
Time: 02:45 pm – 03:15 pm
Topic: Role and Function of the Austrian Delegation
Speaker: Mrs Marion Gratt, Attaché Austrian Delegation to the OECD
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
The general overview of the OECD was followed by a definition of the role of the
Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD (hereafter referred to as Austrian
Mission). In her presentation, Mrs Marion Gratt outlined the structure and the role
of the Austrian Mission.
6.2.1. Role and Responsibilities of the Austrian Mission
Each of the 34 OECD-member states is represented at the organization in Paris
by several representatives and delegates. The fundamental role of the Austrian
Mission is to act as a linkage between the OECD Secretariat and national
authorities.
Furthermore, the Austrian Mission promotes Austria’s national interests in
multilateral negotiations. It basically aims at ensuring a good fit between the
OECD’s work and their country’s interests. As a further point, it informs about
current developments of the OECD-programmes of work.
The Austrian Mission is composed of one ambassador and several diplomats. At
present, Mr Wolfgang Petritsch is Austria’s ambassador. He was appointed by the
Austrian Federal Chancellery on March 4, 2008. Mr Petritsch, in consultation with
his peers, has the responsibility to agree on the programme of work, validate
strategic work and establish the volume of the annual budget.
6.2.2. Question & Answer Session
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At the beginning of the discussion Mrs Gratt emphasized on the importance to
coordinate opinions between ministries and that OECD statistics can serve as a
basis for political decision making. She mentioned the “Best Practices” system that
allows for knowledge-sharing in the service of all countries. The current
discussions on education in Austria, such as the new secondary school (Neue
Mittelschule) and centralized school leaving examination (Zentralmatura), originate
from OECD “Best Practices”. Furthermore, Mrs Gratt spoke about the
collaboration and cooperation between the OECD and the G20 and referred to the
OECD as being a platform of integration and voice for smaller countries, such as
Austria, which would normally not influence G20 decisions.
Subsequently, questions concerning Austria’s contribution to the OECD budget
and priority topics were raised. Traditionally, the US accounts for 22 % of the
budget, thus the biggest contributor, followed by 12 % of Japan and 9 % of
Germany. In comparison, as Austria is a rather small country, it contributes 1,25 %
of the total budget. Priority topics for Austria, according to Mrs Gratt, are: a) the
improvement and optimization of the education sector, b) the reduction of
inequalities in the society, c) sustainable growth, and d) energy politics
6.2.3. Internship Opportunities
With regards to the Austrian Mission, Mrs Gratt talked about employment
possibilities directly at the Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD. The
Austrian Mission offers internships with a length of 3 months and more, which are
paid. Applications for internships can be forwarded directly to the Austrian Mission.
Furthermore, a Professional Program exists which is like a traineeship. The
required language is English, French is not necessary. Students can already join
this program after finishing their Bachelor studies.
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6.3. International Energy Agency (IEA)
Date: 25th of April 2012
Time: 5:20 pm
Topic: IEA – An Overview (including Questions and Answers Session)
Speaker: Dr. Timur Gül
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
6.3.1. General Information
The International Energy Agency (IEA) consists of 28 member states and 190
employees promoting reliable and reasonably-priced clean energy. With its
headquarters in Paris, it is a semi-autonomous body of the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and linked to G-8. Although only
OECD members can apply to the IEA, it also closely cooperates with non-
members. It was founded after the 1973/74 oil shock in order to assist countries to
overcome the immediate impact of the crisis. Apart from this aspect, the IEA has
included additional tasks in their spectrum. Therefore, their staff not only provides
a broad range of well researched statistics, data bases and publications, but is
also active in the following four areas: The agency promotes energy security
through product diversification and increased flexibility; it is an advocate of
economic development of its member countries with the help of sustainable
energy supply and free markets; it tries to increase international education
concerning environmental energy issues and also works closely together with non-
members to increase overall welfare. At a later stage, the agency has started to
fight climate change by developing alternatives and rational energy policies.
6.3.2. Main Topic
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After introducing the organization’s structure, Dr. Gül proceeded his presentation
with talking about the biannual ministerial meetings, the IEA hosts. The main issue
discussed during this conference are future trends on the energy markets. The IEA
stresses the crucial importance of government’s preparing for energy
emergencies. Additionally, the oil market is analyzed and long-term energy market
trends are discussed at the for a. Moreover, country studies are presented and the
relationship between member states and non-member states are discussed.
Fostering the relationship between member states and non-member states is in
the IEA’s case extremely important, since China, a country that ranks in the top
ten of energy consumers, is not a member country.
The IEA publishes every year the World Energy Outlook. This is the most
important publication in the energy area providing massive amounts of statistics
and data on the current state of the energy market and the future of it.
The energy trends shown in this publication are compiled with the help of
automatic models that analyze existing technologies and assess their
development potential.
An important section of the book is dedicated to energy consumption, how energy
is used and who is using it. This analysis shows that the growth of energy
consumption is highest in emerging markets. China and India are responsible for
50% of the growth in energy consumption. Additionally, the IEA estimates that
from 2010 to 2035 the energy consumption of the planet will grow by one third,
with the biggest part of the growth being realized in non-OECD countries. This
again, stresses the importance of co-operation between member and non-member
states.
Furthermore, the renewable energy market was discussed. Dr. Gül pointed out
that especially in the renewable energy sector governments had considerable
power over the industry. The subsidies that were being paid in the area amounted
to some $66 billion obstructing the price up until now. Currently many countries
start to phase out their subsidies in this area causing an increase in prices that will
reach its peak in 2020. Currently, Germany sees considerable consequences from
their high subsidies since many of the companies in the renewable energy sector
are not competitive enough to survive without the subsidies, many businesses are
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closing. Nevertheless the subsidies, made it possible to realize the biggest growth
of energy production in the renewable energy sector in the last years.
Even though the $66 billion spent on renewable energy seems a considerable
amount it is not even close to the sum spent on fossils. The fossil market is
subsidies with some $405 billion each and every year. This difference shows how
much potential there is for change in the governance of the energy production
sector.
Coal is considered of tremendous importance, notably for the emerging markets.
China is producing most of its energy via coal, making CO2 emissions an important
topic. The IEA tries to advise governments on how to reduce their CO2 emissions,
anyhow the IEA is no normative body, and thus it cannot formulate any
international regulations that are binding for governments. It can merely inform the
states on how they could improve and hope that the peer-pressure of other
member states pushes the countries to initiate change.
Since coal is also in the future going to be the most important energy provider,
CO2 emissions are an important issue. Hence, the IEA provides different CO2
scenarios that allow the countries to see how their CO2 emissions will develop.
Concerning nuclear power, Dr. Gül provided an interesting insight. If 50% of the
nuclear energy plants that are operated nowadays were to be switched off it would
cause a tremendous increase in CO2 emissions. Additionally, energy supply would
get scarcer. This was especially interesting to hear in the light of Germany and
Japan currently phasing out their nuclear energy plants.
Obviously the topics of energy and climate are no longer separable. Especially,
coal and the CO2 emissions are a treat to the climate. Therefore the IEA publishes
every year statistics on which country produces the most CO2. Historically, the
OECD-countries emitted the biggest proportion of CO2 emissions, anyhow within
the next 25 years China will have taken over the European Union, not only in
current emission but also on a historical basis.
The CO2 emissions scenario the IEA presented shows that by 2015 80% of CO2
emissions that allow us to stay within the Kyoto protocol regulations will be locked
in. Meaning that there is extremely little that can be done about them.
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6.3.3. Questions and Answer Session
Following Dr. Gül’s presentation a lively Question and Answer session was held.
The topics covered were very diverse, from the CO2 emissions trade over energy
sufficiency without nuclear power.
7. Thursday, 26th of April 2012
7.1. The World Bank Group (WB)
Date: 26th of April 2012
Time: 10:00 am
Topic: WB Group – An Overview
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
On Thursday, April 4, 2012, die group was invited to visit the World Bank Group
(WB) in their Paris office. Currently there are 30 people working permanently in
Paris, the entire WB, however, comprises 131 offices around the globe.
The World Bank Group was founded in July 1944 at the Bretton Woods
Conference in New Hampshire, by 43 participating countries. Its original purpose
was to finance the reconstruction of war-torn Europe. Nowadays the World Bank
Group has become the primary financier of development projects in the third world
having its headquarters in Washington D.C. It is not a bank in the common sense,
but more a specialized agency of the United Nations with 187 member countries
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helping emerging countries to escape poverty by building an investment friendly
environment, creating jobs and fostering sustainable growth.
As it is the world’s leading development agency, it provides help to rebuild
economies that were heavily devastated through wars and social and economic
crisis. The World Bank Group also promotes international economic cooperation.
All its operations are conducted under the so called Millennium Development
Goals which refer to the elimination of poverty and hunger, universal primary
education for each and everybody, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction
of child mortality, the improvement of maternal health, the fight against HIV/Aids,
malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and the development of a
global partnership for development.
In order to achieve these objectives, the developing countries determine
themselves that they have to build the capacity and the infrastructure to grow, to
develop a robust financial system and to combat corruption.
The World Bank Group employs around 10,000 people and is therefore the third
largest employer in Washington. It is a public institution that is owned by its 187
member countries. These countries can be described as the shareholders of the
institution, each having a different amount of shares that is linked to their
respective economic power and influence. The USA is the largest shareholder with
slightly above 15% voting shares, followed by Japan, Germany, the UK and other
countries.
7.1.1. Decision Making Bodies
7.1.1.1. President
The current president of the World Bank Group is Robert Zoellick, who is also the
chairman of the board of the Executive Directors (ED). The president is not elected
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democratically, but rather appointed by the US for a period of five years. He is in
charge of the overall management of the Bank. The directors have no rights to
intervene in the selection. They can only give some suggestions. Besides the
president, there are nine vice presidents in charge of regions, sectors, networks
and functions. This year (2012) a new president will be appointed, namely Jim
Yong Kim.
7.1.1.2. Board of Executive Directors
The board of the Executive Directors consists out of the representatives of each
member country, amounting for 25 in total. There are two different types of votes
within the decision making body, the basic votes and the additional ones that are
based on their financial contribution. The basic votes are in general votes that are
allocated equally to each member state.
The Executive Directors’ responsibilities and duties are to decide on IBRD loans
and IDA credits as well as to decide on policies that are linked to the Bank’s
general operations‟. In addition they have to present to the board of governors an
audit of accounts, an administrative budget and an annual report on the Bank’s
operations and policies at every annual meeting. They are furthermore responsible
for the day-to-day operations and revising operations evaluations and
development rends, having normally a meeting twice a week.
7.1.1.3. Board of Governors
Each member country has to appoint one governor as its representative, which
normally is directed to the finance minister of the respective country. Their key
responsibilities and duties are to make key decisions regarding strategic
directions, membership questions, capital stock, budgets and distribution of
income.
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7.1.2. The Structure
The World Bank Group can mainly be divided into two institutions, namely the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the
International Development Association (IDA). Furthermore the International
Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) form
parts of the Group.
In principal the IBRD and IDA share the same goals and objectives called
Millennium Development Goals which refer to the elimination of poverty and
hunger, universal primary education for each and everybody, the promotion of
gender equality, the reduction of child mortality, the improvement of maternal
health, the fight against HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases, environmental
sustainability and the development of a global partnership for development.
Nevertheless the IBRD and the IDA are two financially independent legal entities,
although they are administered by the same staff and share the same headquarter
in Washington DC.
7.1.2.1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The IBRD was originally established to provide financial support for the
reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Nowadays its mission has
expanded to fight poverty in developing states all over the world. Thereby the
IBRD provides assistance under three main headings: Strategy and coordination
services, financial services including loans and development assistance to middle
and low-income countries with a stated aim of reducing poverty, and knowledge
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services. Loans generally have a five-year grace period and must be repaid over a
period of 15-20 years.
In large part the IBRD is financed by selling bonds to private investors. Besides it
can also count on the help of its member governments. Their loans are always
given to member states and if it comes to a failure of repayment of a specific
country the IBRD can freeze the capital streams immediately.
7.1.2.2. International Development Association
Created in 1960 the IDA offers assistance to the poorest countries, providing them
with interest-free loans (primarily aimed at basic social services provision and
increasingly direct budget support), technical assistance and policy advice. The
IDA is funded by wealthier nations, lending only to those countries that have a per
capita income of less than $1,095 and lack the financial ability to borrow from the
IBRD. IDA credits have a 20, 35 or 40 year repayment period. To survive the IDA
is funded through three different sources: First of all be the re-flows from previous
loans, secondly by transfers from IBRD net income and last but not least from IDA
donors.
7.1.2.3. International Finance Corporation (IFC)
The IFC is a legally and financially independent body of the World Bank Group.
The institution is owned by the member states which also provide the authorized
share capital and fix the policies. Its guiding principle is „Reducing Poverty,
Improving Lives‟ and it was established in 1956. Today, the IFC supports
developing countries in terms of sustainable economic growth by providing capital
for the private sector, encouraging investment into poor countries and advising
businesses and governments. Therefore the IFC mainly works in developing
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regions in Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia & the Pacific, South Asia, Europe &
Central Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and Middle East & North Africa.
The two IFC core tasks are to provide advisory and investment services, include
loans and intermediary services, equity (IFC holds shares in several companies
from poor countries), special structured finance products, risk management
products (like hedging foreign exchange spending), and others.
7.1.2.4. Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
The MIGA, founded in 1988, has the aim to increase foreign direct investment into
countries of the developing world. Foreign Direct investment (FDI) is a critical
issue for those countries when it comes to reduce poverty, including availability of
clean water, electricity and above all work. With the help of money from abroad,
they can invest in the private sector and increase economic wellbeing and the
wellbeing of individuals.
Thereby is important to note that MIGA is an insurer and not a lender itself.
(Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency) Obviously, most investors tend to
invest in secure countries because they fear political risk in poor countries.
Therefore, MIGA is providing the following three important services. Firstly, they
insure investors against political risk for foreign investments in developing
countries. Secondly, they provide technical assistance in order to further develop
investment climates and promote investment opportunities. Thirdly, they try to
remove possible obstacles to future investment. MIGA mainly tries to attract
investment for the area of infrastructure and this is especially a challenge in case
of countries with very high risks combined with low income and those which are
victims of wars and other conflicts.
Over the last decades the relationship between the World Bank and MIGA has
been reduced. Nowadays, it is only a minimized organizational link. Furthermore
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the Independent Evaluation Group for MIGA (IEG-MIGA) is evaluating the
effectiveness of the whole organization and its operating on a regular basis since
July 2002.
7.1.2.5. International Centre for Settlement for Investment Disputes
(ICSID)
ICSID is an international institution that provides facilities to settle international
investment problems. The centre has been formed by the Executive Directors of
the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank) and
came into being in 1966. Its main purpose is to interfere in case there are any
legal disputes that are of non-commercial nature. Nowadays, ICSID is a main
player when it comes to international investment and economic development.
(International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes)
7.1.3. Roles
The World Bank in general can be assumed as the largest public development
institution, annually lending a sum of approximately 25 billion dollars to their
member states. Providing help for the reconstruction and development of
territories of member states by facilitating the investment of capital for productive
purposes is equally a role the World Bank assumes as is the promotion of the
balanced growth of international trade and the maintenance of equilibrium in
balances of payments by encouraging international investment. A further objective
of the World Bank is to assist in raising the productivity, the standard of living and
conditions of labor in their territories.
7.1.4. The World Bank as a Lender
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The World Bank lends its money to middle and low-income governments to
facilitate policy reforms and to promote investment projects. In certain cases the
bank´s facilities can provide financial aid to private businesses and to non-profit
organizations through special bank guarantees. Money that will support the
improvement of institutional, economic and other policy reforms is known as
“structural adjustments or development policy’ lending. The World Bank requests
guarantees in advance or sets up certain “conditions” before approving a loan or a
grant. Such conditions can for example be the guarantee of the borrowing country
to privatize some of their state-owned companies or to lower trade tariffs.
7.1.5. The World Bank as a Knowledge Broker
The World Bank also enriches the market with knowledge about development
issues. Especially publications and research findings are of special interest. Every
country can use these in the absence of alternative sources. Therefore the World
Bank founded its own training and research group known as the World Bank
Institute to directly participate in the training of government officials such as
parliamentarians and civil society representatives.
7.1.6. The World Bank as a Gatekeeper to Development Finance
Last but not least the World Bank assumes one final role regarding the capital
market. Through their research work and the assessment of a respective country
the World Bank acts as a source for other institutions. With the World Bank’s
Country Policy and Institutional Assessments (CPIA) and Investment Climate
Assessments (ICA) countries can obtain a rating taking their economic policies
and friendliness to foreign investment into account.
7.1.7. Lending instruments
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The World Bank has two main lending instruments basically known as investment
and adjustment loans. Investment loans have a long-term focus (5-10 years) and
are used for financing goods and services in support of economic and social
development projects in a broad range of sectors. Adjustment loans on the other
side have a short-term focus (1-3 years) and are providing external financing to
support institutional and policy reforms. Frequently both types are joined in hybrid
operations due to their flexible usage.
7.1.7.1. Investment Loans
Investment loans can be used for a wide range of different projects normally
providing funds for physical and social infrastructure. These funds are only
supplied against specific foreign or local expenditures related to the project such
as equipment, studies, technical or consulting services or materials. To ensure a
satisfactory performance these terms are normally settled before in a loan
agreement. Investment loans are generally tailored to the specific needs of the
borrower.
7.1.7.2. Adjustment Lending and other Non-Project Lending
Adjustment lending programs provide quick financing solutions and assistance for
countries to support structural reforms in a sector or in the economy as a whole.
They are building up structures to foster political and institutional changes to
create an environment for sustainable growth. Like investment loans, adjustment
loans also changed their nature over the years due to changing needs by the
borrowing countries. Adjustment loans were originally created for macroeconomic
reforms, including trade policies and agricultural reforms. Now their focus changed
and moved towards the structural and financial sector aiming at improving public
resource management and promoting competitive market structures.
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7.1.7.3. World Bank Guarantees
Loans are normally used as public financing instruments whereas bank
guarantees issued by the World Bank are directed to the private sector helping the
borrowers to cover risks that they normally could not absorb without help. The
Bank’s project based guarantees try to foster private sector financing.
7.2. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO)
Date: 26th of April 2012
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Topic: UNESCO – An Overview (including Questions and Answers Session)
Speaker: Ms. Isabell Ladiges
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
On Thursday, April 26th, our group had the great pleasure of visiting UNESCO
(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Following the
long security check we were warmly welcomed by a UNESCO official responsible
for the guided tours. She gave us a brief historical overview and led us through the
wonderful UNESCO garden where artists from all over the world left their mark.
We also watched a very inspiring video related to UNESCO’s main activities.
Following the tour we were greeted by Ms. Isabell Ladiges on behalf of the
Austrian mission to the UNESCO. The Austrian Delegation represents the Austrian
government at the UNESCO Headquarters and is a permanent link for Austria in
the framework of the different forums and Bodies of the UNESCO. Concerning the
administration it is linked to the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and
International Affairs. Question and answer session followed this very brief
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overview. Questions were mostly related to Ms. Isabel’s role in the Austrian
mission and potential internship opportunities.
7.2.1. The organization
UNESCO is an abbreviation for “United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization” and it is a specialized agency of the United Nations and its
headquarters are located in Paris. The aim of the UNESCO is to build peace in the
minds of all people around the world. The main vision of the UNESCO is “to create
the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon
respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can
achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing human rights,
mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, [...]”. (www.unesco.org. 5th October
2011. Introducing UNESCO.)
7.2.2. Historical Overview
The early origins of the UNESCO lie in the predecessors that were called
“International Committee of Intellectual Co-operation” and the “International
Bureau of Education”, that were both located in Geneva. However, the real idea
for the UNESCO started during the Second World War when people had the wish
of living a life in peace and harmony. In 1942 several European Countries that
encountered the Nazi regime met for the “Conference of Allied Ministers of
Education” (CAME) in the UK. Those countries started to look for ways to re-
establish an education system as soon as peace was maintained again. Several
countries joint over time and in 1945 they decided to create a peace-building
organisation to prevent another world war. The Constitution of UNESCO was
ratified by 20 countries and entered into force in November 1946.
(www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. The Organization’s History.)
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7.2.3. International Structure
The UNESCO has 193 Member States and seven Associate Members. Its work is
organized around five different regions, namely Africa, the Arab States, Asia and
the Pacific, Europe and North America and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Several field offices are located in the various regions to ensure smooth
operations. (portal.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. Communities.)
7.2.4. Field of Activity
The UNESCO has a relatively wide scope of work and covers several functions in
the area of education, sciences and culture and several topics related to those
issues. It is a specialized agency of the UN and is coordinating mostly with the
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The objectives and expected results of UNESCO’s work are laid down in a
Medium-Term Strategy that is renewed every six years. The current strategy and
therefore all the UNESCO activities are guided by a mission statement:
"As a specialized agency of the UN system, UNESCO contributes to the building
of peace, the alleviation of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural
dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and
information." (UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013. P.5.)
The subsequent information gives more detailed information of the most important
sectors of UNESCO’s work.
7.2.5. Education
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UNESCO considers education as a key to social and economic development and
therefore it has been a priority of this organization since its establishment. The
overall goal is to create a peaceful society in a sustainable world through
education. UNESCO is closely collaborating with education ministries and other
partners. Through this collaboration, it tries to mobilize political will and direct
efforts into the right direction. The leading mission in this area is “Education for All”
(EFA) that should be reached by 2015. Furthermore the education sector of the
UNESCO is guided by several other UN principles such as the MDGs. In 2000, the
World Education Forum decided to establish six goals for 2015: (UNESCO at a
glance. 2010. p. 10ff)
“Expand early childhood care and education
Ensure that all children are able to access and receive free and compulsory
education of good quality
Increase access to learning and life skills programs for youth and adults
Improve adult literacy rate by 50 %
Eliminate gender disparities in education
Improve all aspects of education quality “ (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. p.
10)
In addition to that, UNESCO is focusing on three main initiatives in order to reach
EFA, namely Literacy, Teacher Training and Global Fight against HIV/AIDS.
(UNESCO at a glance. 2010. p. 10ff)
7.2.6. Natural Sciences
The UNESCO is, among the UN specialized agencies, the only organization that is
dealing with the promotion of science in particular. In this context, UNESCO
managed to establish several scientific unions and bodies since its foundation.
The need for sustainable development is the guiding principle of this division of the
UN. Additionally, it addresses the need to question the exploitation of nature and
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consequently the management of natural resources is one key responsibility.
UNESCO helps to advocate for science by providing advice, technical assistance
and data. At the same time it tries to promote the dialogue between scientists and
policy makers, to strengthen research capacities and to improve the development
and implementation of science, technology and innovation policies. Especially
developing countries (particularly African countries) need guidance and help in the
reinforcement of capacities. Another emphasis is given to natural disaster
prevention and preparedness: It tries to mitigate the effects of all sorts of natural
hazards (e.g. earthquakes, floods, landslides) in special programs that are
combined in the “UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction”. In addition to
that, renewable energy is a priority in the work of this division. UNESCO tries to
raise awareness of the efficiency of renewable energy such as solar energy.
Additionally, it implements programs to introduce alternative forms of energy.
(UNESCO at a glance. 2010. P. 14ff)
7.2.7. Social and Human Sciences
This division is mainly dealing with the issues of Ethics, Human Rights and Social
and Human Sciences. The mission of this sector is to improve knowledge,
standards and intellectual cooperation to facilitate social transformations. It tries to
determine what is and what should be and reduces this gap. Ethics of Science has
been a main topic for some time as scientific and technological advances lead to
the question whether all the developments are ethically acceptable or not. As a
result scientific progress should always be critically and ethically reflected. In this
field, the division of Social and Human Sciences develops standards, introduces
legal instruments, gives advice to governments and other partners and
coordinates the work in this field.
In addition to that, UNESCO focuses on new ethical challenges such as
biometrics, biosecurity or nanotechnologies. In this context they established an
instrument on bioethics called “The Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human
Rights”. This declaration provides a critical and legal basis on issues such as
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human cloning. Several additional programs of this department address issues
such as Racism, Management of Social Transformation (deals with gender, youth
empowerment, migration etc.) or Doping in Sport. (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. P.
18ff)
7.2.8. Culture
A major priority of UNESCO is to promote cultural diversity by protecting the
tangible and intangible heritage of our multicultural and diverse world.
Furthermore, it is of key interest to UNESCO to foster intercultural dialogue and to
ensure the diversity of different cultures while fostering peace among them.
Several Conventions were adopted in various fields of multiculturalism as for
example the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage (1972), the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater
Cultural Heritage (2001), the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage (2003) and many more. (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. P. 22ff)
7.2.9. Communication
The key ideas of the Communication and Information Sector (CI) are the
promotion of freedom of expression and information, the promotion of
multiculturalism in the news and to ensure access to knowledge and information
for all. Especially for disadvantaged people these rights must be guaranteed in
order to enable them to improve their quality of life. In this area, the division of
Communication creates training opportunities, develops and distributes free
software and collaborates with different partners. (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. P.
26ff)
7.2.10. The Millennium Development Goals
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Furthermore the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide the basis for
UNESCO’s activities in its main fields of interest, namely education, sciences and
culture. These eight goals should enhance human conditions worldwide by 2015:
(portal.unesco.org. 5th October. How we work.)
Achieve universal primary education
Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike,will be able
to complete a full course of primary schooling.
Promote gender equality and empower women
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably
by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015
Reduce child mortality
Improve maternal health
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
Ensure environmental sustainability
Develop a global partnership for development
7.2.11. Organizational Structure
7.2.11.1. The General Conference
The General Conference is the primary decision-making and governing body of
the UNESCO and it is made up of Member State representatives. Its main duty is
to set up the policies and main line of work of the UNESCO. Furthermore, it
establishes the program and the budget for the organization and the election of the
Executive Board Members and the Director-General is done by this Conference.
The regular meeting of the General Conference is held every second year and
Member States and Associate Members meet there alongside with observers such
as Non-Member States, intergovernmental organization and NGOs. The voting
power is not determined by a country’s size or budget contribution as all countries
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have one single vote. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. UNESCO’s Governing
bodies)
7.2.11.2. The Executive Board
In general the Executive Board (EB) can be seen as the management of the
UNESCO and it consists of 58 members that are elected by the General
Conference according to diversity of cultures and geographical origin. The General
Conference decides on specific tasks that the EB has to carry out. The EB
guarantees that the decisions of the General Conference are properly carried out
and fulfils the tasks given by the General Conference. Furthermore, a Constitution
officially regulates the functions and obligations of the EB. This Constitution,
together with the rules and directives introduced by the General Conference, forms
the basis for the EB’s work. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. UNESCO’s
Governing bodies)
7.2.11.3. The Secretariat
The Director-General and the Staff appointed by him/her make up the Secretariat.
2,000 civil servants from about 170 different countries worked for the Secretariat in
mid-2009 and 700 staff members were employed in the 65 field offices all around
the world. In General the Staff is grouped into Professional and General Service
categories. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. Secretariat.)
7.2.11.4. Director General
Every four years a new Director-General is elected by the General Conference
and then has the authority to direct the Secretariat in the work of realizing the
programs approved by the General Conference. Since 2009, Irina Bokova, who
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comes from Bulgaria, is the Director-General of the UNESCO. According to her,
the greatest challenge nowadays is to create the global governance of the 21st
century and to lead the world into a new time of peace and humanism with
sustainable economic and social development. (www.unesco.org. 5th October
2011. Director General)
7.2.11.5. National Commissions
There are 196 missions in Member and Associate States in order to provide a link
between the civil society and the organization. This provides a unique and basic
network for the work of UNESCO. These Commissions provide assistance in
implementing various initiatives and programs in different domains. Furthermore
they collaborate with the private sector which provides valuable technical input as
well as financial help.
7.2.12. Financing
UNESCO is mainly financed by member states contributions that are assessed for
each country. The budget is for a two-year period and for instance, for the period
of 2010 - 2011 it amounts to US$ 653 million. Moreover, extra-budgetary funding
helps the UNESCO to increase the programs and outreach activities. (UNESCO’s
programme and Budget for 2010-2011. 2010.)
8. Friday, 27th of April 2012
8.1. International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Date: 27th of April 2012
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Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 am
Topic: ICC – An Overview (including Questions and Answers Session)
Speaker: Mr Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac; Ms. Alma Forgo; Ms. Calliope Makedon
Sudborough
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
The ICC was created in October 1919 at the International Trade Conference in
Atlantic City, New Jersey, by a group of industrialists, financiers and traders. It is a
private entity a does not act as a chamber of commerce. According to the
Preamble of the Constitution of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) the
organization defines its major objective as it is “to further the development of an
open world economy with the firm conviction that international commercial
exchanges are conducive to both greater global prosperity and peace among
nations”. In the light of this purpose the following principle aims can be seen:
Firstly “the promotion of international trade services and investment” targets the
elimination of obstacles to global business like tariffs or import quotas. Secondly
the “promotion of a market economy” aims to enforce the principle of free and fair
competition among business entities. Finally the ICC works on the fostering of the
“economic growth of developed and developing countries” by an enhanced
integration of all countries in the world economy.
The ICC currently claims a membership of over 7000 companies and business
associations in more than 130 countries worldwide. The member companies stem
from all different kinds of industries comprise everything from SMEs to
multinational corporations. Other than that, the ICC works together with the World
Trade Organization, the United Nations, G8/G20 and national governments. The
only difference between the WTO and the ICC is that the WTO works together with
governments and the ICC with companies. The United Nations and business were
not friends in the past as they distrusted each other. Nevertheless, they managed
to establish a good relationship. Mainly due to the fact that they need the business
input, therefore they started a project and are working nicely together now. This is
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a real benefit. The ICC has enjoyed general consultative status with the Economic
and Social Council of the United Nations and its agencies since 1946. The G8/G20
gave the ICC the opportunity to get their hands in as they engaged in a joint
venture. They define priorities of business and work with them in order that the big
issues are getting addressed.
The ICC headquarter is located in Paris where about 140 staff members of more
than 20 nationalities are working on daily issues. The organization’s turnover
makes up some 21 million Euros a year. Revenues are obtained by contributions
of the National Committees, publications and business seminars. The ICC has
National Committee offices in over 90 countries. They have obligations to the
organization and vice versa. Over 2000 representatives from companies and
business associations help to develop ICC policy positions as well as create
voluntary rules by which international trade in practiced. The policy includes all
major areas companies are involved in.
On our last day of visiting organizations in Paris, we had the great opportunity to
hear presentations by ICC staff members in order to get insight knowledge of the
organization. Mr Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac gave us a brief overview of the history,
the role, the members of the ICC as well as the most important achievements of
the ICC- Department of Policy and Business Practice. Mr. Coutelier closely
elaborated on issues related to the ICC-Arbitration and the according rules. Ms.
Makedon Sudborough followed by presenting the ADR, Expertise and Dispute
Boards.
8.2. ICC and the Department of Policy and Business
Practice
After giving a brief overview of the history, the role and the members of the ICC,
Mr Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac informally spoke about the most important
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achievements of the ICC- Department of Policy and Business Practice to which he
is personally committed.
However, in the beginning Mr. Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac wanted us to remember
following basic facts about the ICC. The organization works with companies on a
nonprofit base. It is totally private and not a Chamber of Commerce as such.
Furthermore, the ICC’s budget is very limited and they do not get subsidies from
the United States. Most of the consulting experts are working free of charge,
because they believe in the work of the ICC. It is the only private organization
which sets rules, which is a unique fact.
An interesting fact which he mentioned was about the ICC leadership. The
executive board drives the ICC forward, which is shocking is that only two women
are part of the board out of 30 members. He thinks this is due to reason that they
do not have the time. They are meeting four times a year in Paris.
The aim of the ICC rule setting is to provide guidance by issuing example
contracts for international business operations. UCP 600, or UCP 700 in its
revised form, is a highly important basis for bank guarantees like letters of credit,
which are established to ensure payment under an export contract.
Mr. Ceyrac elaborated in great detail on the probably most important publication of
the ICC – the INCOTERMS. This set of example provisions offer clear guidelines
for export contracts of sales of goods. It was emphasized, that sales of goods is
the only purpose of the INCOTERMS. Nevertheless they are also frequently used
for other export contracts, which is a clear misinterpretation. According to Mr.
Ceyrac the ICC faces the challenge, how to facilitate the application of the
INCOTERMS, as they are often used in an inaccurate way.
ICC rules are generally revised periodically, which has also been the case with the
INCOTERMS. However revisions of such widely used publications also impose a
certain disruption on users, as they have to adapt to the changes. As a result
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revisions should now be kept to a minimum and only important amendments shall
be done. Currently, the INCOTERMS 2010 are in use. The revision took two
years. Normally, the INCOTERMS are revised every ten years.
Another challenge for the ICC is seen in fighting counterfeit goods. Product piracy
has already reached all kinds of industrial and consumer goods including
medicines, fertilizers and other chemical products. As a result these goods might
have much more serious consequences than “usual” counterfeits like luxury
designer goods. As penalties are internationally very low, the ICC tries to target
consumers in order to build consciousness. As a basic matter of research the ICC
employs focus groups all around the world, to identify motives and the level of
information of consumers of counterfeit goods. Furthermore, they want to establish
rules for the internet. The rules have to include business aspects.
The Commercial Crime Services (CCS) is the anti-crime arm of the ICC. CCS
tackles all types of commercial fraud, financial instrument fraud, money
laundering, shipping fraud and product counterfeit.
Before the Question & Answer Session Mr. Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac pointed out
that the ICC will have a new homepage in June 2012 which will be clearer
arranged.
8.3. Question and Answer Session
Following a question about internship opportunities, Mr Ceyrac mentioned that at
least in the Paris headquarters interns are taken on a frequent basis, but are
unpaid. French is not required, only in the court a second language is needed.
Nevertheless in this respect all national committees are independent.
Another question addressed the ICCs strategy how to raise consciousness for
counterfeit goods and their negative impact. Mr. Ceyrac explained that simple
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messages or ads are most effective. For example billboards on airports should
raise awareness.
Furthermore, he got asked if SME’s can have access. He pointed out that they are
more and more involved, but big companies have definitely more involvement at
the moment.
Finally it was asked how users of the INCOTERMS can be encouraged to apply
the revised version, once it was published. Mr. Ceyrac explained that generally it
has to be stated in export contracts, which version of INCOTERMS are used. By
this means misunderstandings are limited. Nevertheless the ICC strongly
recommends using always the latest version.
8.4. ICC International Court of Arbitration, Secretariat and
Arbitration Rules
Ms. Alma Forgo closely elaborated on issues related to the ICC- Arbitration and
the according rules. In general the ICC Arbitration was founded in 1923 by the
French minister and deals with business related dispute issues which the parties
wish to clarify. However, any issues related to political decisions, such as war, are
strictly excluded from ICC-Arbitration. Currently the number of cases which are
dealt with by the concerning institution amount to 1,400 p.a., however this figure is
not affected by the crisis thus is likely to increase during the upcoming periods as
its popularity rises steadily. In total, more than 18 000 cases have been
administrated. Currently, there are 1501 ongoing cases and 508 awards have
been approved in 2011 (final, partial, by consent). Moreover, 1 331 arbitrators
were appointed/confirmed by the Court in 2011. Ten per cent of the cases involved
a state or state entity. The same year, there were 63 different places of arbitration
and in total, 2993 parties from 139 different countries. Most parties are from
central and eastern Europe.
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The administrative body of the court is made up of 129 Court members from 87
countries, one president and 15 vice presidents. Court members are not judges,
but arbitration specialists. They are appointed for a renewable three year term by
the World Council of the ICC. The Court’s function is not to make any decisions
with respect to the cases, but to make sure that the cases are properly
administrated under the ICC rules. Examples are fixing the budget and the costs of
Arbitration, deciding jurisdiction prima facie and deciding challenges, replacing,
appointing and confirming arbitrators. A weekly meeting of the court ensures the
information flow within the organization. The Secretariat can be seen as the
linkage between the court, the arbitrators and the involved parties and is
responsible for the smooth process of decisions making. The secretariat has 85
staff members and is divided into eight teams. Seven are working in Paris and one
in Hong Kong.
The prime reason why numerous business issues are decided to be dealt with
under ICC-Arbitration is, according to Ms. Forgo, the easy enforceability of
decisions in numerous countries. Certainly, the implementation of the very
decisions is of high advantage especially in member countries to the ICC however
also in other parts of the world Arbitration decisions are widely acknowledged.
Consequently, it has to be mentioned that the ICC is extremely international and
therefore the above mentioned advantage receives even more attention and
importance. The reason why the headquarters is located in Paris is, because of
historical reasons. As in the 1920s Europe was center for trade and for
commercial exchange very important, Paris seemed to be the heart of
negotiations. However if the ICC court would be established nowadays it would be
most probably located in Asia.
However, as already indicated, a further major advantage of ICC Arbitration
presents the speed with which decisions are concluded and therefore available for
the disputing parties. Usually Arbitration decisions are concluded within a couple
of weeks, especially in member counties, whereas local courts in the different
countries may need up to several years in order to present adequate solutions.
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Moreover, Arbitration is also available to small and medium sized businesses as
the costs remain quite low compared to sums which need to be calculated if
disputes are settled with national courts. The final sum necessary depends
primarily on the amount in dispute which mostly remains affordable for the parties.
However, in general it can be said that the amount of dispute succeeds USD 1
million.
One question had been raised asking, which issues were mostly carried to court.
Whereupon Ms. answered that most cases derive from photovoltaic contracts as
they are getting no subsidies and many organizations need to file for insolvency.
Second recurring issues are contracts dealing with gas. As those contracts are
mostly long-term contracts organizations start to negotiate to minimize their
losses.
Finally, Ms. Forgo elaborated closer on the process of arbitration and clearly
mentioned that the work of the ICC Arbitration starts with the file for arbitration and
the establishment of the terms and references of the case which have to be signed
by the involved parties.
8.5. ADR, Expertise and Dispute Boards
Ms. Calliope Makedon Sudborough presented the ADR (Amicable/Alternative
Dispute Resolution), Expertise and Dispute Boards services. First she explained
the functions of the ADR, which set of rules, came into force on 1 st July 2001. The
ADR settles disputes amicably in a rather inexpensive and quick way.
Furthermore, the set of rules are all constructed on the same basis than the
Arbitration, Expertise and Dispute Board Rules.
Ms. Makedon Sudborough goes on with the different articles, which state how
ADR is started. Article 1 covers the “Scope of Rules”, which explains that those
rules are only applicable to business, as well as domestic and international
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disputes. Article 2 explains two alternative methods – there is either no prior
agreement to submit the dispute to ICCADR, or there is an agreement to refer to
the ICCADR Rules. In Article 3 the “Selection of the Neutral” is explained, which
provides information about the qualifications a Neutral third party should have,
such as language, background, location, expertise. “Fees and Costs” are
discussed in Article 4, which indicates that there is no general rule about the
length of the procedure.
Nevertheless, both parties have to pay a registration fee of 1,500 USD, which is
not refundable. Moreover, further administrative fees are never more than 10,000
USD and never less than the registration fee. All costs have to be borne by both
parties as well.
Article 5 covers the “Conduct of the ADR Procedure”, which gives information
about the different types ADR, such as Mediation, Neutral evaluation, Mini-trial, or
any other technique including a combination of techniques. The parties should
decide with the neutral party which technique to apply to their dispute.
“Termination of ADR Proceeding” is covered in Article 6, which shows that
sometimes mediation failed but occasionally parties want to make a new deal. This
means that mediation does not give a 100% assurance for being successful. The
success highly depends on the parties involved. Furthermore, the Neutral can also
say that mediation will be inefficient and therefore has the possibility to terminate
the whole procedure.
Article 7 “Confidentiality”, probably one of the most important ones states that all
documents, suggestions, views, communications, agreements are confidential.
Nevertheless, there are two exceptions – when disclosure is required by
applicable law, and when disclosure is agreed by both parties.
Ms. Makedon Sudborough also mentioned that there is a certain link between ICC
ADR and Arbitration, but there is strict confidentiality necessary between the
services. Everything should be kept secret, thus it is not allowed to give
information to the ICC Court of Arbitration. If parties think arbitration takes too long
and is too intensive, they have the possibility to go to ADR.
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Another major point presented were the tasks of a mediator. Mediation is a
voluntary and confidential procedure where the parties develop consensual,
interest-based and future oriented solutions with the assistance of a third party.
The outcome should be a win-win for all parties. The mediator is the third party in
a discussion, who should support to smooth down differences. This party or
person needs to be neutral, and accepted of both negotiation parties. Moreover
the person needs to have special skills and should be an expert in the field
consulted. The ADR is employing some experts however in some unique cases
external personal need to be contracted.
Statistics show that there is a world wide spread with regards to ADR, to be more
precisely 80 per cent are international and only 20 per cent domestic. Since 2001
cases are with parties from 64 countries. The average amount of disputes is US$
30 million. The average duration is below four month and the average costs are
slightly above US$ 20 000. The settlement rate if file has been transferred to the
mediator is 74 per cent. Compared to a settlement rate of over 80 per cent, if a
first meeting with the mediator took place.
8.6. Question and Answer Session
Concerning the third presentation, students raised questions which primarily
concerned the work of the ICC ADR Service also referring to the number of cases
dealt with by the ICC ADR Service per year. The speaker informed the students
that about 17 cases where dealt with in 2008, however, the first months of 2009
already show an increase of 25% in this activity. Furthermore the question related
to which of the parties has to bear the costs for an ADR procedure file was raised,
which Ms. Makedon Sudborough clearly answered by indicating that the party who
brings in the file needs to bear the registration fee which is later credited to its
credit for costs. Furthermore, additional charges are divided between the
respective parties. Additionally, one major advantage of the ADR Service was
discussed during the Question & Answer session, being the faster decision making
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process. For small and medium sized companies, files which might take years to
be decided on with national courts can be extremely harmful, whereas the quick
decision making of the ADR Service presents a clear advantage.
8.7. Internship Opportunities
The speakers highlighted the acceptance of interns in the various departments of
the organizations. Furthermore the important issue of prior experience was
discusses and it was confirmed that no law studies are required in order to apply
for an internship with the ICC however students need to be officially enrolled in an
university. The duration of the respective internships is quite flexible lasting from 3
to 6 months. In comparison to various other organizations, internships are paid
within the ICC however this payment shall more be seen as a compensation,
according to the speakers.
Interested students are invited to express their wish to join the ICC for an
internship by sending an e-mail to kbt@iccwbo,org. The respective message
should also include a closer definition of the desired department of interest and a
reference to the very speakers is advisable.
Find more information under the respective website: www.iccwbo.org/
9. Not visited International Organizations due to
cancellations
9.1. United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)
Date: Monday, 23rd of April 2012
Time: 11:30 am - 12:45 am - cancelled
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Topic: Guided tour through the facilities
Due to time problems and a delay of the briefing at UNECE, the guided tour
through the Palais des Nations was cancelled.
About 100,000 visitors take the tour of the Palais des Nations each year. Tours are
available in more than 15 languages and last for one hour.
Visitors of the UNOG see different rooms of the Palais des Nations. The most
important ones are the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room,
decorated by famous artist Miquel Barceló, the Salle des Pas Perdus, from which
one can see the Armillary Sphere and the monument commemorating the
conquest of outer space and the Assembly Hall, which is the largest room in the
Palais des Nations. Furthermore, the guided tour brings visitors to the Council
Chamber, where many important historical negotiations have taken place. At the
end of the visit, a film on the activities and objectives of the United Nations Office
is shown. During the tour, information about the current activities of the United
Nations and the history of the Palais des Nations, which formerly was the
headquarters of the League of Nations, is provided.
9.2. L’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie
The International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) was not included in the
schedule of the study trip. Therefore the authors are not able to supply first-hand
information about employment and internship possibilities. Nevertheless, the
official website (http://www.francophonie.org/-Recrutements-.html) provides
information about the recruiting procedures and requirements.
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9.2.1. History
The International Organisation of La Francophonie is one of the biggest linguistic
zones in the world. The two cornerstones of which the Organisation is based are
the common language as well as the humanist values promoted by the French
language. The precursors of the IOF were the Agency of Cultural and Technical
Cooperation, founded in 1970, which became the Intergovernmental Agency of the
French-speaking nations in 1995.
In order to simplify the institutional system, in 1986 the International Organization
of La Francophonie under the authority of the General Secretary of La
Francophonie was established during the first summit of Heads of States and
Governments of the French-speaking nations in France.
Currently the OIF comprises 200 million French speakers worldwide, whereas
Africa is the continent with the largest number of French speakers. Furthermore,
the OIF’s has 75 States and governments, including 19 observers across the five
continents. French is either the official language, or one of the official languages in
32 of the OIF’s member states, governments or observers.
9.2.2. Objectives and Mission
The OIF is acting in compliance with the cultural and linguistic diversity and for the
promotion of the French language in order to create peace, cooperation, solidarity
and sustainable development. The main objectives of the Organization are:
• to establish and to develop democracy
• to prevent, to manage and to regulate conflicts, to support the State of Law
and human rights
• to intensify the dialogue among cultures and civilizations
• to bring people together through mutual understanding
• to strengthen their solidarity through multilateral cooperation, to promote the
growth of their economies
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• to promote the education and training
In addition, the four missions are:
• Promoting French language and cultural and linguistic diversity
• Promoting peace, democracy and human rights
• Supporting education, training, higher education and research
• Expand cooperation for sustainable development.
In particular, the Organization concentrates on young people and women, access
to information and communication technologies.
The OIF provides a four years schedule promoting their actions, which is based on
the contributions from its States and Government Members. The current program
2010 – 2013 includes the new method of action of the IOF as well as the
renovation of its structures and mode of operation, aiming to assure achievement
of its objectives and to improve performance.
9.2.3. Decision Making Process and Organization
The Francophone Summit, the Ministerial Conference and the Permanent council
together are three authorities who are guide lining and controlling the OIF, in
respective order.
9.2.3.1. Francophone Summit
Held every two years, the Francophone Summit is the highest authority, a meeting
of heads of state and government, of each member country of the International
Organization of Francophone. Future goals are set and strategies to get there,
discussed. The summit is also used to fix the areas of focus of the OIF, to make
notions for improvements and to revise the effectiveness of functioning of their
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processes. Moreover, this is the place where new full members, associate
members and observer members are selected and developed.
9.2.3.2. Ministerial Conference
The ministerial conference, the second authority in order, is held on more regular
occasions where ministers of foreign affairs of member countries meet to
recommend new member states and associate member states to the summit,
while monitoring the execution of decision made by the summit.
9.2.3.3. Permanent Council
This particular authority, the last decision making body of the OIF is held whenever
necessary and is there to plan future summits and the implementation of summit
decisions on a day-to-day basis, while also monitoring the execution of decisions
taken by the ministerial conference to close the circle of monitoring.
Hereby, representatives who are appointed by the heads of states meet under the
charge of the Secretary General who is chairing such events.
9.2.3.4. Secretary General and Administrator
The Secretary General has key position in the organizational structure of the OIF.
He guides the international political actions of the organization and is the
spokesman and official representative on an international level. Furthermore, he
has the function to promote multilateral cooperation and chairs the cooperation
council. From 2002 until 2010, Abdou Diouf, former president of the Republic of
Senegal, was the Secretary General of the OIF holding 2 terms before entering a
third term. Moreover, he nominates the Administrator which serves a four years
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term. Currently, this position is held by the Canadian Clément Duhaime. The
duties of the Administrator consist of the facilitation of multilateral cooperation and
the management of administrative and financial affairs.
9.2.4. Admission Criteria
Status of the French language a determining criterion
French as an official language not a precondition
Official file for admission to the OIF is a necessity
Ministerial council and the permanent council monitor, revise, and propose
potentials
Summit decides whether the potential country can join or not
9.3. International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC)
9.3.1. History
The history of the ICRC started in 1859, during the war of Italian Unification, when
a citizen from Switzerland, Henry Dunant, saw thousands of people injured during
the fights lying around without help in Solferino, a town in Northern Italy.
Therefore, he asked the question if it would not be possible to form relief societies
during peace to ensure that they will care for wounded people in wartime. This led
to the foundation of a five-member committee in 1863, known as the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
An important concept was to give neutral status medical services and volunteer
nurses, as they should not be affected by the fighting. Ten resolutions were
adopted which provided for the establishment of the future Red Cross, like the
Committees have to provide medical services in times of war and have to
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communicate with their governments to be accepted. But to make treaty rules, and
therefore binding obligations, out of these resolutions, in 1864 a conference was
held.
The idea was to create relief societies providing medical service to wounded
soldiers as well as a legal basis obliging armies to care for all wounded, no matter
which side they were on. This led to the signing of the Geneva Convention for the
Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded of Armies in the Field. Modern
international humanitarian law was born. WWI led to a considerable expansion of
the ICRC´s activities, also including prisoners of war, civilians and the prohibition
of the use of chemical weapons.
In 1919 the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
was founded by 5 member societies, namely Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the
United States, to strengthen and unite Red Cross Societies. The ICRC´s efforts to
help the Jews and other groups of civilians persecuted during WWII were a failure.
After this disaster in 1949, 4 further conventions were adopted: the Convention for
Wounded and Sick military personnel on the battlefield, the Convention of
wounded, sick and shipwrecked military personnel in war at sea, the Convention of
Prisoners of War and the Convention for civilians. The fourth Convention was
completely newly-introduced and wanted to ensure general protection of civilians
against consequences of war.
9.3.2. Structure of the ICRC
The ICRC is currently headed by the president Jakob Kellenberger and other two
vice-presidents Olivier Vodoz and Christine Beerli. Their tasks are mainly
representing the organization on the international scene and ensuring a smooth
functioning of the ICRC.
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Apart from the presidency, also the Assembly, the Assembly Council and the
Directorate are involved in the decision making process. The Assembly with its 15
to 25 elected members of Swiss nationality, chaired by the presidency, is the
supreme governing body which oversees all activities of the organization.
Formulating policies, defining objectives and institutional strategy, and approving
the budget are part of its responsibilities. The Assembly Council, composed of five
elected members and chaired by the president, prepares the activities of the
Assembly and reports regularly to the Directorate and the Assembly. The
Directorate, with its five members and the current Director-General Yves
Daccord, is the executive body of the ICRC. Its main task is to ensure the
application of the objectives and institutional strategy.
9.3.3. Mandate and Mission of the ICRC
The mission of the ICRC is as follows: “The International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose
exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war
and internal violence and to provide them with assistance.”
The ICRC has a legal mandate from the international community, originating from
the binding 1949 Geneva Conventions and from the Statutes of International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Movement which are adopted at the International
Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, taking place every four years.
The Geneva Conventions, which are applicable worldwide, tell the organization to
visit prisoners, re-unite separated families and engage in different humanitarian
activities during armed conflicts like organizing relief operations. The Statutes of
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, having a so-called quasi-
legal or “soft-law” status, address situations of internal violence where the Geneva
Conventions do not apply.
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9.3.4. Activities of the ICRC
The ICRC is engaged in different fields of activities. The most important are listed
below:
Protection: in this field the ICRC tries to ensure that the international
humanitarian law is kept during times of war. But this activity is not only concerned
with the protection of civilians affected by war but also of prisoners and detainees
as well as the reconnection of families torn apart by war.
Concerning the protection of civilians there are several specific rules (1949
Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols). Situations not covered
by these rules are subject to human rights law and the principles of humanitarian
law. Whenever a conflict occurs the ICRC tries to keep as much contact to the
civilian population as possible as well as to the authorities in order to ensure that
humanitarian law is kept.
In order to ensure that prisoners and detainees are treated according to the
international standards, the ICRC is entitled to visit them.
Reconnection of families includes all activities that prevent the separation of
families, rebuild contact between family members and help to clear what
happened to missing members. Study Trip Report 2009 30
Assistance: this field covers all activities aiming to improve living conditions by
providing necessary materials and medical assistance. Major areas in this section
are health, economic security and water and habitat.
Assistance in health covers the most important activities to ensure that people
affected by war have access to the basic medical assistance at an international
standard.
Economic security is concerned with basic economic needs of people and
provides assistance so that these are met.
Activities in the section of water and habitat try to secure access to clean water as
well as appropriate sanitation.
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Furthermore the ICRC promotes international humanitarian law by increasing the
awareness of those who determine the fate of victims and those who are
empowered to ease the undertakings of the ICRC.
The ICRC also makes efforts to clean areas of mines and other explosive
remnants of war (ERW), uses humanitarian diplomats to make aware of problems,
works together with national societies in order to ensure fast help and cooperate
with private sector companies which conduct business in war prone zones so that
humanitarian principles are promoted and fast and qualitative help is ensured.
9.3.5. Museum of the ICRC in Geneva
Due to construction works a visit at the museum of the ICRC in Geneva was not
possible.
9.3.6. Internship/Employment Opportunities
Concerning employment possibilities at the ICRC, one can apply for only one
advertised post via sending a mail including the CV to the Committee. Normally,
during the first two to three years working for the ICRC basic activities are done,
after three years middle management functions may be available and after several
more years senior management positions can be occupied. Important to know is
that staff usually is not allowed to choose where it wants to carry out its missions.
Thus, employees have to go to the regions and countries experiencing wars and
conflicts, which are chosen by the ICRC. Furthermore, the ICRC occasionally hires
interns for specific posts that have been advertised.
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10. Diaries 21st of April – 27th of April 2012
10.1. Saturday, 21st of April 2012
The study trip which would give us the unique chance to visit various well-known
international organisations in Geneva and Paris started on Saturday, 21th April, at
10:00 pm when we met at the train station in Krems. A double-decker bus picked
most of the students up in Krems. The remaining fellows joined us in Ansfelden
and Salzburg. The journey from Krems to Geneva took us approximately 14 hours
and turned out to be quite exhausting in terms of sleeping in an upright position on
a bus chair. However, watching movies, discussing various topics, tattling and
eating “Lambada-Schnitten” and “Choco Bananas” the journey was a very
entertaining and funny experience.
10.2. Sunday, 22nd of April 2012
At around 11:30 we arrived at the ETAP Hotel in Geneva where we spent the next
two nights in small but very comfortable three-bed rooms. After checking in most
of the students headed out to explore the city of Geneva. The weather was quite
sunny and warm at that time. Geneva offers some very interesting and beautiful
places to visit, ranging from architecture, historical buildings in the old city to
museums and natural sights like the Lake Léman which is commonly known as
Lake Geneva which is surrounded by the Alps. At the hotel we received a free
ticket which allowed us to go around for free using all public means of transport.
Thus, we enjoyed a very nice boat trip crossing the lake. The lake is the second
largest in central Europe and is located partially in Switzerland and partially in
France. One of the biggest attractions of Lake Geneva is the Jet d’Eau, the
enormous fountain that spouts the water 140 m in the air.
When we continued our walk along the quay we saw the Statue of Elisabeth of
Bavaria, the “Memorial of Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, Duchess in Bavaria, Princess
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of Bavaria, Empress of Austria, aka Sissi”, who was murdered exactly on this
place in 1898. We were also impressed by the beautiful park beside the lake.
Afterwards we visited the swatch exhibition on our way to the old town which
turned out to be a maze of sloping streets and alleyways with various cafés,
boutiques and historical architecture on every turn. As we arrived on Sunday
unfortunately all shops were closed, however we climbed the narrow cobblestone
streets to visit Saint Peter’s Cathedral, which towers over the Old Town and is also
perfectly visible from the Lake’s quay. Thanks to its location it offers an amazing
panoramic view over the city.
Mot many students decided to go out the first evening in Geneva because of the
nearly sleepless night in the bus. Nevertheless, some of us enjoyed traditional
Swiss cheese fondue in a nice restaurant next to Lake Geneva.
10.3. Monday, 23rd of April 2012
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After having enjoyed one wonderful free day in Geneva we were ready to start into
an interesting week visiting different international organizations. Soon we realized
that this trip, indeed, is not a holiday. We were expected at Geneva’s Etap Hotel’s
breakfast hall seven in the morning.
All of us enjoyed the big buffet
that offered something for every
taste and that would leave us full
of energy for the exhausting day
that lay ahead of us. As we
received transport cards that
were valid for all public means of
transport in Geneva we took the
city bus towards our first stop – the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).
After a few minutes of searching for the right entry we eventually made it to the
thorough security check that lasted for one hour before being allowed to enter the
building. At about 10.50 am a representative of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) welcomed us in room number 3 in building 6
and gave us an interesting insight into what the organization does and how it
works. Additionally, all students received last year’s annual report to further obtain
information about the organizational structure and achievements. As it was the first
organization for us to visit we were really amazed by the facilities the conference
room was equipped with. Soon later we noticed that all the other rooms and
organizations have similar equipment.
About one hour later we were given free time to have a look around the building.
We used this time for a group picture in front of the UN headquarters!
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As time passed really quickly and hunger was on its rise we were looking forward
to the lunch at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that was only a short
walk away. This was especially beautiful because it was not only any random
lunch hall – it was on the top floor with a terrace where we could enjoy an amazing
view over Geneva.
Having filled our stomachs we
were ready for our next stop.
Again, Geneva’s public transport
system took us near the so-called
“Blue Box”. We were awaited at
the Austrian Mission to IOs
Geneva at 3 o’clock by six Austrian
speakers that all dealt with
different topics. After enjoying
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some refreshments, Ambassador Dr. Christian Strohal warmly welcomed us and
introduced the work of the Austrian Mission. During the next couple of hours we
were given the opportunity to understand how the World Trade Organization
(WTO) is structured, what the UN does in relation to Human Rights, how the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is set up and how
disarmament is being tackled by the UN.
In the following some interested students had the chance to talk face to face with
the speakers and ask about possibilities to work for the Austrian Mission in
Geneva.
At about 5.30 pm we finished the programme for this day and were free to spend
the evening anyway we wanted. Some of us went to the city centre for dinner,
others returned to the hotel in order to get rid of the business outfit and ready for
some sightseeing and for some drinks.
However, nobody went out for too long because we all knew: The next day is not
going to be any more relaxing!
10.4. Tuesday, 24th of April 2012
Like the day before, also our third day in Geneva started quite early - at 7 am we
were already enjoying the delicious breakfast at ETAP Hotel Geneva. Before
heading to the first organization on today’s schedule, we had to complete the
check-out and store our luggage and belongings in the bus. As the weather was
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not the best this day we were glad that Rudi, our lovely bus driver, brought us
directly to the Head Quarters of the ITU (International Telecommunications Union).
However, in the lobby we were kindly informed that the presentation will be hold in
the other building and due to security reasons we were not allowed to use the
alleyway, connecting the two buildings.
Nevertheless, this “inconvenience” was rewarded with a very interesting and
informative presentation about the history, objectives and work of the ITU, or UTI
(Union Internationale des Télécommunications) as it is called in French. The two
presenters were very enthusiastic about their jobs and did really try their best to
explain the rather complex structure of ITU in the simplest way possible in order to
make it clear for us. However, this was not the only “goody” they could offer us –
during the briefing we were told that today we would have the great honour to be
the first group to visit the newly established ITU museum called “ICT Discovery”,
which would officially be opened next week. A very nice guide showed us through
this interactive museum, which explains the development of communications from
the ancient times until today and gives a highly interesting outlook into the future of
communication.
We would have loved to spend some more time there but unfortunately had to
head to the next organization, the ILO (International Labour Organization). Though
we arrived one hour late we were warmly welcomed by a German countryman,
who seemed quite relieved when Professor Anis told him, that this presentation
should be held in English as not all of us are German speakers. He later explained
that because of the many years is has already spent working for ILO in Geneva,
explaining it in his mother tongue seems quite challenging for him.
Within one hour he gave us a very good overview about the organization, its
structure, work and aims, which inspired some of us to participate in a lively
discussion concerning current work issues. Later on, Mr Hahn invited us to lunch
in the ILO’s cafeteria. After having spent two days in expensive Geneva, we were
all glad, that the offered meals were comparatively cheap and really delicious.
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After our recreative lunch break we had to find our way to the last organization on
today’s agenda – the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). The young
lady gave us a clear explanation about the various forms of intellectual property
and WIPO’s assignment. She further explained that due to the upcoming
International Day of Intellectual Property a small exhibition was installed, showing
all patents of Steve Jobs and other masterminds of Apple.
This was the final point on our official agenda, thus we had some spare time to
enjoy our last hours in Geneva and prepare ourselves for the long overnight bus
ride to Paris.
10.5. Wednesday, 25th of April 2012
After being four days on the road already, some people fell asleep shortly after
midnight on the bus ride between Geneva and Paris, while others were playing
games, watching DVD’s and thereby created a cosy atmosphere. But there were
also several people disturbing this perfect harmony by singing, drinking and
shouting a little bit too much.
As we left Geneva already around 9pm, we arrived earlier than scheduled in Paris
around 5am on Wednesday morning. As the rooms in the hotel were not ready yet,
we deposited our luggage and immediately made our way towards the Eiffel
Tower. Arriving there around 6am we had the pleasure to be the one and only
tourists. A minor group stayed behind and transformed the hotel lobby into a nice
living room.
After returning from the sightseeing tour, the toilets, the luggage room as well as
several already disposable rooms served as dressing and bath rooms for
everyone to get ready for the conferences in the afternoon.
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The next institutions on our agenda were the OECD as well as the IEA, which are
located near the Metro station “La Muette” in the west of Paris. Besides the highly
interesting presentations of Mr. Andrew Gentry from the PR department of the
OECD, Ms. Marion Gratt of the Austrian Mission to the OECD and of Dr. Timur Gül
from the IEA, we also had the chance to meet our former trade history professor
Mr. Manfred Schekulin, who shortly explained to us his involvement in one of the
OECD committees.
Leaving the OECD premises after a long and exhausting day we were keen on
exploring Paris. But before hitting the road again, we returned to our hotel to finally
take a little rest and change our suits into casual clothing. At the end of the day,
the evening activities of the students were diversified, ranging from watching
football in a bar, over people starting their photo-safaris to some enjoying the
nightlife of Paris and to others simply going to bed resorting to the land of dreams.
10.6. Thursday, 26th of April 2012
After an exciting first day in Paris and the long journey from Geneva the majority of
the students preferred to go to sleep in the evening. However some of them went
out to grab a drink in the nice surroundings of our hotel “Ibis”.
Unfortunately the rest didn’t last that long as everybody got awake at 6.10 am due
to a failure in the hotel’s information system which scheduled an alarm call service
for the whole hotel. Nevertheless adelicious French breakfast at 8 am
compensated us for the early wake-up call. Next to French croissant, pain au
chocolat, different cakes across French cheese and baguette the hotel provided us
with everything a person may wish for breakfast. Hence, delighted about the
breakfast and touched by the cosy atmosphere, people started to get into a really
good mood. So, at 9 am the whole group started a fresh morning walk to the metro
station Saint-Ambroise of line 9 which took us directly to the World Bank. Even
though the World Bank’s premises didn’t look very special from the outside, the
inside was quiet amazing with a beautiful garden as its central point. At our arrival
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we enjoyed a warm welcome by “Kathrin Duty” who gave us an interesting
introduction into the World Bank’s field of work. During the following Q&A session
Ms Duty got excited about all the interesting questions the students asked
regarding their lending service, the impact of the economic crisis, transparency as
well as employment and training possibilities. 1
Subsequently we took advantage of the first sunbeam to walk from Ièna to
Trocadéro where we took a great “family picture” at the Palais de Chaillot with the
Eiffel Tower in our back. After a lunch
break near the Champs de Mars, a large
public green space between the Eiffel
Tower and the École Militaire, we met
again at the UNESCO building at 2 pm.
There we had the chance to get a brief
introduction by a staff member of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization. Further we enjoyed a guided tour across the premises of
the
UNESCO including, amongst other cultural treasuries, beautiful paintings of
Picasso and Miró, the square of tolerance representing a major UNESCO goal of
global peace as well as a Japanese garden donated by the Japanese government
to the UNESCO.2
In addition, they showed us a film from
Irina Bokova the current Director General.
In the second part of our visit Ms Isabell
Ladiges welcomed us on behalf of the
Austrian Delegation. In the following
discussion she gave us a practical insight
into her field of work, the UNESCO
projects, such as “Education for
1 http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/files/6490/12114476981jardin_jap2.jpg/jardin_jap2.jpg
2 http://ledorfineart.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/1958-LA-CHUTE-DICARE-c.jpg
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Sustainable Development” and possible training opportunities. The short
introduction was followed by various interesting questions. Around 4 pm our visit
ended and students split into small groups to discover the city of Paris. In the
evening many students went out for dinner or culturally distracted themselves and
slightly after 11 pm many of them met again in the lobby of the hotel to join an
Erasmus party near the Grands Boulevards. Hence, another exciting day with a lot
of new impressions ended.
10.7. Friday, 27th of April 2012
After discovering the nightlife of Paris the previous night, the whole group met at
the hotel lobby at 9 am to jointly go to the International Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to this, most fellows enjoyed the rich breakfast at the hotel for the start of
their day. After a short ride with the subway, our group arrived at the International
Chamber of Commerce. The ICC made a great effort in welcoming us as we
received our own badges and were then brought to the 5th floor, where we had a
great view over Paris.
At the beginning we got an introduction into the general matters of the
International Chamber of Commerce and were then given a very comprehensive
presentation, focusing on law, by a German intern at the ICC. During the coffee-
break we were served coffee, water and tea and could chat a little. The last part of
our visit at the ICC was a presentation about intermediaries.
The interesting and comprehensive presentation ended at 1:30 pm and the rest of
the day was free, which most of us used for sightseeing and exploring the city of
Paris. Due to our tight time schedule, most of us could just get a small impression
of the city by visiting a number of main sights. One of the most visited places were
of course the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the Louvre or the Champs Élyssées. Some
people preferred strolling along the banks of the Seine or concluded the afternoon
in one of the numerous pubs and cafes.
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A group of us started with a French lunch at a typical French restaurant enjoying
great food like real French “Quiche”. Then the journey took them to the world-
known Moulin Rouge, where they unfortunately could only take pictures from
outside as the costumes can only be marvelled at during shows at night. Sacre
Coeur was their next stop, where they first strolled around Montmartre to get to the
famous white church. When they got there they enjoyed the weather and the view
while relaxing in the grass in front of Sacre Coeur. In the bohemian side of town
they could watch street performers and let the flair of the city sink in.
After enjoying a great day in a great city, everyone had to head back to the hotel to
get the last things done before going back home. Last necessities were purchased
at a supermarket close to the hotel in order to be ready for a long way home and
to make the 19 hours bus ride back to Krems a little bit more comfortable. At
around 9 pm we
went to the hotel to
change and to load
our luggage into the
bus. Shortly
afterwards we
found our way
through the Parisian
rush hour and
headed home for
Austria.
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11. Conclusion
Our study trip to Geneva and Paris was definitely a great success. The unique
experience of visiting various organizations enhanced our theoretical knowledge in
International Law and Global Political Studies and gave us the opportunity to
establish personal contacts for our professional future career.
We were given very informative speeches at the organizations, although we
sometimes had to patiently wait some time before we were allowed to enter or we
spend some minutes searching for the right entry, but finally it was absolutely
worth it. Moreover, we could definitely strengthen our community and we got to
know each other a lot better. The - for some long for others short, for some
cheerful for others exhausting - nights on the bus with “Chocolate-bananas” and
“Lambardaschnitten” were quite remarkable and for sure won’t be forgotten easily.
Besides visiting organizations we enjoyed getting to know the cities Geneva and
Paris, doing some sightseeing, shopping and especially experiencing the night life.
Summarizing, every one of us could gain a lot of new professional and personal
experiences and we all spend a great time in Geneva and Paris.
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12. Credits
Introduction & conclusion Cornelia Ablinger
Geneva & Paris description Kerstin Atzenhofer, Fritz Block
UNECE Jennifer Baum, Gawdy Carranza
UNOG Elisabeth Diwold, Edgar Dennig
WIPO Pablo Fexer, Sarah Hargassner
UNESCO Eva-Maria Fürlinger, Ana Lucic
WB Group Christoph Gusenleitner, Daniel
Marischka
ICRC Stefanie Hartinger, Yvonne Bader
ITU Birgit Hartl, Caroline Heger
ILO Jörg Heidinger, Stefanie Herko
Austrian Mission Manuel Holousch, Susanne Holzinger
OECD Melanie Irndorfer, Karin Krainer, Pinar
Kiziltas, Katrin Kahr
IEA Judith Kraller, Anja Kriegbaum
ICC Nora Labes, Bianca Langer
L’Organisation Internationale de la
Francophonie
Birgit Monitzer, Armin Pljevljakovic
Diary 21st – 22nd of April Kurt Reimann, Claudia Röglsperger
Diary 23rd of April Iris Schweitzer, Sebastian Stagl
Diary 24th of April Marlene Steiner, Florian Stief
Diary 25th of April Lukas Stummer, Melanie Sturm
Diary 26th of April Theresa Unterberger, Angelika Wagner
Diary 27th of April Julia Weber, Philipp Widauer, Verena
Wurzer, Deborah Zahra
Pictures Ines Handstanger, Maximilian Hanke,
Arianisa Metoska, Jakob Sterlich
Main organizers Magdalena Froschauer, Maximilian
Hanke
Other organizers Sarah Ashour, Vija Krievina, Simone
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