UNGA presidency in more than 20 years, with Serbia narrowly prevailing by 14 votes. Kariuki says that even without this kind of drama, the affairs can be rewarding, particularly for junior-tier diplomats. “It can be exciting as a young diplomat during the peak of the ministerial week to find yourself in the same room as world leaders,” he said. Ambassador Fritsche, who prior to coming to Washington served as her country’s permanent representative to the United Nations since 1990, said that having an opportunity to listen to and meet the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela at the UNGA were two of the more memorable moments of her career. But Kariuki said the excitement level drops off dramatically after the ministers go home and UNGA enters the committee phase, where the U.N.’s six committees (Disarmament and International Security; Economic and Financial; Social, Humanitarian and Cultural;Special Political and Decolonization; Administrative and Budgetary; and the Legal Committee) hammer out the wording of hunCredit: UN Photo / Devra Berkowitz dreds of resolutions. brutal is effort when is themade ministers go Delegates pictured conversationinshortly beforeand a General Assembly meeting to review the U.N. Global CounterNOTE:“What’s Although every to assure your ad are is free of inmistakes spelling home and you reach that committee stage, and Terrorism Strategy. Weeks before the U.N. General Assembly convenes each September, diplomats wrangle over content it is ultimately up to the customer to make the final proof. you’re left haggling over paragraph 23 of a reso- schedules and agendas to determine how to best spend their time in New York. lution on globalization and you’re not really sure The first two faxed changes will but be made at no cost“Iftoa the advertiser, subsequent lesser-known figure or someonechanges from a each year a name is also picked out of a hat and it’s going to change the world you’re stuck will be billed at U.N. a rate of $75 Signed adsisare considered approved. country speaking, you’ll see a lot of that lucky country — last year it was there in the bubble, ” heper said.faxed “Therealteration. are smaller Turkmenistan — gets a front-row seat. moments when you feel like you’re making a junior-level diplomats in the room,” he said. Diplomats surveyed for this story said that Kariuki that diplomats “votead. with their difference andcheck then there aread a lotcarefully. of moments Mark Please this anysaid changes to your when you’re stuck in the basement of the U.N., feet,” while Ambassador Fritsche noted that at Syria would be item #1A on the agenda at this of eachchanges delegation’s six seats should year’s UNGA, particularly in light of former U.N. day.”to: (301) 949-0065least a fewneeds If the adnot is having correctseen signlight andallfax The only thing worse than being stuck in the be full for every speech so as to avoid embar- Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s resignation as special envoy to Syria. The global economic cribasement haggling over resolution language rassment. The Washington Diplomat (301) Of course, corralling a warm body to listen to sis and the situation in the wider Middle East may be relegation to note-taking duty 933-3552 for ministerial speeches at the UNGA. Rivasseau said you speeches can be a chore by the end of the min- will also be at the forefront, alongside less can__________________________________________________________ tell a lot about a country’s place in the isterial phase, when everyone’s just about had headline-grabbing issues such as water and food Approved not so much by how full the room is their fill of rhetoric, and the issue is particularly security and women’s empowerment. Changesworld ___________________________________________________________ The sheer list of agenda items, in fact, can be when their representative speaks but who is acute for the delegations that have prime seats ___________________________________________________________________ in the first row. The seating is alphabetical, but mind-numbingly long and at times bewildering. there to listen.
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Though the talks generally focus on hard-hitting global issues such as HIV/AIDS, sustainable development, poverty, human rights, macroeconomic policy, disarmament, and debates over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and war in Afghanistan, there are a number of inane items as well. A discussion on the Comorian island of Mayotte, Mongolia’s nuclear-weapons-free status, “Sport for Peace and Development” and “Harmony with Nature” are among the more obscure topics buried among more than 150 agenda items on the schedule. So will anything actually get done, or is the UNGA just a high-profile dog and pony show for world leaders and diplomats? Fritsche, Rivasseau and Kariuki all say that, contrary to popular opinion, plenty of business gets done at the UNGA. “We are all trying to spare taxpayer money and it’s much more economical to go to New York because you are sure to be able to meet with many ministers in one place,”said Rivasseau. “Rather than fly to 20 different places, you can see 20 people all at once.” But for some D.C.-based diplomats, the multilateral environment in New York takes some getting used to. “In Washington, embassies compete,” said Fritsche.“All of us have been sent here to establish the best possible relations with the host country, the United States, in order to represent our interests in the best possible way. So we all try to be visible, to attract the attention of the U.S. government, the Congress, the media.At the U.N., there are 193 members. No matter where they’re from, they need to work together to get things done. So we work together day and night.”
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The Washington Diplomat Page 11