Sign of life

It has been a while since I last wrote on my blog. Has it been laziness, busyness or lack of inspiration? Or maybe a combination of all three? Yes maybe. I am pretty much past the excitement of my first few weeks here. But I consider that normal. I have felt it before in Sweden and Australia. After a while things start to loose their shine and brilliance, work becomes work, and you get into your daily routines. Yes even in New York! It is probably a good sign too. It means I have adapted to my new live here and that I am slowly becoming a New Yorker. Nevertheless, there are still enough exciting things to write about, like the arrival of my sister today. Many more visitors will follow the coming weeks, so I have to get myself on the horse again. Once you start writing you have to keep going... 

For now, I will leave you with my latest entry on our interns weblog. Here it is.

Life back to normal

Everything is pretty much back to normal since last week. Laura left a week ago and it took me a couple of days of getting used to being alone again. It was great to have her here with me, especially on my birthday. She has been here a few times before, so we decided to avoid most of the touristy places. The weather was nice and sunny most of the time, so we just went for long nice walks and I showed her some nice parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. We also went to some nice restaurants, little cafes, bars, and we attended a beautiful dance show in the Lincoln Center. It felt like a mini holiday. Another great surprise was a three day visit by Tijmen (my KLM friend) and Dave, another good friend of mine from back home. Laura met with them during the day and I met with them after work.

They also came to see me at work one day and the funniest thing happened. We were sitting outside in the sun during lunchtime and I was telling them that our Princes Maxima was visiting the UN, as she is the Secretary General's advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. She had given a speech the day before at the Finance for Development Conference. Then we started talking about her in general and that same time I noticed her walking across the street from us. I stood up and said, "look, look, look, I think that's Maxima!" Then we all walked up closer and saw that it was her. She was surrounded by maybe four people and she was carrying some documents. She looked really relaxed and there was no royal aura surrounding her. It all went really fast, so we did not get the chance to talk to her or take a picture. Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable moment.

I also showed the guys the office and they met with my boss and some of my colleagues. The atmosphere and work ethic in the office has much improved since we made the necessary changes. Everyone has been attending tons of meetings and some projects have finally taken off. I have attended two interesting panel discussions myself  hosted by New York University. One was on the International Criminal Court and the United States. And the other one was on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. I especially enjoyed the first one as it had Stephen Rapp as one of the keynote speakers. He is currently the US State Department's ambassador at large for War Crimes Issues. I have been reading a lot about the ICC since I started working at GPF and it inspired me to write something on our new interns blog about the ICC applying double standards with respect to African countries. You can read it here.

We also have weekly vodcasts now on our website in which we inform the public about our latest posted articles and activities going on at the UN. Last week it was my turn to stand in front of the camera. You can watch it here. I am also in an other video for future interns which was filmed during my first week at GPF. I kept it quiet until now as I felt a bit embarrassed. It is not the best video in terms of editing, but you can watch it here.

Enjoy!

Positive things ahead

I have been in New York for nearly two months now and it feels the city has really become an integral part of me and vice versa. Although the honeymoon is over, it feels I have really settled down into this gigantic and rich city. New York, like any other city or country, has its annoyances but these things do not weigh up to the many positive things it has to offer. I understand now why people keep coming back to this city. A normal holiday is simply too short. I sometimes even wonder whether six months are enough to fully enjoy this city. Probably not when you're working from Monday until Friday, but I am not complaining. So far, my evenings and weekends were well spend. I have met with colleagues for lunch in Brooklyn and dim sun in Queens. I have been jogging in Central Park and I have made long walks to Washington Heights, Harlem and along the Hudson River. Furthermore, I have been to a NBA basket ball game, to bars with very good live jazz music ,several restaurants and one ore two art gallery's. Nevertheless, there are still many things left on my "to do list". 

Last Tuesday I had my first visitor from the Netherlands. Tijmen, a friend of mine working for the KLM, had a 24 hours stop in New York. We met in his hotel after work and had dinner in a really nice tapas restaurant in Soho. Afterwards we had a couple of drinks in Greenwich and the Meat Packing District. It was a great evening and it was nice to catch up with a good friend from back home. Next week, I will have my next "special" visitor, Laura. I am really looking forward to see here again after two months of separation. I have never been a  believer of long distance relationships and never thought I would end up in one, but it is working out pretty well so far (thanks to skype as well). She arrives next Wednesday and is staying for ten days. I will take Friday and Monday off from work. Friday the 19th is my birthday as well, so it will be a very special one as I will turn 30 in New York with my girlfriend. I have nothing else to wish for. Well maybe a sunny week like last week, because it is raining constantly right now. 

This is also a good moment to reflect on my first six weeks with GPF. I have to admit that the internship has not fully lived up to my expectations so far. This has a simple reason. GPF is an independent non-governmental organization which relies on funding from individuals, foundations, partner organizations etc. Lately, GPF, like many other non-governmental organizations, has been the victim of funding cuts. Last year our boss Jim had to let go all of his paid senior staff as he simply could not afford having them on board. As a result, the interns run the office without, in my view, proper guidance and structure. Everyone has been working within their portfolio without  properly informing the others about their work and activities. I noticed, furthermore, that there were many ideas and projects floating around the office, but that there was no incentive into materializing them. This has negatively affected the atmosphere in the office in terms of motivation and inspiration and most people were quite annoyed about it.

Jim was away last week and I proposed an intern meeting to sit down and discuss how we could better structure our work and make it more challenging for ourselves. It turned out to be a very fruitful meeting with many good ideas and plans and we decided to make some important changes, like two weekly staff meetings (a regular one and a thematic one), the creation of an interns blog, and the creation of vodcasts and podcasts for the website. Me and Joe have also decided to take up a project on the UN individual sanctions regime and the recent creation of the UN Ombudsman. We had our first thematic staff meeting last Wednesday in which we briefed each other about the latest developments in our portfolios and we got some nice discussions and idea's going on. The atmosphere in the office seems to have improved since last Monday and everyone seems to enjoy their work much more. Let's hope it stays this way.

The best part of my internship has so far been my UN pass, which has given me almost unlimited access to any UN meeting and the opportunity to meet very interesting people and other interns.  Last Thursday I attended a forum addressing the Goldstone Report on the Gaza conflict and the underlying question whether international law really matters. It was a very interesting meeting and I was especially impressed by one of the keynote speakers, Richard Falk, an American professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. His arguments in support of the report were spot on and he spoke very clear and eloquent. Yesterday I attended a meeting of the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) as it was considering a state report by Uzbekistan under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This was also very interesting  as I got a better notion of the work of the HRC. Hopefully, I will attend more interesting meetings in the near future.  

So yes, things are looking positive right now. Both personally and professionally. 

 

       

Looking for Bill

Last week I attended my first Security Council (SC) meeting. In this meeting the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, and Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Alain Le Roy, briefed the SC about the humanitarian situation in Haiti. John Holmes had just returned from Haiti and stated that the humanitarian situation in Haiti had improved and that the most needed medical needs were pretty much taken care of. He emphasized, however, that much more needed to be done in terms of emergency shelter, non-food items and sanitation. He was calling for a “shelter and sanitation surge” for the Haitians still in need after last month’s devastating earthquake. Alain Le Roy stressed that the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) counted on the SC’s support to help the Haitian government meet the enormous challenges before it. Since 12 January MINUSTAH has been supporting and assisting in relief operations and in securing security and public order. Le Roy, made clear that the security situation in Haiti is stable, but still fragile. Finally, Leo Mérorès, the Permanent Representative of Haiti at the UN extended his thanks to the “great family of nations” in assisting his country.

To be honest I did not pay much attention to the words spoken by the speakers during this 30 minute meeting. Luckily there are always press releases after each meeting. I was rather looking for Bill Clinton as he is the United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti. The day before, he and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the UN’s largest-ever appeal for $1.4 billion to assist 3 million Haitians in need. Some colleagues told me that they had seen Clinton during a SC meeting on Haiti last October. I did not see him unfortunately. Maybe he was still recovering from the heart procedure he underwent two weeks ago. My colleague, Joseph, has written an interesting story on his blog about the irony of Bill Clinton’s current role in Haiti. It is an interesting read.

Besides looking for Bill, I was also observing the fifties style chamber of the SC. I had seen a photo of the SC chamber taken in 1954 and I came to the conclusion that it has not changed a bit. The decorations on the wall, the two large windows overlooking the East River, the huge mural between the two windows, the council’s horseshoe table and the seats for the delegates and diplomats. It made me think about all the decisions taken in this chamber in the last 58 years that have had major global impacts (think of the Korean War, the Gulf War, the economic sanctions against countries such as Iraq, Iran, Nord Korea). It also reminded me about the moments the SC did not rise to the occasion (think of Srebrenica, Rwanda and Darfur). It made me realize that it is always nice to read about the SC from books and articles, but you get a better sense of reality while sitting there up close and seeing the council at work.

By the way it is snowing again...  

Snowmageddon II and Bantanamo

Today it is President's Day. The day that all people working for federal offices enjoy a national holiday on the third Monday of February. This holiday is to honor the birthdays of both former Presidents Washington (February 22) and Lincoln (February 12). GPF ofcourse is an independent non-governmental organization. Nevertheless, our boss decided to give us the day off. It was also his way of thanking us for showing up at work last wednesday. This was the day the heavy snow storm reached New York. The day before, weather analysts warned us to brace ourselves for the coming snow blizzard and the NY authorities decided to close all schools and to deploy a full armour of snow plow operators on the streets. On the internet jokes were being made about ´Snowmagaddon II´. Actually not a strange thought as New York, especially the Statue of Liberty, is always the first city to go in natural disaster movies. Think of: The Day After Tommorrow, Armageddon and War of the Worlds. Well at least I had the honour of being in New York as the world was coming to its end. 

As we all know by now New York held its ground and I managed to get to work the next day. It did feel, however, as if I was walking through a ghost town. Everyting was covered in snow and there were hardly any cars and people on the streets. I could actually sit in the train which is a rare novelty during NY rush hours and I arrived at work earlier than usual. I believe 60% of the NY people stayed home that day including all UN staff. I was impressed, however, by the effective and efficient way the New Yorkers dealt with the snow. It reminded me of our own efforts in dealing with the snow back home. 

Finally, I would like to get back to the UN staff. Last week Aleks send me this interesting article about the new temporary headquarters of the UN. The UN headquarters tower and the General Assembly hall are currently undergoing a $1.87 billion renovation. Therefore, a three story steel building has been erupted on the UN north lawn. According to the article the building looks like ``a cross between a suburban big-box store and a high-security lockup facility`` that ``bears a resemblance to Wal-Mart or Ikea``. I have seen the building with my own eyes and these comparisons seem justified. Many UN staff argue that the UN has lost much of its grandeur and have nicknamed the new building `Bantanamo´. Last Tuesday I finally got my UN pass and on Friday I entered the ´old´ UN building for the first time together with Joel. We went up the 37th floor which, like all other floors, was completely deserted and a huge mess. It was a sobering experience. There I was, in the epicentre of global decision making which looked like a hurricane struck desert. The only positive thing was the magnificent view of midtown Manhattan.         

Disclosure of information

The first week at GPF is behind me and it has been a week of many activities both inside and outside the office. I must admit that I felt quite nervous at the start of my first day. That feeling of having to start all over again and those many questions that run through your head constantly. Why am I doing this? Why is this fun? What kind of work will I be doing? Will I like my colleagues? Will I get there in time? Which tie should I wear? In the end ofcourse it all turned out fine. As I walked out of Grand Central that monday morning into that thrilling chaos New York is known for, I got that magic feeling of excitement again. Seeing all those people rushing to work, the newspaper and food vendors on the corner of the streets, the smoke coming out of the wells and all those yellow taxi's honking their horns made me forget all about my nerves at that moment.

After a warm reception by James Paul (hereafter JP) and my colleagues I was shown my desk and computer. Then I started reading my introduction map which included the instructions for my portofolio, the website, the office rules, my usernames and passwords, and my personal GPF cards. One of the things I read was that GPF aims to use a very direct and straightforward language in its texts. As interns we must avoid writing in vague, wordy and specialized terms as often used in the academia. The reason for this is that our texts and documents must remain accessible for the 'normal' public. I could not resist a smile on my face when I read that we should not use words such as 'conceptualize'. Then I had my first meeting with JP. He told me that my primary task would be to follow all latest developments on the topic of international justice. More specifically, this means that I will be searching for critical and analytical articles on the internet relating to the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunals and the Special Courts and topics such as universal jurisdiction. I will then post these articles on our website and I will be fully in charge of the maintenance of this website section. JP also told me that I would get involved with the UN Security Council portofolio during a later stage of my internship. It all sounded good to me. When I applied for the internship position I was actually hoping to get one of these two portofolio's. 

I spend the rest of the day reading all my instructions and getting to know my colleagues better. As I wrote  earlier the interns all have differerent backgrounds in terms of country and education ranging from law to poltical science and sociology. The interns I work with are Joseph and Nicola for England, Joel from Canada, Trish and Denise from Australia, Duygu from Turkey, Segolene from France and Alice who is half French and half British. We all share a common workspace and the atmosphere in the office is low on stress and high on results. Everyone seems to get along very well and people meet regularly outside of work. That same day we had a dinner at Trish's place who lives one block away from me. Last saturday there was another social gathering at Duygu's place who is leaving us next week. It was really 'gezellig' as we say in Dutch on both occasions and my integration into the group has been very natural.

The remainder of the week I have mainly read a lot of documents in order to become familiar with my portofolio. Furthermore, I posted my first article on the website regarding the decision of the Appeals Chamber of the ICC to reverse the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber not to include the crime of genocide in the arrest-warrant against President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. I have also tried to get my UN badge for entering the UN buildings, but the UN staff  were tossing me around the whole week. In other words, I got my first taste of 'UN bureaucracy'. 

On friday I attended my first NGO working group with the Security Council representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ivan Barbalic, and his staff. B&H is currently one of the non-permanent members of the SC. During this meeting the representative of B&H briefed representatives of NGO's such as Oxfam, Human Rights Watch and Security Council Report on all current topics on the agenda of the SC. The NGO representatives were allowed to ask questions about topics that concerned them. It was an interesting meeting, but in my view the respresentative of Bosnia circled around a lot of questions. His favourite answers were in the line of: "We are addressing that", "We are working on that", "We will look at that" etc. I suppose he is not allowed to give much information about matters discussed at Security Council meetings. My colleague Joel told me that other countries, especially big players like Russia and China, tend to be much worse in the non disclosure of information.  He told me this story in which a Russia representative during a meeting at his university answered a student question by simply saying that "These matters are not of your concern".