This time of year has been a particularly important period in diplomacy since 1945 when the United Nations was founded as a descendant of the League of Nations. Its goal has been to create field for discussion regarding international law, security, human rights and world peace.
In 2011, the General Assembly (GA) started 13th September and will last till December. The streets of New York City are infested with police and fire brigade, whose presence provides a fairly strange atmosphere to the city. Getting from A to B in the Big Apple has been time consuming for me so far, and now it takes even more time to reach my destination.
In the first two weeks of the GA, the 193 member states’ Presidents and Prime Ministers will represent their countries in the general debate where they can state the views of their Government. Average people think that the main diplomatic discussions happen during the meetings and conferences but it is not always the case.
Networking is always easier in a bit “unofficial” environment. Supposedly, behind the scenes there are plenty of receptions and luncheons. A whole group of people work on these events for months, day and night. They take great responsibility by deciding the seating arrangements at the state luncheon. What are the main points which help them decide….? I think there are two possibilities. The person either seats neutral countries’ heads at the same table, in this case there is the chance to have a calm, nice chat between them or organize the conflicting heads of state around the same table. The question is, which is more productive?
-Barbara Hanis-
I bet that this was so special and exciting to see this all take place. The UN ability to bring that many heads of states together is amazing. I was surprised to hear that most of the dialogue between states happens during these receptions and luncheons. I also never thought about how important and strategic the placement of someone at a lunch table was. I think that it is very intriguing the thought process that goes into seating these heads of states. Sitting countries together that are conflicting is something very experimental because will they talk to each other as they eat, will they argue, or will they actually be able to have a good conversation where they realize that they actually do like the other and if that helps to bring change in the conflicts. Either way, this process and assessment is just very interesting.
ReplyDelete