The Next Page

In episode 35, James Bell, Vice President of Global Strategy at the Pew Research Center, joins us for a deeper look into one of the Center’s latest research polls on public perception of international cooperation. James and his team surveyed more than 14,000 citizens in 14 different countries, asking participants their opinions on the United Nations and its role in multilateral governance.   Drawing from his extensive background in research and a specific interest in citizens and how they think and what they care about, James takes us through the research project that was published in September 2020.   With a special focus on the way in which young people (those aged 18-29) viewed global cooperation, he shares that the findings indicate an encouraging optimism towards multilateralism and the increasing importance of young voices. He also explores the ways in which different global issues – such as the pandemic and climate change – affect public opinion.   We hope this episode offers you a fresh perspective on the importance of data, research and all of its findings.  The Research Report – International Cooperation Welcomed Across 14 Advanced Economies: https://pewrsr.ch/3l43bVU About James Bell James Bell is vice president of global strategy at Pew Research Center. He plays a leading role in guiding the international research undertaken by the Center. Bell helps to design survey projects, develop questionnaires, analyze data and write reports. Prior to joining the Pew Research Center, Bell worked at the U.S. State Department for nearly a decade, most recently as director of international opinion research. Bell earned his doctorate in geography from the University of Washington in Seattle. He is an author of The World’s Muslims: Unity and Diversity, Global Opinion of Obama Slips, International Policies Faulted, Russians Back Protests, Political Freedoms, Egyptians Remain Optimistic, Embrace Democracy and Religion in Political Life and Religion in Latin America. Bell has appeared on CNN, CNBC, and BBC World Service Radio, and has presented internationally, including at the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations annual conference. James’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/james_e_bell Further Resources The Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/ The Pew Research Center Twitter: https://twitter.com/pewresearch Access the episode transcript here: https://libraryresources.unog.ch/c.php?g=673332&p=4880979&t=15784 Content Speakers: James Bell & Karen Lee Host & Editor/Producer: Karen Lee Images: James Bell / The Pew Research Center Social media designs and transcript: Karen Lee  Recorded & produced at the UN Geneva Library & Archives 

In episode 34, Dr. John Pace, former Secretary to the Commission on Human Rights and Coordinator of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights joins The Next Page to share his knowledge in the field of human rights, while introducing his recently published book, The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, A Very Great Enterprise.   With more than three decades of experience in humanitarian work, Dr. Pace takes us back in time, with a special focus on the council that began it all: The United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Starting from its inception and moving through its ongoing evolution, he takes us on a journey along the Commission’s rich history and its role in the multilateral protection of human rights.  He also emphasizes the role of civil society in the discussion and advancement of human rights and multilateral cooperation, and considers the critical questions: how does a topic as universal and intersectional as human rights translate into global cooperation? And why are universal human values important? In this conversation, Dr. Pace richly informs us on a subject that is integral and invaluable to us all.      About Dr. John Pace  To learn more about his new book: https://bit.ly/3mynCdP The e-version may also be found on most online book stores. In the course of a career spanning over fifty years in the field of human rights, John Pace has been involved in a wide range of experiences in human rights and related institutional structures and procedures.  Since leaving regular UN service in 1999, he has held senior positions in the human rights/humanitarian field in Liberia, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Nepal. In the same period, he has worked in various other countries such as Indonesia, Sudan, Cambodia and Vietnam. He has been involved in the establishment and management of most departments that currently make up the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, such as Special Procedures, Technical Cooperation, and External Relations and in later years, the formation, or re-structuring of teams and management units.  As a senior official, he played an important role in the design and restructuring of the Secretariat upon the creation of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). He is currently Senior Visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, he also sits on the Board of the Diplomacy Training Programme. He is Adjunct at University of Sydney, School of Law. Dr. John Pace on the Future of Human Rights Forum: https://bit.ly/3kE6a6Z Dr. John Pace on civil society and the voyage of the great enterprise: https://bit.ly/31T79c8 Further Resources   Access the episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/35HUOsB The UN Geneva Library & Archives also has a Research Guide on human rights! Find out more here: https://libraryresources.unog.ch/hrtimeline Content Speakers: John Pace & Karen Lee Host & Editor/Producer: Karen Lee Images: John Pace / Karen Lee Social media designs and transcript: Karen Lee  Recorded & produced at the UN Geneva Library & Archives     

In Episode 33, Ambassador Umej Bhatia, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UN in Geneva and the UN in Vienna, joins The Next Page to speak about multilateralism from the perspective of a small state.   What kind of distinct importance does multilateralism and diplomacy have for small states? How does a rules-based multilateral order achieve global cooperation? How can small states turn vulnerability into opportunity? And, how have small states come together in the past and the present to further solidify their commitment to multilateralism? Ambassador Umej answers these questions and more, sharing insights from his years of experience not only as an Ambassador but also as an author and historian.   Ambassador Umej speaks about the various layers of multilateralism, from globalization, micro and macrolateralism to vaccine multilateralism. He also shares some insights on his new book, Our Name is Mutiny, a piece of creative non-fiction exploring the Singaporean experience between the years 1907 and 1915.   We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did! About Ambassador Umej Bhatia   Beyond being Singapore's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Umej is also a writer, historian, Permanent Representative to the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and Resident Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. To learn more about Ambassador Umej: https://bit.ly/34zvDaP Ambassador Umej's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BhatiaUmej Singapore UNOG Twitter: https://twitter.com/SGPMissionGva To learn more about his new book: https://bit.ly/2HWBrnc Further Resources   Access the episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3j28XVU The UN Geneva Library & Archives also has a Research Guide on multilateralism! Find out more here: https://libraryresources.unog.ch/multilateralism  Content Speakers: Umej Bhatia & Francesco Pisano Host & Editor/Producer: Karen Lee Images: Arabian Business / The National Social media designs and transcript: Karen Lee  Recorded & produced at the UN Geneva Library & Archives 

In Episode 32, historian, author and professor of history, Margaret MacMillan, joins The Next Page to share some of her insights on the makings of multilateralism as we know it today.    What are some of the roots of modern multilateral cooperation? How did individuals and institutions promote and build multilateralism, and how did they work to spread their ideas? What is the role of public opinion, and has this changed over time? Professor MacMillan shares some fascinating insights into these questions and more, looking at the beginnings of modern multilateralism in the 19th century, to the creation of the first global multilateral organization, the League of Nations, and the post-1945 era with the beginning of the United Nations. As we mark 100 years of multilateralism in Geneva, she also reflects on the evolution of multilateralism over the years, as well as a few thoughts on the multilateralism of the future.  As an avid reader and writer of many books on history, she also shares a glimpse of her most recent book, War: How Conflict Shaped Us, soon to be released on 6 October 2020, and a few tips on how she approaches the writing process. Hope you enjoy this listen as much as we did!  About Professor Margaret MacMillan   Margaret MacMillan is a Professor of History at the University of Toronto and emeritus Professor of International History and the former Warden of St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford. To learn more about her, visit: http://www.margaretmacmillan.com/Bio.php   To explore her full collection of books, including Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World (2001); The War that Ended Peace (2014); History’s People (2015); and War: How Conflict Shaped Us (2020), visit her website: http://www.margaretmacmillan.com/index.php Further Resources   Access the episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/33gBtic To find out more about 100 years of Multilateralism in Geneva, visit: https://multilateralism100.unog.ch/front  The UN Geneva Library & Archives also has a Research Guide on multilateralism! Find out more here: https://libraryresources.unog.ch/multilateralism  And, view some of Margaret MacMillan's books here at the Library: https://bit.ly/3456R24  Content Speakers: Margaret MacMillan & Natalie Alexander  Host & Editor/Producer: Karen Lee & Natalie Alexander Editorial Guidance: Pierre-Etienne Bourneuf, Scientific Advisor at UN Geneva Library & Archives Images: Ander McIntyre Social media designs and transcript: Karen Lee  Recorded & produced at the UN Geneva Library & Archives 

Welcome to The Next Page podcast. The UN Geneva Library & Archives are back from summer break, with lots of projects coming up in the next few months. Keep up-to-date over at our Twitter and Facebook pages. In Episode 31 we are joined by Dr. David Nabarro, one of six Special Envoys to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the current COVID-19 crisis, and the Strategic Director at 4SD (Skills, Systems and Synergies for Sustainable Development).   In conversation with our Director Francesco Pisano, David shares his unique insights on the current pandemic, its many challenges, but the largely hopeful vision he has for the future. Speaking from decades of service as a medical doctor, special envoy, and strategic director at 4SD, Dr. David Nabarro takes us through the present pandemic, but more importantly, points us to the future, and the collective cooperation we must all champion.   We also hear his thoughts on the ways in which he believes COVID-19 will affect Agenda 2030, and the various implications that the virus will have on our path to achieving the sustainable development goals.  Resources Learn more about David and 4SD: https://www.4sd.info/ Learn more about Agenda 2030 and the 17 sustainable development goals: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld Access the episode transcript here: https://libraryresources.unog.ch/audio/davidnabarro Content Speakers: David Nabarro and Francesco Pisano Host & Editor/Producer: Karen Lee Images: UN/UNAIDS/David Nabarro (Twitter). Graphics, social media designs and transcript: Karen Lee Recorded & produced by the UN Geneva Library & Archives

Welcome to The Next Page podcast. The UN Geneva Library & Archives are back from summer break, with lots of projects coming up in the next few months. Keep up-to-date over at our Twitter and Facebook pages. In Episode 30 we are joined by the new Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation, Corinne Momal-Vanian, who recently joined the Foundation after more than 30 years at the UN, including her most recent post as Director of the Division of Conference Management at UN Geneva. In conversation with our Director Francesco Pisano, Corinne shares about her new role and the work and values of the Kofi Annan Foundation. She also shares her reflections on multilateralism and the current state of the UN today, including some of the challenges its facing, as well as opportunities for how the UN can move forward as we look to multilateralism in the future.  We also hear her thoughts on women, gender equality and parity, and leadership in international organizations, and the values she’s inspired by from some of our past and present leaders here at the UN. For more inspiration and learning, head to the links below. Resources Learn more about Corinne and the Kofi Annan Foundation: https://www.kofiannanfoundation.org/member/corinne-momal-vanian/ Access the episode transcript here: https://libraryresources.unog.ch/c.php?g=673332&p=4880979&t=15286 Other Podcast Episodes Listen to Episode 4: Conversation on Innovation in International Organisations with Tina Ambos and Corinne Momal-Vanian Listen to Episode 19: Former President of the Kofi Annan Foundation on his book A Peacekeeper in Africa, Learning from UN Interventions in Other People’s Wars. Listen to Episode 20: Conversation with Catherine Bertini on Leading Transformational Change in International Organizations Check out the Library Research Guides on Women and Gender Equality and Women and Global Diplomacy.   Content Speakers: Corinne Momal-Vanian and Francesco Pisano Host & Editor/Producer: Natalie Alexander Images: Kofi Annan Foundation Graphics, social media designs and transcript: Karen Lee. Recorded & produced by the UN Geneva Library & Archives.

Our Knowledge Rising series is particularly focused on young activists, knowledge-shapers and change-makers. In this episode, we are joined by young activist and UN Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, Kartik Sawhney, who shares about his ongoing work in accessibility, education and entrepreneurship. As a disability advocate and technologist, Kartik has worked to redefine the term “impact” in accessibility, empowering other people with disabilities to be successful in their own pursuits in technology and innovation.  A computer science graduate of Stanford University, Kartik co-founded I-Stem (previously called Project StemAccess), which provides technical training, mentorship and hands-on opportunities to people with disabilities around the world. As the first blind student to pursue science education in high school in India, he also advocated for accessible and equitable education for other students with disabilities in the country. He is currently a software engineer/AI scientist at Microsoft where he works with the Cortana Team, the company’s virtual assistant. In this conversation, Kartik shares about his unique activism at the intersection of accessibility, education and entrepreneurship, his personal experience as a blind person, and the important role of multilateralism — at the level of individuals, companies and nations —in the fight for accessibility. Suggesting different ways in which we can all help to make a difference, Kartik emphasises the need to work collectively together to achieve truly transformational impact.  Resources: Podcast transcript: https://bit.ly/2CS0Vjp  Engage with Kartik and the rest of the team at I-Stem: https://www.inclusivestem.org/ More on Kartik: UN Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals: https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/kartik-sawhney/ UN Exclusive Interview with Kartik: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/01/exclusive-interview-kartik-sawhney/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kartiksawhney Readings: 2015 study on digital capital and its relationship with disabled students: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131514002541 Content: Speakers: Kartik Sawhney Host & Editor/Producer: Karen Lee Images: Medium Blog Recorded & produced by the UN Geneva Library & Archives.

This episode continues our Knowledge Rising series, which is dedicated to conversations with young people – activists, knowledge-makers, change-makers – on their work and their views on the issues they’re passionate about. Today, more than 1 per cent of the world’s population, around 79.5 million people, are displaced. This is according to the latest Global Trends Report by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and is the highest total the Agency has ever seen. But displacement is much more than statistics. In this episode we’re joined by Ahmed M. Badr, one of the UN Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals. He’s a writer, multi-media artist, a social entrepreneur and a former Iraqi refugee. He’s now a graduate of Wesleyan University and the founder of Narratio, a platform for youth empowerment through creative expression. Ahmed shares about his work at Narratio and his interest in the intersection of creativity and youth, particularly youth who’ve been displaced. He underlines the importance of creating spaces for them to tell their own stories, to transcend the circumstances that caused the displacement and to claim their own stories that really move beyond the numbers and the data we often see associated with refugees and displaced persons. Moving forward, he also shares his views on how creativity and multilateralism have much to learn and gain from each other.  Resources Podcast: Resettled, hosted by Ahmed, by VPM (Virginia's NPR and PBS station): http://vpm.org/resettled Podcast: A Way Home Together, Stories of the Human Journey, formerly hosted by Ahmed: http://ahmedmbadr.com/awht-podcast Narratio, a global platform for youth empowerment through creative expression: https://narratio.org/ While The Earth Sleeps We Travel, combining Ahmed's own poetry with the personal narratives and creative contributions of young refugees, available 13 October 2020: https://www.earthsleepswetravel.com/ Find Ahmed at his website: http://ahmedmbadr.com/, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/uBadrand on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mesopotami/   Content: Speaker: Ahmed M. Badr Host & Editor/Producer: Natalie Alexander. Images: Ahmed M. Badr, Edward Grattan and Bob Zurr.  Recorded & produced by the UN Geneva Library & Archives.

  This episode delves into the world of negotiation. As we mark 100 years of multilateralism in Geneva and the UN turns 75, what is the role of negotiation in the multilateral context? For this conversation, we’re joined by Jerome Bellion-Jourdan for an online recording. He’s currently a Senior Fellow at the Global Governance Centre at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, and before that he served as the lead EU negotiator on a range of thematic issues such as Business and Human Rights as well as country situations in the UN Human Rights Council for almost 9 years. In this conversation, he shares insights into negotiating at the multilateral level, but also some opportunities he sees for change and evolution in the practice of negotiation to address global challenges. He is currently working to explore the potential for an initiative which would provide the space to experiment new formats of negotiations with notably the use of technology to make them more inclusive, and to foster negotiations towards the greater good. He is supported by a team of individuals from international organisations, governments, business, civil society and others contributing pro bono to prepare for a first experiment of a “virtual and inclusive negotiation for the world after COVID-19”. He also shares on some tips on how we can all bring more inclusive conversations and negotiations into our own fields and daily lives. Here below are some resources from the conversation and more.  Resources on the project for an international negotiation platform (Global Governance Centre at the Graduate Institute in Geneva) Exploring the potential for an international negotiation platform (including access to a survey for listeners interested to complete) https://graduateinstitute.ch/communications/news/exploring-potential-international-negotiation-platform Preparation for the experiment of "a virtual and inclusive for the world after the COVID-19 outbreak": see more at the Blog & LinkedIn page to contact Jerome Bellion-Jourdan. Readings: Multilateralism: the Anatomy of an Institution, by John G. Ruggie. International Organization, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Summer, 1992), pp. 561-598 https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/john-ruggie/files/multilateralism.pdf Getting to Yes with Yourself (and other Worthy Opponents), by William Ury. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2015, 256p. https://www.williamury.com/books/getting-to-yes-with-yourself/ The UN Human Rights Council. A Practical Anatomy, by Eric Tistounet. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020, 384p. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/the-un-human-rights-council-9781789907933.html Content: Speaker: Jerome Bellion-Jourdan. Host & Editor/Producer: Natalie Alexander. Images: UN Geneva Library & Archives, Jerome Bellion-Jourdan. Recorded & produced at the UN Geneva Library & Archives.  

This episode begins a new series on the podcast called Knowledge Rising, which is dedicated to speaking with young activists, knowledge-shapers and knowledge-makers, in order to hear their own insights on the global issues they’re working on and are passionate about. The series is a space to build our understanding collectively about how we can act on the issues that affect our common future. We kick off with a conversation on the global impact of what we wear: the fashion and apparel industry. Holly Syrett (Senior Sustainability Manager at the Global Fashion Agenda) and Colette Grosscurt (a Responsible Investment Officer at ACTIAM) are based in Amsterdam and are dedicating a lot of their work to helping change the fashion industry to a more sustainable one. They’re both part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers community, a network of young people driving action and change on global challenges. They together co-founded the initiative called Shaping Fashion, and in this conversation share their own insights into this industry, which accounts for at least 8 to 10 per cent of global greenhouse emissions among other impacts on the environment, labor rights and gender equality. They also share what is needed to bring about change globally through multilateral efforts, but also what we can all do to act now by choosing more consciously what we wear. Further Resources: The Shaping Fashion initiative: https://www.weforum.org/projects/shaping-fashion & https://www.globalshapers.org/impact/shaping-fashion Two 2020 collective action projects supported by Shaping Fashion: Slow Fashion Season: https://collaction.org/projects/slow-fashion-season-2020/174/details Closet Mass Index: https://dirtylaundryamfi.wixsite.com/mysite The NGO Fashion Revolution: https://www.fashionrevolution.org Fashion for Good initiative: https://fashionforgood.com Good on You, a resource for rating brands on sustainability and ethical production:: https://goodonyou.eco ACT, the first global commitment on living wages in the garment, textile and footwear industry: https://actonlivingwages.com New Standard Institute: https://www.newstandardinstitute.org/ The Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action: https://unfccc.int/climate-action/sectoral-engagement/global-climate-action-in-fashion/about-the-fashion-industry-charter-for-climate-action The UN Fashion Alliance: https://unfashionalliance.org/ Content: Speakers: Holly Syrett and Colette Grosscurt. Host & Editor/Producer: Natalie Alexander. Images: Holly Syrett and Colette Grosscurt/Shaping Fashion. Recorded & produced at the UN Geneva Library & Archives.