The Next Page

36: The World's Most Traveled Document, with Gudrun Beger & Colin Wells #SpecialEpisode

While we cannot travel much these days, as we work together through COVID-19, we hope this story will take you on a bit of a journey!
Our colleagues Gudrun Beger and Colin Wells, from the Institutional Memory Section at the UN Geneva Library & Archives, join us for a special look into the League of Nations Archives. 
Gudrun is Team Analyst and Colin is Project Manager for the LONTAD Project, the Total Digital Access to the League of Nations Archives Project, which upon completion will ensure free access online to, as well as the digital and physical preservation of, the entire archives of the League of Nations.
For this conversation, Gudrun shares a brief history of The World’s Most Traveled Document: our passports and travel IDs. As part of the team working recently on the processing of the Mixed Archival Nansen Fond, they came across examples of some of the very first modern passports and travel IDs issued. Colin also shares some analysis about what we can find in the Archives on these documents, as well as the importance of the Archives collection to our understanding today of our history, the work of the League and some its lasting impacts, and multilateralism as it evolves and moves forward.  
Resources and Episode Materials 
The Total Digital Access to the League of Nations Archives Project (LONTAD) will ensure state-of-the-art free online access and the digital and physical preservation of the entirety of the archives of the League of Nations (1920-1946), the first global intergovernmental organization aiming to establish international peace and cooperation, and the predecessor of the United Nations. The League of Nations Archives have been registered since 2009 on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Find out more here: https://lontad-project.unog.ch/
The LONTAD Project Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Digital_Access_to_the_League_of_Nations_Archives_Project 
Learn more about the United Nations Archives at Geneva: https://bit.ly/2WZQuRH
Find us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/UNOGLibrary and https://twitter.com/lontadinho 
More on the dried bananas mentioned in the episode: the dried bananas were initially sent by a producer of banana flour to the Economic and Financial Section of the League, with a request to include the item in the new unified customs nomenclature. See a photo of the dried bananas below!
Images and Credits
Dried bananas, found in the League of Nations Archives (United Nations Archives at Geneva).
 
Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian polar explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace prize laureate. (Wikimedia Commons: Henry Van der Weyd)
 
 
Nansen certificate issued in France as an international substitute for a passport, part of the League of Nations Archives (United Nations Archives at Geneva).
   
Passport of a Russian refugee (Konstantin Wlassoff-Klass) containing numerous German stamps, part of the League of Nations Archives (United Nations Archives at Geneva).
Content:
Speakers: Gudrun Beger, Colin Wells and Stefan Vukotic.
Host & Editor/Producer: Natalie Alexander.
Images: United Nations Archives at Geneva (see images for more information).
Sound effects: Via Envato Market (Belle Epoque Waltz and WWI Battle Ambience), Soviet March by Shane Ivers (https://www.silvermansound.com) and World of Brothers Allegretto by Dee Yan-Kee).
Recorded & produced by the UN Geneva Library & Archives.
 

35: James Bell on public perception of global cooperation

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 

34: Dr. John Pace and the role of civil society in the fabric of human rights

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/3mynCdPThe 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 
   

33: Ambassador Umej Bhatia on multilateralism through the eyes of small states

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 

32: Historian Margaret MacMillan on the shaping of modern multilateralism

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 

31: Dr. David Nabarro on the Impact of COVID-19 on Agenda 2030

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

30: Corinne Momal-Vanian, new Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation

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.

29: Kartik Sawhney on the intersection of accessibility, education and entrepreneurship, and the power of working together #KnowledgeRising

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.

28: Ahmed M. Badr on youth, storytelling and transcending displacement through creative expression #KnowledgeRising

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.

27: Jerome Bellion-Jourdan on negotiations for the greater good

 
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.