Study Trip to Geneva 2012
Questions concerning international health care issues and humanitarian response were addressed during the first two days. World Health Organization (WHO)professionals Ms Ellen Egan, External Relations Officer, and Dr. Rudi Tangermann, Medical Officer, gave an introduction to mission and field activities of their organization. The global polio eradication initiative served as a practical example. The vaccination program focuses on a few remaining countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan being two of them. The students gained further insights into emergency aid programs at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Mr Benjamin Eckstein’s (Head of Coordination and Support Team, Division of Integration and Promotion of Law) presentation about the ICRC and its activities in the field was supplemented by an introduction to International Humanitarian Law by Ms Marie-José d’Aprile, Legal and Humanitarian Affairs Adviser.
A visit to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was scheduled on the third day. The students were welcomed by Mr Neil Buhne, Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, who provided broad information about his staff’s activities in Afghanistan and other regions of conflict. Participants gained insights into research and consulting activities of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) in the afternoon. The organization was founded by the Swiss government in 2000.
The visitation of the European Headquarter of the United Nations certainly was one of the excursion’s highlights. The students met experts from various UN organizations after they had received a guided tour of the Palais des Nations. The group of speakers included Mr Babar Baloch, Communications Officer, High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ms Thanda Thanda and Ms Azwa Petra, Human Rights Officers, High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) and Mr David Wright, Senior Customs Adviser, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Mr Wright discussed achievements and challenges of implementing Customs infrastructure in Afghanistan with our students.
Finally, participants were invited to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Talks focussed on the implementation of interstate economic agreements as well as Afghanistan’s accession status and the country’s chances to qualify for full membership.
The five day programme was complemented by common dinners and a guided city tour. However, besides room for social and cultural exchange, the excursion provided students with possibilities to gain deeper insights into international organizations and possible career paths. In this way, participants had the chance to set up networks among one another and UN professionals. Eventually, expert meetings provided opportunities to test interview techniques that will be of practical value for student’s research projects.