The UN needs some (tough) love

~ Kim ~ Leave a comment

The 64th session of the UN General Assembly started today, with diplomats and leaders from every country in the world travelling to New York to once again try to put the world to rights. As ever, the annual fanfare that marks the beginning of what will be a long season of talks, meetings and committee sessions will begin with a short(ish) speech from the Secretary-General, following by a silent meditation, followed by speeches. A lot of speeches. And from next week, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chairpersons and other leaders of numerous titles will take to the podium, each voicing their opinions on what should be top of the UN’s agenda.

However, most people won’t be aware of this. News coverage so far has been virtually non-existent, and when it does ramp up, it is of course more likely to focus on what’s bound to be a controversial speech from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than it is on the plight of smaller nations like the Maldives, who come back every year screaming (as loudly as the UN protocol will allow) that climate change threatens their very existence.

Having said that, I’m not surprised or even too concerned about this lack of public awareness of the General Debate. Within the international walls of the UN itself, every speech will play out to a packed out GA, and the issues on the table will be well known and understood by those that are in a position to make the decisions. Also, a lot of the speeches are very boring. Realistically, there are only going to be a few moments that will say something new, and therefore be deemed newsworthy.

What the lack of media coverage does indicate however is how little we seem to care about what goes on in the Glass Building on New York’s 1st Avenue. And why would we? Bureaucracy and political will (or lack of it) hamper the UN’s ability to take meaningful action time and again. Virtual deadlock on the Security Council, where at least one of the P5 (USA, UK, China, Russia or France) vetoes nearly every resolution that could actually make a difference, makes the UN’s main chamber little more than a frustrated talking shop.

But I do love it. It’s a kind of tough love. I genuinely believe that it is an incredible institution and a force for good in the world. The very fact that somewhere like it exists, somewhere which invites people from every corner of the globe to work on making the world a better place, well, it really gives me hope. Where else are the major global issues – climate change, poverty, disease, human rights – going to be tackled? And tackled jointly, meaningfully, and with true international consensus? For these reasons the UN is deserving of our attention if not our support.

But it definitely a prime candidate for some tough love. And with Obama primed to take the stage – it just might get it. My big hope for the General Debate is for the USA to demonstrate that they think the UN is worthwhile. Eight years of a hostile Republican Government has marginalised the UN in the minds of the world’s only super-power, and therefore for the rest of the world. Obama offers a chance for some real commitment to making the UN work, and with the weight of the US behind it, it just might happen. No doubt Obama will have some harsh words for the UN community about reform but I, like everyone else who has worked in the Glass Building, will be hoping those words are under-pinned with a spirit of commitment, vision and hope. God knows the world needs it.

Watch the General Assembly and the General Debate on the UN webcast

Five Tips for Travelling Solo

~ Kim ~ 6 Comments

Just this morning I received the following text:

Kim, I have swine flu. I’m not going to be able to make it to Paris because a) I feel like death and b) I’m not allowed to be around people…so sorry! x

Of course, my first thought is; poor Clare! My second (slightly selfish) thought is; hmm…probably best not to be sharing a hotel room with the dreaded swine flu. And my third is; ok…so does this mean I go to Paris on my own?

I’ve always thought of travelling alone as a necessary rite of passage. Yes, the idea of it can be a bit daunting. After all, it isn’t often in our busy lives that we end up forcing ourselves to spend a few days, or a week, or even months with no friends or family around. Add into the mix an unknown place, an unknown language, and a whole variety of unforeseen challenges that inevitably land at your feet when travelling, and you start to see why for lots of people, going it alone is thought to be completely out of the question.

But ask anyone who has spent any time abroad with only their wits, their credit card and the phone number for the British embassy as backup, and they’ll tell you that they’re a better person for the experience.  There is a complete sense of freedom that comes from knowing that wherever you are and whatever is happening, you can rely on yourself and actually have a bloody good time in the process. Plus, if you’re single, you don’t have to rely on ‘finding someone to go one holiday with’ in order to go to the places on your travel hit list.

But that was then. To be honest, having had a bit of a crap year all round – one that’s left me a little bit bruised, I can’t say I feel as confident as I used to about jetting off on my own with only my own thoughts for company. As many a travel writer has pointed out, the problem with travelling alone is that you have to take yourself with you, and if you’re head is not in the best of places then that’s a prospect that might seem pretty terrifying.

However, I also know that if I get myself onto the eurostar, proving to myself that I can rely on myself in a foreign city will probably be one of the most empowering and rejuvenating things I could do.  So I’m going to give it a shot. Drawing on my past experience, these are the tips I’m repeating to myself so I actually enjoy it.

1. Remember, you’re never actually alone

Unless you’re on in the middle of a polar ice cap, it is highly unlikely that there won’t be people close by to remind you that you’re never actually on your own. In fact, I’ve often found that the challenge for lone travellers is more likely to be getting some time to yourself than finding someone to hang out with. Something about being on your own makes you way more approachable to other backpackers/hotel guests/cute guys in the same cafe; and I’ve always found I’ve made more new friends on my lone-travel trips than on group efforts.

However, if you do find yourself getting a bit lonely, or just fancy some company, there are some easy ways to scratch the itch. Signing up for organised tours is a pretty safe bet, while group activities are even better – think group treks, cooking workshops, language classes. And if none of that takes your fancy, always remember that if you really need to you can contact friends and family by text, phone or email any time you like.

For me though, the best way of overcoming any pangs for company is simply by talking to everyone. I mean it. People in the place you’re staying, the waiters and shop assistants, people on the street to ask directions, people in same bus queue. Who cares if your French / Thai / Japanese is a bit shaky. You only need to learn a few words and phrases to make a connection with someone, and you get so much more out of the experience as a result. And if you really don’t know any of the language…

2. Smile

People are more likely to warm to you and want to help you if you look friendly, even if you are babbling in broken English making wild hand gestures to try and make yourself understood.

Smiling also comes in useful when things go horribly wrong; it’s an instant reminder to relax and remember that there is never a problem than can’t be solved.

3. Research the cool cafes

One of the first things I do when in a new place is find a few cafes that can become my home from home – where I can eat, drink, read, blog or just hang out and people watch for hours on end. Let’s face it, spending a whole day and night on your own traversing the sights of a new place can be pretty knackering, and it makes me feel much more relaxed in a new city knowing there are a few spots I can just camp out in regardless of where I am or what time it is. For me, this makes me feel like less of an outsider and helps me make the city my own. On a related topic…

4. Embrace dinnertime

Most lone travellers will tell you that dinnertime can be the hardest time to be on your own in a city. You’re usually busy all day in the bustling town enjoying the sites and travelling from A to B, happily sitting in cafes in bars where no one bats an eyelid as you sit on your own and enjoy a good book. But when the sun goes down something switches. Suddenly all the restaurants and cafes are packed with couples and groups. And waiters aren’t quite so welcoming when they realise they’ll be giving you a table for two but getting half the sales (and half the tip). And out of nowhere, you become acutely aware you’re on your own.

The trick here is to embrace the experience. So what if you’re dining alone? This is your holiday and your evening. So indulge yourself. Eat what you like, where you like. Take your favourite book or your journal and save the best bits to enjoy over dinner. Order your favourite wine. Ignore any snotty waiters trying to usher you into a side table by the kitchen and sit where you want to. Take a deep breath. Enjoy every mouthful of your food. Eavesdrop on conversations (this can be even more fun if you don’t know the language).  Spend as long as you like – there’s no need to rush if you don’t want to. Do something that will give you a buzz, like making a list of ambitions for yourself, or places you want to visit in the next ten years. Or just do nothing, remembering how brave you are sitting in this restaurant far from home, and soak up the atmosphere. Which leads us onto…

5. Get outside

Do not, under any circumstances, sit in your room pondering the map and worrying the big bad city outside. Yes, be prepared. Yes, make at least a vague plan for how you’re going to spend your day. But if you need to consult your guidebook or your map, do it sitting in a Parisian/Argentinean/Californian cafe, not from the edge of your hotel bed.  There is nothing in that room you haven’t seen before and there’s a whole world of experiences outside that you might be telling your grandkids about.

Your Wonderful World

~ Kim ~ 2 Comments

Ever since I saw on twitter that Chi-chi Ekweozor is mustering Herculean levels of endurance to visit all 7 wonders of the world in just 7 days, all for charity, it’s really got me thinking about some of the incredible journeys we make and how much we’re prepared to do for the promise of experiencing something amazing. It’s also made me wonder what it is that makes something wondrous to us; the sight itself, or something more.

The ‘7 wonders’ accolade is after all a deliberately bold statement. It’s basically saying that, on the whole of our pretty huge planet, these 7 sights are the greatest things you’re ever going to see. They’re incomparable. You can believe the hype. They’re guaranteed to take your breathe away.

The very fact that there are places out there that are capable of inspiring such awe among so many people is in itself pretty incredible. After all, 100 million votes were cast back in 2007 to create the official list.  But I can’t help but think that it takes more than the simple vision of a place to leave an imprint on our minds for years to come.

A couple of years ago I went on a road trip across Australia with two of my oldest and best friends. On this one particularly beautiful day we were driving down the Great Ocean Road towards the Twelve Apostles which, we had been told repeatedly, were ‘a must see’ .

They were gorgeous. I have about 50 photographs to prove it. But the wondrous moment for me that day wasn’t seeing those stone structures jutting out of the sea. It was later that night in Port Campbell, sat with our legs dangling over a deserted pier, cracking open a bottle of champagne we’d bought in the Yarra, drinking out of plastic cups and giggling about our efforts to persuade the waiters at dinner that it was my birthday (it wasn’t), in an attempt to get some free dessert (in which we succeeded). The sun was setting and there we were; three best friends sat on the edge of Australia with a feeling that we were surrounded by magic.

It’s wonderful to know that there are places out there that most would agree are awe-inspiring; and I hope I’m lucky enough to see all the official 7 wonders too someday.  But it’s also good to know that amazing moments are just as likely to happen when you least expect it, perhaps with some good friends at the end of a long day. I’m pretty sure that if I asked you to name 7 places that mean the most to you, your list would include places unknown to most of us – special only you. So, give yourself a treat and try to think of a few of them – 7 of them if you can.

You can track the 7 Wonders in 7 Days adventure at @7wondersin7days, and hwww.7wondersin7days.com/

Top 5 Videos on Israel-Palestine

~ Kim ~ 7 Comments

This documentary and video material has been selected to help you get to grips with this particular conflict. Some of the videos I’ve been directed to by my wonderful I-P course tutor, and some of them I’ve found myself. Where possible, I’ve embedded the videos into this article.

1. For getting a good overview: The Promised Land? (Al Jazeera English)

This three-part series offers an excellent overview of the history right from the roots of modern Zionism in the later 1800s, right through to the present day efforts for peace. Overall, it’s relatively balanced and dispels a lot of the myths (like the idea that Palestine was a barren land when the Jewish people started to settle there), and helps the viewer understand how this conflict developed into what it is today.  Each of the three programmes is split into two parts, each lasting about 10mins. Here’s part one of the Pioneers episode.

 

2. For hearing both sides of the story: The Doha Debates

Take a standard debating format, add in some provocative statements about the Middle East and then put the studio in Qatar, complete with controversial speakers and an astute audience, and bam! You have yourself the Doha Debates. Sponsored by BBC World News, here are a couple you might find particularly interesting:

3. For seeing how many Israelis and Palestinians are moderates who want peace

OneVoice is a campaign which aims to bring together the moderate masses on both sides to work together, challenge the extremists and ultimately bring an end to the conflict. Right now they have 650k people signed up in support of a peaceful two-state solution, roughly half of them Israeli and half of them Palestinian. This video features people from both sides talking about the movement, and their desire for peace.  

4. For seeing first hand how some are working together to fight for peace

A low-key ‘fly on the wall’ clip showing how Israeli activists are working to support the Palestinians in resisting settlers. It comes from that great blog Global Voices and their recent interview with peace activist Ibn Erza.

 

5. For understanding how debate on Israel is stifled in the USA

This is a montage of interviews with Professors Walt and Mearsheimer, whose article on the Israel lobby questioning whether support for Israel was in the US national interest caused significant controversy in America back in 2006, leaving them open to charges of anti-semitism and un-americanism. What I love about it is how nervous the interviewers are; they sort of know it’s their responsibility to be balanced and objective, but can’t bring themselves to challenge the status quo, and insist on asking questions like ‘do you consider yourself to be a patriot?’

More?

If you know of any other videos that provide an insight into this conflict, be sure to comment on this article and let us all know about them.

Try Talking About Israel-Palestine

~ Kim ~ 1 Comment

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that only a fool would choose this most intractable and polarising of conflicts for their first blog entry. But bear with me here. I’m not going to launch into lots of analysis on the viability of a two state solution. I wouldn’t know where to start. And that’s the point.

Given that this conflict is at the centre, or at least near the inner edge of most foreign policy decisions across the world, the general level of understanding about what the hell is going on over there is pretty poor. It’s not something we like to talk about. It’s like Fightclub. The first rule of Fightclub is…you do not talk about Fightclub. And why don’t you talk about Fightclub? Because, if you do, you get in trouble. It’ll be bad. Presumably even worse than actually going to Fightclub.

You don’t talk about Israel-Palestine. If you build up the courage to make a point or express a view that might be perceived as pro-Palestinian,  you’re an anti-semitic lefty with no sympathy for the Holocaust. Stick up for the Israelis, and you’re both racist and inhumane, with no empathy for an oppressed people. No one wants to be on either side of that coin.  Best keep your mouth shut, your head down and just watch as the violence gets even more bloody.

There is a culture of fear about talking about what’s happening in that small quarter of the Middle East that has made its discussion virtually taboo. And as a result, unlike Afghanistan or even Iraq, this taboo has meant that all too often the whole issue falls right off the popular consciousness. Where are all the films about Israel and Palastine? Not the cool hip indie films or edgy cartoons; I mean the big films, the blockbusters, the Blood Diamond or Slumdog Millionaire of the Middle East? Or if not films, maybe books? Not high-brow academic histories or intellectual policy hardbacks; I’m talking the Kite Runner of Ramallah; the Book Seller of Jerusalem? You can hear the producers and publishers squirming in their seats as they say, quietly, ‘don’t go there.’

I’ve had enough of this complicit silence. Bad things are happening over there, things which are hurting people. Myth and misinformation spread like wildfire, ramping up the anger and the hatred while moving the region futher away from any kind of peaceful, just and secure solution.

Clearly we can’t solve the conflict overnight. But what we can do is learn more about it; the facts, beliefs and people involved; so we can actually discuss it in an informed manner. I’m the first to admit that my current level of knowledge is pretty close to zero. Which in itself is crazy – I studied International Relations for God’s sake! Where was this on the syllabus?! So, it looks like I’ll have to start from scratch. I’m doing a course and everything. So, this is my quest. I’ll keep you posted on what I find…