United Nations

Today is UN visitation day. To get ready I do my hair and make-up so I look more presentable than I usually do when I head to class. I also quadruple check that I have my passport with me. As we co through security I notice that they were less concerned with the presence of my passport than I was and I am reminded of the time I went to Ethiopia under the impression that I needed the Yellow Fever Flu vaccination. I did receive the shot among 5 others when I did not have complete immunization records proving I was protected against certain childhood diseases. Anyways, the airport security in Addis Ababa did not care to see my Yellow fever certification that I spent a week sick (puking) after inoculation. I offered the yellow fever certificate to the security anyways to make myself feel better. The passport issue at the UN was not that big of a deal.

Now on to Vienna instead of Addis Ababa.

The United Nations in Vienna is one of four in the world. Other cities hosting the United Nations are New York (NY, USA), Geneva (Switzerland), and Nairobi (Kenya).

There are six official languages: English, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Spanish. In order to be a translator one must be fluent in three of the official languages and one of them must be the mother tongue. I am 1/3 of my way there. A story that wonderfully explains the art of translation is as follows: a Russian diplomat was telling a joke. Jokes are usually lost in translation. So in order not to offend the diplomat by a failed joke, the translator told it’s listens, “the Diplomat is trying to tell a joke, please laugh softly.” The audience laughed, the diplomat thought he was funny, so all were pleased and war was diverted (italics are my own addition).

Here is another attempt at translation humor:



The United Nations in Vienna is the headquarters of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency (http://www.iaea.org/). This agency dates back to the Manhattan project and has been in operation since Captain Robert Lewis, co-pilot of the Enola Gay, uttered his famous words “my God, what have we done.” The IAEA has since made its mission to never have to utter those words again in the context of atomic war. The main objectives of the IAEA are non-proliferation and security. There are 187 countries that have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and four categories of atomic states.
1. Nuclear Weapons Sates: USA, Russia, United Kingdom, Franc and China
a. These states have detonated nuclear bombs before January 1967
b. Under the NPT pledge not to transfer nuclear weapons and pledge to facilitate
peaceful use of nuclear energy
2. Non-Nuclear Weapon States: 182 states in total
a. Pledge not to proliferate
b. Accept IAEA safeguards
3. States outside NPT
a. India and Pakistan; declare they are without nuclear energy
b. Israel: is without declared nuclear energy, but sources believe they have it
4. Abandoned NPT States
a. North Korea
b. The UN diplomatically dealt with N Korea to avoid war

In regards to security the IAEA advises states in safety and security guidelines but leaves it up to individual states to enforce the protocols. They write the laws and run the atomic world on paper then hope for the best. It would drive me crazy to feel like my hands were tied when a nation thumbs its nose at my laws, however I understand the importance of legislation. Nothing is illegal unless the law says it first. Precedence is key.

From the IAEA we headed to lunch where one of my classes noted interest in a UN internship on account of the economical and scrumptious cuisine. I liked the price but expected more from my vegan dish of Indian food, and remind myself not to have such high expectations for meatless dishes in the schnitzel capital of the world.

Our next main lecture is on Human Trafficking, “Affected for Life” (http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html) Trafficking is a global problem that is complicated due to the amount of parties involved in the crime. There are recruiters, transporters, smugglers, harborers, and receivers. The crimes also usually cross international borders and the victims are detained under force, deception, fear, and coercion. As part as the UN’s offensive against trafficking, the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) train police for signs of trafficking and create tools to prevent, suppress and punish.

I am quite interest in the area of human rights, from gypsies to Jews in the Holocaust, to Darfur and beyond. I could see myself working in an institution that deals with human trafficking or other human rights agencies that were more hands on with the victims than the UN. The internship at the UN is only two months and I get excited about the open doors after a short commitment. When I get back to my apartment I fill out the application for the UCDC program. My interest in an internship in Washington DC is re-ignited and I plan on extending my final year at Davis one more quarter. I’m not sure if I’ll ever end up in DC, but I decide to take professor Stuart’s advice, to “throw out hooks” of opportunity and walk through the open doors. I’m spontaneous and flexible enough to get excited about the adventures that lay ahead.