DIGITAL EDITION SERVING THE PEOPLE OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN GENEVA SINCE 1949PRINT & newSpecial For an equal and resilient world 803– OCT 2020 THE G STAFF AT MEG Suivez-nous sur: GLOBAL HEALTH VISION A LONG TERMS WHO sets the Jean Dubuffet’s Africa kicks out Le leadership course for em- Art Brut – p. 14 new.special wild polio – p. 24 spirituel? – p. 26 powerment – p. 8 www. newspecial.org DIGITAL EDITION SERVING THE PEOPLE OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN GENEVA SINCE 1949PRINT & newSpecial For an equal and resilient world 803– OCT 2020 THE G STAFF AT MEG Suivez-nous sur: GLOBAL HEALTH VISION A LONG TERMS WHO sets the Jean Dubuffet’s Africa kicks out Le leadership course for em- Art Brut – p. 14 new.special wild polio – p. 24 spirituel? – p. 26 powerment – p. 8 www. newspecial.org © UN INTERIM EDITORIAL COMMITTEE COMITÉ DE RÉDACTION INTÉRIMAIRE For an equal and resilient world Pour un monde égalitaire et résilient It’s against an uncertain global backdrop that Le mois dernier, dans un contexte inter- United Nations Secretary-General António national incertain, le SG Guterres et les Guterres and other world leaders addressed dirigeants du monde sont intervenus, UNGA75 last month, most of them virtually. virtuellement pour la plupart, pendant In spite of its 75th anniversary, this is a l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies. difficult time for the United Nations, and A l’occasion de ce 75e anniversaire, force for multilateralism. Guterres was hoping est de constater que l’ONU et le multilaté- EDITORIAL / ÉDITORIAL 3 for momentum on a New Social Contract (in ralisme vivent une période difficile. Le SG countries) and a New Global Deal (globally). de l’ONU prônait un nouvel élan matérialisé FEATURED / À LA UNE His words were spot on: “Public appetite for par un contrat social efficient dans les pays Let us shape the United Nations for transformative change is growing”, and this et une nouvelle donne globale à l’échelle the next 75 years 5 is confirmed by global polls. de la planète. Il soulignait d’ailleurs ce que WHO Sets the Course by Empowering confirment les enquêtes d’opinion : « les G-Staff 8 Our hope is that with input from United attentes de la population pour une vraie From screensavers to savours of nature 12 Nations staff and internal transformation, transformation augmentent ». including debate on the pages of our mag- INTERNATIONAL GENEVA / azine, we will help shape the next 75 years Nous espérons que l’implication t du per- GENÈVE INTERNATIONALE of the Organization. The WHO G-Force sonnel onusien contribuera à mettre en Jean Dubuffet, story tells us how staff are exploring vari- place cette transformation pour les 75 pro- a Barbarian in Europe 14 ous ways to further align internal processes chaines années et nous incluons modeste- Bertha von Suttner: mère du militantisme to help us achieve impact, followed by the ment notre magazine dans cet élan. moderne 18 article on differentiated approach to lead- International mobility, a specialty ership that you will read a few pages later. L’article sur la G force de l’OMS démontre of employees of intergovernmental que les processus internes amènent une organisations 22 The article on the leadership unpacks the réelle efficacité dans l’accomplissement de Africa kicks out wild polio 24 need for new ways of working with a long- nos missions et que cette démarche est term vision in sigh. On our central pages, compatible avec une approche différen- Le leadership spirituel, une solution pour le futur ? 26 you will see that not all news about health is ciée du leadership que vous lirez quelques gloomy these days. Africa has finally kicked pages plus loin. Vous noterez sur notre The importance of early breast cancer out polio! As you go through our pages, don’t page centrale, que toute les nouvelles sur la screening 29 miss the article on a new high-profile exhibi- santé ne sont pas moroses et que l’Afrique Things I learned from being around the tion in Geneva as well as the last instalment a finalement éradiqué la polio. Parcourez Geneva world-health behemoth 30 in our Namibia feature with exceptional nos pages pour visiter cette nouvelle expo- Raconter son weekend à ses collègues… photos and first-hand knowledge of this sition à Genève. Contemplez ce dernier et pouvoir dire avec qui on l’a passé 32 fascinating country. We have also launched reportage et les photos exceptionnelles sur a new series “La Suisse inconnue”, in which la Namibie. Visitez aussi cette Suisse incon- ART & CULTURE we will explore unknown places far from the nue loin des sentiers battus du tourisme. Rainer Maria Rilke, aus dem Buch beaten tourist track in different cantons of Apprenez enfin, avec l’Histoire et l’évoca- der Bilder 35 Switzerland. And finally, the story of Betha tion de Bertha von Suttner, qu’il importe How to feel like you’re on holiday when von Suttner, who represents people whose d’étudier et de découvrir les personnes you’re not 36 message is universal. n dont le message est universel. n Reflections on the “discovery” of America 38 Canton du Jura : Les Bois 42 Namibie 4/4: Sanctuaire animalier Serving the people of international Au service du personnel des organisations d’Etosha 44 organizations in Geneva since 1949 internationales de Genève depuis 1949 newSpecial – October 2020 | 3 FEATURED / À LA UNE © UN Photo/Loey Felipe © UN Photo/Loey Kalla Ankourao, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Niger hairs the videoconference with Security Council members in connection with maintenance of international peace and security, with a focus on the humanitarian effects of environmental degradation and peace and security. Let us shape the United Nations for the next 75 years Will the pandemic save or GARRY ASLANYAN, WHO Questioning the relevance of the United We started this year with excitement Nations in this situation, its impact and further erode the United for an anniversary and a cause for cele- effectiveness, are not necessarily new ideas. Nations in the year of its bration: the United Nations’ 75 years of There have been numerous attempts to existence. But by September, at the time try and enhance its effectiveness, increase 75th birthday? of the General Assembly, the mood was coherence in its agencies and have more been anything but celebratory because the presence in the field. What is new, how- pandemic had showed us how unprepared ever, is the attempts to question the val- we are and how the 75-year-old success ues and principles of multilateralism. The of the Organization is threatened. Just Declaration on the commemoration of the what will come out of it all and what the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, multilateral system will look like in a few adopted by the General Assembly on 21 years is largely unknown. Maybe as you September, pledged to advance multilateral read this and reflect, you can may have cooperation in the quest for solutions to the thoughts as to how we can save it or how global health crisis and reaffirmed WHO’s it may further erode. What role can we leadership role. In a recent WHO survey, play personally? it was found that 90% of countries are experiencing disruptions to essential health As the 75th UNGA opened last month in services due to the pandemic. The most an unprecedented virtual session, WHO frequently disrupted areas reported include presented to world leaders a plan to fight routine immunization, non-communicable the COVID-19 pandemic. A plan which diseases diagnosis and treatment, family would cost US$ 35 billion to fast-track planning and contraception, treatment development, procurement and distribu- for mental health disorders, and cancer tion of 2 billion vaccine doses, treatments diagnosis and treatment. It is clear that and tests over the coming year. However, COVID-19 offers a stark reminder of why WHO stressed that countries need to put we need to invest in stronger health and their money on the table to fulfill those data systems, rooted in primary healthcare, commitments. to achieve universal health coverage and newSpecial – October 2020 | 5 © UN Photo/Rick Bajornas A wide view of the General Assembly Hall as the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-fifth session opens. to meet the health-related targets of the until 2015, and, more recently, on the 2030 That is why the United Nations puts the SDGs. In terms of preparing for the next SDGs agenda. most vulnerable at the center of its action, pandemic, WHO pointed to the findings of treating them as agents of their livelihoods a report United Nations-sponsored Global As stated in the Declaration on the com- and of their future, under the protection of Preparedness Monitoring Board which memoration of the United Nations 75th international law. And it will continue to noted that it would take some 500 years anniversary, the pandemic has reminded make a difference in the lives of millions to spend as much on preparedness as the us in the most powerful way that we are of people by reaffirming the core values it world is losing economically as a result of closely interconnected and only as strong is built on, and by bringing together under COVID-19. The report “World in Disorder” as our weakest link. Pooling investments its multicolored tent the variety of actors also noted that it had warned last year globally provides a chance for all coun- who want to contribute to a better future of the likelihood a pandemic could erupt, tries to access a greater number of tools for all, from their different perspectives, killing millions and disrupting economies, more quickly, sharing the risks and costs united around global goals.