Geneva-Paris ST Report 2012

STUDY TRIP REPORT
of our visit of International Organizations in Geneva and Paris

21st of April to 28th of April 2012
Bachelor Programme
Export-Oriented Management 2009

Hospitality kindly provided by
DISCLAIMER
This study trip report contains information that is based on minutes taken by students of IMC FH Krems and is intended as a summary of what has been said and discussed during the meetings at the International Organizations that were visited. The reader is cautioned that these minutes may be subject to errors stemming from misunderstandings or misperceptions on the part of the students. Therefore, any quotation from this text is discouraged.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
At this point we would like to acknowledge all the people who made this unique study trip, which no other university in Austria has ever conducted, possible. First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic, Chairperson for International Law and Global Political Studies at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems. Besides many in-house visits of speakers from all over the world, and several visits to all relevant organisations in Vienna (UN, OSCE, EC) he initiated and organized this special event for the 5th time. We do deeply appreciate all the time and effort Prof. Bajrektarevic invested throughout the past months. Without his personal reputation and contacts, none of us would have had the chance to benefit from such a diverse and highly informative programme. Secondly, we are very grateful for the work of the organisation team Magdalena Froschauer, and Maximilian Hanke both prior to and during the study trip. Jakob Sterlich deserves to be given special credit as well, as he not only generated a significant amount from the Austrian Students Union, but also brokered access to the special funds of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research. Due tribute goes likewise to each and every organizer and speaker of all visited Geneva and Paris entities and International Organizations. To conclude with, we would also like to express our gratitude to all the sponsors for their support, be it financial or in kind.
Thank you all for your kind support!
Table of content
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 2. Timetable .......................................................................................................... 2 3. Our destinations ............................................................................................... 6 3.1. 3.2. Geneva ...................................................................................................... 6 Paris ........................................................................................................... 7
4. Monday, 23rd of April 2012............................................................................... 9 4.1. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) ..................... 9 The Organization ................................................................................. 9 History ............................................................................................... 10 Mission .............................................................................................. 11 Structure ............................................................................................ 12 UNECE Internship Program .............................................................. 16
4.1.1. 4.1.2. 4.1.3. 4.1.4. 4.1.5. 4.2.
Austrian Mission in Geneva ..................................................................... 16 Introduction ........................................................................................ 17 The Austrian Mission in Geneva ........................................................ 17 Humanitarian Affairs Mag. Eveline Jamek ...................................... 18 WTO Dr. Martin Fagerer ................................................................. 20
4.2.1. 4.2.2. 4.2.3. 4.2.4.
4.2.5. Human Rights Dr. Johannes Strasser,Mag. Thomas Unger and Mag. Guschlbauer .......................................................................................... 22 4.2.6. Disarmament Dr. Peter Steiner....................................................... 23
5. Tuesday, 24th of April 2012 ............................................................................ 25 5.1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) .......................................... 25 Historical Background........................................................................ 26 Mission & Main Activities ................................................................... 26 Legal Framework ............................................................................... 28 Membership ....................................................................................... 28 Decision Marking Bodies and Process .............................................. 29 Presentation and Discussion ............................................................. 29 Internship Opportunities .................................................................... 30
5.1.1. 5.1.2. 5.1.3. 5.1.4. 5.1.5. 5.1.6. 5.1.7.
5.1.8. 5.2.
ICT Exploratorium.............................................................................. 30
International Labour Organisation (ILO) ................................................... 31 The Organization ............................................................................... 32 History ............................................................................................... 32 Structure ............................................................................................ 34 Scope of work .................................................................................... 35 Question and Answer Session .......................................................... 36
5.2.1. 5.2.2. 5.2.3. 5.2.4. 5.2.5. 5.3.
World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO .................................... 36 Intellectual Property (IP) .................................................................... 37 Brief History ....................................................................................... 37 Scope of Work ................................................................................... 38 Goals ................................................................................................. 39 Strategies .......................................................................................... 40 Methods of work ................................................................................ 40 Core Tasks / Functions ...................................................................... 41 Members ........................................................................................... 42 Decision making bodies ..................................................................... 42 Governing Bodies ........................................................................... 43 Standing Committees ..................................................................... 43 Permanent Committees.................................................................. 44 Working Groups ............................................................................. 44 Question and Answer Session ....................................................... 44
5.3.1. 5.3.2. 5.3.3. 5.3.4. 5.3.5. 5.3.6. 5.3.7. 5.3.8. 5.3.9. 5.3.10. 5.3.11. 5.3.12. 5.3.13. 5.3.14.
6. Wednesday, 25th of April 2012....................................................................... 45 6.1. Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) ...... 45 History ............................................................................................... 46 General Overview .............................................................................. 47 Aims .................................................................................................. 47 Organizational structure .................................................................... 48 Current topics .................................................................................... 49 Question and Answer Session .......................................................... 50 Internship Opportunities .................................................................... 50
6.1.1. 6.1.2. 6.1.3. 6.1.4. 6.1.5. 6.1.6. 6.1.7. 6.2.
Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD ........................................ 50
6.2.1.
Role and Responsibilities of the Austrian Mission .................................... 51 Question & Answer Session .............................................................. 51 Internship Opportunities .................................................................... 52
6.2.2. 6.2.3. 6.3.
International Energy Agency (IEA) ........................................................... 52 General Information ........................................................................... 53 Main Topic ......................................................................................... 53 Questions and Answer Session ......................................................... 56
6.3.1. 6.3.2. 6.3.3.
7. Thursday, 26th of April 2012........................................................................... 56 7.1. The World Bank Group (WB) ................................................................... 56 Decision Making Bodies .................................................................... 57 The Structure ..................................................................................... 59 The World Bank as a Lender ............................................................. 62 The World Bank as a Knowledge Broker ........................................... 63 The World Bank as a Gatekeeper to Development Finance .............. 63 Lending instruments .......................................................................... 63
7.1.1. 7.1.2. 7.1.4. 7.1.5. 7.1.6. 7.1.7.
7.2. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ......................................................................................................... 65 7.2.1. 7.2.2. 7.2.3. 7.2.4. 7.2.5. 7.2.6. 7.2.7. 7.2.8. 7.2.9. 7.2.10. 7.2.11. 7.2.12. The organization ................................................................................ 66 Historical Overview ............................................................................ 66 International Structure ....................................................................... 67 Field of Activity .................................................................................. 67 Education .......................................................................................... 67 Natural Sciences ............................................................................... 68 Social and Human Sciences .............................................................. 69 Culture ............................................................................................... 70 Communication.................................................................................. 70 The Millennium Development Goals .............................................. 70 Organizational Structure................................................................. 71 Financing........................................................................................ 73
8. Friday, 27th of April 2012................................................................................ 73 8.1. 8.2. International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) .............................................. 73 ICC and the Department of Policy and Business Practice ....................... 75
8.3. 8.4. 8.5. 8.6. 8.7.
Question and Answer Session ................................................................. 77 ICC International Court of Arbitration, Secretariat and Arbitration Rules . 78 ADR, Expertise and Dispute Boards ........................................................ 80 Question and Answer Session ................................................................. 82 Internship Opportunities ........................................................................... 83
9. Not visited International Organizations due to cancellations........................... 83 9.1. 9.2. United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)................................................ 83 LOrganisation Internationale de la Francophonie .................................... 84 History ............................................................................................... 85 Objectives and Mission ...................................................................... 85 Decision Making Process and Organization ...................................... 86 Admission Criteria ............................................................................. 88
9.2.1. 9.2.2. 9.2.3. 9.2.4. 9.3.
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) ......................................... 88 History ............................................................................................... 88 Structure of the ICRC ........................................................................ 89 Mandate and Mission of the ICRC ..................................................... 90 Activities of the ICRC......................................................................... 91 Museum of the ICRC in Geneva ........................................................ 92 Internship/Employment Opportunities................................................ 92
9.3.1. 9.3.2. 9.3.3. 9.3.4. 9.3.5. 9.3.6. 10.
Diaries 21st of April 27th of April 2012 ..................................................... 93 Saturday, 21st of April 2012.................................................................. 93 Sunday, 22nd of April 2012................................................................... 93 Monday, 23rd of April 2012 ................................................................... 94 Tuesday, 24th of April 2012 .................................................................. 97 Wednesday, 25th of April 2012 ............................................................. 99 Thursday, 26th of April 2012 ............................................................... 100 Friday, 27th of April 2012 .................................................................... 102
10.1. 10.2. 10.3. 10.4. 10.5. 10.6. 10.7. 11. 12.
Conclusion ................................................................................................ 104 Credits ....................................................................................................... 105
1. Introduction
Gaining knowledge about international organizations is a fundamental part of our study program Export-Oriented Management. However, getting the great chance of expanding our theoretical knowledge by experiencing the organizations on hand was definitely something unique. Thanks, to our International Relations and Law professor Prof. (FH) Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic, who proposed us the opportunity of visiting the most important international organizations in Geneva and Paris. He arranged informative speakers within many different international organizations for us. Many thanks, to the team of students who organized our study-trip and to those who supported them through fund-raising programs. Several months of intensive preparations finally turned out to be a great success, as we could enjoy an interesting program, with remarkable speeches at a quite reasonable price. On April 28, we, our group consisting of 53 students (51 Bachelor-students, 1 Exchange-student and 1 Master-student) started our trip at 9:45 pm in the evening heading Geneva, Switzerland. What followed were 6 days of exciting new experiences, which not just strengthened our class spirit, but also provided us with social contacts to successfully enter into the future business world. This report provides a summary of our study trip to Geneva and Paris. It briefly reflects the main organizations we visited and provides impressions and pictures of our unique experiences.
2. Timetable
Day Place Programme
Saturday, Krems 21 of April

st
22:00 departure from Krems

Sunday, 22nd of April
Geneva Free day 10:00 arrival in Geneva
Monday, 23rd of April
Geneva 09:30 UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) Topic: UN ECE Scope and work; Speaker: Mr. Jean Rodriguez, Senior Public Information Officer, Office of the Executive Secretary 15:00-16:30 Austrian Mission Briefing Welcome: Austrian Mission to IOs Geneva Welcome: Bot. Dr. Christian STROHAL Humanitarian Affairs: BR Mag. Eveline JAMEK Human Rights: BS Mag. Peter GUSCHELBAUER BS Dr. Johannes STRASSER Att. Mag. Thomas UNGER WTO: Dr. Martin FAGERER Disarmament: ObstdhmfD Dr. Peter STEINER
Tuesday, Geneva 24th of April
10:00 ITU (Intl. Telecommunication Union); Speakers: Mr. Jos Maria Diaz Batanero, Corporate Strategy Division, Ms. Chelsea Haines, Intern
Topic: History, structure & activities of the Organization 11:00 ILO Meeting at the Reception of the ILO with Mr. Martin Hahn Topic: Sectoral Activities Department & The Mandate of the ILO and its activities Speaker: Mr. Martin Hahn (Basic Metal and Mining Production Specialist)
15:30 - 17:15 WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation); Topic: General overview of the history, structure and activities of the Organisation; Speaker: Ms. Francesca Fusco; Information Assistant WIPO Customer Service Centre 23:00 Departure to Paris
Wednesday, Paris 25th of April
07:00 Arrival at Paris 14:00 OECD (The OECD Auditorium) Welcome/ Speakers: Mr Andrew Gentry, Public Affairs and Communications Directorate; Mrs Marion Gratt, Attach Austrian Delegation to the OECD
Aprox. 14:15-15:15 OECD briefing of the Austrian Mission Topic: OECD and the role of Austrian delegation at the OECD Speaker: Mrs Marion Gratt, Attach Austrian Delegation to the OECD
17:20-18:30 IEA (International Energy Agency) Topic: IEA An Overview Speaker: Dr. Timur Gl
Thursday, 26th of April
Paris 10:15 the World Bank 14:00 16:30 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Mtro : Sgur Welcome: Ms Isabell Ladiges on behalf of the Austrian Delegation 14:30 16:00 A film and discussion with a staff Member of UNESCO (in German) 16:00- 16:30 UNESCO-guided tour
Friday, 27th of April
Paris 10:00 12:30 ICC (Intl. Chamber of Commerce) Speakers: Mr Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac; Ms. Alma Forgo; Ms. Calliope Makedon Sudborough 10.00 10.30 Presentation: the ICC and the Department of Policy and Business Practice 10:30 11:00 Presentation: the ICC International Court of Arbitration, its Secretariat and the ICC Arbitration Rules 11:00 11:30 Presentation: ADR, Expertise and Dispute Boards
11:30 12:00 Presentation: the ICC Events department and of the ICC Institute of World Business Law 12:00 12:30 Presentation: the World Chambers Federation (WCF)
respectively Free day Approx. 22:00 Departure back to Krems

Saturday, 28th of April
Krems Approx. 17:00 arrival in Krems
3. Our destinations
3.1.
Geneva
Geneva is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland right after Zrich. Situated where the Rhne River exits the Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva. This city has a population of 191,803 and the suburbs around the city centre extend partly over Switzerland and France. In general, Geneva is considered to be one of the most qualified global cities in the world.
Geneva is a worldwide centre for diplomacy and international
cooperation. Moreover, it is widely regard as one of the most important major global cities, mainly due to the fact that it inhabits numerous including the
international
organizations,
the headquarters of
many of
agencies of the United Nations (such as WHO, ILO, ITU, WIPO etc.), the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the World and so Trade on.
Organization
(WTO)
Additionally, the well-known Geneva Conventions were signed here, which regulate the treatment of wartime noncombatants and prisoners of war. Geneva has been described as the worlds sixth most important financial centre by the Global Financial Centres Index, ahead of other financial strongholds such as Tokyo, Chicago, Frankfurt and Sydney. Besides, it hosts several headquarters of big multinational companies including HP, Procter& Gamble, Sun Microsystems, DuPont and many others.
Geneva is also a famous scenic hotspot with a lot of showplaces including the very famous Cathdrale St Pierre, Geneva Grand Theatre, University of Geneva, The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (one of the first academic institutions to teach international relations in the world) and CERN, the world largest particle physics laboratory to which scientist from around the world travel to in order to conduct research and exploration on fundamental forces and antimatters that lead to the creation of the universe. The Jet dEau - a large fountain that jets water up to 140 meters is one of the citys most famous landmarks and one of the largest fountains worldwide.
3.2.
Paris
Paris, the capital of France and the capital of Love, is not only one of the most preferred tourist destinations worldwide, one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, but also a major centre of economic activity. Its influence in politics, education,
entertainment, media, fashion, science and art, all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.
Regarding to the International Organizations, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Paris Club are all located in Paris, which once again proves that Paris is one of the most important economical and political windows to the world.
The Paris Region also hosts 37 of the Fortune Global 500 companies in several business districts, notably La Dfense, the largest purpose-built business district in Europe. The international importance of Paris and France in this respect is underlined by the fact that French is the official language of diplomats as well as one of the working languages in most International Organizations.
Paris is situated on the River Seine with 45 million tourists every year in the Paris Region, 60% of who are foreign visitors. Paris is proud to offer its famous historic sites, such as the Notre Dame, the Victory Gate, La Tour Eiffel, and so on. In addition, as one of the most famous shopping streets in the world, the Avenue des Champs-lyses
attracts tens of millions of tourists from all over the world. With its long history, great culture and beautiful environment, Paris is becoming a more and more charming city for many people and an important international centre of the world.
Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012
4. Monday, 23rd of April 2012

4.1. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE)
Date: 23rd of April 2012 Time: 09.30am Topic: Scope of work of the UNECE Speaker: Mr. Jean Rodriguez, Senior Public Information Officer, Office of the Executive Secretary Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
4.1.1. The Organization
First a short overview concerning history and a brief introduction of the organization was given. Traces of history go back to the foundation of the organization in the year 1947. At that time it was one of the five local economic commissions of the United Nations. The others are Economic Commission for Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. The underlying idea was to generate an organization that supports the development of trade in the post war area in Europe. The organization played an essential role at that time and therefore Mr. Rodriguez pointed out the organizations crucial role in the past. The organizations aim is to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has 56 member states and reports to the UN Economic and Social Council. A major aim of the organization is to promote pan-European economic integration. The member countries of the UNECE cooperate under aegis of UNECE on economic issues. All in all more than 70 international professional organizations and non-governmental organizations take part in UNECE activities.
4.1.2. History
The General Assembly of the United Nations advocated that the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) create an Economic Commission for Europe with the purpose of giving effective aid to the countries which suffered by World War II. That was the start point for the creation of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The UNECE was in fact a parallel entity to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) set up with the objective to reconstruct Europe after World War II and to promote long-run panEuropean economic integration. During the first years the organizations functions have been on a provisional level. The Council provided a review of the Commissions work to be undertaken not later than to the year 1951. That had the reason to determine whether the Commission should be terminated or continued and if it continues what modification should be undertaken and which should be made in its term of references. According to Article 1 the major objective of the organization is to initiate and participate in measures for facilitating concerted action for the economic reconstruction for Europe in order to raise the level of European economic activity and for maintaining and strengthening the economic relations of the European countries, both among themselves and with other countries of the world. In 1947 sponsoring investigations and studies of economic technological problems and developments as well as the collection, evaluation and dissemination of economic, technological and statistical information was added to Article 1. In addition special consideration during its initial states in order to measures facilitating to economic reconstruction of devastated countries of Europe which are member of the United Nations. The Commission is empowered to issue recommendations on any matter within its competence directly to the participating governments. Those recommendations are subject to different qualifications: First referring to the activity of the Commission, which functions within the framework of the policies of the United Nations and under the general supervision of the Council which is subject to the provision that the Commission takes no action in respect to
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any country without the agreement of the government of that country. Second the Commission is required to submit for the Councils prior consideration any of its proposals for activities that would have important influence on the economy of the world as a whole. The Commission unanimously adopted resolution 1(VI) on its future in June 1951. This considers that constructive economic co-operation was essential to maintain peace, reaffirmed its faith in the possibility of such co-operation within the framework of the Commission and recommends that it should continue its work in this direction. Finally the Committees recommendations the Council in its resolution 414 C (XIII) expressed unanimous appreciation of the work of the regional commission and therefore decided to continue them indefinitely. Due to this decision the ECE became a permanent body of the United Nations. During the Post Cold War period the commissions main concern was to integrate of countries in transaction in the global economy while using its experience of the harmonization to facilitate the integration of Central and Eastern European countries. The number of members was increased from 34 to 56 members. This resulted from the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslav Federation as well as Czech and Slovak Republics. At the end of the Cold War ECE expanded the activities to Central and Eastern European countries and to central Asian republic. These republics desired to be members of ECE as well as the ESACAP. The ECE has continued and to adapt to changing geopolitical background of Europe. The ECE has gone through two major reforms, one in 1997 and one in 2005.
4.1.3. Mission
The UNECE acts as a multilateral platform and smooth the progress of greater economic integration and collaboration among its member countries and wants to promote sustainable development and economic prosperity through the following tools:
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Policy dialogue Cooperation of international legal instruments Development of regulations and standards Exchange and application of best practices as well as economic and technical expertise Technical cooperation for countries with economies in transition
UNECEs terms of reference have been defined by ECOSOC. In addition UNECE contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of the United Nations through the provincial implementation of the outcomes of global United Nations Conferences and Summits.
4.1.4. Structure
The governing bodies of the UNECE are the Chair, the Executive Committee as well as six Sectoral Committees addressed to each of the six divisions. At the moment Mr. Ugljea Zveki is the Chairperson of the UNECE supported by the Vice Chairpersons Mr. Aharon LESHNO-YAAR and Mrs. Maria CIOBANU. The work is divided into the following six main departments: environment, housing and land management division, the transport division, the statistic division, the division for economic cooperation and integration, the division of sustainable energy as well as the trade and timber division.
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4.1.4.1.
Environmental Policy
It is one of the most important objectives of the UNECE to protect the environment as well as human health and to promote sustainable development in its member states. The strategy used by the UNECE is based on a four-pillar approach, including the cooperation of governments to formulate an environmental policy and support its implementation, the assumption of an active role in certain regional and cross-regional sectoral processes, the conduction of performance reviews of countries and the negotiation of environmental treaties.
4.1.4.2.
Housing and Land Management
The condition of better housing and security is another goal of this committee. Mr. Rodriguez pointed out that there is an urgent need to establish higher standards with regards to housing as currently more than 50 million inhabitants within Europe live under very poor conditions in informal settlements.
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4.1.4.3.
Statistics
The focus is to develop statistical standards and guidelines in order to enable statistical offices to exchange experiences, supporting countries in the development of their national statistical systems and the establishment of an online database of economics and gender statistics.
4.1.4.4.
Sustainable Energy
The goal of this program is to promote a sustainable energy development strategy. Mr. Rodriguez mentioned two major challenges in this area: Firstly, the fact that sustainable energy shall be used and secondly, the establishment of links between the member states. Core objectives include the assurance of access to high quality energy for all inhabitants of the UNECEs region, the security of energy supplies, and a development towards a more sustainable energy use as well as to establish energy networks across the region and energy efficiency. Therefore the Commission promotes the usage of cleaner sources in more efficient ways.
4.1.4.5.
Population
This unit is promoting policy dialogues among the UNECE member states based on demographic changes in Europe and North America. It supports the implementation of the final document of intergovernmental conferences on population issues and contribution towards better informed policy making by organizing programs concerning data collection and research.
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4.1.4.6.
Technical Cooperation
UNECE also provide technical cooperation in English and Russian to South-East European, Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries. the aim is to meet the needs of the countries by offering tailor-made support in a fast and flexible way. These activities are coordinated by the Regional Advisor and carried out by the UNECE Statistical Division, in collaboration with national and international statistical organizations to ensure the best expertise and avoid duplication of work. Additionally, they promote international standards in official statistics with a view to providing relevant, reliable and comparable data to policymakers and users of statistics. The most recent technical cooperation activities are:
Promotion of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
Technical support for population and housing censuses Development of gender statistics Development of statistics on international migration Improvement of the production and dissemination of short-term economic statistics
Improvement of Millenium Development Goal (MDG) indicators
4.1.4.7.
Trade
The UNECE's trade programme is focus on the following areas of work: Developing and maintaining effective international trade-related instruments, norms, standards and recommendations, in response to the needs of the global economy. Reducing barriers to trade in goods and services in all countries, and UNECE member States in particular, through greater implementation of international and
15
UNECE norms, standards, instruments and recommendations, especially in trade facilitation. Facilitating trade policy development through the provision of an international platform for the exchange of views, particularly for the benefit of countries with economies in transition. Examples include trade security, European integration and sustainable development.
4.1.5. UNECE Internship Program
In accordance with UN rules, The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on an ad hoc basis assigns the internships to graduate or post-graduate students, who have specialized in a field related to UNECE programs. The Internships are offered free-of-charge and without financial remuneration thats mean that all costs connected with the internship, including travel, accommodation and insurance, are borne by the intern or his/her sponsor. Additionally the United Nations accepts no legal or administrative liability for interns who are not accorded the status of a United Nations staff member. Applicants have to complete an internship application form which is indicated the field of activity the candidate wishes to work and the available dates. Also Interns are required to submit a certificate of good health and, wherever applicable, to obtain themselves the appropriate visa. All this information has to be sent via mail: (interns@unece.org). Mr. Rodriguez also mentioned that additional information on the internship program of the UNECE can be found on the homepage of the institution and the procedure described should be followed
(www.unece.org/oes/internships/internship_prog.htm).
4.2.
Austrian Mission in Geneva
Date: Monday, 23rd of April 2012 Time: 3 pm 4:30 pm
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Topic: Austrian Mission to International Organizations in Geneva Speakers: Bot. Dr. Christian Strohal, BR Mag. Eveline Jamek, BS Mag. Peter Guschelbauer, BS Dr. Johannes Strasser, Att. Mag. Thomas Unger, Dr. Martin Fagerer, ObstdhmfD Dr. Peter Steiner Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
4.2.1. Introduction
The Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations and Specialized Agencies in Geneva invited us to participate in a mission briefing on our first afternoon in Geneva. The briefing was held at the premises of the council of the European Union (the Blue Box). It comprehended very interesting speeches on a variety of topics. The ambassador, Dr. Christian Strohal, opened the briefing with a highly interesting and concise presentation of the office in Geneva and its purpose. BR Mag. Eveline Jamek followed with her presentation of her field of work, which was Humanitarian Affairs. Furthermore, Mag. Peter Guschelbauer, Dr. Johannes Strasser and Mag. Thomas Unger talked about Human Rights. Dr. Martin Fagerer and Dr. Peter Steiner closed the briefing with their presentation of the WTO, respectively Disarmament.
4.2.2. The Austrian Mission in Geneva
The first part of the presentation, held by Dr. Strohal, was dedicated to the work tasks of the Austrian Mission in Geneva, as well as the reason for its location in Geneva. The permanent Mission of Austria to the UN and Specialized Agencies based in Geneva acts as an intermediary and representative between the Austrian government and the institutions in Geneva.
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A permanent mission generally performs multilateral relations between a state and International Organizations or other representations as opposed to an embassy that executes bilateral relations between two states. The importance of the communication between the organizations and the Federal Governments in form of the Mission is crucial to uphold constructive relationships on a multilateral basis. In a nutshell, the Austrian Mission enables the UN to broaden its area of impact. Major fields of concern include the UN specialized agencies especially Health, Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs, Economic and Development affairs, Disarmament as well as the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Main issues and responsibilities of the Austrian mission are, among others, the maintenance of the relations between Austria and the various organizations in Geneva, the promotion and representation of Austrian interests, active participation in negotiation and decision making processes and finally the reporting on activities to the Austrian Federal government. Furthermore, Dr. Strohal stressed the strategic importance of the location in Geneva. Geneva is small, which enables the Austrian Mission to easily communicate with other representatives. Furthermore, there is no other city where more global issues are dealt with, as it is the largest UN city in the world New York has a more political focus, Vienna and Nairobi are more specialized in certain branches of the UN.
4.2.3. Humanitarian Affairs Mag. Eveline Jamek
After this very interesting introduction of the Austrian Mission and its presence in Geneva we had the pleasure to listen to the presentation of humanitarian affairs, held by First Secretary Mag. Eveline Jamek. Geneva has a longstanding tradition as center of international humanitarian law, refugee protection and humanitarian assistance. Ms. Jamek is the person responsible for communication and the representation of Austria to several international institutions dealing with humanitarian affairs and development plans for aid-seeking countries. The
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Austrian mission is monitoring the developments in the humanitarian field and linking government assistance/support with the different organizations. After the short introduction she continued her speech with the presentation of the most important international organizations and the explanation of their tasks in the area of humanitarian aid:
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): It is the most important organization in the area of humanitarian affairs. It is an independent neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection. Its main commitment is responding rapidly and efficiently to the humanitarian needs of people affected by armed conflict or by natural disaster. Other important areas of commitment activities are the protecting civilians, improving access to health care and building respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
Office of the United Nationals High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): It is the worlds leading refugee organization and it leads international action to protect refugees and other persons displaced by conflict.
International Organization for Migration (IOM): It is the worlds leading migration organization. In close cooperation with its Member States such as Austria IOM carries out projects for the benefit of migrants, based on the principle of humane and orderly migration.
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): is the arm of the UN Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure coherent response to emergencies. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors,
The humanitarian organization play an important role in providing help and assistance in recent crisis, such as the earthquake in Haiti, the floods in Pakistan and and food shortages in Africa. The organizations and their activities are mainly financed by voluntary donations. The Austrian Mission liaises closely with all these organizations and participates actively in their proceedings. Austria supports a range of specific projects carried out by these organizations across the world.
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4.2.4. WTO Dr. Martin Fagerer
After the general introduction by Dr. Strohal, Dr. Fagerer commenced with his presentation of the World Trade Organization. His highly interesting speech was structured in five parts.
4.2.4.1.
History
The WTO was founded in 1995 in Doha, as successor of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It is one of the youngest international organizations and today governs the GATT, the GATS (General Agreement on Trade and Services) and the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights). Today, the WTO consists of 157 member states, with the last enlargement round having taken place around Christmas 2011, where, amongst other, Russia and Monaco joined the organization.
4.2.4.2.
Structure
Being the highest authority, the ministerial conference takes place every year, whereas the General Council, which acts as the central operative body, meets three or four times a year. The budget is provided by its member states, who contribute an amount corresponding to their amount of trade Austria ranks among the top 20 of contributors to the budget.
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4.2.4.3.
Goals
The main responsibilities of the WTO are the reduction and elimination of tariffs and other trade barriers. Furthermore, it deals with the integration of developing countries into the multilateral trading systems. In order to achieve the mentioned objectives, the WTO administrates existing agreements, acts as a negotiating forum for further liberalization of current trade rules and for new agreements, and enforces trade rules through dispute settlement.
4.2.4.4.
Principals
The functioning of the WTO is based on the most-favored nation treatment, national treatment and legal certainty. The WTO is a member-driven organization. This approach is pointed out by its organization principles. Proposals are submitted by the member states and all decisions are taken by consensus. Thereafter, the results of a negotiation have to be ratified by the parliaments of the member states.
4.2.4.5.
Critics
Concluding this very interesting presentation, Dr.Fagerer openly addressed the public criticism on the WTO. One of the main points is the lack of democracy some organizations claim that the WTO is not open for everyone, but only the big, rich trading countries. This, however, is not true because you have to get elected to join the WTO. Furthermore, there is the principle of consensus, which means that every country has a vote equal to the next country, thus granting complete democracy. However, there sometimes are decisions that are not directly made within the WTO. The next area of criticism concerns the development dimension. Dr. Fagerer stated, that there is a program in place to help developing contries
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directly while also helping developed countries e.g. via infrastructure projects, which not only help the local population, but also the possible future business partners because some areas are easier to access. Last, but not least, the third issue addressed was concerning the environment and fair trade. The WTO deals with trade, and not production itself, and therefore is not responsible for fair trade.
4.2.5. Human Rights Dr. Johannes Strasser,Mag. Thomas Unger and Mag. Guschlbauer
This second presentation about Human Rights dealt with the protection of Human Rights started with an explanation of its three layers: The international level in Geneva, with the HR Council on an intergovernmental level, The regional level in Strasbourg and The national level with Courts etc.
The main part of the presentation focused on the UNs activities concerning Human Rights and the various conventional (Treaty-based) and extra conventional (Charter-based) mechanisms within the system. The Treaty-based bodies check the implementations of different conventions. Furthermore, the presenters stressed the role of the Human Rights Council (HRC), which is the main organ within the UN dealing specifically with Human Rights. It consists of 47 elected member states for a period of 3 years each. The composition of these countries is structured with a quota, so that each region of the world is adequately represented. Austria is currently a member state, with its mandate lasting from 2011 to 2014. The Council has 3 sessions per year, where representatives meet for four, respectively three weeks Furthermore, there was an emphasis on the instruments of the Council and the importance of independent experts and working groups that are established by the HRC.
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Dr. Strasser and Mag. Unger explained the instrument of the universal periodic review, where representatives from each country of the world meet and evaluate each other. This review takes place every 4 years. Austria was subject to evaluation in 2011 and received 166 recommendations from other countries. Another focus was the Human Rights and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which is the main UN organ in Human Rights promotion and protection and which has its office in Palais Wilson in Geneva. The last part of the presentation concerned Austrias thematic focus and the countrys representation within the international system of Human Rights. Human Rights are very important within the EU. The topic Human Rights is part of the second pillar of the EU (common foreign and security policy) and the Commission represents the 27 EU member states in the UN Human Rights meetings. Furthermore, the role of non-governmental organizations with regard to Human Rights was mentioned. There are numerous NGOs present in Geneva, e.g. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others. They participate as well in the UN activities, which is widely supported by Austria and the EU. After this final part of the presentation, we were given the opportunity to raise questions.
4.2.6. Disarmament Dr. Peter Steiner
Dr. Peter Steiner started his presentation with explaining the importance of disarmament and UN specialized agencies in this area. Disarmament and nonproliferation remain indispensable tools to help create a security environment favorable to ensuring human development, as enshrined in the letter and the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. The United Nations office at Geneva (UNOG) is a center venue for international diplomacy in this field. It is home to the Conference on Disarmament - the sole multilateral disarmament negotiating body and provides, through the Geneva Branch of the Office for Disarmament Affairs, substantive and organizational support to a wide range of multilateral disarmament
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agreements. In addition, UNOG hosts a large number of disarmament-related conferences.
Dr. Steiner explained us the components of disarmament and what its objectives are. Disarmament in general is the elimination/reduction of military capacity. During the last decade global military spending has been increasing steadily. 2011 military spending was stagnant for the first time in 13 years. Although this is positive, there are also countries where spending has sharply increased. Real military spending often varies from official data because countries tend to hide budgets because of strategic reasons. Dr. Steiner also explained that, that proliferation of weapon systems, especially of nuclear weapon systems is a political game. Considering that the atomic bomb has only been used twice it is clear, that nuclear weapons are political weapons. In some developing countries, such as Brazil, India or Turkey, we see a nuclear arms race. The problem is that political importance cannot be reduced. Hence, building confidence through transparent agreements and international relations is very important. Beside the efforts in reduction of military capacity, arms control is another important area of interest. Commitments in arms control include limits to destructive capacity and the ban of weapon systems, such as unmanned vehicles, personnel landmines and cluster munitions. The annual Conference on Disarmament is a multilateral disarmament-negotiating forum of the international community held in Geneva. The terms of reference include practically all multilateral arms control and disarmament problems. Currently the conference primarily focuses its attention on the following issues: cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament; prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters; prevention of an arms race in outer space; effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of n nuclear weapons; new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons including radiological weapons; comprehensive programme of disarmament and transparency in armaments.
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At the end of the interesting presentation we were again given the opportunity to raise questions.
5. Tuesday, 24th of April 2012

5.1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Date: Tuesday, 24th of April 2012 Time: 10:00 am 11:00 am Topic: History, Structure & Activities of the ITU Speakers: Mr. Jos Maria Diaz Batanero, Corporate Strategy Division, Ms. Chelsea Haines, Intern Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic Our first visit on Tuesday, April 24th 2012, brought us to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). We had the unique opportunity to meet Mr. Jos Maria Diaz Batanero, member of the Corporate Strategy Division. Mr. Diaz, with the help of Ms. Haines, gave us an overview of the organization and its fields of activity. Subsequently to the introduction we were given an overall view on the structure and decision making bodies of the organization. Mr. Diaz presentation was followed by an interactive discussion and Question & Answer session on interesting topics, ranging from cyber security and cloud computing to internship opportunities with the ITU. Following the very interesting and comprehensive presentation by Mr. Diaz and Ms. Haines, we got the chance to get a guided tour through the newly founded ICT exhibition even before it was officially opened to the public. All of us were really impressed and found it extremely interesting to see the development of information and communication technologies throughout the history. The ITU is a specialized agency of the United Nations and a leader in information and communication technologies.
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5.1.1. Historical Background
During the 19th century the numerous innovations in communication demanded the cooperation on an international level. Therefore, in 1865 the International Telegraph Union was created and soon thereafter it was followed by the first regulations on radio broadcasting. Its scope of activities grew due to technologic advancements and in 1932 the organizations name was changed to ITU. In 1947 it was declared a UN specialized agency and its headquarters were moved from Berne to Geneva.
5.1.2. Mission & Main Activities The ITU is a norm-setting organization with the vision to connect the unconnected that is to enable access to telecommunication worldwide. It aims to develop interlinked systems through collaborative efforts of both the private and the public sectors. Its objectives include the active integration of developing countries into the global telecommunication network. The work of the ITU is divided into three core areas of activity:
Radio Communication (ITU-R) The radio frequency spectrum is a limited resource and faces the challenge of accommodating the large number of telecommunication services available. The Radio Communication division of the ITU manages the spectrum by assigning frequencies to defined regions. Furthermore, it is responsible for the allocation of television and broadcasting frequencies. The registration of satellite orbital positions and development of services also lay within the scope of the ITU-R.
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Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T) Within the second sector of the ITU, technical specifications for international communication services are developed in order to facilitate operations worldwide. Examples of standardizations provided by the ITU-T include universal telephone codes and numbering plans.
Development (ITU-D) The third sector of the ITU addresses the missing link of developing countries. The Development sector of the ITU was established in 1992 in order to address the lack of inter-linkage and to promote access to telecommunication networks in the developing world. In 2006 the ITU launched a project based on the objective to bridge the Digital Divide. The Development sector of the ITU aims to support developing nations in overcoming their lack of technical or financial resources and offers assistance and training for capacity building.
In addition, the ITU plays an essential role in disaster management. The organization improves telecommunication systems to ensure communication for disaster prevention and in case of emergencies. Furthermore, the organization collaborates and exchanges information with other UN agencies, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It organizes workshops and forums on issues associated with telecommunication services. Among the topics of discussion are safety and consumer protection in internet governance.
Finally, another major activity of the ITU is to provide information on the process and evolution of telecommunication services. The analysis and findings are comprised in the World Telecommunications Development Report, which is published on an annual basis. Hence, the ITU serves as a kind of platform for the research, analysis and exchange of data and statistics on trends in international telecommunication services.
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5.1.3. Legal Framework
The legal framework of the ITU is based on the Constitution and Convention, Administrative Regulations, including Radio and International Telecommunication Regulations, as well as further basic texts. While the Constitution deals with basic provisions, the purpose, structure and responsibilities of the Union and the respective sectors, the Convention focuses on the functioning of the bodies and additional provisions for conferences and assemblies or telecommunication services. Regulations concerning the radio frequency spectrum are discussed and adopted during World Radio communication Conferences held twice a year. These regulations eventually obtain treaty status and are in principal binding for member states. Furthermore, International Telecommunication Regulations exist with the aim of facilitating and improving telecommunication services.
5.1.4. Membership
The ITU is an organization that is based primarily on public-private partnership since its inception. The ITU membership is basically split upon three different categories. Currently the organization has a membership of 193 countries and over 700 private-sector entities, such as Microsoft and Google, as well as academic institutions. States that want to become member simply have to formally apply at the ITU to be accepted. ITU membership represents a cross-section of the global ICT sector, from the world's largest manufacturers and carriers to small, innovative players working with new and emerging technologies, along with leading R&D institutions and academia. Sector members are active in a variety of fields including manufacturing, research and development or services and funding. The ITU has been founded on the basis of the principle of International cooperation between governments (Member States) and the private sector (Sector Members, Associates and Academia). Hence the ITU is the premier global forum for its members which are working towards consensus when it comes to issues which might affect the future operating direction of the ICT industry.
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5.1.5. Decision Marking Bodies and Process
The Plenipotentiary Conference disposes over supreme authority and the member states that meet every four years to set forth the overall strategy of the Union also revise the Constitution and Convention. Furthermore, this Conference elects the Secretary General as well as the 46 members equally distributed amongst the region that constitute the Council, which is the executive body. This respective body is responsible for implementing its policies and regulations and for the coordination of activities of the three sectors. The main responsibilities of the Secretary-General, Dr. Hamadou I. Tour, lie within the administrative and financial scope. He also supervises the three directors, each heading a bureau of the three sectors.
Since the ITU is a United Nations Specialized Agency, only its member states are granted rights to vote. However, agreement of Sector Members is important for the approval of technical-related recommendations. Most decisions are consenusbased as already mentioned earlier.
5.1.6. Presentation and Discussion
After an introduction of the organization and its structure, Mr. Diaz explained the core areas of activity of the specialized agency. He also underlined how important the ITUs standards and norms were for our everyday life even though most of us had a very limited knowledge about the ITU before our visit.
Mr. Diaz was very open to answer any questions on the work of the ITU. Due to his enthusiastic personality and friendly attitude, the students were actively participating in the discussion. Questions raised included, amongst others, the
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issue of cloud computing. The discussion continued with security issues and the ITUs efforts to combat this serious threat to the information society.
Our visit to the ITU and the presentation by Mr. Diaz were highly informative, because the topics discussed affect our daily lives. Almost everyone is a member of social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype, however, one is often not aware of the underlying threats. Also the interoperability of certain technologies we use every day, such as smart phones, are enabled and promoted by the open standards provided by the ITU.
5.1.7. Internship Opportunities As the very last point of ITUs presentation, Mr. Diaz Botanero elaborated on ITUs attractive internship program, which offers undergraduate and graduate students the possibility to gain work experience in a truly dynamic environment. Prospective interns can apply directly online (https://erecruit.itu.int/public/). Applicants are strongly encouraged to express and specify their area of interest. As for most of UN agencies, the ITU is also not offering any monetary compensation and hence costs have to be borne by the students themselves. Nevertheless, Mr. Diaz Botanero emphasized several times that this is an unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into the rapidly changing field of telecommunications.
5.1.8. ICT Exploratorium
After the official presentation on the International Telecommunication Union ended, the students of the IMC were granted an exclusive sneak preview of the new museum, the so-called ICT Exploratorium. This ICT exhibition was definitely one of the highlights throughout our stay in Geneva. After the presentation, we were able to get an advanced tour before it was actually officially opened for the public. The students were guided in groups and we were shown the developments of ICTs beginning with telegraphs and ending with the newest technologies that
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are available today. All of us really enjoyed the tour and would have liked to stay much longer to discover all the details of the interactive exhibitions.
5.2.
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
Date: Tuesday, April 24th 2012 Time: 11:00 am Topic: Sectorial Activities Department & the Mandate of the ILO and its activities Speaker: Mr. Martin Hahn (Basic Metal and Mining Production Specialist) Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic The second organization we visited on Tuesday 24th of April 2012 was the United Nations specialized agency, International Labour Organization. The ILO, which is perceived as the one and only agency of the United Nations that successfully implemented the so called tripartite structure that ensures fair representation of employers, workers and the government, primarily focuses on the creation and execution of Decent work. At the International Labour Office in Geneva, the group was warmly welcomed by Mr Martin Hahn, who is working as lawyer for the Basic Metal and Mining Production field within this specialized body. At the beginning, Mr Hahn provided an extensive overview of the organization itself, its basic mission and how it came into existence dating back until the treaty of Versailles. Based on this foundation, Hahn elaborated in detail on how the organization is structured, what are the objectives and how are they implemented. Moreover, Hahn put special focus on the International Labour Conference, which takes place every June, and upon the size of the ILOs labour force in Geneva and on site with 30 field offices.
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5.2.1. The Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO), based in the International Labour Office in Geneva, is a specialized Organization of the United Nations accommodating 183 member states from all continents. Main responsibilities include the development and supervision of international Labour standards. According to Mr. Hahn, currently about 1300 people are working for the ILO in Geneva, and in 30 different field offices. Additionally the organization has several communication offices to remain in touch with the respective region, in cities like: London and Tokyo. With its unique tripartite structure, the ILO brings together governments, employers and workers at the annual International Labour Conference in order to set Labour standards, supervise their implementation, raise awareness, develop policies and devise programs. These are realized by the establishment of Conventions, Recommendations and Codes of Practices. According to the ILO Constitution (1919) Universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice. According to this Preamble, one can easily determine that decent work is key to eliminate of poverty and therefore the ILO identifies four primary strategic objectives: Promote and realize standards and fundamental principles and rights at work. Create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment. Enhance coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all. Strengthen tripartism and social dialogue.
5.2.2. History
The ILO was created in 1919 as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished
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only if it is based on social justice. The tripartite organization initially originated from a decision made by a commission composed of representatives from nine countries: Belgium Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The ILO at that time was and is until now the only organization that brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers in its executive bodies. Profound motivations have been the reason for the formation of the ILO including driving forces in a political, social and economic sense. The most important political stimulus for the creation of the ILO was the fear of a revolution (like the Russian Revolution in 1917) hitting the world once again. Social driving forces included the aim to abolish child labour that was recognized in industrialized countries. Harmonized international labour legislation and the elimination of national protectionism or decreasing competitiveness due to single-state regulations were among the economic grounds of the ILO. The ILO has made paramount contributions to the world of work from its early days. The first International Labour Conference, held in Washington in October 1919, adopted six International Labour Conventions, which basically dealt with working hours in industry, unemployment, and maternity protection, night work for women, minimum age and night work for young persons in industry. In the summer of 1920, the ILO was firstly located in Geneva where its headquarters is located until today. During the Great Depression of the 1920s with its resulting massive unemployment, the ILO realized that handling labour issues also requires international cooperation. This resulted in the United States becoming a Member of the ILO in 1934. Later, as the Second World War became imminent, the headquarters of the ILO temporarily moved to Montreal, Canada, in may 1940 for reasons of safety. In 1946, the ILO became a specialized agency of the newly formed United Nations. During the post-war years between1948-1970, the number of Member states doubled, the Organization took on its universal character, industrialized countries became a minority among developing countries, the budget grew five-fold and the number of officials quadrupled. In 1969 on its 50th anniversary the ILO even was granted the Nobel Peace Prize: From the postcold War period on, the importance of placing social justice at the heart of
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international economic and social policies was emphasized by the ILO. Also a course of decentralization of activities and resources away from the Geneva headquarters was set forth. On 4th of March 1999, Juan Somavia of Chile took over as Director General. Somavia especially emphasizes on the importance of making decent work a strategic international goal and promoting a fair globalization. Moreover, he underpins work as an instrument of poverty alleviation and ILO's role in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including cutting world poverty in half by 2015.
5.2.3. Structure The ILO is the Worlds only tripartite multilateral agency that makes employers, workers and governments have equal voices and jointly shape policies and programmes. Each country is represented by two government delegates and one employer and worker delegate. These meet in the annual International labour Conference in Geneva, where Conventions and Recommendations are adopted by means of two-thirds majority votes to set international standards. Through the ratification by member states, Conventions create binding obligations to implement the provisions. Recommendations provide the country with guidance on policy, legislation and practical issues. The Conference also approves the ILO work plan, the budget, which is contributed by the member states, and elects the Governing Body. The Governing Body, which is the executive council, meets between the sessions of the Conference and consists of 28 government members, 14 employer and 14 worker members. It usually meets three times a year to draft the programme, the budget and prepare pre-works for the Conference. In addition to the International Labour Office in Geneva, the ILOs Secretariat has field offices in more than 40 countries. The Office is headed by the DirectorGeneral and works under the scrutiny of the Governing Body, who appoints the head of the Office. The Director-General is elected for a five-year renewable term.
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This year, on May 28th the new Director is going to be elected, which is a very relevant event regarding future policies of the ILO.
5.2.4. Scope of work Underlying the ILOs work is the importance of cooperation between governments and employers and workers organizations in fostering social and economic progress. The ILO aims to ensure that it serves the needs of working women and men by bringing together governments, employers and workers to set labour standards develop policies and devise programmes. The very structure of the ILO, where workers and employers together have an equal voice with governments in its deliberations, shows social dialogue in action. It ensures that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in ILO labour standards, policies and programmes. The ILO encourages this tripartism within its constituents and member States by promoting a social dialogue between trade unions and employers in formulating, and where appropriate, implementing national policy on social, economic, and many other issues. The ILO accomplishes its work through three main bodies (The International labour Conference, the Governing body and the Office) which comprise governments', employers' and workers'
representatives. The work of the Governing Body and of the Office is aided by tripartite committees covering major industries. It is also supported by committees of experts on such matters as vocational training, management development, occupational safety and health, industrial relations, workers education, and special problems of women and young workers. On this matter, Mr Hahn elaborated on the Social Justice Declaration that was published by the ILO in 2008, which puts special focus on the following: The importance of pursuing an integrated approach The aspect of decent work - Menschenwrdige Arbeit
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5.2.5. Question and Answer Session
The presentation was followed by a lively question and answer session. An example for this, out of numerous questions and answers, can be listed as followed: Question: How important are Labour Unions and how are they affecting employers and the ILO? Mr Hahn answered that, in general it is easy to negotiate on a top level; however it is challenging to actually implement respective policies. Moreover, he elaborated on the fact that Labour Unions are of paramount use for employers, therefore Labour Unions have to improve the prevailing level of mutual engagement.
5.3.
World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO
Date: Tuesday, 24th of April 2012 Time: 3:30 5:15 pm Topic: Intellectual Property and the World Intellectual Property Organization Speaker: Ms. Francesca Fusco; Information Assistant WIPO Customer Service Centre Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
The World Intellectual Property Organization is a United Nations Agency, which has been established in 1967 to encourage creativity and innovation. Respective outcomes thereof have to be protected on a global basis and hence, the WIPO is concerned with the promotion of the development and use of intellectual property.
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5.3.1. Intellectual Property (IP)
According to Ms. Fusco, intellectual property is defined as creations of the mind. Furthermore it can be distinguished between two subcategories:
Industrial Property Industrial property can be easily reproduced and comprises patents, trademarks, industrial design and geographical indications such as certificates of origin.
Copyright and Related Rights Copyright are related to literary and artistic works, including novels, films, songs, photographs, architectural designs and many more. Whereas related rights are concerned with the actual performance of artists, recordings, broadcasts in the radio etc.
Furthermore, Ms. Fusco mentioned another type of IP which is dealing with the indigenous cultures, local communities and customs. However, the protection of innovations and creative expressions with a cultural background is not yet regulated properly. Hence, the WIPO is currently working on establishing normative and capacity-building programs in order to draw up legal regulations concerned with this issue.
5.3.2. Brief History
The Paris Convention in 1883 was the first multilateral forum to discuss the importance of the protection of intellectual property rights. This was due to the fact that international exhibitors refused to present their innovations at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Vienna (1873). As a result of the Paris Convention the first international treaty on the protection of industrial property was drawn up. Furthermore, the Berne Convention in 1886 addressed the problem of the protection of artistic works, such as copyrights and related issues. Another result
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of those talks was the establishment of the United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property (BIRPI) based in Berne, Switzerland.
In the course of time, the importance of intellectual property grew significantly and in turn also the structure of the organization changed, which consequently led to the relocation of the BIRPI to Geneva and finally the creation of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1974 as a specialized agency of the United Nations system of organizations.
5.3.3. Scope of Work
The WIPO counts currently 185 member states and is concerned with a broad field of work. Its mandate is to promote the protection of IP throughout the world through cooperation among states and in collaboration with other international organizations. Thus, its main activities are basically concerned with:
The harmonization of national intellectual property legislation and procedures, The provision of services for international applications for industrial property rights, The exchange of intellectual property information, The provision of legal and technical assistance to developing and other countries, The facilitation the resolution of private intellectual property disputes, and The allocation of information technology as a tool for storing, accessing, and using valuable intellectual property information.
Therefore, the World Intellectual Property Organization is focusing on three main clusters in order to conform to its mandate. Thus, its service to industries, norm setting services and economic development programs help to foster the protection
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of IP on an international level and enhance the development of IP systems in its member states.
Effective protection of IP rights does also require the organization to engage in raising awareness and addressing the public. In order to prevent counterfeiting and product or service piracy the WIPO works closely with:
Public sector & Policy-makers Intellectual Property offices (in each member state) General Public and the Civil Society
5.3.4. Goals
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency and the leading intergovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion and use of intellectual property. The Organization seeks to develop a balanced and effective international IP system that rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to the economic, social and cultural development of all countries, while safeguarding the public interest. WIPOs mandate is to promote the protection of IP throughout the world through cooperation among states and in collaboration with other international organizations.
Additionally, the WIPO has nine strategic goals such as the balanced evolution of the international normative framework for IP, international cooperation on building respect for IP and addressing IP in relation to global policy issues. Further, a provision of premier global IP services, the facilitation of the use of IP for development and the coordination and improvement of global IP Infrastructure plays a major role. Other goals state that WIPO wants to develop a world reference source for IP information and analysis, a responsive communications interface between WIPO, its member states and other stakeholders and an
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efficient administrative and financial support structure to enable the organization to deliver its programs.
5.3.5. Strategies
Regarding its strategy the WIPO mainly follows its nine strategic goals as described above. However, the WIPO has launched the Strategic Realignment Problem in order to equip the Organization to address todays challenges such as the stress on patent and copyright systems as a result of rapid technological change, globalization and increased demand and reducing the knowledge gap between developed and developing countries. WIPOs member states determine the strategic direction and approve the activities of the Organization. Delegates from member states meet in assemblies, committees and working groups.
5.3.6. Methods of work
The main policy and decision making bodies of WIPO are the General Assembly and the Coordination Committee. Nineteen assemblies and other bodies of the Member States of WIPO and of the Unions administered by WIPO, traditionally meet in ordinary or extraordinary session at the end of September. These meetings bring together WIPOs 184 Member States, allowing them to take stock of the progress in the Organizations work and to discuss future policy directions.
In the General Assembly every government is represented by one delegate and meetings are usually held every two years. The Coordination Committee consists of the States which are members of the Executive Committee of the Paris Union, or the Executive Committee of the Berne Union and gives advice to the organs of the Unions, the General Assembly, the Conference and the Director General. Also,
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Standing Committees are established by a decision of the General Assembly for a given purpose. When a Standing Committee determines that sufficient progress has been made in order to move towards treaty adoption, the General Assembly can decide to convene a Diplomatic Conference. This is a high level meeting of Member States, convened purely to finalize negotiations on a new treaty. In addition to Standing Committees, there are Permanent Committees which are established by International Classification treaties and which revise and update the classification systems. A Standing Committee or other body can decide to establish a working group to examine a particular question in more detail.
5.3.7. Core Tasks / Functions
WIPO is the lead intergovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion and use of Intellectual Property. Its diverse activities are driven by demand from Member States. They fall broadly into the areas Developing international IP laws and standards and Delivering global IP protection services and include the following core activities:
Administering 24 multilateral treaties and working with member states to build agreement on and to support the evolution of the international legal framework for IP
Providing global IP services that make it easier and more cost-effective to obtain protection internationally for new inventions, brands, designs and appellations of origin ; and providing arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution services o Assisting governments and organizations in establishing national and regional IP and innovation strategies, developing appropriate regulatory frameworks for IP and building the infrastructure and
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human capacity needed to harness the potential of IP for economic development o Providing technical infrastructure that includes : facilitating access to WIPOs world-standard databases of IP information; developing technical platforms to facilitate exchange of information among IP offices ; training and tools for using IP information o Building awareness, understanding and respect for IP including playing a leading role in encouraging and facilitating international dialogue on enforcement related issues, as well as providing training and education programs o Working in partnership with the UN and other organizations to identify and promote IP-based solutions to climate change, food security, public health and other global challenges
5.3.8. Members
WIPO's strategic direction, budget and activities are determined by its Member States, who meet in the Assemblies, Committees and other decision making bodies WIPO currently has 184 member states a list of these member states can be found in Annex III.
5.3.9. Decision making bodies All decisions governing WIPOs strategic direction and activities are made by the Member States. The WIPO Secretariat coordinates formal and informal meetings of the Member State bodies throughout the year. The principal committees and decision-making bodies are listed below.
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5.3.10.
Governing Bodies
The following constituent organs, established by the WIPO Convention, are WIPOs highest decision-making bodies. They meet in September/October in Geneva in ordinary session every two years, and in extraordinary session in alternate years.
The WIPO General Assembly The WIPO Conference The WIPO Coordination Committee
In addition the Assemblies of the member states of each of the Unions, (e.g. the PCT Union Assembly; the Madrid Union Assembly etc.) were established by the respective WIPO-administered treaties.
5.3.11.
Standing Committees
These are ad hoc committees of experts. Standing committees are established by a decision of the General Assembly for a given purpose, e.g. to determine the need or otherwise for new treaty provisions. Examples may be the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP), the Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT), or the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR).
When a Standing Committee determines that sufficient progress has been made in order to move towards treaty adoption, the General Assembly can decide to convene a Diplomatic Conference. This is a high level meeting of Member States, convened purely to finalize negotiations on a new treaty.
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5.3.12.
Permanent Committees
The International Classification treaties (i.e. the Locarno, Nice, Strasbourg and Vienna Agreements) established permanent Committees of Experts with a mandate periodically to revise and update the classification systems. Any of the Governing Bodies can constitute committees as required. For example the Program and Budget Committee, the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) or the Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE).
5.3.13.
Working Groups
A Standing Committee or other body can decide to establish a working group to examine a particular question in more detail.
5.3.14.
Question and Answer Session
Why was the World Intellectual Property Organization neither involved in the discussion about Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) nor consulted with respect to this issue?
The WIPO is a neutral agency of the United Nations and does not have to be consulted concerning changes in the legislation on IP. The organizations mandate is to promote and facilitate the protection of IP, but it cannot set enforcement legislation thereof.
Are there any new forms of IP for which appropriate protection has not yet been regulated accordingly?
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New forms of IP include the protection of creations and inventions deriving from indigenous or cultural background, such as traditional knowledge, access to generic resources, folklore etc. Currently the WIPO is trying to create a framework for effective protection related subjects. Furthermore, another emerging field with the need of IP rights is cyber-sporting. This includes the illegal use of protected brands and names to sell items via the internet.
How does the WIPO finance its operations? 90 % of the organizations budget derives from the registration of IP. Mainly industrial property is registered by participants of the private sector. Hence, only 10 % of the WIPOs budget is paid by its member states, which is rather exceptional for the UN system.
6. Wednesday, 25th of April 2012

6.1. Organization for Economic Co-Operation and
Development (OECD)
Date: Wednesday, 25th of April 2012 Time: 02:00 pm 02:15 pm Topic: Welcome and Introduction Speaker: Mr Andrew Gentry, Public Affairs and Communications Directorate Time: 02:15 pm 02:45 pm Topic: History, Structure, Scope of Work and Membership Speaker: Mrs Marion Gratt, Attach Austrian Delegation to the OECD Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
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The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), based in Paris, is one of the worlds major and most reliable providers of comparable statistics and economic and social data. Due to numerous researches in the field of economics and public policy, the OECD is one of the worlds leading publishers of reports and forecasts in that area. Mrs Marion Gratt, Attach of the Austrian Delegation to the OECD, gave us a brief insight into the organizations mission, goals, structure, members, areas of work and achievements, followed by an overview of the role of the Austrian Delegation and a discussion at the end.
6.1.1. History
Historically, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed out of the Organization for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) that was set up in 1948 to assist the European economy to recover from the disturbances and impacts of World War II. Its primary purpose was to execute the European Recovery Programme, also known as the Marshall Plan by distributing about 13 billion USD which had been provided by the United States under the presidency of Harry Truman. In September 1961, the OECD became the official successor of the OEEC with 19 foundation members, among them, the United States and Canada as nonEuropean members. With the scope of work becoming more global, several countries, such as Finland, Japan, Australia and New Zealand joined the organization between 1964 and 1970. This expansion was followed by Mexico, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Korea and the Slovak Republic. Today, the OECD consists of 34 member countries (namely: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States), and has close work relations with more than 70 countries as well
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as co-operations with major international partners such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the European Union (EU). In 2010 Chile, Estonia, Israel and Slovenia joined the OECD as full members and also Russia was invited for negotiations of a membership. Furthermore, it offered enhanced engagement, with a view to possible membership, to Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa because those countries are key partners.
6.1.2. General Overview
As mentioned above, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was officially founded in 1960, and came into force on 30th of September 1961 as an intergovernmental economic organization composed of currently 34 member countries, representing 80 % of the worlds GDP. The headquarters of the OECD is situated in Paris, at the Chteu de la Muette. The OECDs credo is to stand for democracy and market economy. Further areas of activity include providing information and guidance on the topics of trade and structural adjustment, as well as reducing poverty in developing countries. One way to achieve its goals is to help governments to respond quickly to new developments, by providing a forum for the exchange of experiences and methods of resolution, including the coordination of domestic and international policies. Another field of activity is the allocation of data concerning more than one hundred developing countries and emerging market economies like China, South Africa, India, Brazil and Mexico.
6.1.3. Aims The OECD has defined its core principles in the Convention on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which has been signed by every member state. They include the intent to:
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Maintain financial stability Raise living standards Contribute to growth in world trade Support governments to sustainable economic growth (e.g. in Morocco) Boost employment Assist other countries economic development
6.1.4. Organizational structure
6.1.4.1.
The Council
The decision making power lies within the OECD Council. It is made up of one representative per member country, plus a representative of the European Commission. These decisions are achieved via regular council meetings at the level of permanent representatives to the OECD and are taken by consensus. The Council meets at a ministerial level once a year to discuss key issues and set priorities for OECD work.
6.1.4.2.
Committees
In order to progress ideas and cooperate on areas, such as economics, trade, science, employment, education or financial markets the comities provide a forum for discussion and co-operation. There are about 200 committees, working groups and expert groups, equipped with a total of 40,000 senior officials. These officials are dispatched by the national administrations.
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6.1.4.3.
The Secretariat
The Secretariat in Paris is made up of about 2,700 staff members, who support the activities of the committees. These employees, which include economists, lawyers, scientists and other professionals, carry out the work in response to priorities decided by the OECD Council. Currently the OECD Secretariat is headed by Mr Angel Gurra, who is assisted by four Deputy Secretaries-General.
6.1.5. Current topics
Current topics of the OECD that have been addressed during the OECD Forum 2011 were Green Growth, Skills Strategy, New Paradigms for Development, Narrowing the Gender Gap and Reducing Inequality, Better Life Initiative and Restoring Trust. Mr Schekulin, our professor from the first semester, dropped by during the presentation because he had a meeting at the OECD. He is chairing the investment committee of the OECD since 2004 and gave us an update about his work. Within this meeting current issues were discussed with other countries and with the assistance of the technical expertise from the OECD Secretary. It brings experts from different fields together to discuss follow-ups of the financial crisis. There will also be a seminar to convince more countries like China to become member of the OECD. Additionally, the issue of liberalizing or restricting capital movements and related set of rules will be addressed to discuss the needs to prevent weaker developing frameworks from the big Wall-Street sharks.
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6.1.6. Question and Answer Session
The presentation was followed by a lively discussion. The focus of the questions raised was primarily on issues concerning the OECD itself. Mrs Gratt and Mr Gentry answered the questions regarding the OECDs control of the
implementation of measures and explained the unique peer pressure system which exists in the OECD. They highlighted that the OECD always tries to assess the highest possible standards and to find a common ground for the recommendations, policies and reforms they propose. Mr Gentry mentioned that small countries like Austria for example can benefit even more from the OECD membership.
6.1.7. Internship Opportunities
At the end, our professor Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic raised a question regarding employment and internship possibilities at the OECD. Mr Gentry encouraged the students to join the OECD, as the organization is always seeking for ambitious young people. He referred to the OECD homepage, which provides all relevant information in the career section. Furthermore, one can apply directly or an internship by contacting the department of interest. Internships vary in duration and payment, however, the usual duration is six months. In this context it is to be noted that applicants only qualify for an internship position if they are citizens of one of the OECD countries.
6.2.
Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD
Date: Wednesday, 25th of April 2012 Time: 02:45 pm 03:15 pm Topic: Role and Function of the Austrian Delegation
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Speaker: Mrs Marion Gratt, Attach Austrian Delegation to the OECD Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
The general overview of the OECD was followed by a definition of the role of the Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD (hereafter referred to as Austrian Mission). In her presentation, Mrs Marion Gratt outlined the structure and the role of the Austrian Mission.
6.2.1. Role and Responsibilities of the Austrian Mission
Each of the 34 OECD-member states is represented at the organization in Paris by several representatives and delegates. The fundamental role of the Austrian Mission is to act as a linkage between the OECD Secretariat and national authorities. Furthermore, the Austrian Mission promotes Austrias national interests in multilateral negotiations. It basically aims at ensuring a good fit between the OECDs work and their countrys interests. As a further point, it informs about current developments of the OECD-programmes of work. The Austrian Mission is composed of one ambassador and several diplomats. At present, Mr Wolfgang Petritsch is Austrias ambassador. He was appointed by the Austrian Federal Chancellery on March 4, 2008. Mr Petritsch, in consultation with his peers, has the responsibility to agree on the programme of work, validate strategic work and establish the volume of the annual budget.
6.2.2. Question & Answer Session
At the beginning of the discussion Mrs Gratt emphasized on the importance to coordinate opinions between ministries and that OECD statistics can serve as a basis for political decision making. She mentioned the Best Practices system that
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allows for knowledge-sharing in the service of all countries. The current discussions on education in Austria, such as the new secondary school (Neue Mittelschule) and centralized school leaving examination (Zentralmatura), originate from OECD Best Practices. Furthermore, Mrs Gratt spoke about the collaboration and cooperation between the OECD and the G20 and referred to the OECD as being a platform of integration and voice for smaller countries, such as Austria, which would normally not influence G20 decisions. Subsequently, questions concerning Austrias contribution to the OECD budget and priority topics were raised. Traditionally, the US accounts for 22 % of the budget, thus the biggest contributor, followed by 12 % of Japan and 9 % of Germany. In comparison, as Austria is a rather small country, it contributes 1,25 % of the total budget. Priority topics for Austria, according to Mrs Gratt, are: a) the improvement and optimization of the education sector, b) the reduction of inequalities in the society, c) sustainable growth, and d) energy politics
6.2.3. Internship Opportunities
With regards to the Austrian Mission, Mrs Gratt talked about employment possibilities directly at the Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD. The Austrian Mission offers internships with a length of 3 months and more, which are paid. Applications for internships can be forwarded directly to the Austrian Mission. Furthermore, a Professional Program exists which is like a traineeship. The required language is English, French is not necessary. Students can already join this program after finishing their Bachelor studies.
6.3.
International Energy Agency (IEA)
Date: 25th of April 2012
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Time: 5:20 pm Topic: IEA An Overview (including Questions and Answers Session) Speaker: Dr. Timur Gl Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
6.3.1. General Information
The International Energy Agency (IEA) consists of 28 member states and 190 employees promoting reliable and reasonably-priced clean energy. With its headquarters in Paris, it is a semi-autonomous body of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and linked to G-8. Although only OECD members can apply to the IEA, it also closely cooperates with nonmembers. It was founded after the 1973/74 oil shock in order to assist countries to overcome the immediate impact of the crisis. Apart from this aspect, the IEA has included additional tasks in their spectrum. Therefore, their staff not only provides a broad range of well researched statistics, data bases and publications, but is also active in the following four areas: The agency promotes energy security through product diversification and increased flexibility; it is an advocate of economic development of its member countries with the help of sustainable energy supply and free markets; it tries to increase international education concerning environmental energy issues and also works closely together with nonmembers to increase overall welfare. At a later stage, the agency has started to fight climate change by developing alternatives and rational energy policies.
6.3.2. Main Topic After introducing the organizations structure, Dr. Gl proceeded his presentation with talking about the biannual ministerial meetings, the IEA hosts. The main issue discussed during this conference are future trends on the energy markets. The IEA stresses the crucial importance of governments preparing for energy
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emergencies. Additionally, the oil market is analyzed and long-term energy market trends are discussed at the for a. Moreover, country studies are presented and the relationship between member states and non-member states are discussed. Fostering the relationship between member states and non-member states is in the IEAs case extremely important, since China, a country that ranks in the top ten of energy consumers, is not a member country. The IEA publishes every year the World Energy Outlook. This is the most important publication in the energy area providing massive amounts of statistics and data on the current state of the energy market and the future of it. The energy trends shown in this publication are compiled with the help of automatic models that analyze existing technologies and assess their
development potential. An important section of the book is dedicated to energy consumption, how energy is used and who is using it. This analysis shows that the growth of energy consumption is highest in emerging markets. China and India are responsible for 50% of the growth in energy consumption. Additionally, the IEA estimates that from 2010 to 2035 the energy consumption of the planet will grow by one third, with the biggest part of the growth being realized in non-OECD countries. This again, stresses the importance of co-operation between member and non-member states. Furthermore, the renewable energy market was discussed. Dr. Gl pointed out that especially in the renewable energy sector governments had considerable power over the industry. The subsidies that were being paid in the area amounted to some $66 billion obstructing the price up until now. Currently many countries start to phase out their subsidies in this area causing an increase in prices that will reach its peak in 2020. Currently, Germany sees considerable consequences from their high subsidies since many of the companies in the renewable energy sector are not competitive enough to survive without the subsidies, many businesses are closing. Nevertheless the subsidies, made it possible to realize the biggest growth of energy production in the renewable energy sector in the last years. Even though the $66 billion spent on renewable energy seems a considerable amount it is not even close to the sum spent on fossils. The fossil market is
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subsidies with some $405 billion each and every year. This difference shows how much potential there is for change in the governance of the energy production sector. Coal is considered of tremendous importance, notably for the emerging markets. China is producing most of its energy via coal, making CO2 emissions an important topic. The IEA tries to advise governments on how to reduce their CO 2 emissions, anyhow the IEA is no normative body, and thus it cannot formulate any international regulations that are binding for governments. It can merely inform the states on how they could improve and hope that the peer-pressure of other member states pushes the countries to initiate change. Since coal is also in the future going to be the most important energy provider, CO2 emissions are an important issue. Hence, the IEA provides different CO 2 scenarios that allow the countries to see how their CO2 emissions will develop. Concerning nuclear power, Dr. Gl provided an interesting insight. If 50% of the nuclear energy plants that are operated nowadays were to be switched off it would cause a tremendous increase in CO2 emissions. Additionally, energy supply would get scarcer. This was especially interesting to hear in the light of Germany and Japan currently phasing out their nuclear energy plants. Obviously the topics of energy and climate are no longer separable. Especially, coal and the CO2 emissions are a treat to the climate. Therefore the IEA publishes every year statistics on which country produces the most CO2. Historically, the OECD-countries emitted the biggest proportion of CO2 emissions, anyhow within the next 25 years China will have taken over the European Union, not only in current emission but also on a historical basis. The CO2 emissions scenario the IEA presented shows that by 2015 80% of CO 2 emissions that allow us to stay within the Kyoto protocol regulations will be locked in. Meaning that there is extremely little that can be done about them.
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6.3.3. Questions and Answer Session Following Dr. Gls presentation a lively Question and Answer session was held. The topics covered were very diverse, from the CO2 emissions trade over energy sufficiency without nuclear power.
7. Thursday, 26th of April 2012

7.1. The World Bank Group (WB)
Date: 26th of April 2012 Time: 10:00 am Topic: WB Group An Overview Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
On Thursday, April 4, 2012, die group was invited to visit the World Bank Group (WB) in their Paris office. Currently there are 30 people working permanently in Paris, the entire WB, however, comprises 131 offices around the globe.
The World Bank Group was founded in July 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference in New Hampshire, by 43 participating countries. Its original purpose was to finance the reconstruction of war-torn Europe. Nowadays the World Bank Group has become the primary financier of development projects in the third world having its headquarters in Washington D.C. It is not a bank in the common sense, but more a specialized agency of the United Nations with 187 member countries helping emerging countries to escape poverty by building an investment friendly environment, creating jobs and fostering sustainable growth. As it is the worlds leading development agency, it provides help to rebuild economies that were heavily devastated through wars and social and economic
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crisis. The World Bank Group also promotes international economic cooperation. All its operations are conducted under the so called Millennium Development Goals which refer to the elimination of poverty and hunger, universal primary education for each and everybody, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of child mortality, the improvement of maternal health, the fight against HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and the development of a global partnership for development.
In order to achieve these objectives, the developing countries determine themselves that they have to build the capacity and the infrastructure to grow, to develop a robust financial system and to combat corruption.
The World Bank Group employs around 10,000 people and is therefore the third largest employer in Washington. It is a public institution that is owned by its 187 member countries. These countries can be described as the shareholders of the institution, each having a different amount of shares that is linked to their respective economic power and influence. The USA is the largest shareholder with slightly above 15% voting shares, followed by Japan, Germany, the UK and other countries.
7.1.1. Decision Making Bodies
7.1.1.1.
President
The current president of the World Bank Group is Robert Zoellick, who is also the chairman of the board of the Executive Directors (ED). The president is not elected democratically, but rather appointed by the US for a period of five years. He is in charge of the overall management of the Bank. The directors have no rights to intervene in the selection. They can only give some suggestions. Besides the president, there are nine vice presidents in charge of regions, sectors, networks
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and functions. This year (2012) a new president will be appointed, namely Jim Yong Kim.
7.1.1.2.
Board of Executive Directors
The board of the Executive Directors consists out of the representatives of each member country, amounting for 25 in total. There are two different types of votes within the decision making body, the basic votes and the additional ones that are based on their financial contribution. The basic votes are in general votes that are allocated equally to each member state. The Executive Directors responsibilities and duties are to decide on IBRD loans and IDA credits as well as to decide on policies that are linked to the Banks general operations. In addition they have to present to the board of governors an audit of accounts, an administrative budget and an annual report on the Banks operations and policies at every annual meeting. They are furthermore responsible for the day-to-day operations and revising operations evaluations and
development rends, having normally a meeting twice a week.
7.1.1.3.
Board of Governors
Each member country has to appoint one governor as its representative, which normally is directed to the finance minister of the respective country. Their key responsibilities and duties are to make key decisions regarding strategic directions, membership questions, capital stock, budgets and distribution of income.
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7.1.2. The Structure
The World Bank Group can mainly be divided into two institutions, namely the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Furthermore the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) form parts of the Group.
In principal the IBRD and IDA share the same goals and objectives called Millennium Development Goals which refer to the elimination of poverty and hunger, universal primary education for each and everybody, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of child mortality, the improvement of maternal health, the fight against HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and the development of a global partnership for development. Nevertheless the IBRD and the IDA are two financially independent legal entities, although they are administered by the same staff and share the same headquarter in Washington DC.
7.1.2.1.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The IBRD was originally established to provide financial support for the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Nowadays its mission has expanded to fight poverty in developing states all over the world. Thereby the IBRD provides assistance under three main headings: Strategy and coordination services, financial services including loans and development assistance to middle and low-income countries with a stated aim of reducing poverty, and knowledge services. Loans generally have a five-year grace period and must be repaid over a period of 15-20 years.
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In large part the IBRD is financed by selling bonds to private investors. Besides it can also count on the help of its member governments. Their loans are always given to member states and if it comes to a failure of repayment of a specific country the IBRD can freeze the capital streams immediately.
7.1.2.2.
International Development Association
Created in 1960 the IDA offers assistance to the poorest countries, providing them with interest-free loans (primarily aimed at basic social services provision and increasingly direct budget support), technical assistance and policy advice. The IDA is funded by wealthier nations, lending only to those countries that have a per capita income of less than $1,095 and lack the financial ability to borrow from the IBRD. IDA credits have a 20, 35 or 40 year repayment period. To survive the IDA is funded through three different sources: First of all be the re-flows from previous loans, secondly by transfers from IBRD net income and last but not least from IDA donors.
7.1.2.3.
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
The IFC is a legally and financially independent body of the World Bank Group. The institution is owned by the member states which also provide the authorized share capital and fix the policies. Its guiding principle is Reducing Poverty, Improving Lives and it was established in 1956. Today, the IFC supports developing countries in terms of sustainable economic growth by providing capital for the private sector, encouraging investment into poor countries and advising businesses and governments. Therefore the IFC mainly works in developing regions in Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia & the Pacific, South Asia, Europe & Central Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and Middle East & North Africa.
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The two IFC core tasks are to provide advisory and investment services, include loans and intermediary services, equity (IFC holds shares in several companies from poor countries), special structured finance products, risk management products (like hedging foreign exchange spending), and others.
7.1.2.4.
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
The MIGA, founded in 1988, has the aim to increase foreign direct investment into countries of the developing world. Foreign Direct investment (FDI) is a critical issue for those countries when it comes to reduce poverty, including availability of clean water, electricity and above all work. With the help of money from abroad, they can invest in the private sector and increase economic wellbeing and the wellbeing of individuals.
Thereby is important to note that MIGA is an insurer and not a lender itself. (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency) Obviously, most investors tend to invest in secure countries because they fear political risk in poor countries. Therefore, MIGA is providing the following three important services. Firstly, they insure investors against political risk for foreign investments in developing countries. Secondly, they provide technical assistance in order to further develop investment climates and promote investment opportunities. Thirdly, they try to remove possible obstacles to future investment. MIGA mainly tries to attract investment for the area of infrastructure and this is especially a challenge in case of countries with very high risks combined with low income and those which are victims of wars and other conflicts.
Over the last decades the relationship between the World Bank and MIGA has been reduced. Nowadays, it is only a minimized organizational link. Furthermore the Independent Evaluation Group for MIGA (IEG-MIGA) is evaluating the effectiveness of the whole organization and its operating on a regular basis since July 2002.
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7.1.2.5.
International Centre for Settlement for Investment Disputes
(ICSID)
ICSID is an international institution that provides facilities to settle international investment problems. The centre has been formed by the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank) and came into being in 1966. Its main purpose is to interfere in case there are any legal disputes that are of non-commercial nature. Nowadays, ICSID is a main player when it comes to international investment and economic development. (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes)
7.1.3. Roles
The World Bank in general can be assumed as the largest public development institution, annually lending a sum of approximately 25 billion dollars to their member states. Providing help for the reconstruction and development of territories of member states by facilitating the investment of capital for productive purposes is equally a role the World Bank assumes as is the promotion of the balanced growth of international trade and the maintenance of equilibrium in balances of payments by encouraging international investment. A further objective of the World Bank is to assist in raising the productivity, the standard of living and conditions of labor in their territories.
7.1.4. The World Bank as a Lender
The World Bank lends its money to middle and low-income governments to facilitate policy reforms and to promote investment projects. In certain cases the banks facilities can provide financial aid to private businesses and to non-profit
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organizations through special bank guarantees. Money that will support the improvement of institutional, economic and other policy reforms is known as structural adjustments or development policy lending. The World Bank requests guarantees in advance or sets up certain conditions before approving a loan or a grant. Such conditions can for example be the guarantee of the borrowing country to privatize some of their state-owned companies or to lower trade tariffs.
7.1.5. The World Bank as a Knowledge Broker
The World Bank also enriches the market with knowledge about development issues. Especially publications and research findings are of special interest. Every country can use these in the absence of alternative sources. Therefore the World Bank founded its own training and research group known as the World Bank Institute to directly participate in the training of government officials such as parliamentarians and civil society representatives.
7.1.6. The World Bank as a Gatekeeper to Development Finance
Last but not least the World Bank assumes one final role regarding the capital market. Through their research work and the assessment of a respective country the World Bank acts as a source for other institutions. With the World Banks Country Policy and Institutional Assessments (CPIA) and Investment Climate Assessments (ICA) countries can obtain a rating taking their economic policies and friendliness to foreign investment into account.
7.1.7. Lending instruments
The World Bank has two main lending instruments basically known as investment and adjustment loans. Investment loans have a long-term focus (5-10 years) and
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are used for financing goods and services in support of economic and social development projects in a broad range of sectors. Adjustment loans on the other side have a short-term focus (1-3 years) and are providing external financing to support institutional and policy reforms. Frequently both types are joined in hybrid operations due to their flexible usage.
7.1.7.1.
Investment Loans
Investment loans can be used for a wide range of different projects normally providing funds for physical and social infrastructure. These funds are only supplied against specific foreign or local expenditures related to the project such as equipment, studies, technical or consulting services or materials. To ensure a satisfactory performance these terms are normally settled before in a loan agreement. Investment loans are generally tailored to the specific needs of the borrower.
7.1.7.2.
Adjustment Lending and other Non-Project Lending
Adjustment lending programs provide quick financing solutions and assistance for countries to support structural reforms in a sector or in the economy as a whole. They are building up structures to foster political and institutional changes to create an environment for sustainable growth. Like investment loans, adjustment loans also changed their nature over the years due to changing needs by the borrowing countries. Adjustment loans were originally created for macroeconomic reforms, including trade policies and agricultural reforms. Now their focus changed and moved towards the structural and financial sector aiming at improving public resource management and promoting competitive market structures.
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7.1.7.3.
World Bank Guarantees
Loans are normally used as public financing instruments whereas bank guarantees issued by the World Bank are directed to the private sector helping the borrowers to cover risks that they normally could not absorb without help. The Banks project based guarantees try to foster private sector financing.
7.2.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO)
Date: 26th of April 2012 Time: 2:00 pm 4:30 pm Topic: UNESCO An Overview (including Questions and Answers Session) Speaker: Ms. Isabell Ladiges Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic On Thursday, April 26th, our group had the great pleasure of visiting UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Following the long security check we were warmly welcomed by a UNESCO official responsible for the guided tours. She gave us a brief historical overview and led us through the wonderful UNESCO garden where artists from all over the world left their mark. We also watched a very inspiring video related to UNESCOs main activities. Following the tour we were greeted by Ms. Isabell Ladiges on behalf of the Austrian mission to the UNESCO. The Austrian Delegation represents the Austrian government at the UNESCO Headquarters and is a permanent link for Austria in the framework of the different forums and Bodies of the UNESCO. Concerning the administration it is linked to the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Question and answer session followed this very brief overview. Questions were mostly related to Ms. Isabels role in the Austrian mission and potential internship opportunities.
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7.2.1. The organization UNESCO is an abbreviation for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and it is a specialized agency of the United Nations and its headquarters are located in Paris. The aim of the UNESCO is to build peace in the minds of all people around the world. The main vision of the UNESCO is to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, [...]. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. Introducing UNESCO.)
7.2.2. Historical Overview
The early origins of the UNESCO lie in the predecessors that were called International Committee of Intellectual Co-operation and the International Bureau of Education, that were both located in Geneva. However, the real idea for the UNESCO started during the Second World War when people had the wish of living a life in peace and harmony. In 1942 several European Countries that encountered the Nazi regime met for the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME) in the UK. Those countries started to look for ways to reestablish an education system as soon as peace was maintained again. Several countries joint over time and in 1945 they decided to create a peace-building organisation to prevent another world war. The Constitution of UNESCO was ratified by 20 countries and entered into force in November 1946. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. The Organizations History.)
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7.2.3. International Structure
The UNESCO has 193 Member States and seven Associate Members. Its work is organized around five different regions, namely Africa, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America and Latin America and the Caribbean. Several field offices are located in the various regions to ensure smooth operations. (portal.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. Communities.)
7.2.4. Field of Activity
The UNESCO has a relatively wide scope of work and covers several functions in the area of education, sciences and culture and several topics related to those issues. It is a specialized agency of the UN and is coordinating mostly with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The objectives and expected results of UNESCOs work are laid down in a Medium-Term Strategy that is renewed every six years. The current strategy and therefore all the UNESCO activities are guided by a mission statement: "As a specialized agency of the UN system, UNESCO contributes to the building of peace, the alleviation of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information." (UNESCOs Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013. P.5.) The subsequent information gives more detailed information of the most important sectors of UNESCOs work.
7.2.5. Education
UNESCO considers education as a key to social and economic development and therefore it has been a priority of this organization since its establishment. The overall goal is to create a peaceful society in a sustainable world through education. UNESCO is closely collaborating with education ministries and other
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partners. Through this collaboration, it tries to mobilize political will and direct efforts into the right direction. The leading mission in this area is Education for All (EFA) that should be reached by 2015. Furthermore the education sector of the UNESCO is guided by several other UN principles such as the MDGs. In 2000, the World Education Forum decided to establish six goals for 2015: (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. p. 10ff) Expand early childhood care and education Ensure that all children are able to access and receive free and compulsory education of good quality Increase access to learning and life skills programs for youth and adults Improve adult literacy rate by 50 % Eliminate gender disparities in education Improve all aspects of education quality (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. p. 10)
In addition to that, UNESCO is focusing on three main initiatives in order to reach EFA, namely Literacy, Teacher Training and Global Fight against HIV/AIDS. (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. p. 10ff)
7.2.6. Natural Sciences
The UNESCO is, among the UN specialized agencies, the only organization that is dealing with the promotion of science in particular. In this context, UNESCO managed to establish several scientific unions and bodies since its foundation. The need for sustainable development is the guiding principle of this division of the UN. Additionally, it addresses the need to question the exploitation of nature and consequently the management of natural resources is one key responsibility. UNESCO helps to advocate for science by providing advice, technical assistance and data. At the same time it tries to promote the dialogue between scientists and policy makers, to strengthen research capacities and to improve the development
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and implementation of science, technology and innovation policies. Especially developing countries (particularly African countries) need guidance and help in the reinforcement of capacities. Another emphasis is given to natural disaster prevention and preparedness: It tries to mitigate the effects of all sorts of natural hazards (e.g. earthquakes, floods, landslides) in special programs that are combined in the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. In addition to that, renewable energy is a priority in the work of this division. UNESCO tries to raise awareness of the efficiency of renewable energy such as solar energy. Additionally, it implements programs to introduce alternative forms of energy. (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. P. 14ff)
7.2.7. Social and Human Sciences
This division is mainly dealing with the issues of Ethics, Human Rights and Social and Human Sciences. The mission of this sector is to improve knowledge, standards and intellectual cooperation to facilitate social transformations. It tries to determine what is and what should be and reduces this gap. Ethics of Science has been a main topic for some time as scientific and technological advances lead to the question whether all the developments are ethically acceptable or not. As a result scientific progress should always be critically and ethically reflected. In this field, the division of Social and Human Sciences develops standards, introduces legal instruments, gives advice to governments and other partners and coordinates the work in this field. In addition to that, UNESCO focuses on new ethical challenges such as biometrics, biosecurity or nanotechnologies. In this context they established an instrument on bioethics called The Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. This declaration provides a critical and legal basis on issues such as human cloning. Several additional programs of this department address issues such as Racism, Management of Social Transformation (deals with gender, youth empowerment, migration etc.) or Doping in Sport. (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. P. 18ff)
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7.2.8. Culture
A major priority of UNESCO is to promote cultural diversity by protecting the tangible and intangible heritage of our multicultural and diverse world. Furthermore, it is of key interest to UNESCO to foster intercultural dialogue and to ensure the diversity of different cultures while fostering peace among them. Several Conventions were adopted in various fields of multiculturalism as for example the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001), the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) and many more. (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. P. 22ff)
7.2.9. Communication
The key ideas of the Communication and Information Sector (CI) are the promotion of freedom of expression and information, the promotion of multiculturalism in the news and to ensure access to knowledge and information for all. Especially for disadvantaged people these rights must be guaranteed in order to enable them to improve their quality of life. In this area, the division of Communication creates training opportunities, develops and distributes free software and collaborates with different partners. (UNESCO at a glance. 2010. P. 26ff)
7.2.10.
The Millennium Development Goals
Furthermore the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide the basis for UNESCOs activities in its main fields of interest, namely education, sciences and
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culture. These eight goals should enhance human conditions worldwide by 2015: (portal.unesco.org. 5th October. How we work.)
Achieve universal primary education Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike,will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. Promote gender equality and empower women Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015 Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development
7.2.11.
Organizational Structure
7.2.11.1. The General Conference
The General Conference is the primary decision-making and governing body of the UNESCO and it is made up of Member State representatives. Its main duty is to set up the policies and main line of work of the UNESCO. Furthermore, it establishes the program and the budget for the organization and the election of the Executive Board Members and the Director-General is done by this Conference. The regular meeting of the General Conference is held every second year and Member States and Associate Members meet there alongside with observers such as Non-Member States, intergovernmental organization and NGOs. The voting power is not determined by a countrys size or budget contribution as all countries have one single vote. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. UNESCOs Governing bodies)
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7.2.11.2. The Executive Board
In general the Executive Board (EB) can be seen as the management of the UNESCO and it consists of 58 members that are elected by the General Conference according to diversity of cultures and geographical origin. The General Conference decides on specific tasks that the EB has to carry out. The EB guarantees that the decisions of the General Conference are properly carried out and fulfils the tasks given by the General Conference. Furthermore, a Constitution officially regulates the functions and obligations of the EB. This Constitution, together with the rules and directives introduced by the General Conference, forms the basis for the EBs work. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. UNESCOs Governing bodies)
7.2.11.3. The Secretariat
The Director-General and the Staff appointed by him/her make up the Secretariat. 2,000 civil servants from about 170 different countries worked for the Secretariat in mid-2009 and 700 staff members were employed in the 65 field offices all around the world. In General the Staff is grouped into Professional and General Service categories. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. Secretariat.)
7.2.11.4. Director General
Every four years a new Director-General is elected by the General Conference and then has the authority to direct the Secretariat in the work of realizing the programs approved by the General Conference. Since 2009, Irina Bokova, who comes from Bulgaria, is the Director-General of the UNESCO. According to her, the greatest challenge nowadays is to create the global governance of the 21 st century and to lead the world into a new time of peace and humanism with
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sustainable economic and social development. (www.unesco.org. 5th October 2011. Director General)
7.2.11.5. National Commissions
There are 196 missions in Member and Associate States in order to provide a link between the civil society and the organization. This provides a unique and basic network for the work of UNESCO. These Commissions provide assistance in implementing various initiatives and programs in different domains. Furthermore they collaborate with the private sector which provides valuable technical input as well as financial help.
7.2.12.
Financing
UNESCO is mainly financed by member states contributions that are assessed for each country. The budget is for a two-year period and for instance, for the period of 2010 - 2011 it amounts to US$ 653 million. Moreover, extra-budgetary funding helps the UNESCO to increase the programs and outreach activities. (UNESCOs programme and Budget for 2010-2011. 2010.)
8. Friday, 27th of April 2012
8.1.
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Date: 27th of April 2012 Time: 10:00 am 12:30 am Topic: ICC An Overview (including Questions and Answers Session)
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Speaker: Mr Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac; Ms. Alma Forgo; Ms. Calliope Makedon Sudborough Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
The ICC was created in October 1919 at the International Trade Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, by a group of industrialists, financiers and traders. It is a private entity a does not act as a chamber of commerce. According to the Preamble of the Constitution of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) the organization defines its major objective as it is to further the development of an open world economy with the firm conviction that international commercial exchanges are conducive to both greater global prosperity and peace among nations. In the light of this purpose the following principle aims can be seen: Firstly the promotion of international trade services and investment targets the elimination of obstacles to global business like tariffs or import quotas. Secondly the promotion of a market economy aims to enforce the principle of free and fair competition among business entities. Finally the ICC works on the fostering of the economic growth of developed and developing countries by an enhanced integration of all countries in the world economy.
The ICC currently claims a membership of over 7000 companies and business associations in more than 130 countries worldwide. The member companies stem from all different kinds of industries comprise everything from SMEs to multinational corporations. Other than that, the ICC works together with the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, G8/G20 and national governments. The only difference between the WTO and the ICC is that the WTO works together with governments and the ICC with companies. The United Nations and business were not friends in the past as they distrusted each other. Nevertheless, they managed to establish a good relationship. Mainly due to the fact that they need the business input, therefore they started a project and are working nicely together now. This is a real benefit. The ICC has enjoyed general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and its agencies since 1946. The G8/G20
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gave the ICC the opportunity to get their hands in as they engaged in a joint venture. They define priorities of business and work with them in order that the big issues are getting addressed.
The ICC headquarter is located in Paris where about 140 staff members of more than 20 nationalities are working on daily issues. The organizations turnover makes up some 21 million Euros a year. Revenues are obtained by contributions of the National Committees, publications and business seminars. The ICC has National Committee offices in over 90 countries. They have obligations to the organization and vice versa. Over 2000 representatives from companies and business associations help to develop ICC policy positions as well as create voluntary rules by which international trade in practiced. The policy includes all major areas companies are involved in.
On our last day of visiting organizations in Paris, we had the great opportunity to hear presentations by ICC staff members in order to get insight knowledge of the organization. Mr Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac gave us a brief overview of the history, the role, the members of the ICC as well as the most important achievements of the ICC- Department of Policy and Business Practice. Mr. Coutelier closely elaborated on issues related to the ICC-Arbitration and the according rules. Ms. Makedon Sudborough followed by presenting the ADR, Expertise and Dispute Boards.
8.2.
ICC and the Department of Policy and Business
Practice
After giving a brief overview of the history, the role and the members of the ICC, Mr Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac informally spoke about the most important achievements of the ICC- Department of Policy and Business Practice to which he is personally committed.
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However, in the beginning Mr. Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac wanted us to remember following basic facts about the ICC. The organization works with companies on a nonprofit base. It is totally private and not a Chamber of Commerce as such. Furthermore, the ICCs budget is very limited and they do not get subsidies from the United States. Most of the consulting experts are working free of charge, because they believe in the work of the ICC. It is the only private organization which sets rules, which is a unique fact.
An interesting fact which he mentioned was about the ICC leadership. The executive board drives the ICC forward, which is shocking is that only two women are part of the board out of 30 members. He thinks this is due to reason that they do not have the time. They are meeting four times a year in Paris.
The aim of the ICC rule setting is to provide guidance by issuing example contracts for international business operations. UCP 600, or UCP 700 in its revised form, is a highly important basis for bank guarantees like letters of credit, which are established to ensure payment under an export contract.
Mr. Ceyrac elaborated in great detail on the probably most important publication of the ICC the INCOTERMS. This set of example provisions offer clear guidelines for export contracts of sales of goods. It was emphasized, that sales of goods is the only purpose of the INCOTERMS. Nevertheless they are also frequently used for other export contracts, which is a clear misinterpretation. According to Mr. Ceyrac the ICC faces the challenge, how to facilitate the application of the INCOTERMS, as they are often used in an inaccurate way.
ICC rules are generally revised periodically, which has also been the case with the INCOTERMS. However revisions of such widely used publications also impose a certain disruption on users, as they have to adapt to the changes. As a result revisions should now be kept to a minimum and only important amendments shall
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be done. Currently, the INCOTERMS 2010 are in use. The revision took two years. Normally, the INCOTERMS are revised every ten years.
Another challenge for the ICC is seen in fighting counterfeit goods. Product piracy has already reached all kinds of industrial and consumer goods including medicines, fertilizers and other chemical products. As a result these goods might have much more serious consequences than usual counterfeits like luxury designer goods. As penalties are internationally very low, the ICC tries to target consumers in order to build consciousness. As a basic matter of research the ICC employs focus groups all around the world, to identify motives and the level of information of consumers of counterfeit goods. Furthermore, they want to establish rules for the internet. The rules have to include business aspects.
The Commercial Crime Services (CCS) is the anti-crime arm of the ICC. CCS tackles all types of commercial fraud, financial instrument fraud, money laundering, shipping fraud and product counterfeit. Before the Question & Answer Session Mr. Francois-Gabriel Ceyrac pointed out that the ICC will have a new homepage in June 2012 which will be clearer arranged.
8.3.
Following a question about internship opportunities, Mr Ceyrac mentioned that at least in the Paris headquarters interns are taken on a frequent basis, but are unpaid. French is not required, only in the court a second language is needed. Nevertheless in this respect all national committees are independent.
Another question addressed the ICCs strategy how to raise consciousness for counterfeit goods and their negative impact. Mr. Ceyrac explained that simple messages or ads are most effective. For example billboards on airports should raise awareness.
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Furthermore, he got asked if SMEs can have access. He pointed out that they are more and more involved, but big companies have definitely more involvement at the moment.
Finally it was asked how users of the INCOTERMS can be encouraged to apply the revised version, once it was published. Mr. Ceyrac explained that generally it has to be stated in export contracts, which version of INCOTERMS are used. By this means misunderstandings are limited. Nevertheless the ICC strongly recommends using always the latest version.
8.4.
ICC International Court of Arbitration, Secretariat and
Arbitration Rules
Ms. Alma Forgo closely elaborated on issues related to the ICC- Arbitration and the according rules. In general the ICC Arbitration was founded in 1923 by the French minister and deals with business related dispute issues which the parties wish to clarify. However, any issues related to political decisions, such as war, are strictly excluded from ICC-Arbitration. Currently the number of cases which are dealt with by the concerning institution amount to 1,400 p.a., however this figure is not affected by the crisis thus is likely to increase during the upcoming periods as its popularity rises steadily. In total, more than 18 000 cases have been administrated. Currently, there are 1501 ongoing cases and 508 awards have been approved in 2011 (final, partial, by consent). Moreover, 1 331 arbitrators were appointed/confirmed by the Court in 2011. Ten per cent of the cases involved a state or state entity. The same year, there were 63 different places of arbitration and in total, 2993 parties from 139 different countries. Most parties are from central and eastern Europe.
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The administrative body of the court is made up of 129 Court members from 87 countries, one president and 15 vice presidents. Court members are not judges, but arbitration specialists. They are appointed for a renewable three year term by the World Council of the ICC. The Courts function is not to make any decisions with respect to the cases, but to make sure that the cases are properly administrated under the ICC rules. Examples are fixing the budget and the costs of Arbitration, deciding jurisdiction prima facie and deciding challenges, replacing, appointing and confirming arbitrators. A weekly meeting of the court ensures the information flow within the organization. The Secretariat can be seen as the linkage between the court, the arbitrators and the involved parties and is responsible for the smooth process of decisions making. The secretariat has 85 staff members and is divided into eight teams. Seven are working in Paris and one in Hong Kong.
The prime reason why numerous business issues are decided to be dealt with under ICC-Arbitration is, according to Ms. Forgo, the easy enforceability of decisions in numerous countries. Certainly, the implementation of the very decisions is of high advantage especially in member countries to the ICC however also in other parts of the world Arbitration decisions are widely acknowledged. Consequently, it has to be mentioned that the ICC is extremely international and therefore the above mentioned advantage receives even more attention and importance. The reason why the headquarters is located in Paris is, because of historical reasons. As in the 1920s Europe was center for trade and for commercial exchange very important, Paris seemed to be the heart of negotiations. However if the ICC court would be established nowadays it would be most probably located in Asia. However, as already indicated, a further major advantage of ICC Arbitration presents the speed with which decisions are concluded and therefore available for the disputing parties. Usually Arbitration decisions are concluded within a couple of weeks, especially in member counties, whereas local courts in the different countries may need up to several years in order to present adequate solutions. Moreover, Arbitration is also available to small and medium sized businesses as
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the costs remain quite low compared to sums which need to be calculated if disputes are settled with national courts. The final sum necessary depends primarily on the amount in dispute which mostly remains affordable for the parties. However, in general it can be said that the amount of dispute succeeds USD 1 million.
One question had been raised asking, which issues were mostly carried to court. Whereupon Ms. answered that most cases derive from photovoltaic contracts as they are getting no subsidies and many organizations need to file for insolvency. Second recurring issues are contracts dealing with gas. As those contracts are mostly long-term contracts organizations start to negotiate to minimize their losses.
Finally, Ms. Forgo elaborated closer on the process of arbitration and clearly mentioned that the work of the ICC Arbitration starts with the file for arbitration and the establishment of the terms and references of the case which have to be signed by the involved parties.
8.5.
ADR, Expertise and Dispute Boards
Ms. Calliope Makedon Sudborough presented the ADR (Amicable/Alternative Dispute Resolution), Expertise and Dispute Boards services. First she explained the functions of the ADR, which set of rules, came into force on 1st July 2001. The ADR settles disputes amicably in a rather inexpensive and quick way. Furthermore, the set of rules are all constructed on the same basis than the Arbitration, Expertise and Dispute Board Rules.
Ms. Makedon Sudborough goes on with the different articles, which state how ADR is started. Article 1 covers the Scope of Rules, which explains that those rules are only applicable to business, as well as domestic and international disputes. Article 2 explains two alternative methods there is either no prior
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agreement to submit the dispute to ICCADR, or there is an agreement to refer to the ICCADR Rules. In Article 3 the Selection of the Neutral is explained, which provides information about the qualifications a Neutral third party should have, such as language, background, location, expertise. Fees and Costs are discussed in Article 4, which indicates that there is no general rule about the length of the procedure. Nevertheless, both parties have to pay a registration fee of 1,500 USD, which is not refundable. Moreover, further administrative fees are never more than 10,000 USD and never less than the registration fee. All costs have to be borne by both parties as well. Article 5 covers the Conduct of the ADR Procedure, which gives information about the different types ADR, such as Mediation, Neutral evaluation, Mini-trial, or any other technique including a combination of techniques. The parties should decide with the neutral party which technique to apply to their dispute. Termination of ADR Proceeding is covered in Article 6, which shows that sometimes mediation failed but occasionally parties want to make a new deal. This means that mediation does not give a 100% assurance for being successful. The success highly depends on the parties involved. Furthermore, the Neutral can also say that mediation will be inefficient and therefore has the possibility to terminate the whole procedure. Article 7 Confidentiality, probably one of the most important ones states that all documents, suggestions, views, communications, agreements are confidential. Nevertheless, there are two exceptions when disclosure is required by applicable law, and when disclosure is agreed by both parties.
Ms. Makedon Sudborough also mentioned that there is a certain link between ICC ADR and Arbitration, but there is strict confidentiality necessary between the services. Everything should be kept secret, thus it is not allowed to give information to the ICC Court of Arbitration. If parties think arbitration takes too long and is too intensive, they have the possibility to go to ADR.
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Another major point presented were the tasks of a mediator. Mediation is a voluntary and confidential procedure where the parties develop consensual, interest-based and future oriented solutions with the assistance of a third party. The outcome should be a win-win for all parties. The mediator is the third party in a discussion, who should support to smooth down differences. This party or person needs to be neutral, and accepted of both negotiation parties. Moreover the person needs to have special skills and should be an expert in the field consulted. The ADR is employing some experts however in some unique cases external personal need to be contracted.
Statistics show that there is a world wide spread with regards to ADR, to be more precisely 80 per cent are international and only 20 per cent domestic. Since 2001 cases are with parties from 64 countries. The average amount of disputes is US$ 30 million. The average duration is below four month and the average costs are slightly above US$ 20 000. The settlement rate if file has been transferred to the mediator is 74 per cent. Compared to a settlement rate of over 80 per cent, if a first meeting with the mediator took place.
8.6.
Concerning the third presentation, students raised questions which primarily concerned the work of the ICC ADR Service also referring to the number of cases dealt with by the ICC ADR Service per year. The speaker informed the students that about 17 cases where dealt with in 2008, however, the first months of 2009 already show an increase of 25% in this activity. Furthermore the question related to which of the parties has to bear the costs for an ADR procedure file was raised, which Ms. Makedon Sudborough clearly answered by indicating that the party who brings in the file needs to bear the registration fee which is later credited to its credit for costs. Furthermore, additional charges are divided between the respective parties. Additionally, one major advantage of the ADR Service was discussed during the Question & Answer session, being the faster decision making
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process. For small and medium sized companies, files which might take years to be decided on with national courts can be extremely harmful, whereas the quick decision making of the ADR Service presents a clear advantage.
8.7.
Internship Opportunities
The speakers highlighted the acceptance of interns in the various departments of the organizations. Furthermore the important issue of prior experience was discusses and it was confirmed that no law studies are required in order to apply for an internship with the ICC however students need to be officially enrolled in an university. The duration of the respective internships is quite flexible lasting from 3 to 6 months. In comparison to various other organizations, internships are paid within the ICC however this payment shall more be seen as a compensation, according to the speakers.
Interested students are invited to express their wish to join the ICC for an internship by sending an e-mail to kbt@iccwbo,org. The respective message should also include a closer definition of the desired department of interest and a reference to the very speakers is advisable. Find more information under the respective website: www.iccwbo.org/
9. Not
visited
International
Organizations
due
to
cancellations
9.1. United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)
Date: Monday, 23rd of April 2012 Time: 11:30 am - 12:45 am - cancelled
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Topic: Guided tour through the facilities
Due to time problems and a delay of the briefing at UNECE, the guided tour through the Palais des Nations was cancelled.
About 100,000 visitors take the tour of the Palais des Nations each year. Tours are available in more than 15 languages and last for one hour.
Visitors of the UNOG see different rooms of the Palais des Nations. The most important ones are the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room, decorated by famous artist Miquel Barcel, the Salle des Pas Perdus, from which one can see the Armillary Sphere and the monument commemorating the conquest of outer space and the Assembly Hall, which is the largest room in the Palais des Nations. Furthermore, the guided tour brings visitors to the Council Chamber, where many important historical negotiations have taken place. At the end of the visit, a film on the activities and objectives of the United Nations Office is shown. During the tour, information about the current activities of the United Nations and the history of the Palais des Nations, which formerly was the headquarters of the League of Nations, is provided.
9.2.
LOrganisation Internationale de la Francophonie
The International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) was not included in the schedule of the study trip. Therefore the authors are not able to supply first-hand information about employment and internship possibilities. Nevertheless, the official website (http://www.francophonie.org/-Recrutements-.html) provides
information about the recruiting procedures and requirements.
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9.2.1. History
The International Organisation of La Francophonie is one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world. The two cornerstones of which the Organisation is based are the common language as well as the humanist values promoted by the French language. The precursors of the IOF were the Agency of Cultural and Technical Cooperation, founded in 1970, which became the Intergovernmental Agency of the French-speaking nations in 1995. In order to simplify the institutional system, in 1986 the International Organization of La Francophonie under the authority of the General Secretary of La Francophonie was established during the first summit of Heads of States and Governments of the French-speaking nations in France. Currently the OIF comprises 200 million French speakers worldwide, whereas Africa is the continent with the largest number of French speakers. Furthermore, the OIFs has 75 States and governments, including 19 observers across the five continents. French is either the official language, or one of the official languages in 32 of the OIFs member states, governments or observers.
9.2.2. Objectives and Mission
The OIF is acting in compliance with the cultural and linguistic diversity and for the promotion of the French language in order to create peace, cooperation, solidarity and sustainable development. The main objectives of the Organization are:
to establish and to develop democracy to prevent, to manage and to regulate conflicts, to support the State of Law and human rights to intensify the dialogue among cultures and civilizations to bring people together through mutual understanding to strengthen their solidarity through multilateral cooperation, to promote the growth of their economies
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to promote the education and training
In addition, the four missions are: Promoting French language and cultural and linguistic diversity Promoting peace, democracy and human rights Supporting education, training, higher education and research Expand cooperation for sustainable development.
In particular, the Organization concentrates on young people and women, access to information and communication technologies. The OIF provides a four years schedule promoting their actions, which is based on the contributions from its States and Government Members. The current program 2010 2013 includes the new method of action of the IOF as well as the renovation of its structures and mode of operation, aiming to assure achievement of its objectives and to improve performance.
9.2.3. Decision Making Process and Organization
The Francophone Summit, the Ministerial Conference and the Permanent council together are three authorities who are guide lining and controlling the OIF, in respective order.
9.2.3.1.
Francophone Summit
Held every two years, the Francophone Summit is the highest authority, a meeting of heads of state and government, of each member country of the International Organization of Francophone. Future goals are set and strategies to get there, discussed. The summit is also used to fix the areas of focus of the OIF, to make notions for improvements and to revise the effectiveness of functioning of their
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processes. Moreover, this is the place where new full members, associate members and observer members are selected and developed.
9.2.3.2.
Ministerial Conference
The ministerial conference, the second authority in order, is held on more regular occasions where ministers of foreign affairs of member countries meet to recommend new member states and associate member states to the summit, while monitoring the execution of decision made by the summit.
9.2.3.3.
Permanent Council
This particular authority, the last decision making body of the OIF is held whenever necessary and is there to plan future summits and the implementation of summit decisions on a day-to-day basis, while also monitoring the execution of decisions taken by the ministerial conference to close the circle of monitoring. Hereby, representatives who are appointed by the heads of states meet under the charge of the Secretary General who is chairing such events.
9.2.3.4.
Secretary General and Administrator
The Secretary General has key position in the organizational structure of the OIF. He guides the international political actions of the organization and is the spokesman and official representative on an international level. Furthermore, he has the function to promote multilateral cooperation and chairs the cooperation council. From 2002 until 2010, Abdou Diouf, former president of the Republic of Senegal, was the Secretary General of the OIF holding 2 terms before entering a third term. Moreover, he nominates the Administrator which serves a four years
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term. Currently, this position is held by the Canadian Clment Duhaime. The duties of the Administrator consist of the facilitation of multilateral cooperation and the management of administrative and financial affairs.
9.2.4. Admission Criteria
Status of the French language a determining criterion French as an official language not a precondition Official file for admission to the OIF is a necessity Ministerial council and the permanent council monitor, revise, and propose potentials Summit decides whether the potential country can join or not
9.3.
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC)
9.3.1. History
The history of the ICRC started in 1859, during the war of Italian Unification, when a citizen from Switzerland, Henry Dunant, saw thousands of people injured during the fights lying around without help in Solferino, a town in Northern Italy. Therefore, he asked the question if it would not be possible to form relief societies during peace to ensure that they will care for wounded people in wartime. This led to the foundation of a five-member committee in 1863, known as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
An important concept was to give neutral status medical services and volunteer nurses, as they should not be affected by the fighting. Ten resolutions were adopted which provided for the establishment of the future Red Cross, like the Committees have to provide medical services in times of war and have to
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communicate with their governments to be accepted. But to make treaty rules, and therefore binding obligations, out of these resolutions, in 1864 a conference was held.
The idea was to create relief societies providing medical service to wounded soldiers as well as a legal basis obliging armies to care for all wounded, no matter which side they were on. This led to the signing of the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded of Armies in the Field. Modern international humanitarian law was born. WWI led to a considerable expansion of the ICRCs activities, also including prisoners of war, civilians and the prohibition of the use of chemical weapons.
In 1919 the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was founded by 5 member societies, namely Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States, to strengthen and unite Red Cross Societies. The ICRCs efforts to help the Jews and other groups of civilians persecuted during WWII were a failure. After this disaster in 1949, 4 further conventions were adopted: the Convention for Wounded and Sick military personnel on the battlefield, the Convention of wounded, sick and shipwrecked military personnel in war at sea, the Convention of Prisoners of War and the Convention for civilians. The fourth Convention was completely newly-introduced and wanted to ensure general protection of civilians against consequences of war.
9.3.2. Structure of the ICRC
The ICRC is currently headed by the president Jakob Kellenberger and other two vice-presidents Olivier Vodoz and Christine Beerli. Their tasks are mainly representing the organization on the international scene and ensuring a smooth functioning of the ICRC.
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Apart from the presidency, also the Assembly, the Assembly Council and the Directorate are involved in the decision making process. The Assembly with its 15 to 25 elected members of Swiss nationality, chaired by the presidency, is the supreme governing body which oversees all activities of the organization. Formulating policies, defining objectives and institutional strategy, and approving the budget are part of its responsibilities. The Assembly Council, composed of five elected members and chaired by the president, prepares the activities of the Assembly and reports regularly to the Directorate and the Assembly. The Directorate, with its five members and the current Director-General Yves Daccord, is the executive body of the ICRC. Its main task is to ensure the application of the objectives and institutional strategy.
9.3.3. Mandate and Mission of the ICRC The mission of the ICRC is as follows: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence and to provide them with assistance.
The ICRC has a legal mandate from the international community, originating from the binding 1949 Geneva Conventions and from the Statutes of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement which are adopted at the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, taking place every four years. The Geneva Conventions, which are applicable worldwide, tell the organization to visit prisoners, re-unite separated families and engage in different humanitarian activities during armed conflicts like organizing relief operations. The Statutes of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, having a so-called quasilegal or soft-law status, address situations of internal violence where the Geneva Conventions do not apply.
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9.3.4. Activities of the ICRC
The ICRC is engaged in different fields of activities. The most important are listed below:
Protection: in this field the ICRC tries to ensure that the international humanitarian law is kept during times of war. But this activity is not only concerned with the protection of civilians affected by war but also of prisoners and detainees as well as the reconnection of families torn apart by war. Concerning the protection of civilians there are several specific rules (1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols). Situations not covered by these rules are subject to human rights law and the principles of humanitarian law. Whenever a conflict occurs the ICRC tries to keep as much contact to the civilian population as possible as well as to the authorities in order to ensure that humanitarian law is kept. In order to ensure that prisoners and detainees are treated according to the international standards, the ICRC is entitled to visit them. Reconnection of families includes all activities that prevent the separation of families, rebuild contact between family members and help to clear what happened to missing members. Study Trip Report 2009 30
Assistance: this field covers all activities aiming to improve living conditions by providing necessary materials and medical assistance. Major areas in this section are health, economic security and water and habitat. Assistance in health covers the most important activities to ensure that people affected by war have access to the basic medical assistance at an international standard. Economic security is concerned with basic economic needs of people and provides assistance so that these are met. Activities in the section of water and habitat try to secure access to clean water as well as appropriate sanitation.
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Furthermore the ICRC promotes international humanitarian law by increasing the awareness of those who determine the fate of victims and those who are empowered to ease the undertakings of the ICRC. The ICRC also makes efforts to clean areas of mines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW), uses humanitarian diplomats to make aware of problems, works together with national societies in order to ensure fast help and cooperate with private sector companies which conduct business in war prone zones so that humanitarian principles are promoted and fast and qualitative help is ensured.
9.3.5. Museum of the ICRC in Geneva
Due to construction works a visit at the museum of the ICRC in Geneva was not possible.
9.3.6. Internship/Employment Opportunities
Concerning employment possibilities at the ICRC, one can apply for only one advertised post via sending a mail including the CV to the Committee. Normally, during the first two to three years working for the ICRC basic activities are done, after three years middle management functions may be available and after several more years senior management positions can be occupied. Important to know is that staff usually is not allowed to choose where it wants to carry out its missions. Thus, employees have to go to the regions and countries experiencing wars and conflicts, which are chosen by the ICRC. Furthermore, the ICRC occasionally hires interns for specific posts that have been advertised.
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10. Diaries 21st of April 27th of April 2012

10.1. Saturday, 21st of April 2012
The study trip which would give us the unique chance to visit various well-known international organisations in Geneva and Paris started on Saturday, 21th April, at 10:00 pm when we met at the train station in Krems. A double-decker bus picked most of the students up in Krems. The remaining fellows joined us in Ansfelden and Salzburg. The journey from Krems to Geneva took us approximately 14 hours and turned out to be quite exhausting in terms of sleeping in an upright position on a bus chair. However, watching movies, discussing various topics, tattling and eating Lambada-Schnitten and Choco Bananas the journey was a very entertaining and funny experience.
10.2.
Sunday, 22nd of April 2012
At around 11:30 we arrived at the ETAP Hotel in Geneva where we spent the next two nights in small but very comfortable three-bed rooms. After checking in most of the students headed out to explore the city of Geneva. The weather was quite sunny and warm at that time. Geneva offers some very interesting and beautiful places to visit, ranging from architecture, historical buildings in the old city to museums and natural sights like the Lake Lman which is commonly known as Lake Geneva which is surrounded by the Alps. At the hotel we received a free ticket which allowed us to go around for free using all public means of transport. Thus, we enjoyed a very nice boat trip crossing the lake. The lake is the second largest in central Europe and is located partially in Switzerland and partially in France. One of the biggest attractions of Lake Geneva is the Jet dEau, the enormous fountain that spouts the water 140 m in the air.
When we continued our walk along the quay we saw the Statue of Elisabeth of Bavaria, the Memorial of Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, Duchess in Bavaria, Princess
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of Bavaria, Empress of Austria, aka Sissi, who was murdered exactly on this place in 1898. We were also impressed by the beautiful park beside the lake. Afterwards we visited the swatch exhibition on our way to the old town which turned out to be a maze of sloping streets and alleyways with various cafs, boutiques and historical architecture on every turn. As we arrived on Sunday unfortunately all shops were closed, however we climbed the narrow cobblestone streets to visit Saint Peters Cathedral, which towers over the Old Town and is also perfectly visible from the Lakes quay. Thanks to its location it offers an amazing panoramic view over the city.
Mot many students decided to go out the first evening in Geneva because of the nearly sleepless night in the bus. Nevertheless, some of us enjoyed traditional Swiss cheese fondue in a nice restaurant next to Lake Geneva.
10.3.
Monday, 23rd of April 2012
After having enjoyed one wonderful free day in Geneva we were ready to start into an interesting week visiting different international organizations. Soon we realized
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that this trip, indeed, is not a holiday. We were expected at Genevas Etap Hotels breakfast hall seven in the morning. All of us enjoyed the big buffet that offered something for every taste and that would leave us full of energy for the exhausting day that lay ahead of us. As we received transport cards that were valid for all public means of transport in Geneva we took the city bus towards our first stop the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). After a few minutes of searching for the right entry we eventually made it to the thorough security check that lasted for one hour before being allowed to enter the building. At about 10.50 am a representative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) welcomed us in room number 3 in building 6 and gave us an interesting insight into what the organization does and how it works. Additionally, all students received last years annual report to further obtain information about the organizational structure and achievements. As it was the first organization for us to visit we were really amazed by the facilities the conference room was equipped with. Soon later we noticed that all the other rooms and organizations have similar equipment. About one hour later we were given free time to have a look around the building. We used this time for a group picture in front of the UN headquarters!
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As time passed really quickly and hunger was on its rise we were looking forward to the lunch at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that was only a short walk away. This was especially beautiful because it was not only any random lunch hall it was on the top floor with a terrace where we could enjoy an amazing view over Geneva. Having filled our stomachs we were ready for our next stop. Again, Genevas public transport system took us near the so-called Blue Box. We were awaited at the Austrian Mission to IOs Geneva at 3 oclock by six Austrian speakers different that topics. all dealt with
After
enjoying
some refreshments, Ambassador Dr. Christian Strohal warmly welcomed us and introduced the work of the Austrian Mission. During the next couple of hours we were given the opportunity to understand how the World Trade Organization
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(WTO) is structured, what the UN does in relation to Human Rights, how the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is set up and how disarmament is being tackled by the UN. In the following some interested students had the chance to talk face to face with the speakers and ask about possibilities to work for the Austrian Mission in Geneva. At about 5.30 pm we finished the programme for this day and were free to spend the evening anyway we wanted. Some of us went to the city centre for dinner, others returned to the hotel in order to get rid of the business outfit and ready for some sightseeing and for some drinks. However, nobody went out for too long because we all knew: The next day is not going to be any more relaxing!
10.4.
Tuesday, 24th of April 2012
Like the day before, also our third day in Geneva started quite early - at 7 am we were already enjoying the delicious breakfast at ETAP Hotel Geneva. Before heading to the first organization on todays schedule, we had to complete the check-out and store our luggage and belongings in the bus. As the weather was not the best this day we were glad that Rudi, our lovely bus driver, brought us directly to the Head Quarters of the ITU (International Telecommunications Union). However, in the lobby we were kindly informed that the presentation will be hold in
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the other building and due to security reasons we were not allowed to use the alleyway, connecting the two buildings. Nevertheless, this inconvenience was rewarded with a very interesting and informative presentation about the history, objectives and work of the ITU, or UTI (Union Internationale des Tlcommunications) as it is called in French. The two presenters were very enthusiastic about their jobs and did really try their best to explain the rather complex structure of ITU in the simplest way possible in order to make it clear for us. However, this was not the only goody they could offer us during the briefing we were told that today we would have the great honour to be the first group to visit the newly established ITU museum called ICT Discovery, which would officially be opened next week. A very nice guide showed us through this interactive museum, which explains the development of communications from the ancient times until today and gives a highly interesting outlook into the future of communication.
We would have loved to spend some more time there but unfortunately had to head to the next organization, the ILO (International Labour Organization). Though we arrived one hour late we were warmly welcomed by a German countryman, who seemed quite relieved when Professor Anis told him, that this presentation should be held in English as not all of us are German speakers. He later explained that because of the many years is has already spent working for ILO in Geneva, explaining it in his mother tongue seems quite challenging for him.
Within one hour he gave us a very good overview about the organization, its structure, work and aims, which inspired some of us to participate in a lively discussion concerning current work issues. Later on, Mr Hahn invited us to lunch in the ILOs cafeteria. After having spent two days in expensive Geneva, we were all glad, that the offered meals were comparatively cheap and really delicious.
After our recreative lunch break we had to find our way to the last organization on todays agenda the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). The young
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lady gave us a clear explanation about the various forms of intellectual property and WIPOs assignment. She further explained that due to the upcoming International Day of Intellectual Property a small exhibition was installed, showing all patents of Steve Jobs and other masterminds of Apple.
This was the final point on our official agenda, thus we had some spare time to enjoy our last hours in Geneva and prepare ourselves for the long overnight bus ride to Paris.
10.5.
Wednesday, 25th of April 2012
After being four days on the road already, some people fell asleep shortly after midnight on the bus ride between Geneva and Paris, while others were playing games, watching DVDs and thereby created a cosy atmosphere. But there were also several people disturbing this perfect harmony by singing, drinking and shouting a little bit too much.
As we left Geneva already around 9pm, we arrived earlier than scheduled in Paris around 5am on Wednesday morning. As the rooms in the hotel were not ready yet, we deposited our luggage and immediately made our way towards the Eiffel Tower. Arriving there around 6am we had the pleasure to be the one and only tourists. A minor group stayed behind and transformed the hotel lobby into a nice living room.
After returning from the sightseeing tour, the toilets, the luggage room as well as several already disposable rooms served as dressing and bath rooms for everyone to get ready for the conferences in the afternoon.
The next institutions on our agenda were the OECD as well as the IEA, which are located near the Metro station La Muette in the west of Paris. Besides the highly interesting presentations of Mr. Andrew Gentry from the PR department of the
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OECD, Ms. Marion Gratt of the Austrian Mission to the OECD and of Dr. Timur Gl from the IEA, we also had the chance to meet our former trade history professor Mr. Manfred Schekulin, who shortly explained to us his involvement in one of the OECD committees.
Leaving the OECD premises after a long and exhausting day we were keen on exploring Paris. But before hitting the road again, we returned to our hotel to finally take a little rest and change our suits into casual clothing. At the end of the day, the evening activities of the students were diversified, ranging from watching football in a bar, over people starting their photo-safaris to some enjoying the nightlife of Paris and to others simply going to bed resorting to the land of dreams.
10.6.
Thursday, 26th of April 2012
After an exciting first day in Paris and the long journey from Geneva the majority of the students preferred to go to sleep in the evening. However some of them went out to grab a drink in the nice surroundings of our hotel Ibis. Unfortunately the rest didnt last that long as everybody got awake at 6.10 am due to a failure in the hotels information system which scheduled an alarm call service for the whole hotel. Nevertheless adelicious French breakfast at 8 am compensated us for the early wake-up call. Next to French croissant, pain au chocolat, different cakes across French cheese and baguette the hotel provided us with everything a person may wish for breakfast. Hence, delighted about the breakfast and touched by the cosy atmosphere, people started to get into a really good mood. So, at 9 am the whole group started a fresh morning walk to the metro station Saint-Ambroise of line 9 which took us directly to the World Bank. Even though the World Banks premises didnt look very special from the outside, the inside was quiet amazing with a beautiful garden as its central point. At our arrival we enjoyed a warm welcome by Kathrin Duty who gave us an interesting introduction into the World Banks field of work. During the following Q&A session Ms Duty got excited about all the interesting questions the students asked
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regarding their lending service, the impact of the economic crisis, transparency as well as employment and training possibilities. 1 Subsequently we took advantage of the first sunbeam to walk from Ina to Trocadro where we took a great family picture at the Palais de Chaillot with the Eiffel Tower in our back. After a lunch break near the Champs de Mars, a large public green space between the Eiffel Tower and the cole Militaire, we met again at the UNESCO building at 2 pm. There we had the chance to get a brief introduction by a staff member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Further we enjoyed a guided tour across the premises of the UNESCO including, amongst other cultural treasuries, beautiful paintings of Picasso and Mir, the square of tolerance representing a major UNESCO goal of global peace as well as a Japanese garden donated by the Japanese government to the UNESCO.
2
In addition, they showed us a film from Irina Bokova the current Director General. In the second part of our visit Ms Isabell Ladiges welcomed us on behalf of the Austrian Delegation. In the following discussion she gave us a practical insight into her field of work, the UNESCO projects, such as Education for Sustainable Development and possible training opportunities. The short introduction was followed by various interesting questions. Around 4 pm our visit ended and students split into small groups to discover the city of Paris. In the evening many students went out for dinner or culturally distracted themselves and
1 2
http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/files/6490/12114476981jardin_jap2.jpg/jardin_jap2.jpg http://ledorfineart.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/1958-LA-CHUTE-DICARE-c.jpg
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slightly after 11 pm many of them met again in the lobby of the hotel to join an Erasmus party near the Grands Boulevards. Hence, another exciting day with a lot of new impressions ended.
10.7.
Friday, 27th of April 2012
After discovering the nightlife of Paris the previous night, the whole group met at the hotel lobby at 9 am to jointly go to the International Chamber of Commerce. Prior to this, most fellows enjoyed the rich breakfast at the hotel for the start of their day. After a short ride with the subway, our group arrived at the International Chamber of Commerce. The ICC made a great effort in welcoming us as we received our own badges and were then brought to the 5 th floor, where we had a great view over Paris.
At the beginning we got an introduction into the general matters of the International Chamber of Commerce and were then given a very comprehensive presentation, focusing on law, by a German intern at the ICC. During the coffeebreak we were served coffee, water and tea and could chat a little. The last part of our visit at the ICC was a presentation about intermediaries.
The interesting and comprehensive presentation ended at 1:30 pm and the rest of the day was free, which most of us used for sightseeing and exploring the city of Paris. Due to our tight time schedule, most of us could just get a small impression of the city by visiting a number of main sights. One of the most visited places were of course the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the Louvre or the Champs lysses. Some people preferred strolling along the banks of the Seine or concluded the afternoon in one of the numerous pubs and cafes.
A group of us started with a French lunch at a typical French restaurant enjoying great food like real French Quiche. Then the journey took them to the worldknown Moulin Rouge, where they unfortunately could only take pictures from
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outside as the costumes can only be marvelled at during shows at night. Sacre Coeur was their next stop, where they first strolled around Montmartre to get to the famous white church. When they got there they enjoyed the weather and the view while relaxing in the grass in front of Sacre Coeur. In the bohemian side of town they could watch street performers and let the flair of the city sink in.
After enjoying a great day in a great city, everyone had to head back to the hotel to get the last things done before going back home. Last necessities were purchased at a supermarket close to the hotel in order to be ready for a long way home and to make the 19 hours bus ride back to Krems a little bit more comfortable. At around 9 pm we went to the hotel to change and to load our luggage into the bus. Shortly afterwards we found our way through the Parisian rush hour and headed home for Austria.
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11. Conclusion
Our study trip to Geneva and Paris was definitely a great success. The unique experience of visiting various organizations enhanced our theoretical knowledge in International Law and Global Political Studies and gave us the opportunity to establish personal contacts for our professional future career. We were given very informative speeches at the organizations, although we sometimes had to patiently wait some time before we were allowed to enter or we spend some minutes searching for the right entry, but finally it was absolutely worth it. Moreover, we could definitely strengthen our community and we got to know each other a lot better. The - for some long for others short, for some cheerful for others exhausting - nights on the bus with Chocolate-bananas and Lambardaschnitten were quite remarkable and for sure wont be forgotten easily. Besides visiting organizations we enjoyed getting to know the cities Geneva and Paris, doing some sightseeing, shopping and especially experiencing the night life. Summarizing, every one of us could gain a lot of new professional and personal experiences and we all spend a great time in Geneva and Paris.
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12. Credits
Introduction & conclusion Geneva & Paris description UNECE UNOG WIPO UNESCO WB Group Cornelia Ablinger Kerstin Atzenhofer, Fritz Block Jennifer Baum, Gawdy Carranza Elisabeth Diwold, Edgar Dennig Pablo Fexer, Sarah Hargassner Eva-Maria Frlinger, Ana Lucic Christoph Marischka ICRC ITU ILO Austrian Mission OECD Stefanie Hartinger, Yvonne Bader Birgit Hartl, Caroline Heger Jrg Heidinger, Stefanie Herko Manuel Holousch, Susanne Holzinger Melanie Irndorfer, Karin Krainer, Pinar Kiziltas, Katrin Kahr IEA ICC LOrganisation Francophonie Diary 21st 22nd of April Diary 23rd of April Diary 24th of April Diary 25th of April Diary 26th of April Diary 27th of April Kurt Reimann, Claudia Rglsperger Iris Schweitzer, Sebastian Stagl Marlene Steiner, Florian Stief Lukas Stummer, Melanie Sturm Theresa Unterberger, Angelika Wagner Julia Weber, Philipp Widauer, Verena Wurzer, Deborah Zahra Pictures Ines Handstanger, Maximilian Hanke, Arianisa Metoska, Jakob Sterlich Main organizers Magdalena Hanke Froschauer, Maximilian Internationale de Judith Kraller, Anja Kriegbaum Nora Labes, Bianca Langer la Birgit Monitzer, Armin Pljevljakovic Gusenleitner, Daniel
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Other organizers
Sarah Ashour, Vija Krievina, Simone Lerchl, Eva Maurina, Sandra Stockner, Martina Trauner
Final formatting of Study Trip Report
Simone Lerchl
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STUDY TRIP REPORT

of our visit of International Organizations in Geneva and Paris

Export-Oriented Management 2009

Thank you all for your kind support!

4.1.1. 4.1.2. 4.1.3. 4.1.4. 4.1.5. 4.2.

4.2.1. 4.2.2. 4.2.3. 4.2.4.

5.1.1. 5.1.2. 5.1.3. 5.1.4. 5.1.5. 5.1.6. 5.1.7.

5.2.1. 5.2.2. 5.2.3. 5.2.4. 5.2.5. 5.3.

6.1.1. 6.1.2. 6.1.3. 6.1.4. 6.1.5. 6.1.6. 6.1.7. 6.2.

Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD ........................................ 50

6.2.2. 6.2.3. 6.3.

6.3.1. 6.3.2. 6.3.3.

7.1.1. 7.1.2. 7.1.4. 7.1.5. 7.1.6. 7.1.7.

8.3. 8.4. 8.5. 8.6. 8.7.

9.2.1. 9.2.2. 9.2.3. 9.2.4. 9.3.

9.3.1. 9.3.2. 9.3.3. 9.3.4. 9.3.5. 9.3.6. 10.

10.1. 10.2. 10.3. 10.4. 10.5. 10.6. 10.7. 11. 12.

Conclusion ................................................................................................ 104 Credits ....................................................................................................... 105

Saturday, Krems 21 of April

22:00 departure from Krems

Geneva Free day 10:00 arrival in Geneva

Monday, 23rd of April

Tuesday, Geneva 24th of April

Friday, 27th of April

respectively Free day Approx. 22:00 Departure back to Krems

Krems Approx. 17:00 arrival in Krems

Geneva is a worldwide centre for diplomacy and international

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

4. Monday, 23rd of April 2012

4.1.1. The Organization

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Housing and Land Management

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Promotion of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics

Improvement of Millenium Development Goal (MDG) indicators

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

4.1.5. UNECE Internship Program

Austrian Mission in Geneva

Date: Monday, 23rd of April 2012 Time: 3 pm 4:30 pm

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

4.2.2. The Austrian Mission in Geneva

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

4.2.3. Humanitarian Affairs Mag. Eveline Jamek

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

4.2.4. WTO Dr. Martin Fagerer

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

4.2.6. Disarmament Dr. Peter Steiner

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

agreements. In addition, UNOG hosts a large number of disarmament-related conferences.

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

5. Tuesday, 24th of April 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

5.1.1. Historical Background

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012

5.1.3. Legal Framework

Study Trip Geneva and Paris 2012