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Diplomacy Students Visit UN Press Briefing

NOTE: This post was written by Elaina Estrin, one of the School of Diplomacy’s UN Youth Representatives. Elaina is a student majoring in Diplomacy and International Relations and Modern Languages. Elaina’s focus is on international organizations and post-conflict state building. She is fluent in English and Russian and she spent the past summer continuing her Arabic Language studies in in Muscat, Oman. Elaina has interned with the office of Senator Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and taught English in Petrozavodsk, Russia. She has also worked closely with a DC based consulting firm called Field Strategies. Currently she is the head of Public Relations of SHU’s Slavic Club and Vice President for SHU’s International Law Society. Elaina was a blogger for the 2015 Social Good Summit.

 

Imagine being an international reporter; now imagine being the international reporter for the world. That is the day-to-day of Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. He has to keep track of all 193 member states of the UN, a number of NGOs, various outside news sources, and possible or existing conflicts occurring in the world. Students from the School of Diplomacy and International Relations were invited to attend the spokesperson’s noon briefing on Thursday November 12 and hear a discussion of important issues like the crisis in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Darfur, Ethiopia, and Libya.

One of the biggest concerns discussed in the briefing was Burundi, where violence has been escalating since controversial President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term. The United Nations Security Council met that very morning to discuss the deteriorating relations in Burundi. Mr. Dujarric explained that the fighting between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups was high during the 12 year civil war, then fighting eased for a short time, and now relations are deteriorating again to what is increasingly looking like a genocide. The UNSC unanimously voted to increase international presence in Burundi and called for talks between the government and armed forces.

Talks of sending peacekeepers to Burundi have also become a topic of much debate. On one hand, the UN wants to take a preventive role and not allow tensions in Burundi to worsen. The UN wants to improve on its historic lack of action on ethnic violence in neighboring Rwanda and utilize the UNs capabilities to aid Burundi. On the other hand, there has been increasing concern with claims about misconduct and sexual abuse from peacekeepers that violate fundamental human rights of the local peoples.

Mr. Dujarric also discussed these allegations against UN peacekeepers at the Briefing. He spoke about the investigation the UN Mission in Central African Republic (CAR) has launched due to these claims. The team being sent out to collect information is dedicated not only to finding out the truth about the actions of the peacekeepers, but also to educate, discipline, and reform the remaining troops. This team will also talk with CAR’s locals and if the accusations prove to be correct, then the team will work to reverse the injustices done to the people. Mr. Dujarric said that the Secretary General “believes that any single act of misconduct or abuse tarnishes the work of all peacekeepers” and if the claims are true the UN is ready to take action and insure the protection of locals.

The press briefing continued with a more hopeful note, when Mr. Dujarric conveyed the UN’s new report on maternal mortality. Mr. Dujarric was happy to report that maternal mortality has fallen by 44% since 1990. This is not only a huge success for mothers, but also for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world’s new road map for the next 15 years. Goal 3 of the SDGs is a health goal to insure health for all ages, under this goal is a target for maternal mortality reduction. This new report shows that the world is moving towards these goals for health. While there is still more work to be done, the world now knows where we stand on this target and can work towards achieving it.

One of the last topics Mr. Dujarric discussed was a new app launched by the World Food Programme to make it easier for people to help feed Syrian refugee children. This app is called ShareTheMeal and it allows people to donate simply by tapping a button. Many individuals would like a reasonable way to get involved and help the Syrian refugees, if you are one of those people this app may be for you. Only 50 cents will provide one child with a nutritious meal. This app allows users to donate anytime, like while eating lunch, users can provide a lunch for a refugee child. Applications like ShareTheMeal are revolutionary because they give people the opportunity to make a change in the world. Using this app people can also help work towards a hunger free world, also included in goal 2 of the SDGs.

The opportunity to learn about important topics that are on the global agenda from the UN spokesperson was an unparalleled opportunity. After the briefing, Mr. Dujarric took the time to talk to us and answer any questions we had about his job, the difficulties a UN spokesperson faces, and the UN as a whole. He discussed how the UN must adapt to the changes in the world and how that embodies his job. He makes statements on behalf of the UN Secretary General and must be informed about any particular event going on in the world and how the UN is reacting to that event, at that moment. Mr. Dujarric’s job is one that I think requires vast international experience, constant flows of information, critical thinking, and lots of coffee.

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