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UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services |
Ms. Tesner, please tell our readers about UNOPS and purpose of your visit to Moscow.
UNOPS is the only UN organization that raises no funds, distributes no funds and solely implements projects. Based on that, it is the organization in the UN system that looks the most like a business. So, it has a natural advantage to work with business. It is also the only UN organization that has a Council of Business Advisers. I came here basically to meet with companies that operate in Russia, Russian and non-Russian, and to speak to these companies about becoming involved in partnerships.
Do you think that the time has come for such activities in Russia?
I was extremely positively surprised by the reaction to the concepts that were discussed this week. Personally, I have always thought that at the time of the transition of Russia to the market, the UN was not sufficiently involved. This is more the opinion of a student of Russia than that of a UN staff member.
Russia has a new administration and a new president. There are good news on the economic front: GNP growth has resumed and it seems stronger than in the past ten years. I think that in the last ten years Russia was seeking its way: it had to privatize and begin building a market economy, and that job is not over. But I can see that non-Russian investors are interested in this market and that is important. I hear a lot of European languages in addition to English in the hotel's dining room when I'm having breakfast.
I think that Russia, as a large country with a long history and strengths in
many areas, also wants to resume playing a global role. The fact is that no
country today can thrive outside the global community. Russia will only develop
within the global market. I just think that the UN can and should help, and
the only way to do this is by engaging the business community here and abroad
into partnerships in Russia and its region. It is a two way street, because
I think that, through
partnerships, we can help open future markets for Russian companies and bring
capacities, skills and technologies to the Russian market.
Some regions around Russia are unstable and that could pose a threat to the development of a stable Russian market. It is in the interest of all parties in this country, but also for the business community in Russia and abroad, to stabilize these regions, and we just think that business has a major role to play in overall stability. Business does not thrive on war.
Does that mean that next year there will be a UNOPS office in Russia?
I hope so. It is going to depend on the follow-up to this mission. We had excellent meetings this week that raised great expectations. There were some very good statements made by LUKoil, by IBS, by others; now we have to put it into action. Mr. Reinhart Helmke, Executive Director of UNOPS, is coming here in November and will be meeting with senior government officials. I believe that the potential for partnerships here is enormous, and if we only create the partnerships that were discussed this week, we'll have to establish a local presence here.
What types of partnerships can UNOPS establish in Russia?
I will give you some examples. This year UNOPS formed a partnership with a small American company called Peaceworks that acts in post-conflict societies by bringing parties together in common investments to help stabilize society. We launched this partnership in Guatemala. We are now developing a partnership with a very large water company that does water distribution and purification work in developing countries. Another partnership is with an NGO named GTO that works in developing countries to train people in using the Internet and computers and also transfers computers to these countries. We have already done one project with them in Mali.
Here, I discussed how Russian companies could become involved
Sandrine Tesner, Head of the Private Sector Partnership Unit of UNOPS
in this partnership to help bridge the digital divide in Russia and the CIS.
We discussed such possibilities with IBS, with LENTA.RU, STRANA.RU, and even
with LUKoil. We had very positive discussions with LUKoil to work in post-conflict
societies using technology to bridge the digital and the peace divide.
Overall, we discussed three main partnership areas with Russian corporations: pre- or post-conflict stabilization; bridging the digital divide and doing computer and Internet training; and helping Russian artistic institutions through sponsorships with private sector firms abroad. For example, I discussed with UNESCO how we can help the renovation of the Bolshoi Theater, help Russian music and ballet companies tour abroad, and improve the management of cultural institutions through the transfer of American techniques of fund-raising and sponsorship. Finally, we discussed with the Cultural Fund of Russia the link between art and peace and how culture and the arts can be used in post- or pre-conflict stabilization strategies.
The potential is enormous and I hope that we will all rise to the occasion. I certainly look forward to coming back. I must say, to conclude, that the welcome of the UNDP office, of Philippe Elgouhayel and his entire team, was such as I had never received before, at the UN or elsewhere. I heard all my life about the warmth of the Russian people. Now, I have tasted it.
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United Nations Association of Russia |
On September 15, 2000, the UNHCR Regional Office in Russia, the international law chair of the International Relations University (MGIMO) of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the United Nations Association of Russia (UNAR) organised a lecture by Erika Feller, Director of the international protection department of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In her lecture, Erika Feller concentrated on the activities of her organisation.
The lecture focused on the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees, whose the 50th anniversary will be marked next year. Erika Feller said that work on its amendment is currently underway, and some provisions are also being reviewed to provide the optimum protection of the rights of refugees. This work is undertaken not only by the countries that have signed the Convention, but also by those that have not. Thus, the Convention will reflect more fully the interests and legal standards of many states.
The lecture noted Russia's contribution to the ensuring the rights of refugees. Erika Feller said that she was very pleased with the work of her Russian colleagues. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia became a location of inflow of large numbers of people from the former Soviet republics. In addition, many transit Russia from African and Asian countries seeking entry into Europe. "We are not saying that there are no problems with refugees in Russia, but we note the progress that Russia has made in this field," stressed the department director.
In conclusion, Erika Feller said that she hoped that Russia may soon grant the status of "temporary asylum" to people who were forced to leave their countries. After the lecture, Erika Feller had a meeting with UNAR Chairman Anatoly Torkunov, principal of MGIMO, to discuss future cooperation between UNHCR, MGIMO, and UNAR.
Erika Voeller, director of the international protection department of the UNAR in MGIMO
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On September 25-27, 2000, a meeting was held in Vienna, Austria, on the initiative
of the Austrian Forum for International Problems and the Students' United Nations
Association of Austria, to prepare for the General Conference of the International
Youth Movement for Support to the UN (ISMUN). ISMUN was originally set up in
1947. Its objective was to coordinate emerging national UN youth associations.
ISMUN was granted the right to have its representatives in various nongovernmental
organisations and UN structures, and became a powerful channel for informing
society about the needs of young people. However, ISMUN has now lost its former
influence and its po
tentialities are not used any longer.
The preparatory meeting in Vienna was an attempt to attract the attention of the wider public to the problem and, maybe even, revive the organisation. All those present agreed that the international youth movement for support to the UN is really indispensable and provides a constructive mechanism for the interaction of young people from all over the world. Delegates from 11 countries, including Russia, were present at the meeting.
They adopted a resolution which is open for UN youth associations from other
countries to join and which will become a basis for the longawaited general
conference which is scheduled for
the end of 2001. Other proposals include revising some of the provisions of
the founding charter, establishing the organisation's headquarters and secretariat.
To spread information about the movement, Austria has undertaken to support
the ISMUN site at http://www.ismun.org. The meeting in Vienna showed that young
people are interested in UN activities and in international developments and
need possibilities to interact with one another. UNA Russia has agreed to disseminate
information about ISMUN in our country. Our task lies, above all, in organising
proactive young people who believe that UN has a promising future.
UNDP - (095) 787-21-00, fax: (095) 787-21-01
e-mail: office@undp.ru; http:/195.68.179.50
UNFPA - (095) 787-21-13, 787-21-38 fax: (095) 787-21-37
UNEP - (095) 787-21-56, fax: (095) 787-21-01
ODCCP - (095) 787-21-21, fax: (095) 787-21-29
ILO - (095) 933-08-10, fax: (095) 933-08-20
UNESCO - (095) 202-81-66, 202-80-97, fax: (095) 202-05-68
UNICEF - (095) 933-88-18, fax: (095) 933-88-19
WHO - (095) 787-21-16, fax: (095) 787-21-19
UNAIDS - (095) 232-55-99, fax: (095) 232-92-45
UNHCR - (095) 232-30-12/13, fax: (095) 232-30-17
OCHA - (095) 232-30-11, fax: (095) 232-30-17
UNIC - (095) 241-25-37, fax: (095) 230-21-38
WFP - (095) 232-30-11, fax: (095) 232-30-17
UNAR - (095) 200-42-50, 280-80-67, fax: (095) 280-33-58
e-mail: office@una.ru; http:/www.una.ru
