ECOSOC High-Level Segment (2-5 July 2007)
- some personal impressions!
The ECOSOC High-Level Segment was the first big event to which an official GIMUN-delegation was sent! Thanks to Mr. Espinosa and Ms. Mandallaz from the NGO Liaison-office seven GIMUNers were accredited to the whole ECOSOC session from July 2nd until July 27th.
The first day – Ban Ki-Moon and Micheline Calmy-Rey live!
On 2 July 2007 early in the morning, Dominik Knieriemen (Logistics-Coordinator), Marco Andri Daniel (Recruitment) and Alain Eicher (Assistant to the President) took off in the direction off the “Palais des Nations”.
We were a bit nervous (to say the least), not only because we would soon enter the Palais as delegates which would assist the upcoming debates and discussions, but also because we were about to see Ban Ki-Moon and Micheline Calmy-Rey as well as other important personalities.
After several security-checks we finally arrived at the room XIX. A great number of delegates from states, institutions and NGOs sat behind their placards, either on the phone, writing something or in discussion with other delegates and waited for the beginning of the session.
Some even “doped” themselves with a short power-nap in order to be ideally prepared!
Having taken our seats, the room became silence, tension rose and many ape-like guys with a mic in their ear entered – and finally, the big moment, the fresh-elected, rather unnoticeable Secretary General of the U.N. appeared. His full attention at this moment however was didn’t belong the plenum, but rather Micheline Calmy-Rey, with whom he was engaged in agitated small-talk.
But shortly afterwards he started his speech and by doing so, opened the High-Level Segment 2007.
After all speeches were held, Ban Ki-Moon and the Prime Minister of Bahrain stepped out into the hallways, where Bahrain presented itself by pointing on the recent development and the new prosperity of the country. Like a swarm of mosquitoes the delegates (including the three of us) and the press pursued these two personalities. We could sometimes ear-drop into their discussion which proved to be quite interesting.
Shortly afterwards all VIPs suddenly vanished – lunch time! We followed the example and ate in the lunch area while overlooking the beautiful park and exchanging our impressions from this first morning. It was over all an unforgettable experience.
Day 2-5: Roundtables and the chance to promote the GIMUN
In the consecutive days of the High-Level Segment we would visit several small roundtables where topics concerning the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) were presented and discussed. This environment allowed us once again to actually interact with other delegates and introduce the GIMUN, as we have done at the Civil Society Development Forum.
To sum it up!
These four days in the “Palais des Nations” during the High-Level Segment left us with many first experiences and impressions of politicians and other people who work (more or less) directly at the front.
It became clear to us that the GIMUN as UN-accredited NGO would offer us something what the university and all books of the world combined couldn’t – the experience of observing live how people shape the future world - our world!
Alain Eicher – Assistant to the President
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