How is this my life? Vol. 3: Days at the UN

In a digital age, being physically in the room for events, from concerts to congressional hearings, isn't as essential as it used to be. You can almost always find find webcasts, recordings, transcripts, meeting summaries, and more by clicking a link on Facebook or Twitter or with a carefully-worded Google search (or Bing, if you're into that).

There's a lot to be said for this. . . it's more time-efficient, and you can experience, or relive, an event that took place without paying a dime (Euro or Franc). But as any workplace that's dabbled in telework has found, this technology can reduce physical presence without a lot of opportunity cost, but it cannot replace it. Ever listened to a concert recording of one of your favorite artists and thought, "I'm so glad I wasn't in the audience, this is so great on my laptop"  Probably never.  This is very true for work at the UN.

Event featuring the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights.

With the groundwork laid from advance research and preparation, being able to be in the room and watch the proceedings is qualitatively different, and infinitely more valuable.  When you get diplomats from the world's countries in the same room, you can feel the energy and see the political dynamics.  How Cuba and sometimes Iran always speaks up as soon as possible after the U.S. with a message that is, diplomatically but not-so-subtly contrary.  How the experts on the Committee to End Racial Discrimination could barely disguise their skepticism of the Russian delegation's claims.  How a significant figure or powerful nation walks into the room and heads turn in unison.

And, today during the opening of the UN session, there were speakers that just gave me goosebumps, such as the president of Germany (not Chancellor Merkel), or the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Ebrahim Ebrahim.  When the webcast to today's proceedings is posted, I doubt it will include one translator saying to another, without knowing the microphones were still on, that Mr. Ebrahim, was "tortured terribly."

By being in the room, we have a much better understanding of what's going on at the top. . . the dynamics, the relationships, the lofty words that belie less rosy pictures on the ground, and the national concerns expressed. This provides richer information that we can communicate to the tens of thousands of sisters educating and empowering children and women worldwide.

Even the resident peacocks
crave the presence of the powerful.

And by being present, we are recognized as being present.  Ambassadors start to recognize the names and the faces, and can slowly become acquainted with your work.  This is the ideal anyway, and does happen in spite of the fact that Palais des Nations is a huge sea of faces, where everyone wants to be noticed and earn the respect of the powerful (like Washington, but with translators).  But it wouldn't happen if you weren't running up and down the halls, and showing up at meetings day after day.

The meetings get tedious, and I'll tune out, multitask deal with it in any number of ways.   Lots of procedural discussions, platitudes, formalities, outright distortions.  As someone who's taken several years to learn how to be concise in official capacities (sorry not here in my outlet, dear readers), it's frustrating.  Many of the diplomats are always seen on their phones or laptops as well.   Sometimes I feel guilty, but it's simply not possible to absorb every word and stay sane.

Still, I've been incredibly lucky to attend meetings on women in Austria and Pakistan, racial discrimination in Russia, the proposal of a definition of the "human right to peace," and an effort to combat hate speech and incitement to violence (think that awful Muhammad video) while preserving freedom of expression.  More on those last two later.  And while exhausting, I have gained insight and understanding from each and every one.

Multitasking, productive
and otherwise is the norm.
I'm a creeper.

How is this my life?