Geneva-Paris ST Report 2013

PARIS GENEVA 2013
Study Trip: 1624 MAR 2013

Hospitality kindly provided by:

Geneva Paris ST Report 2013 Geneva Paris 1
DISCLAIMER
This study trip report contains information solely based on minutes
and notes taken by the Export students of the IMC University of
Applied Sciences Krems, Austria and is intended as a summary of
what has been presented and discussed during our visits to and
meetings at the Geneva and Paris-based international organisations.
Consequently, let us hereby advice the reader that the following
content is rather descriptive then instructive, as it could be a subject
to errors stemming from misunderstandings or misinterpretation on
the part of the ST-participating students. Therefore, any quotation
from this text we would kindly discourage.


Hotel Ibis budget
Geneve

Thank you all for your kind support!



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

At this point of our report we feel very obliged to pay tribute to all people who
supported us and made this exceptional study trip not only possible but also
unique and invaluable.
First and foremost, it is of importance to us to express our sign of gratitude to Prof.
Anis Bajrektarevic, Chairperson for International Law and Global Political Studies
at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems. Thanks to him and his tireless
substantive and innovative efforts, we benefited in the course of our studies a lot.
It is not only from the numerous and precious in-house visits and discourses of
governmental representatives and speakers from all over the world he personally
invited, as well as many visits to all significant organizations in Vienna that he
organizes for over a dacade, he also initiated and organized this remarkable and
Austria-wide unique event for the 6
th
time. We do extremely appreciate all the time
and effort our Prof. Bajrektarevic invested throughout the past months to make this
trip accomplishable. His personal reputation and contacts made it possible for us to
enjoy and benefit from such a diverse and highly educational programme.
Secondly, special thanks go to our organization student team for the endurance
and energy both brought with them prior to, during and after the study trip.
Moreover, with our sincere thanks, we pay due tribute to each and every organizer
and speaker of all visited entities and International Organizations in Geneva and
Paris respectively. Moreover, our very special gratitude goes to the Austrian
Mission in Geneva and Ambassador Strohal as well as the Austrian Mission in
Paris and its ambassadors (H.E. Ms. Plassnik and Mr. Stanzl).
To conclude, we would also like to express our gratitude to all the sponsors for
their support, be it financial or in kind.

In Krems, June 2013
Export 2010, SS 2013

Table of content

Introduction ............................................................................................................. 7
Geneva ................................................................................................................... 9
Paris ...................................................................................................................... 14
Monday, 18
th
March 2013 ..................................................................................... 17
ITU Committed to connecting the world .......................................................... 17
UNCTAD............................................................................................................ 21
Austrian Mission Briefing ................................................................................... 30
Tuesday, 19
th
March 2013 .................................................................................... 33
CERN - Conseil Europen pour la Recherche Nuclaire .................................. 33
Permanent Delegation of the European Union to the UN Office ........................ 36
and other international organizations in Geneva ............................................... 36
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization .............................................. 39
Wednesday, 20
th
March 2013 ............................................................................... 42
World Bank ........................................................................................................ 42
Thursday, 21
st
March 2013 ................................................................................... 47
UNESCO ........................................................................................................... 47
OECD ................................................................................................................ 51
Permanent Mission of Austria to the OECD....................................................... 53
International Energy Agency (IEA) .................................................................... 58
Friday, 22
nd
March 2013 ........................................................................................ 62
ICC - International Chamber of Commerce ....................................................... 62
Organizations which were scheduled but were cancelled: .................................... 67
History of the UNECE ........................................................................................ 67

Red Cross .......................................................................................................... 69
Diary entries .......................................................................................................... 71
Sunday, 17
th
March 2013................................................................................... 71
Monday, 18
th
March 2013 .................................................................................. 73
Tuesday, 19
th
March 2013 ................................................................................. 74
Wednesday, 20
th
March 2013 ............................................................................ 76
Thursday, 21
st
March 2013 ................................................................................ 77
Friday, 22
nd
March 2013 .................................................................................... 79
Saturday, 23
rd
March 2013 ................................................................................ 81
Task List ................................................................................................................ 82

Introduction

International Organizations
represent a very important part
of our society. Learning about
them in class aroused our
interest to get to know them and
their scope of work more
detailed. As part of our
International Strategies of
Sustainable Development
course we had the chance to
visit several international
organizations in Geneva and
Paris.
We would like to thank our
distinguished Professor Anis
Bajrektarevic, Chairperson for International Law and Global Pol. Studies, and
deeply appreciate all his efforts to giving us a chance to visit such organizations, a
chance that certainly not many people have.
Moreover, we would like to thank our organization team, who put a lot of effort into
the organizational logistics of the whole trip. Without them it would not have been
possible to visit Geneva and Paris at such a remarkably reasonable price.
In the evening of March 16, we finally started our trip. Our group consisted of the
majority of 6th semester Bachelor students as well as several Master students.
What followed were three very interesting days in Geneva and four outstanding
days in Paris. Admittedly, this trip really strengthened the coherence among
students and gave us Bachelor students a last chance to go on a trip as a whole.
This report represents a summary of what we experienced during our study trip to
Geneva and Paris. It contains descriptions of all organizations we visited as well
the main points of the presentations that we were given in each institution.
Additionally it contains a diary of each respective day as well as pictures of this
unique study trip.


Geneva

Geneva also called city of peace or smallest of the major metropolitan is the
second-most-populous city in Switzerland right after Zurich. The city is the
southwestern tip of the French-speaking Switzerland (Romandie), where the river
Rhone exits into Lake Geneva.
Geneva provides not only highest quality of life, but since 2012 the city bears the
title third most expensive city in the world. Only two cities, namely Zurich and
Tokyo are more expensive when it comes to cost of living.

Figures & Facts
Inhabitants: 193,150
Size: 15.9 km2
Altitude: 375 above sea
level
Districts: Cit, Plainpalais,
Eaux-Vives, Petit-
Saconnex;
Mayor: Rmy Pagani

Geneva's economy is mainly services oriented.
The city has an important and old finance sector,
which is specialised in private banking and
financing of international trade. About hundred
foreign banks are located in Geneva.
Furthermore, Geneva is a worldwide centre for
diplomacy and international cooperation. Geneva
is regarded as a very important global city,
mainly due to the fact that many international
organisations have their headquarters in Geneva.
The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) is the second-largest of the four
major office sites of the United Nations (second to the United Nations
Headquarters in New York). UN constituent agencies in Geneva are e.g., ITU,
WIPO, WHO, ILO, WMO, UNHCR.
Moreover, Geneva hosts headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Geneva is also famous for the European Organization for Nuclear Research,
physicists and engineers (CERN) which is the worlds largest particle physics
laboratory. Physicists at CERN are seeking answers to the questions...
What is the universe made of?
And how did it start?...

...by using some of the world's most powerful particle accelerators.
In addition, also lots of multinational companies such as Procter & Gamble and
Ralph Lauren have their (European) headquarters in Geneva.
As home to renowned luxury watch manufacturers like Rolex (headquarters),
Omega SA, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin or Baume & Mercier, Geneva is
one of the most important watchcities in the world.


Genevas landmark is the Jet dEau which is located in the Lake Geneva. This
large fountain sprays water up to 140 meters into the air. Among others, further
tourist attractions are the Cathedral of St. Peter, Place des Nations and Jardin
Anglais.


Geneva also hosts and locates lots of fairs in the famous building PALEXPO. The
most important international fairs are:
EBACE, air show
International motor show
International fair for books and press
International exhibition of inventions
ITU Telecom World, telecommunications exhibition
Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, luxury watch fair


Paris
Paris is situated on the banks of the Seine River and is one of the largest
European cities and capitals. It is part of the le-de-France region. The
metropolitan area of the city is one of the most populated within Europe. More than
12 million people live in this area. In general, Paris has a population of about
2.230.000 inhabitants.
Paris is a leading political, business and cultural centre with a global influence on
arts and fashion. Many international organizations and large companies have their
offices and headquarters in the city. Paris is world-known with its neo-classical
architecture and is a home to many museums, art galleries, historical monuments
and recreation places.

The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris. It is an iron structure erected on the
Champ de Mars beside the Seine River. It is 324 m. high and stands out against
the skyline of the city. The tower was built for the celebration of the French
Revolution centenary and inauguration took place on March 31 1889.
The Towers builder and architect, Gustave Eiffel is also famous for designing the
iron backbone of the Statue of Liberty. The Eiffel Tower is the most visited wolrds
monument. The annual flow of visitors is about 6 million a year, more than the
Empire State Building and the Tokyo Tower combined. The tower was the tallest
worlds structure until 1930. The tower was decorated by lightning in 1902 and 300

feet of the top needed to be reconstructed. Today, the tower has 1660 steps to the
top and elevators. The twinkling lights of the tower were at first made for the arrival
of the year 2000.
At the end of Champes-Elysees is the Arc de Triomphe which is situated in the
middle of the large circular square Place Charles De Gaulle, from which about 12
streets named after French military leaders emanate. Built between 1806 and
1808, it followed the model of the Arc of Constantine in Rome. It honours the
victories of Napoleon and the grand army. The bronze horses on the top of the
monument were taken from Sr. Marc in Venice. The names of generals who were
in charge of the French troops during the regime of Napoleon are engraved on the
Arc. It is adorned with many bas-reliefs commemorating the battles of the emperor.
The most famous one is the Departure of the Volunteers in 1972, also known as
the Marseillaise. At the top of the monument there are 30 shields, each of them
bearing the name of one successfully fought battle of Napoleon. The Arc includes
as well the Grave of the Unknown Soldiers from WWI. Furthermore, the Arc is the
home of an observatory with glorious views of Paris and places in the city.
Notre Dame de Paris is a Holy place of
worship, a premier tourist attraction
and one of the most beautiful
cathedrals in the city. It is located near
by the River Seine and in the eastern
part of the Ile de la Cite. It is the place
of residence of the archbishop of Paris
for the Roman Catholic Church. It has
two massive towers from the Early
Gothic period. The western facade of
the cathedral is the most famous sight

for tourists. Stained glass is its major feature. A 'Rose Window' is an intricate and
massive window located in the centre of the front.
Monmartre is a
historic hill at an
altitude of 130
meters in Paris
and is topped by
the Sacre Coeur
Basilica. It has
always been
connected with
culture and
trends and has
many cafes and
studios of many
great artists. Sacre Coeur is a Byzantine basilica and is crowned by white
elongated domes. The white stone whitens with age and gets more beautiful as
time passes by. The interior of the basilica is decorated with mosaics and a figure
of the Virgin and Child. Sacre Coeur was built in 1914. It is an important place for
pilgrimages of worshippers from all over the world. It is an imposing building and a
landmark of Paris.
The Louvre is one of the largest museums in the world and one of the most
famous. It began as a fortress, later it was a royal residence and in 1793 it became
a museum. Nowadays it has an enormous collection of different paintings and
statuary.


Monday, 18
th
March 2013
ITU Committed to connecting the world
by Juliana Pattermann & Eva Stadler
Overview
Date: Monday, 18
th
March 2013
Time: 09:30 13:40
Topic: History, structure & activities of the organization
Speaker: Welcome by Ms Marianne Lathuille, presentation by Mr. Fernardo
Rivera

Historical background ITU at its foundation and today
ITU (The UN Special Agency)
the International
Telecommunications Union
is, as the name says, an
agency responsible for
information technology and
telecommunications. Initially
it was founded under the
name of International
Telegraph Union in 1865
with the aim of supporting
the worldwide telegraph
network. Over the course of time, its name was officially changed to International
Telecommunications Union and became a fully-fledged specialized agency to the
UN system.
As of today, the ITU has 193 member states as well as 700 sector members,
comprising large companies (NOKIA, Siemens), small NGOs or universities.
These partners participate in projects and activities and contribute to the budget as
well. ITU has an estimated budget of USD 160 M annually, with members
contributing a certain amount on a voluntary basis, which has to be above a
minimum value. However, ITU finances roughly USD 15 M from its own
publications. The ITU has its headquarters in Geneva and twelve regional and
area offices around the world e.g. in Bangkok, Moscow, Brazil, etc.

Mission & Main activities
The ITU is a norm-setting organization which is committed to connecting the world.
It aims to develop systems and standards which will be employed in both the
private as well as public sectors. Further, one of its objective is to actively integrate
developing countries into the global communication network.
As it was mentioned during the presentation at the ITU in Geneva on March 18,
2013, ITU has divided its tasks into the following parts:

Radio communication (ITU-R):
ITU manages satellites in order to avoid collisions still, they do occur
frequently. Only last year a Chinese and a Russion satellite collided.
ITU allocates specific frequencies of waves for the usage of different
wireless devices.
Telecommunication -
Standardization (ITU-T):
Using ITUs standards is
not compulsory, but only a
recommendation, e.g.
USB 1,2 cm. ITUs current
project is the development
of a common charger.
They allocate country codes, such as Austria: +43
Also the different data formats are standardized by the ITU, e.g. audi-music
files such as the mp3, avi, etc.
Development (ITU-D):
After natural disasters and catastrophes, ITU sets up new networks for the
people in these regions to enable communication for police, ambulance, etc.
Cyber crime: provide templates for protection.
Furthermore ITU tries to increase the Internet access in the developing
world because there is still a huge gap between developed and developing
countries.
For the future, ITU will place its
focus on the following three issues:
protect children online
attract more girls and
women to technological
related jobs
go green

Internship opportunities
Prospective interns can apply at https://erecruit.itu.int/public/. Applicants are
strongly encouraged to express and specify their area of interest. As for most UN
agencies, ITU does not offer monetary rewards to its interns and hence costs have
to be borne by the students themselves.


UNCTAD
by Susanne Schimpl & Laura Granner
Overview
Date: Monday, 18
th
March 2013
Time: 13:45-14:45
Topic: UNCTAD- Scope & Mandate
The Creative Economy Scope and Trends
Speaker: Ms. Carolina Quintana, Creative Economy & Industries Programme
UNCTAD
Our first official day of the study trip started in Geneva-based compound of the
United Nations the UNOG. After a lovely morning at the premises of ITU we

were warmly welcomed by our second speaker of the day, Ms. Carolina Quintana
of UNCTAD Creative Economy & Industries Programme. We were brought to a
nice conference hall were Ms. Carolina Quintana was introduced to us. After a
short introduction of her as a person, an overview of UNCTAD and details about
current projects concerning Creative Economy followed.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has been
established in 1964 to help developing countries to integrate in the world economy.
It is an organ of the UN General Assembly and serves as a permanent
intergovernmental body that deals with trade, investment and development issues.
The conference was introduced due to rising concerns about the great disparity
between developed and developing nations.
The creation of the conference was based on concerns of developing countries
over the international market, multi-national corporations, and great disparity
between developed nations and developing nations. The Secretary-General of
UNCTAD at the moment is Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi from Thailand, who took
office on September 1
st
in 2005.
Since 2012 UNCTAD consists of 194 member states and about 400 staff members.
It has an annual budget of $68 million from the United Nations and $40 million of
extra-budgetary technical assistance funds. However, it does not provide financial
support to governments but advice and expertise.
UNCTADs main goal is to: "maximise the trade, investment and development
opportunities of developing countries and assist them in their efforts to into the
world economy on an equitable basis." In order to reach this goal it works together
with governments and interacts with organizations of the United Nations systems,
non-governmental organizations, trade and industry associations, research
institutes and universities worldwide while holding three main functions. First of all,
it serves as a forum for intergovernmental deliberations, supported by discussions
with experts and exchanges of experience, aimed at consensus building. Secondly,
it undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection for the debates of
government representatives and experts. An finally, it provides technical
assistance tailored to the specific requirements of developing countries, with
special attention to the needs of the least developed countries and of economies
in transition. When appropriate, UNCTAD cooperates with other organisations and
donor countries in the delivery of technical assistance.

History
UNCTAD was founded in 1964 with its first conference taking place in Geneva.
Rising concerns about the situation and position of developing countries in
international trade led to the introduction of this conference to discuss these
problems and identify appropriate international actions and strategies to improve
the situation. Due to the magnitude and the importance of the problems the
conference was
institutionalised to meet
every four years.
Administrative and logistic
support was handed over
to a permanent secretariat
and intergovernmental
bodies meet on a regular
basis between the
sessions to prepare ad
discuss minor issues.
At the early stage it gained recognition for its intergovernmental forum for North-
South dialogue and negotiations on issues of interest to developing countries,
including debates on the "New International Economic Order" and for its analytical
research and policy advice on development issues. It launched several
agreements including the Generalized System of Preferences of 1968 where
developed economies granted improved market access to exports from developing
countries, a number of international commodities agreements and the agreement
on Trade and Competition Policies. Furthermore, it passed the Convention on a
Code of Conduct for Liner Conferences which strengthened the ability of
developing countries to maintain national merchant fleets. In 1971 it published a
list of the poorest countries, the Group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs),
which drew special attention on their needs and encouraged the improvement of
their situation.
Later in the 1980s UNCTAD faced a changing economic and political environment.
Strategies became more market-oriented and focused on trade liberalization and
privatization of state enterprises. At that time many developing countries struggled
with severe debt crises which marked the lost decade especially in Latin America.
Countries had difficulties to recover and many experienced negative growth and

high rates of inflation. Nevertheless, economic independence increased and
UNCTAD broadened its scope of activities to give technical assistance to
developing countries and
help them integrate in the
world trading system. It
assisted developing
countries in the
rescheduling of official
debt in the Paris Club
negotiations and pushed
for trade efficiency,
customs facilitation and
multimodal transport.
Major milestones in the last years have been the establishment of the WTO in
1995 as a conclusion of the Uruguay Round of the General Assembly on Tariffs
and Trade (GATT). It strengthened the legal framework governing international
trade. Increases in financial flows increased financial instability and volatility and
foreign direct investment flows became major components of globalization.
As a result UNCTAD further focused its analytical research on the linkages
between trade, investment, technology and enterprise development. Moreover, it
diversified its technical assistance and provides early warnings concerning the
risks and the destructive impact of financial crises on development.

Scope of work
The UNCTADs primary goal is to foster economic growth in developing countries
and to integrate them into the world economy. The organisation serves as a forum
for intergovernmental debate based on consensus building. This means that
UNCTAD assists developing countries in trade negotiations and promotes
diversification of production and trade structures in order to enable new policies to
be implemented by governments. Moreover, extensive research and data
collection conducted by the organisation should contribute to the integration of the
developing world into the global economy. The organisations most essential
publications include the Trade and Development Report, the World Investment
Report and the Africa Report, which are available at the UNCTAD website.

Especially the development of African countries is of great concern to the
organization. As a result, UNCTAD is highly committed to support countries
located on this continent in their development progress through its analytical work.
In addition to that, UNCTAD closely cooperates with other UN bodies on
environment and sustainable development.

Decision making body
Conferences
The highest decision-
making body of
UNCTAD is the
conference meeting
every four years. It is
a subsidiary organ of
the UN General
Assembly and gives
member states the
possibility to make
assessments of
current issues, discuss policy options and formulate global policy responses. The
conference also sets the organizations mandate and work priorities.
The last conference was held in 2012 in Doha. UNCTAD XIII was the first major
United Nations ministerial gathering focusing exclusively on trade and
development since the fallout from the 2008-2009 economic and financial crisis. It
addressed issues of inclusive development, green economy and climate change,
debt and financial and monetary reform. Furthermore issues like science,
technology and the next era of globalization were discussed.

Trade and Development Board
In-between the quadrennial Conferences, the Trade and Development Board
oversees the activities of the organization. It meets in Geneva on a regular basis
up to three times a year. It deals with urgent policy issues, as well as management

and institutional matters. Besides, it disposes over three commissions that allow
governments to exchange political views in their respective division:
Commission: Trade and Development
Commission: Investment, Enterprise and Development
Commission: Science and Technology for Development
The Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is a
subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Commission
provides the General Assembly and ECOSOC with high-level advice on relevant
science and technology issues. UNCTAD is responsible for the substantive
servicing of the Commission.
In addition, the work of the commissions is supported by technical support of
experts during so called Expert Meetings. To ensure equal treatment of all
member states, every member is given one vote. Decision-making can be very
lengthy but gives equal weight of votes to developing countries.
Creative Economy
Ms. Quintana provided us with a very good insight into the Creative Economy
Programme, which was introduced for the first time into the international economic
and development agenda in 2004. In the So Paulo Consensus, which was
negotiated among 153 member states, it was agreed that the international
communities major aim should be to support developing countries to protect and
promote their creative industries and benefit from economically dynamic sectors.
Ms. Quintana explained that the primary input of the creative industries are
creativity and intellectual capital, while technology and demand, from the youngest
to the oldest generation, are seen as the industries major drivers. The impact of
these factors is supposed to drive employment and enhance trade and economic
growth in developing countries.
The following sectors are representing the major fields the creative economy is
working in:
Design
Arts and Crafts
Visual Arts

Publishing
Music
New Media
Audiovisuals

Creative economy in the developed world
The students were also informed about the status quo of the creative economies in
the developed world. Ms. Quintana pointed out that in the European Union, the
creative economies account for 2.6% of GDP and provide jobs for 5 million people.
Furthermore, in the United Kingdom the creative industry makes up 6.2% of GDP
and is experiencing strong growth. Generally speaking, the United Kingdom is
strongly promoting its creative industries, which can be recognised by the fact that
approximately 13,000 companies and 250,000 people are working in the UK
advertising industry.
Ms. Quintana also stressed that the world economy is moving more and more into
the digital world and, hence, the role of intellectual property rights is important in
order to protect creativity. UNCTAD is very committed to bring transparency to the
creative economies.
In the following paragraph UNCTADs role is clearly depicted:
Role of public policies: Government as a facilitator
Policy directions: Strategic actions, concerted cross-cutting actions
Target measures for enhancing capacities:
Infrastructure
Institutional mechanisms
Financing & investment
Regulatory framework
Promote public private partnership, support SMEs

University & research networks
Tailoring policy actions at the national level, the increasing role of
technology & connectivity in the creative economies, strengthen IPRs
Promoting creative economy partnerships among cities, provide an
enabling environment for enhancing the creative economy
Projects realised by UNCTAD
The students were also familiarised with UNCTADs most recent projects. In
Medelln (Colombia), for instance, a project was initiated in one of the poorest
regions of the city. The goal was to put cultural communities at the centre of urban
development. In the course of this project a library was constructed, which serves
as a place for children to do their homework and to develop their creativity.
Moreover, as a result of Medellns Metrocable - project the city was declared the
most innovative city in the world in 2013 by the Wall Street Journal. Due to the
projects realised in this city through the collaboration of the public and private
sector, criminality strongly dropped and neighbourhoods were completely
reshaped.
Furthermore, UNCTAD recently realised a project in Nigeria. Under Nollywood, a
film was produced in this African state in cooperation with an US firm. Through this
project a huge number of locals found employment.
In addition to that, UNCTAD was working on a project in Bollywood, which was
financed by the Indian Development Bank.

Question & Answer Session
After Ms. Quintana had finished her presentation students got the possibility to
raise questions in case there was any doubt left or to lay out their personal
interests.
The first question concerned the financing of UNCTADs projects. The speaker
pointed out that, generally, UNCTAD does not provide financing, but that the
financial means for the projects come from the public side. UNCTAD merely
serves as an advisor for countries and makes them aware of existing opportunities
to take advantage from.
As a consequence, the question of how a project of UNCTAD is initiated arose. Ms.
Quintana explained that UNCTAD usually receives a request from the government
of a particular country for a project. Sometimes the government itself is financing
the project, but in many cases UNCTAD is searching together with the respective
government for a sponsor.

Internship opportunities with UNCTAD
UNCTAD offers an internship programme for students in order to enable them to
get a better understanding of trade and development issues and to give them an
insight into how the organisation intends to encounter these challenges. The
internship programme can be completed any time during the year and lasts for a
minimum of two and a maximum of six months. In general, there is no
compensation paid to interns, which means that all costs related to the internship
have to be borne by the students themselves. Further information about the
programme and the application process is available on UNCTADs official
webpage.
(http://unctad.org/en/Pages/About%20UNCTAD/Internship-Programme.aspx)


Austrian Mission Briefing
by Verena Stierschneider

Date: 18/03/2013
Speakers: Ms. Eveline Jamek, Mr. Johannes Strasser, Mr. Martin Fagerer, Mr. Peter
Steiner
Place: The Council Secretariat of the European Commission, Rue du Grand-Pr 64, 5
th

floor called Blue Box

At the Austrian mission to Geneva, the Deputy of the Head of the Austrian mission
and his colleagues elaborated on four main issues the delegation deals with:
1) Humanitarian Affairs incl. Migration
2) Human Rights
3) Trade (WTO)
4) Disarmament

Humanitarian Affairs are considered a crucial issue for the Austrian mission in
Geneva as the International Committee of the Red Cross, which assists victims of
armed conflicts, is situated there. Furthermore, the Austrian mission collaborates
with the High Commissioner for Refugees that works towards the protection of the
43 million people that are misplaced worldwide. Also, the cooperation with the
OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and
IOM (International Organisation for Migration) are essential parts of the Austrian
missions work in Geneva.
Human Rights are another important issue as Geneva is the worlds Human Rights
capital. Austria is
currently a member of
the Human Rights
Council that meets
three times a year, with
additional sessions
scheduled if necessary.
Special rapporteurs are
appointed to analyse
the situation of Human
Rights in certain fields
or certain countries e.g.
North Korea or Iran. All members of the UN, once they have ratified Human Rights
Conventions, have to report regularly on the implementation of these conventions.
Furthermore, universal periodic reviews take place, where members of the UN
come to Geneva and measures are suggested to them by other UN members.
Mr. Fagerer, representing the Austrian mission with the WTO, elaborated on the
history and structure of the WTO as well as its goals and the current Doha
Development Rounds. According to him, there are several issues to be tackled in
the upcoming WTO meeting in Bali in December
that are of special interest for Austria: agriculture,
development and trade facilitation. Finally, Mr.
Fagerer responded to various criticisms that the
WTO has to face on the topics of democracy,
development and environment.

In the field of Disarmament, the Austrian mission to the UN recognized various
instability zones: the Sahel zone and Northern Africa, the Middle East and Central
Asia regions, but also Myanmar/Burma and North Korea. In the future, challenges
to be tackled will be territorial conflicts, resource conflicts, internal conflicts and
conflicts referring to the security of supplies. An especially important topic being
dealt with currently by the 65 members of the Conference on Disarmament are the
multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations. This conference holds annual
sessions to analyse the situation of defence in different countries in the world:
while some maintain their defence spending steady, others reduce or increase it.
From an Austrian point of view, it is clear that the world should become free of
nuclear weapons and that the Conference on Disarmament needs to be
strengthened in order to achieve that.

Internship opportunities
After a question-and-answer session with the staff of the Austrian Mission, we had
a chance to speak to a current intern from IMC who is doing her PTS at the
Austrian mission in Geneva. She pointed out her tasks to us and provided us with
an insight on the internship opportunities at the Austrian Mission. There have been
various interns from IMC at the Austrian Mission before and the Missions staff
highlighted the Missions readiness to receive further interns from IMC in the future.
Interested individuals are expected to contact the Austrian Missions staff directly,
sending an application including CV and cover letter.

Tuesday, 19
th
March 2013
CERN - Conseil Europen pour la Recherche Nuclaire
On Tuesday, 19 March our visit to the United Nations Office in Geneva and to the
WMO was cancelled. Hence, some of us took the opportunity and visited CERN
the European Organization for Nuclear Research, located nearby the border
between France and Switzerland.
History
At the end of the Second World War European science was no longer world-class.
Hence, a few visionary scientists, such as the French Raoul Dautry, Lew Kowarski,
Pierre Augor, the Italian Edoardo Amaldi and the Danish Niels Bohr began thinking
about creating a European atomic physics laboratory. This laboratory would firstly,
unite European scientists and secondly, allow them to share the increasing costs
of nuclear physics facilities. In 1949 the idea of a European laboratory was
proposed at the European Cultural Conference. Finally, in 1951 the first resolution
concerning the establishment of a European Council for Nuclear Research was
adopted at an intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris. In the end, in 1954
the CERN laboratory was found at the Franco-Swiss border. Nowadays, about
100,000 scientists from 100 countries worldwide are working at CERN. Although,
they typically spend some time on the CERN site, they usually work at national
laboratories and universities in their home countries.
CERNs mission is fundamental physics: finding out what the Universe is made of
and how it works. CERNs physicists use the most highly complex scientific
instruments to study the ultimate constituents of matter: the fundamental particles.
The particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. By
studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists perceive the laws
of Nature.
CERN uses purpose-built particle accelerators and detectors. The accelerators
boost beams of particles to high energies before these beams are made to collide
with each other or with stationary targets. In turn, the detectors observe and record
the results of these collisions.
The physics programme at CERN presents engineers with different challenges at
the forefront of technology, from the atomic scale to the colossal. Engineers are
needed to build and test machines as well as systems that physics rely on. Further,

technicians maintain these systems in order that they are running smoothly,
perform repairs and upgrades where necessary. In addition, building a particle
accelerator might require civil engineering, such as digging tunnels and installing
large infrastructure projects. In total, there are ten times more engineers and
technicians working at CERN than research physics.
Another interesting fact about CERN is that the World Wide Web has been
invented there by the British scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. The original
purpose of the web has been to meet the demand for automatic information-
sharing between scientists in universities and institutes around the world. In
addition, it should merge the technologies of personal computers, hypertext and
computer networking into a powerful and easy to use global information system.
Our visit
We visited two museums at CERN; one has been the Globe of Science and
Innovation including an exhibition of the Universe of Particles. The purpose of the
Universe of Particles exhibition is for visitors to address the great questions of
contemporary physics, currently being explored by the CERN via the Large
Hadron Collidor (LHC) accelerator. The exhibitions innovative design plunges the
visitor into the fascinating world of particles, from the infinitesimally large to the
infinitesimally small, from the Big Bang to the present day. Visitors pass through
luminous spheres which together represent the Universe of Particles, each sphere
containing an interactive kiosk illustrating CERNs quest for knowledge and
recounting the international cooperation and technological advances which
underpin this incredible research venture. At regular intervals, spectacular video
shows recount the history of the Universe. Moreover, information on the LHC, the
world's largest accelerator of particles, was provided. The Large Hadron Collider is
CERNs flagship scientific facility. The LHC is exploring some of the questions
related to the origin of mass, dark matter in the Universe, antimatter, extra
dimensions and the primordial state of matter. It comprises a 27 km ring of
superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures in order to
boost the energy of the particles along the way.
A guide of CERN told us that experiments with the LHC usually last for six to
twelve months. During that time about 5,000 people from all over the world are
working at CERN. After this period the accelerator and all other parts of the
system need to be revised and maintained by engineers. This process lasts about

one year. In general, the LHC intends to imitate the situation and the condition of
particles just after the Big Bang.
Basically, seven experiments exist at the LHC, the biggest ones are called CMS,
ATLAS, ALICE and LHCb. They use detectors in order to analyse the myriad of
particles produced by collisions in the accelerator. At these experiments six million
explosions/second happen. The particles move with 99.9% of speed of light.
Recently, CERN was able to detect the Higgs boson (a particle predicted by theory
for explaining how particles acquire their mass). According to the guide, scientists
would have preferred not to find it, as this would have meant that they need to
doubt what they have found out so far and have to answer a lot of new questions.
Once during an experiment an explosion happened at one of the electromagnets,
which aim at accelerating the particles. Fortunately, nobody was injured as this
happened in the tunnel 100 meters below the surface. However, the experiment
had to be stopped. Then, in the second museum we visited the exhibition
"Microcosm". There we watched a movie about CERN and its LHC in general and
what scientists intend to find out. Further, we could inform ourselves about
different matters of physics, how accelerators work etc.
At around 10pm we departed from Geneva train station in direction of Paris. A
more or less comfortable 8h bus ride lay ahead of us. The upcoming morning
should be a melancholic one.

Image 1 The location of the LHC
Image 2 The tunnel from inside
Image 3 Globe of Sciene and Innovation

Permanent Delegation of the European Union to the UN Office
and other international organizations in Geneva
by Julia Heissenberger & Daria Hofstetter
Date: 19 March 2013
Time: 15:00 16:30
Topic: Human Rights
Speaker: Christina Kokkinakis
Moderator: Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
On the second day of our journey we were welcomed at the EU delegation to the
United Nations by Minister Counsellor Christina Kokkinakis and her intern Miriam.
The EU is committed to effective multilateralism, with the United Nations (UN) at
its core. This is a central element of the EUs external policy. To respond
successfully to global crises, threats and challenges, the international community
needs an efficient multilateral system, founded on universal rules and values.
Over the years the EU has established a strong relationship with the UN. Co-
operation takes place across a broad range of areas: development, human rights,
climate change, peace building, disarmament and non-proliferation, humanitarian
assistance, fighting corruption and crime, addressing global health concerns,
managing migration flows and labor issues. Many of these issues are debated in
Geneva within the UN bodies
and Geneva-based
specialized agencies such as
the Human Rights Council,
UNHCR, UNCTAD, WHO, ILO,
the Conference on
Disarmament and IOM. The
EU Delegation and the EU
Member States take an active
part in their activities,
coordinating positions within
these bodies.

The EU has played an important role in developing and implementing UN
Conventions and Protocols and taken an active part in UN global conferences. As
an observer within the UN, the EU does not vote but is party to more than 50 UN
multilateral agreements and conventions.
We were told that the employees of the EU delegation to the UNO are busy at the
moment as one of the three yearly sessions of the Human Rights Councils is
currently held in Geneva. The March session is a very intense one as it lasts four
full weeks and about 90 resolutions are on the agenda which are voted for at the
end of the fourth week. All 90 resolutions are tabled during those four weeks but
not on all of them is action as it depends very much on the topic what can be done
and decided and what not. According to Christina Kokkinakis the sessions are very
much like a bazar and usually there are no final decisions until the very last minute.
Mrs. Kokkinakis worked for 17 years for the Austrian foreign ministry and in the
course of her career she represented Austria as a diplomat in Brussels. Since 6
months she is the head of the EU delegation to the UNO.
The topic of our visit was Human Rights as they form the core of the EU foreign
policy. Christina Kokkinakis told us about the standpoint of the EU concerning
Human Rights. The UNO Human Rights Council has the goal to promote and
protect Human Rights globally. The EU is not a full member of the UN Council on

Human Rights but it has an observer status. As observer with enhanced rights it is
allowed to take the floor and to reply but it does not have the right to vote.
The EU delegation to the UN Human Rights Council coordinates the different
positions on Human Rights of the 27 member states internally and then the
delegation represents and defends the EU position on Human Rights to the
outside world.
The most important resolutions of the current March session are the following:
1. Resolution on Myanmar-Burma
2. DPRK North Korea relations to Japan
3. Rights of Children
Resolutions are usually run by different countries either due to historic reasons or
due to a strong interest into certain topics. However, it is not possible for one
country to run a resolution all alone as partners are needed in order to push it
through.
Mrs. Kokkinakis told us that it is possible to do internships at the EU delegation to
the UNO in Geneva. The internships last up to 6 months and are paid. Every
citizen of the European Union can apply online or directly per mail. She
recommended sending an application to her personally that also indicates the
preferred field where one would like to work. If it is in the area of Human Rights
she would be pleased, as it is her specialization.

WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
by Theresa Zwickl
Date: 19 March 2013
Time: 17:00 18:30
Topic: Intellectual Property Rights
Speaker: Cathy Jewel

After the interesting presentation of Mrs. Kokkinakis, a short walk brought us to the
buildings of the World Intellectual Property Organization, short WIPO, which is
now renovating but already impressive. Having received the badges and gone
through security Cathy Jewel (cathy.jewell@wipo.int), the Senior Information
Officer of the Communication Division welcomed us warmly in a very nice and
comfortable conference room.
Ms Jewel started the
presentation with the History of
the intellectual property system
which was founded in the Paris
(1883) and Bern (1886)
conventions. Everything began
with a small organization based
in Bern which only comprised of
seven people. In 1960, the
organization moved to Geneva
and a bilateral agreement was
made with the UN in 1974 and
the WIPO thus became part of its
organizations. Since the year
2000 the 26
th
April is the
intellectual property day, which
this year focuses on creativity for
the next generation. Their goal is
to expand the scope of IT
protection in todays rapid

developing technological environment. In order to boost innovation and support
creativity the protection of intellectual property was necessary. Due to the
importance intellectual property is often called currency of the 21
st
century.
Ms Jewel also promoted the WIPO magazine, which features stories about
different new products and activities taken by the WIPO. A free subscription and
downloads of the Magazine are available under www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/.
Today the organization it is comprised of 185 member states and 350 NGOs with
observer status. Generally, decisions are made with consensus and voting is
avoided as much as possible. At the moment there are 25 treaties in place but as
it is not obligatory to sing them all, the system remains very flexible.
The WIPO fights to
build awareness in
the public as well
as in the private
sector.
Nevertheless, much
has to be done in
order to fight piracy
successfully in the
future. The WIPO
has three main
activities which are:
1) Norm setting: reviewing existing standards and setting new international
standards if the business environment demands it
2) Economic Development
3) Development of global IP infrastructure, focusing on the legal framework
and the free flow of IT information. The WIPO database functions as a rich
source for business or technical information, which is publically accessible
and free of charge under www.wipo.int/patentscope/en/ and
www.wipo.int/wipogold/en/.
4) Services to the industry, which generates 90 % of the income.

The WIPO cooperates with organizations like Interpol on the one hand and the
WTO on the other hand; consequentially four WIPO agreements are also in
cooperated in the TRIPS. The increasing in patents and trademarks is
considerable, especially in developing countries (e.g. China 33% increase in
patents). The WIPOs mediation center also helps settle cross border disputes.
A good way for students to get in contact with WIPO and experience their domain
of activity first hand is the WIPO academy which offers distant as well as face-to-
face learning courses as e.g. summer schools. Another possibility is doing a paid
internship where the application procedure goes through HR and positions are
posted on the website. WIPO tries to stay close to the young generation by
engaging in partnerships with universities.
Already during the
presentation Ms Jewel
allowed for questions,
which was welcomed
by the audience.
As the WIPO is
located near the
UNOG the UN Main
Geneva compound,
our family picture was
taken in front of the
UN after which the
group split up in order
to further explore the city before the bus left in direction of Paris in the night. We
said goodbye to Geneva eager to explore Paris and its organizations.

Wednesday, 20
th
March 2013
World Bank
Date: 20th
t
of March 2013
Time: 15:00 pm 16:30 pm
Topic: World Bank - Working for a World Free of Poverty (including Questions and
Answers Session)
Speaker: Catherine Doody
Founded in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Convention in the USA alongside the
International Monetary Fund, the World Bank main objectives is to eradicate
poverty. Worldwide 2.8 billion people, more than half of the population in
developing countries, live with less than $2 a day. Furthermore, it is predicted that
in 25 years the population in developing countries will increase by 1.5 billion
people. The purpose of the World Bank is to combat a number of issues in the
fields of health (AIDS, Avian flu), environment (scarcity of raw materials), social
and political unrest and economic risks (income inequality, capital outflows).
The strategic priorities of the World Bank are organized as following:
1. Target the poor and the vulnerable
2. Create opportunities for growth
3. Promote global collective action

0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
IBRD and IDA Loans
IBRD/IDA IBRD IDA
4. Strengthen governance
5. Manage risk and prepare for crisis
Although the World Bank consists of five organizations, the meeting mainly
focused on the International Bank for Reconstructions and Developments (IBRD)
and the International Development Association (IDA). Whilst the IBRD is
responsible for middle income countries and offers loans with repayment of up to
35 years with interest rates determined by the LIBOR, the IDA is responsible for
low income countries and grants loans with repayment of up to 55 years with 0%
interest rates. These countries will use the loans to invest into water and food
production (10%), agriculture and forestry (9%), education (8%) and many more
areas that require financing.
The total amount of loans
granted by the World Bank
can be seen in the figure
below. In the year 2012, the
total amount of loans
granted summed up to
$35.4 billion. During the
years of the recession (2009-2011) a significant increase of loans granted can be
observed as more countries required financial assistance. Indonesia, Brazil and
Romania were the top three borrowers of IBRD loans in 2012. India, Nigeria and
Pakistan were the top three borrowers of IDA loans in the same year.

Figure 1: IBRD and IDA loans granted since 1991

The World Bank's goal is to wipe out poverty by 2015. However, when evaluating
the current trend and looking at the challenges the World Bank has yet to face it
becomes clear that this goal will not be achieved. First of all, the extreme poverty
rate has been greatly reduced through international projects such as Fairtrade and
access to water has also become easier. On the other hand, the World Bank has
great difficulty in improving maternal mortality and child mortality.
When large projects at national or international level are planned the World Bank
follows a number of steps as seen in Figure 2 below. First of all, the project is
identified, prepared, and appraised by the nation's country and the World Bank.
The World Bank's Board then negotiates and either declines or approves the
document. For large projects that require a lot of financing countries can submit a
proposal to the World Bank outlining how they will implement the project and how
much the expenses will be. The Board then decides on the most efficient proposal
and grants the project to the winning country. In 2012 the countries that were
awarded the most projects by the World Bank were China, India and Brazil.
However, there have been some criticisms that the mentioned countries rather
bring in their own workers than employ local workers. On the other hand, it can be
argued that local workers do not have enough knowledge of a certain project to
participate.

Figure 2: Project Cycle

Every country can participate in the World Bank's activities, however the
leadership roles are clearly in control of a few selected countries. As seen in
Figure 3 below the most voting rights go to the United States with 15.7% followed
by Japan (9.39%), Germany (4.89%), and France (4.38%). This percentage is
determined by the amount of contributions each country pays to the World Bank.
However, as the diagram shows most control is granted to highly developed
countries which can afford to pay the most contributions. Critics argue that less
developed countries, those which the World Bank is actually trying to help, have
the least to say. In an effort to improve this, and to reverse the negative trends,
the World Bank actively employs bank managers from lesser developed countries
and currently 42% of all bank managers originate from these countries. (the so-
called equal gender, geographic and social distribution of the appointed and
seconded staff.)

The general trend of the World Bank's objective to wipe out hunger and poverty is
positive. However, there are dire forecasts for some regions especially in the Sub-
Saharan African region as they may be left behind in development due to reasons
such as war and insufficient infrastructure.

Figure 3: Leadership

Internship opportunities:
All internship applications are handled by Washington DC in the United States. If
you wish to apply for an internship at one of the representative offices or in a
country where the World Bank is currently active you should mention this in your
application to Washington. Furthermore, it would be advisable to get into contact
with the offices you wish to do an internship in order to verify that they are willing
to take internships from abroad as the World Bank normally chooses to hire
employees and interns locally.
Source:
Doody, C. (2013). World Bank: Working for a World Free of Poverty. Paris.

Thursday, 21
st
March 2013
UNESCO
History
by Marie Mitter
The history of the UNESCO dates back to 1942 when eight allied governments
called in the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME) for the purpose
of establishing a plan in order to reconstruct the education systems once the war
was over. In 1945, upon a proposal of the CAME, a United Nations Conference for
the establishment of an educational and cultural organization which would provide
the moral and intellectual basis for peace was held in London. At the end of the
conference the Constitution of UNESCO was ratified by twenty countries and the
UNESCO was founded. The newly established specialised agency of the UN
included structural and substantive elements from its predecessors the
International Committee of Intellectual Co-operation (CICI) and the International
Institute of Intellectual Co-operation (IICI) as well as the International Bureau of
Education (IBE) whose work was largely interrupted by the onset of World War II.
The political divisions of the Second World War were represented in the
composition of the founding Member States of UNESCO. Other historical events
such as the Cold War and the dissolution of the USSR also left their trace on
UNESCO.
Source: Unesco.org

UNESCO visit
by Lisa Speiser & Julia Stichling
Date: 21
st
of March 2013
Time: 10:00 am 12:30 pm
Topic: UNESCO An Overview (including Questions and Answers Session)
Speaker: Christina von Furstenberg
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is located in
Paris since November 1945. It has 195 member states and 8 associated member
states. The UNESCO building is huge and member states donated important and
well-known pieces of art which decorate the whole building. Therefore, before
entering the building, we needed to do a security check.
The UNESCO has the goal to make education accessible for everyone, promote
research in science concerning drinking water availability and protection of species
and promote freedom of press and the conservation of the world heritage of
humans. Ms. Christina von Furstenberg welcomed the whole group warmly and
started to present the organization and her function within the organization. During
her presentation, she started to introduce herself. She is working within the
organization since 1991, where the first forum on Sustainable Development took
place. Currently, she is working as chief of the Social and Human Sciences Sector
within the organization of UNESCO. Furthermore, she mentioned several current
topics related to the UNESCO in order to give us a broad understanding of the
organization.
The UNESCO comprises three organs: the Secretariat, the General Conference
and the Executive Council. The Secretariat is lead be the Director-General,
currently Ms. Irina Bokova, the first female and Eastern European Director-
General. In November 2013 the UNESCO is celebrating its 68
th
birthday.

Ms. von Furstenberg put a special focus on the program MOST, Management of
Social Transformations, which aims to provide decision makers with the results of
Social Science research to promote cooperation in the favor of people. For a
better understanding of the program, we watched a movie, where special

initiatives under the MOST program were presented. The slogan Most is a must
promotes the program within the member states, third countries, as well as NGOs
or businesses. In 1993 this slogan was introduced together with the launching of
the program. Currently 35 member states, which are elected by the General
Conference, try to work pro-actively within the fields of the program. Recently the
Most 2-program was launched which focuses on the current topics, such as
changes in society, climate change, ageing population, inequality of society etc.
After the presentation and the video, questions arose and were answered by Ms.
von Furstenberg very kindly. One of the questions was about her opinion to the
Rio de Janeiro summit last year. In general, in her opinion, this summit was a re-
discussion of the failed summit in Copenhagen in 2009 and a future outlook on
what the UN will do from now on. She stated that to her opinion the Rio de Janeiro
summit was successful and
there was much progress
going on. Another question
was about the way of
fundraising, whether
companies support projects
or if money is paid in
general fund pots. There
Ms. Von Furstenberg
mentioned that there is of
course a contribution of the
member states, but as well
depending on the projects
companies or private individuals are supportive as well. A very interesting question
was about the MOST program and its impact in the world. Here especially Central
America was highlighted by Ms. von Furstenberg, as here NGOs have a great
impact and the question here is not only whether the intervention improves the
situation, but also how does the population perceive this intervention?
A great possibility for students to gather further insights into the work of UNESCO
is an internship, which one can apply for two to three months in advance, the latest.
Internships are published at the homepage of the UNESCO and one should also
contact Ms. von Furstenberg, as she can also help to find a place and is always
open for interesting interns. Interested persons can try their luch by applying
directly via: c.von-furstenberg@unesco.org.

All in all, the trip to the UNESCO was very interesting for us and one could gather
deep insights into how this organization works and what its aims are.


OECD
History
by Daniela Schppl
The precursor of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) was the Organization for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC),
which was established in 1947. The OEEC was formed to administer American
and Canadian aid under the Marshall Plan for reconstruction of Europe after
World War II. By making individual governments recognize the interdependence of
their economies, the OEEC paved the way for a new era of cooperation that was
to change Europe. It is worth to mention that
Austria was one of the very few founding members
of this Paris-based, that-time only one cross-
Atlantic intergovernmental organization.
Since it took over from the OEEC in 1961, the
OECDs profession has been to build strong
economies in its member countries, improve
efficiency, enhance market systems, expand free
trade and contribute to development in
industrialized as well as developing countries.
Today, 34 OECD member countries worldwide
regularly turn to one another to identify problems,
discuss and analyze them, and promote policies to
solve them.

After more than four decades, the OECD is moving beyond focusing on its own
countries and is now setting its priorities on those countries that embrace the
market economy. The Organization is, for example, putting the benefit of its
experience to the service of emerging market economies, particularly in the
countries that are making their transition from centrally-planned to capitalist
systems. As it opens to many new contacts around the world, the OECD will
broaden its scope, looking ahead to a post-industrial age in which it aims to tightly
weave OECD economies into a yet more prosperous and increasingly knowledge-
based world economy.
Source: www.oecd.org

Permanent Mission of Austria to the OECD
by Katharina Schneeweiss & MarleneLediger
Permanent Mission of Austria to the OECD
Date: Thursday, 21.03.2013
Time: 14:20 15:30
Topic: OECD history and its structure, scope and mandate, role of Austrian
mission at the OECD
Speaker: Mrs Birgit WILDER, Deputy Permanent Representative of Austria to the
OECD

Background Information:
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.
After we got a the general overview of the OECD by Andrew Gentry, the PAD
Coordinator, the speech was continued by a definition of the role of the Permanent
Representation of Austria to the OECD (hereafter referred to as Austrian Mission).
In this
presentation, Mrs
Birgit Wilder
outlined the
structure and the
role of the
Austrian Mission.
The mission of the
Organisation for
Economic Co-

operation and Development (OECD) was founded in the year 1961 and its aim is
to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people
around the world. The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work
together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. The
organization works with governments to understand what drives economic, social
and environmental change. Furthermore, they measure productivity and global
flows of trade and investment. Additionally, they provide current reports based on
analyses and they do compare data to predict future trends.
The organisations aim is to care about issues that directly affect the lives of
ordinary people, like how much they pay in taxes and social security, and how
much leisure time they can take. Comparing how different countries school
systems are readying their young people for modern life, and how different
countries pension systems will look after their citizens in old age belong to the
OECDs tasks.
The OECD employs 2500 employees and has got a budget of approximately 354
million Euros available and furthermore has got sites in Paris, Washington, Tokyo,
Mexico City and Berlin.

Role and Responsibilities of the Austrian Mission
Each of the 34 OECD-member states is represented at the organisation in Paris
by several representatives and delegates. In addition Mrs Birgit Wilder pointed out
that the OECD actually consists of 35 members, as the European Union (EU) is
also considered as a member and part of the OECD as the EU takes part in
meetings. 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 interest. 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, Mrs Birgit Wilder is Austrias Counsellor Austrian Delegation to OECD.
However, 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 programme of work,
validate strategic work and establish the volume of the annual budget.
Mrs Birgit Wilder pointed out, that the leading slogan of the OECD was once club
of rich countries. However, this mindset changed and altered into club of better
policies. In fact the slogan of the OECD now is: better policies for better lifes.
Mrs Wilder gave us a short but rather detailed insight into the OECD. She let us
know that applicants for a membership need to fulfil the three main criteria which
are: like-mindedness, mutual benefit or bilateral benefit and geographic balance.
Like-mindedness means that the members and the applicants should share the
same values. There should be a mutual benefit on both sides. In addition applicant
countries need to have a democratic political system, respect human rights and
have a stable market economy. Mrs Wilder also pointed out that there are
countries which will never join the OECD just for reasons like that they do not want
to lose their status as developing country (after joining the OECD applicant
members are considered as developed countries) and that the OECD does not

provide subsidies or financial support but member countries have to open and
disclose their financial books in order to promote transparency. In fact the OECD
is like a trade mark and gives investors security and makes them feel more
comfortable as the membership to the OECD means that the member countries
are complying with the standards.
Moreover, Mrs Wilder explained that the main targets of the OECD include the
promotion of economic growth and employment, the augmentation of the standard
of living, the contribution to the expansion of world trade, the stability of public
finances, and support economic growth in third countries.
In addition the OECD collects data from member states and third countries and
analyses them, therefore the OECD publishes a lot in the fields of economy,
education and knowledge society, social systems, labour markets, environment
and climate change and changing of growth (continuous growth means growing
poverty).
Strengths of the OECD
The OECD acts as aid to orientation and provides standards and rankings
in order to support countries for self-monitoring.
The OECD provides political recommendations for various political areas.
Countries can learn from best practices of other OECD countries.
The OECD offers regular publications (PISA, Economic Outlook, Going for
Growth, Health at Glance, Education at a Glance, Migration Outlook, etc.)
THE OECD provides studies and publications for particular horizontal topics
(Babies and Bosses).
The OECD develops indicators for the regulation of the product and
employment market and provides economic forecasters.
Question & Answer Session
At the beginning of the discussion round, Mrs Birgit Wilder explained how the
Austrian Mission is composed, in concrete terms, the Delegation consists of 14
diplomatic staff, which are mostly specialists from a variety of ministries such as

the Ministry for Finance, the Ministry for Agriculture, the Ministry for Economy,
Family and Youth and, of course, the Federal Chancellery itself.
A question that was raised in this context concerned the Austrian competences
within the OECD. According to Mrs Wilder, Austrias major competences within the
OECD focus on agriculture, renewables energies and investments.
For further information about the Austrian Mission, Mrs Wilder recommended us
the following links: www.oecd.org, www.oecd.org/Austria, www.bka.gv.at/oecd.
Internship Opportunities
With regards to the Austrian Mission, Mrs Wilder talked about employment
possibilities directly at the Permanent Delegation of Austria to the OECD. The
Austrian Mission offers traineeships, which are generally paid until 800 Euros per
month. However, one important condition was that the person applying holds the
citizenship of one of the OECD-Members in order to be considered for an
internship position. Another very crucial condition is that the trainee already
graduated and can convince with this Master degree. The internship lasts 3
months exactly and applications can be sent at any time.

International Energy Agency (IEA)
by Christian Schmied & Bernhard Endmayer
Date: 21st March 2013
Time: 4pm
Topic: IEA An Overview & World Energy Outlook 2012
Speaker: Timur Topalgoekceli, Energy Analyst, Directorate of Global Energy
Economics at IEA
Moderator: Andrew Gentry, Co-ordinator, Seminars & Visits Program, Public
Affairs and Communications Directorate at OECD and prof. Anis Bajrektarevic
General information
The International Energy Agency (IEA), an autonomous agency, was established
in November 1974. Its primary mandate was and is two-fold: to promote
energy security amongst its member countries through collective response to
physical disruptions in oil supply, and provide authoritative research and analysis
on ways to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 28 member
countries and beyond. The IEA carries out a comprehensive program of energy
co-operation among its member countries, each of which is obliged to hold oil
stocks equivalent to 90 days of its net imports.
The Agencys aims include the following objectives:
Secure member countries access to reliable and ample supplies of all forms of
energy; in particular, through maintaining effective emergency response
capabilities in case of oil supply disruptions.
Promote sustainable energy policies that spur economic growth and environmental
protection in a global context particularly in terms of reducing greenhouse-gas
emissions that contribute to climate change.
Improve transparency of international markets through collection and analysis of
energy data.
Support global collaboration on energy technology to secure future energy
supplies and mitigate their environmental impact, including through improved
energy efficiency and development and deployment of low-carbon technologies.

Find solutions to global energy challenges through engagement and dialogue with
non-member countries, industry, international organizations and other
stakeholders.
About the presentation
Starting with a short delay due to the interesting Q&A session after our first
presentation, Mr. Topalgoekceli quickly and effectively explained the scope and
activities of the IEA to the group. In a very entertaining manner, he managed to
convey a lot of information in a very short time.
After that, Mr. Topalgoekceli went into details and depicted trends and
developments in one of the worlds most interesting sectors: the energy and
resources sector. One of the most striking developments is the subsidizing of
renewable energy production sites, because it is still not even one third of the
subsidies that fossil energy production sites receive. Another sad, but not
surprising issue was mentioned around the topic of climate change: the IEA
analyzed its costs with
the result, that every
Dollar not spent on
mitigation of climate
change before 2020
would cause costs of
$4,35 after 2020.

Mr. Topalgoekceli went
on to stress the main
future energy trends that
will shape our future.
Those were the result of
intensive research and
reviews with a lot of partners and governments for producing the World Energy
Outlook 2012. We were kindly handled this 700 page outlook with a huge amount
of statistics and interesting information free of charge as PDF by Mr. Topalgoekceli
after the presentation and would like to thank the IEA for their kindness.

World Energy Outlook 2012: main trends until 2035
Rising incomes and population push energy needs higher
Energy-market dynamics are increasingly determined by the emerging economies
Fossil fuels continue to meet the bulk of the worlds energy needs, from an ample
resource base
Providing universal energy access to the worlds poor remains an elusive goal
In the IEAs central scenario, the New Policies Scenario, global primary energy
demand rises by over one-third in the period to 2035. Oil demand reaches 99.7
mb/d in 2035, up from 87.4 mb/d in 2011. Coal demand rises by 21% and natural
gas by a remarkable 50%. Renewables are deployed rapidly, particularly in the
power sector, where their share of generation increases from around 20% today to
31%. Growth in nuclear power is revised down relative to our previous projections,
in large part due to policy moves following Fukushima Daiichi. These trends call
for $37 trillion of investment in the worlds energy supply infrastructure to 2035.
China accounts for the largest share of the projected growth in global energy use,
its demand rising by 60% by 2035, followed by India (where demand more than
doubles) and the Middle East. OECD energy demand in 2035 is just 3% higher
than in 2010, but there are dramatic shifts in its energy mix as fuel substitution
sees the collective share of oil and coal drop by fifteen percentage points to 42%.
A renaissance of the US energy sector is reshaping the worlds energy landscape,
with far-reaching implications. The United States currently relies on imports for
around 20% of its primary energy demand, but rising production of oil, shale gas
and bioenergy means that it becomes all but self-sufficient in net-terms by 2035.
By contrast, most other energy importers become more dependent on imports.

Growing water constraints are set to impose additional costs on the energy sector
and in some cases threaten the viability of projects. In the New Policies Scenario,
the volume of water consumed to produce energy increases by 85%, from 66
billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2010 to 120 bcm in 2035. This is more than twice the
rate of growth of energy demand, driven by more water-intensive power
generation and expanding output of water-thirsty biofuels.
In the New Policies Scenario, energy-related CO2 emissions rise from an
estimated 31.2 Gt in 2011 to 37.0 Gt in 2035, pointing to a long-term average
temperature increase of 3.6 C. Phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies, which totalled
$523 billion in 2011 (outweighing subsidies for renewables by a factor of almost
six), would sharply curb growth in emissions.
Question and Answer session
After the presentation, Mr. Topalgoekceli also kindly answered all our questions
from economical as well as technological view with simple and understandable
vocabulary, showing his deep knowledge and understanding of all topics
connected with energy economics. It was a great pleasure for our fellows to hear
his presentation and all the interesting remarks he made during the following Q&A
session. Further information can be found on the official website of the
organization: www.iea.org

Friday, 22
nd
March 2013
ICC - International Chamber of Commerce
by Astrid Prem & Carola Seyr
Overview
Date: Friday, 22nd March 2013
Time: 9:00-12:00
Topic: International Court of Arbitration & International Centre for ADR
Speaker: Deputy Counsel Alma Forgo and Deputy Manager Ana Sylvia Prado
On our final day of visits we arrived at the International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC) in the morning and Deputy Counsel Alma Forgo gave us some interesting
insights in the general structure and her duties at the ICC. Furthermore she
included many illustrative examples and the meeting rather corresponded to a
dialogue with the students than a straight forward presentation. Below, a brief
summary of her main points is given.
International Chamber of Commerce
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) was founded in 1919 by a few
entrepreneurs. The aim of this organisation was to represent business everywhere.
International Court of Arbitration
A few years after the foundation of the
ICC, the ICC International Court of
Arbitration (ICA) was founded in 1923.
The ICA was created to add an
international dispute-resolving mechanism
to the Chamber of Commerce.
Today, the ICA has around 130 court
members from 87 countries and was
dealing with over 750 new cases solely in
2012. Statistics show that most of the parties involved in arbitration are from North
and West Europe, coming mainly from the construction & engineering, as well as
the energy sector.

The Secretariat
The Secretariat is responsible for day to day administration of cases. It is
represented in form of several teams in Paris, one Hong Kong and is planning on
introducing another team in New York. People from over 25 different nationalities
are working for the secretariat.
It is important to know that the secretariat itself does not settle disputes, they only
supervises and administers them.

ICC International Centre for ADR
Deputy Manager Ana Sylvia Prado was in charge of the second presentation
which dealt with the ICC international centre for Amicable Dispute Resolution
(ADR). She explained the
importance of mediation
which can settle up to 80%
of the cases at considerably
lower cost. Moreover she
talked about the challenges
of the field, for example
finding an expert for very
specific issues. Finally she
invited us to the ICC
Mediation Week in Paris
which takes place from
February 6 to 12, 2014.
Application deadline is in
July and the groups of four people must at least include one law student. During
this event a paid internship possibility from September 2013 till March 2014 exists
also for business students. In case of interest, students must follow the official
online application procedure. 2 month internships are preferably given to law
students but business students with a law background will also be taken into
consideration. The main tasks during these months are to prepare the agenda for
staff meetings and to follow the dispute development, to do research on the
mediation database and to participate in broad sessions. The following topics give
an overview of her presentation.

International Centre for Amicable Dispute Resolution (ADR) Proceedings
The International Centre for ADR is dealing with everything, but arbitration. It is
one of the two main bodies of the ICC Dispute Resolution, next to the ICC
International Court of Arbitration. Surely it is a body with the extensive and long-
lasting experience in the matter therefore of a huge international reputation and
authority. The ICC International Centre for ADR is based on four different sets of
rules:
Arbitration and ADR Rules
Expertise Rules
Dispute Board Rules
Docdex Rules

The International Centre for ADR has different types of settlement techniques.
Mediation is voluntary and aims at developing a consensual solution with the
assistance of a third party. It focuses on the interests of the two parties and its
outcome is contractually binding.
Neutral Evaluation, Conciliation and Combinations are other techniques for
settlement.

Amicable Dispute Resolution (ADR)
The ADR is dealing with domestic, as well as international commercial disputes.
Its rules are short and flexible, meaning they can be adapted to the parties needs.
Like in the ICA, the majority of the cases are international (80%) and spread
worldwide.
ICC International Centre for Expertise
In this kind of proceeding, the ICC is appointing experts to deal with the issue. For
each case, an individual search for experts has to be conducted, depending on the
needs and qualifications of the expert, such as language skills, field of activity,
nationality or experience.
ICC Dispute Boards
The ICC Dispute Board is used for middle- and long-term contracts and is a
standing dispute resolution panel. There are three types of ICC Dispute Boards:
Dispute Review Board, which does not provide decisions, the Dispute Adjudication
Board, which does provide decision, and the Combined Dispute Board, a
combination of Review and Adjudication Board.
Internship Opportunities
Deputy Manager Ana Sylvia Prado invited us to the ICC International Commercial
Mediation Week in Paris which takes place from February 6 to 12, 2014. During
this even students from various countries come together and get the chance to
test their abilities and innovative ideas to solve problems. Only one team per
university will be admitted to the event and can be supervised by a professor.
Application deadline is in July and the groups of two to four people must at least
include one law student. The costs for participation depend on the number of
students in the team and range from 500 for a team with two members to 800 for a
team with four members.
During this event two paid internship possibility in Paris from 2 September 2013 till
14 March 2014 exist. In case of interest, students must follow the official
application procedure by email. The two-month internships are preferably given to
law students, but business students with a law background and a convincing letter
of motivation will also be taken into consideration. The main tasks during these
months are to prepare the agenda for staff meetings and to follow the dispute

development, to do research on the mediation database and to participate in broad
sessions. Furthermore the intern will handle the online registration tool, reply to
participants questions, prepare the event schedule, format documents, deal with
related accounting issues, prepare meetings and trainings, execute general
administrative duties, plan logistical aspects of the event and communicate with
participants via email. Note that the intern will not work with the Secretariat of the
ICC International Court of Arbitration.
Requirements
Enrolment in a university program
proven experience in organising large-scale events
enthusiasm for and knowledge of mediation and other forms of ADR
ability to work under high pressure
very good management of priorities
problem solving capacity
excellent communication skills
customer service skills
ability to work both independently and within a team
demonstrate attention to details
excellent English skills and very good French (further languages are a plus)
very good MS office and general computer skills
event management studies and practical experience is a plus
For interested students please sent your cover letter and CV as well as
minimum two referees until 30 April 2013 to Hannah Tmpel at
the@iccwbo.org and Angela Herberholz at ahz@iccwbo.org

Organizations which were regularly scheduled but were
this time cancelled due to construction work:

UN ECONOMIC COMMISSION for EUROPE
History of the UNECE
by Patrick Offenegger
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, short UNECE was set up
in the year 1947 by ECOSOC. The idea behind was to establish an organization
that supports the rebuilding process due to the received damages during WWII.
Furthermore, UNECE was seen as an intermediary between East and West as
they were torn apart through the Iron Curtain.
In 1957 it became a permanent body of the UN due to the increased need of
maintaining peace and fostering economic activities. The need of the organization
gained more importance during the cold war as it was the only instrument for a
peaceful dialogue among the nations.
When the Cold War came to an end the activities of UNECE changed. The main
part of their work was now to promote market economies and to help countries of
the former Easter Block to successfully integrate in the fast changing world
economy. Furthermore, the organization set up different kind of workshops in
order to provide expert knowledge from specialists for its member countries.

Due to the causes of globalization and the steady changes in the economy
UNECE was forced to undertake some reforms in 1997 and 2005 in order to scope
and be up to date with the modern Europe of the 21th century.
Today the organization has 56 member countries and its Headquarter is situated
in Geneva. Its main activities nowadays are in supporting countries during their
accession process and to help economies to transform from planned to market
economies.
The commission is organized through an executive committee that consists of one
chairperson and two additional vice chairpersons. The current chairperson is Mr.
Ugljea ZVEKI from Serbia and the vice chairpersons are represented by Mr.
Eviatar MANOR from Israel and Mrs. Maria CIOBANU from Romania. Furthermore,
there are eight Sectoral Committees addressed to the different programs of
UNECE. These programs are further divided into six divisions who are led by the
Executive Secretary currently represented by Mr. Sven Alkalaj from Bosnia-
Herzegovina.
Source: www.unece.org

Red Cross
by Jasmin Krutner

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is
the world's largest humanitarian network that reaches 150 million people in 187
National Societies through the work of over 13 million volunteers.
Together, they act before,
during and after disasters
and health emergencies
to meet the needs and
improve the lives of
vulnerable people. They
do so without
discrimination as to
nationality, race, religious
beliefs, class or political
opinions.
Guided by Strategy 2020 their collective plan of action to tackle the major
humanitarian and development challenges of this decade they are committed, in
this fast-changing world, to saving lives and changing minds.
Their strength is in their volunteer network, their community-based expertise and
their ability to give a global voice to vulnerable people. By improving humanitarian
standards, working as partners in development, responding to disasters,
supporting healthier and safer communities, they help reduce vulnerabilities,
strengthen resilience and foster a culture of peace around the world.
The Red Cross idea was born in 1859,
when Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man,
came upon the scene of a bloody battle in
Solferino, Italy, between the armies of
imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian
alliance. Some 40,000 men lay dead or
dying on the battlefield and the wounded
were lacking medical attention.

Dunant organized local people to bind the soldiers' wounds and to feed and
comfort them. On his return, he called for the creation of national relief societies to
assist those wounded in war, and pointed the way to the future Geneva
Conventions.
The International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC) was founded in
1919 in Paris in the aftermath of
World War I. The war had shown
a need for close cooperation
between Red Cross Societies,
which, through their humanitarian
activities on behalf of prisoners of
war and combatants, had
attracted millions of volunteers
and built a large body of expertise. A devastated Europe could not afford to lose
such a resource.

Diary entries
Sunday, 17
th
March 2013
by Clemens Phringer
What we did
When we arrived at our hotel in Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday, the 17
th
of March
2013 everybody was exhausted but happy. The first thing we did after the 12-hour
bus ride was to check in our hotel, the Etap Hotel at the Avenue Louis Casa.
After freshening up a little bit and storing our luggage at the hotel, everybody took
the public transport to go to the city centre of Geneva and enjoy the free day. After
visiting the centre and the most important sights (including but not limited to the
Cathedral St-Pierre, the Brunswick Monument and the Quai Gustave-Ador with the
Jeu deu (the big fountain)) we finally decided to end the day at the International
Geneva Motor Show, which is one of the most important international auto shows
of the world. It was an amazing experience and brought us into the right mood for
our study trip in France and Switzerland.
The City of Geneva
The city of Geneva, which counts a bit less than 200,000 people, is the second
biggest city in Switzerland and the biggest city of the countrys French-speaking
part. Situated directly at the Lake Geneva, it is also the capital of the Canton of
Geneva.
Basically Geneva is a global city, a financial centre as well as a worldwide centre
for diplomacy. Thanks to the presence of numerous international organizations,

including the headquarters of many agencies of the United Nations and the Red
Cross, Geneva is well known and a rather important place.
The following list includes some of the international organizations, which are
located in Geneva. Our study group has visited the bold ones:

United Nations Organization (UNO)
o UNOG
World Trade Organization (WTO)
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
World Health Organization (WHO)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
International Red Cross and Crescent Movement
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
+ Additionally weve had a meeting with the Austrian Mission to IOs Geneva.

Monday, 18
th
March 2013
by Lorenz Haas & Stefanie Hagleitner
Waking up at 7:15 a.m. we looked out of the window and were a little bit shocked
snow was falling. With a corresponding bad mood we dressed up and went
downstairs to have breakfast. As it was the first day visiting organizations we were
discussing how the day will look like. With caps, gloves and umbrellas we walked
to the bus station where our bus was waiting for us. The bus left the Hotel at 8:55
a.m. heading towards our first meeting in the International Telecommunication
Organization. After a short 20 minutes bus ride we arrived at the ITUs premises.
We were split up into three groups for a visit of the museum, a presentation about
the ITU and a game session. All of us were surprised how important
telecommunication is and how it developed over the last decades.
Thereafter we had a two-hour lunch
break in ITUs cafeteria, where we
had a fantastic lunch followed by a
lot of fun; playing games and talking
about our time abroad and the
experiences we have made. At
13.45 p.m. we had a presentation on
creative economies form a
representative of the UNCTAD. We
pretty much enjoyed the
presentation even though we initially
had some trouble with the micros.
We got to know a lot of interesting projects, where creativity played a major role.
The most striking one has been carried out in Medellin were they constructed a
cable car to transport people to work. With good mood, as the sun was shining
again, we walked to the Blue Box where we had the honor to have an Austrian
Mission briefing. During this briefing we got a good insight on the daily business of
the Austrian Mission in Geneva. At 17:30 p.m. the first days program was over
and we went back to the hotel. We stopped at the supermarket to buy some
snacks and a birthday cake, as one of our fellows had her special day turning 22.
We surprised her with the cake and we were singing Happy Birthday in the hotel
corridor. In the evening we spent the time together and already at that time one
could see that new friendships were building up.

Tuesday, 19
th
March 2013
by Dominik Mayer & Jack Stefansson
On Tuesday morning, our last day in Geneva, we started off with a rich breakfast
at our hotel. Everybody tried to stock up energy for the long day that lay ahead of
us. Visits at the WMO (World Meteorological Organization), ILO (International
Labour Organization) and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) were
scheduled. After checking out
and packing our luggage in the
bus, it was announced that our
visits at the WMO and ILO
were cancelled. Nevertheless,
we soon came up with an
alternative programme - a visit
of the CERN museum. The
European Organization for
Nuclear Research is an
international organization
whose purpose is to operate
the worlds largest particle
physics laboratory. The
museum provided a
comprehensive overview
about CERNs history, facilities
and research focus.
Remember that only several
months ago, CERN scientists
were able to prove the
existence of the Higgs Boson.

After the museum visit, people were having lunch at different places. As prices are
quite high in Geneva, supermarkets often had to help out. At 2 pm, the whole
group met at the Council Secretariat of the European Commission in Rue du
Grand-Pr. Here, Ms. Christina Kokkinakis, Head of Political Section - Human
Rights from the Permanent Delegation of the European Union to the UN Office
and other international organisations in Geneva was so nice to give a speech on

Human Rights from the standpoint of the EU. We appreciated that she took the
time to provide this interesting insight although her schedule was obviously very
tight.
The last stop for that
day was at the
WIPO (World
Intellectual Property
Organisation) where
Ms. Cathy JEWALL,
Senior Information
Officer, held a
speech about the
history, structure and activities of the Organisation. This session ended, after an
interesting Q&A session, at around 17:15.
The day was formally ended with a group picture in front of the huge broken chair.
Right after that, the students were spreading again all over Geneva for the last
time. Occasions to spend the last Swiss francs had to be found. People had dinner
and were buying stuff for the upcoming bus ride.

Wednesday, 20
th
March 2013
by Jasmin Diewald & Daniel Buchinger
After an 8 hours bus ride from Geneva to Paris we arrived at our Hotel on Place
dItalie (Hotel Citadines) in the early morning of Wednesday the 20
th
of March. Due
to the fact that check-in time for the rooms was 2pm the hotel kindly offered us to
use a big conference room as luggage storage place. Thanks to this opportunity
we were able to start discovering Paris right away. Some study colleagues did
their PTS in Paris last year, who had plenty of experience with the beautiful city.
They took us to the most interesting sightseeing places or restaurants.
In individual groups we started
exploring the magnificent sights of
the French capital. Some were
heading to the famous sights like
Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower, Arc de
Triomph or Sacre Coeur in
Montmartre, while others too
exhausted from the long bus ride
took a nap on the quite comfortable
floor of the conference room. As the
next appointment on our agenda was
scheduled for 3pm at the World Bank
at the European Office, a lot of
students took the opportunity to visit
the famous Champs Elysees street
and other sights like the before
mentioned Arc de Triomph, which were located very closely to the World Bank
premises.
After the World Bank some groups continued with the sightseeing while others
were returning to the hotel to unpack the suitcases and relax in our hotel rooms.
We were lucky and had a kitchenette in our rooms so that we could cook breakfast
and/or dinner. However, as the French cuisine is too tempting many decided to
live on the delicious French food such as crpes, quiche, fromage or confiseries.

Thursday, 21
st
March 2013
by Magdalena Lehner & Christina Kammleitner

After having spent a refreshing first night at our hotel we met at 9am at the hotel
lobby and headed together towards UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation). At the premises we were welcomed by
Christina von Frstenberg who holds office as Chief in the Social and Human
Sciences Sector. After the gentle reception she provided us with an interesting
overview of the scope of work of UNESCO, including an informative film about the
organisation itself. On top of that, the competent lady introduced us to the CLIC
programme. The target of this specific programme is to connect local and
international content with regards to the worldwide web. The visit at the UNESCO
premises was concluded by a short Q&A session. Unfortunately the initially
scheduled UNESCO guided tour did not take place due to time reasons.
We used the lunch break to grab typical Parisian/French delicacies at the various
Brasseries in the surroundings of OECD, our next promising point on the agenda.

Around 2pm the group was warmly welcomed by Andrew Gentry, the PAD
Coordinator. The interesting afternoon program started with a briefing of the
Austrian Mission by Ms Birgit Wilder who is in charge of counselling the Austrian
Delegation to the OECD. The competent counsellor provided us with key data
about OECD, including structure, scope and mandate. Furthermore Ms Wilder
explained the role of the Austrian delegation at the OECD and the group got an
idea of who has a say in the organisation.
The next speech was held by Mr. Topalgoekceli from the International Energy
Agency, who provided us with a valuable insight concerning the status quo and
future trends of energy sourcing in the world. He was really competent and
seemed to be very passionate about his work.
Unfortunately, our reception at the residence of H.E. Ambassador was delayed.
However, we used the rest of the day to stroll around the streets of Paris and to
get to know the flair of the city as well as some monuments such as Sacr Coeur
for instance. The late afternoon was attributed to socialising and to getting to know
those we havent talked before on that trip. All in all, our first day in Paris was very
diverse, interesting and entertaining.

Friday, 22
nd
March 2013
by Yasmin Wegl & PatricaTschiltsch
The penultimate day of our study trip to Geneva and Paris has just begun. One
last time all the students prepared for participating in one of the various
presentations, which were prepared especially for us by interesting organizations.
To start at the very beginning,
individual breakfast was scheduled
at eight oclock in the morning. In
order to ensure that everybody
arrives at the right place on time,
meeting point of the whole group
was decided to be nine oclock in
the lobby of our hotel.
Making sure that everybody is
present, we managed to take the
subway all together to arrive at the
desired destination which was
Alma Morceau.
For today, several speeches of
members of the International
Chamber of Commerce were
scheduled. The first point on our
agenda was the International
Court of Arbitration & Secretary.
The presentation on arbitration
was held by Ms. Alma Forgo, who
is Deputy Counsel at the Secretary
of Court. Starting at ten oclock,
she generally began with informing us about the organization, the history of cases,
the term arbitration, sectors in which most arbitrations take place, the amount of
dispute, the prerequisites for being able to request for arbitration and much more.
In order to satisfy our curiosity, she was also willing to respond extensively to our
questions. This was a great opportunity, as we already learned about this topic
during our university education in the subject International Private Law.

This was followed by a presentation at 11.30 oclock, by the Deputy Manger of the
ICC International Centre for ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution). Ms. Ana Sylvia
Prado talked about all the possibilities, except of arbitration, which can be used to
find out the interests of the involved parties as well as settle disputes between
them.
Later on in the day, we split into different groups and since it was a free afternoon,
everyone got a chance of sightseeing. According to the impression we got, the
most visited places were the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Notre Dame
Cathedral. However depending on whether they already visited Paris before or not,
the sightseeing program differed a little bit.
In the evening, we all got together in the lobby of the hotel and exchanged ideas of
the places we have visited and planned on the evening.
The aftermath was exciting, as most of the students
gathered and had an exciting evening of exploring the
night life of Paris. This was one long and awesome night.
And everyone looked forward to the next free day which
would hopefully include more explorations and fun. All in
all the day was filled with satisfactions from the visited
organizations and an exciting afternoon in Paris.

Saturday, 23
rd
March 2013
by Laura Strobl
After a whole week of interesting appointments and meetings
with several significant organisations, we enjoyed the last day of
our trip with exploring the beauty of the French capital. Some of
the students spent time by visiting the most fascinating sights as
for instance the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Louvre or Sacre
Coeur whereas others prefer to do some Easter Shopping in
Parisian Boutiques at Champs Elysees Street. As we had the
feeling that the sun was shining for us, some of our students decided to spend the
day at the famous castle Versailles, where they sweeten their stay with picnics in
the beautiful garden of the castle.

The magnificent taste of
the best Croissants and
Crpes lured some of us
to the petit allies of the
lovely Montmartre where
we werent only delighted by the French cuisine but
also by the unique flair of the district.

The day went by fast as we started heading back to Austria at 9 pm. After an 18
hours bus drive, which comes along with an overwhelming sleep deficit we were
happy to pass the Austrian borders without any problems but with a bundle of new
experiences.

Task List

Photos Sebastian Reichmann, Raffaela Frwirth, Iva Kozul

Diaries
Sunday, 13.04. Clemens Phringer
Monday, 14.04. Lorenz Haas, Stefanie Hagleitner
Tuesday, 15.04. Dominik Mayer Jack Stefansson
Wednesday, 16.04. Daniel Buchinger, Jasmin Diewald
Thursday, 17.04. Magdalena Lehner, Christina Kamleitner
Friday, 18.04. Yasmine Wegl, PatriciaTschiltsch
Saturday, 19.04. Laura Strobl

Organisations
UNCTAD 1h Susanne Schimpl, Laura Granner
UNECE Paris/Geneva description 1h Verena Moser, Katja Rieber
UNOG - guided tour CERN 1,25h Christina Burgholzer, Lydia Heitzmann
IRD (Int. Red Cross) Introduction 1h Markus Derler
WIPO 1,25h Theresa Zwickl
open (Francophonie) Introduction 0,75h Birgit Brandsttter
ITU 1,5h Juliana Pattermann, Eva Stadler
ILO 1,75h Julia Heissenberger, Daria Hofsttter
EC mission - briefing Austrian mission 2h Verena Stierschneider
OECD + briefing of the Austrian
mission 1,75h Marlene Lediger, Katharina Schneeweiss, Daniela Schppl
IEA 0,75h Christian Schmied, Bernhard Endmayer
WB 2h Edda Seuchter
UNESCO + briefing Austrian mission 2h Lisa Speiser, Julia Stichling, Marie Mitter
ICC + ICC arbitration 1,5h Carola Seyr, Astrid Prem
History of RED CROSS Jasmin Krutner
Disclaimer/Acknowledgements Agnes Winkler
History of UNECE Patrick Offenegger
Final Draft of report (formatting,
etc.) Maria Harvey, Bernhard Victoria Osond
Organization
Maxi Frauscher, Caroline Rechtman, Anton Schilling,
Katharina Hanl


Geneva-Paris ST Report 2013

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PARIS GENEVA 2013

Study Trip: 1624 MAR 2013

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