Réunion d'information semestrielle à la société civile

Chers collègues, chers amis :

C’est un grand plaisir pour moi de continuer notre échange régulier dans le format des réunions biannuelles, ce qui me donne l'occasion de vous mettre à jour sur les priorités et les activités de l'ONUG, et d'entendre vos commentaires, idées et questions.

Comme vous le savez, ma priorité est le maintien et la promotion de la Genève internationale qui permet aux acteurs de faire aux mieux leur travail pour promouvoir la paix, les droits et le bien-être dans le monde entier. A cela s’ajoute ma détermination pour renforcer encore plus les partenariats avec les différents acteurs - les universités, les instituts de recherche, le secteur privé et la société civile. La société civile joue un rôle central dans le travail des Nations Unies, je dirais même un rôle plus important que jamais. La création d'un espace pour votre engagement est une priorité qui restera pour les années à venir.

Permettez-moi de commencer par les développements importants dans le contexte des Nations Unies au niveau mondial.

L'Accord de Paris sur le climat entrera en vigueur le 4 novembre, après la dernière vague du nombre de ratifications plus tôt cette semaine. Il a fallu seulement neuf mois pour atteindre deux conditions envisagées afin que cet accord entre en vigueur: la première étant que aux moins 55 États ratifient l’accord et la deuxième que les États ayant ratifié représentent 55% des émissions CO2. C’est un record mondial. La façon dont les pays prennent cet accord avant avec force et motivation est vraiment remarquable.

Il y a un an, nos États membres ont adopté à l'unanimité l’Agenda 2030 pour le développement durable - un cadre unique pour les gouvernements, le secteur privé, les organisations internationales et la société civile afin d'unir leurs forces et de rendre notre monde meilleur. Le principe de la responsabilité partagée est au centre de la mise en œuvre de l’Agenda 2030, et l'Organisation des Nations Unies est bien placée pour faciliter l'interaction nécessaire. Nous devons sensibiliser le public à cet agenda et mobiliser des agents de changement. Vous avez peut-être remarqué les dépliants en anglais et en français dans divers endroits à l'intérieur du Palais des Nations. Ceci est une partie de nos efforts pour étendre la sensibilisation sur l'ODD. Des cartes postales dans les six langues officielles de l'ONU ont été imprimées, et je vous invite à prendre quelques-unes. Ils seront offerts aux participants aux réunions, et aux visiteurs. Un affichage spécial sur l’ODD est en cours d'élaboration pour les visites guidées. Nous prévoyons de transformer l'un des studios de radio existants en studio ODD, un espace multimédia pour produire des podcasts vidéo sur les activités pertinentes à Genève. Nous travaillons également sur la création d'un «mur ODD» à l'aéroport de Genève, dans la zone des arrivées, qui expliquera les objectifs au grand public.

Les différents acteurs de la Genève internationale jouent un rôle clé dans la mise en œuvre des objectifs. Depuis le début de l'année, nous avons vu différents acteurs aligner leurs priorités et la programmation afin qu'ils correspondent aux objectifs et cibles de l'Agenda 2030. De notre côté, avec le soutien de plus de 100 partenaires, nous lancerons une base de données
« GVADATA » (www.gvadata.ch) - un inventaire en ligne de contenu ODD développé par les agences des Nations Unies et les partenaires de la Genève internationale par objectif. Après le succès de la première cartographie de l'expertise internationale de Genève sur ces objectifs, nous concevons une deuxième édition, plus sophistiqué, robuste et interactive. Beaucoup d'entre vous ont également contribué à partager leur expertise et de données sur les ODD, et je vous remercie pour cela. Les classeurs « GVADATA » sont disponibles en anglais et en français (nous en avons deux ici pour vous les montrer), et je vous invite à communiquer avec l'Unité de liaison avec des ONG si vous êtes intéressés à avoir votre propre classeur. Compte tenu du rôle important de la Genève internationale, nos États membres ont pris l’initiative et m’ont demandé de créer une unité pour faciliter le travail et les échanges de la Genève internationale à Genève et au-delà. Avec leur aide, le « SDG Lab » sera créé d’ici janvier dans mon bureau pour avancer la cause des Objectifs du développement durable. Cette unité développera un réseau à multiples facettes avec toutes les parties prenantes pour renforcer la communauté de mise en œuvre des ODD, ainsi qu’assurer les objectifs communs et les incitations partagées pour les mettre en œuvre activement. Nous comptons également sur vous dans cet exercice pour promouvoir le ODD, et nous vous encourageons à partager des informations avec vos réseaux.

Let me now turn to other UNOG activities in Geneva.

Geneva continues to play a pivotal role in support of the UN peace and security agenda. UNOG serves as a suitable venue for international negotiations and consultations to tackle a number of challenges. For this reason, we have upgraded the Concordia area at the Palais des Nations, which was inaugurated earlier this year to provide a state of the art space for negotiations.

Since our last meeting in February, we continued to host the talks on Syria which, despite the huge challenges, represent the best option for a negotiated resolution of this dramatic conflict. Further, UNOG continues to assist the organization and holding of the Geneva International Discussions dealing with the aftermath of the August 2008 armed conflict in Georgia, which are jointly led by the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The Senior Mediation Officer based in my Office is working with a number of your organisations to explore and develop new partnerships. The complexity of modern conflict requires articulated responses which are not possible without the inclusion of different actors. Different aspects of how to contribute to peace will be discussed during the third edition of the Geneva Peace Week, which will be held from 7 to 11 November in different locations in Geneva, including Palais des Nations. This week includes events by different actors, including the civil society, and I invite you to visit the website of the Geneva Peace Week (www.genevapeaceweek.ch) and to take active part in it.

In the field of disarmament, NGOs play an increasingly important role. This was clearly demonstrated by the participation of over 200 representatives from civil society in the meetings of the Open-Ended Working Group taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations which took place in Geneva. Building on my initiative of last year, the Second Informal Disarmament - Civil Society Forum was held on 22 June with the aim to include civil society in the discussions of the Conference on Disarmament where it currently has no institutionalized possibility to participate, and to demonstrate the value in engaging civil society in structured interactions. The Forum addressed two topics: new weapon technologies and the role and possible contribution of the Conference on Disarmament to strengthening the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Civil society also contributes broadly to the work of other multilateral disarmament treaties such as the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and the Biological Weapons Convention, both of which will have a review Conference in November and December of this year, respectively.

The International Geneva Gender Champions Initiative now counts nearly 120 partners, representing Permanent Missions, International Organizations, NGOs and now the private sector. As you may remember, the members of this network pledge to lead by example through practical, implementable and trackable actions that bring genuine change in the organizational culture and programming. One concrete action is to strive for gender parity in all discussions in International Geneva. We are now conducting a survey to measure the impact of the initiative, but I can already see evidence that it is changing the way we do business. Several heads of organizations, including myself, have refused to attend panels with no women, and this has triggered clear results. A real community of practice has also been established among gender specialists or simply people passionate about gender equality and best practices are now exchanged among members of the network on such issues as developing talent among women professionals, changing the culture of organizations and addressing unconscious bias and improving women's representation in delegations attending sessions of governing bodies. I think the open nature of the network, where staff of Permanent Missions, International Organizations, NGOs and academia work side by side has been a real factor in its success. This initiative is now being replicated in other places – Nairobi, London, Bonn and other cities, and it has become more successful than what I imagined in the beginning.

One of my commitments as Geneva Gender Champion was to introduce a policy at UNOG, and I am proud to announce that the first Policy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women 2016-2020 has come into force on 1 September. It is being used as a model in other duty stations. The Policy includes wide-ranging principles and concrete measures in order to establish an inclusive and enabling organizational culture free from gender discrimination, improve the representation of women at all levels and ensure gender equality and the empowerment of women in our work. This first step now needs to be supplemented by a number of other steps so that UNOG staff at all levels implement it. We will have the first assessment in November.

In developing the policy, we have received excellent support from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), and I am very happy to welcome them as the latest addition to our UN system family in Geneva. Yesterday the UN-Women inaugurated its Geneva Liaison Office, which will provide strategic support and boost efforts for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls worldwide. This Office will allow UN-Women to broaden and strengthen crucial partnerships with the broad range of stakeholders based in Geneva and to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Some updates from the UNOG Library, a centre for research and an instrument of international understanding, which continues to transform itself into a modern information hub while preserving access to the vital legacy of the past. We have recently received a gift that will allow us to digitalize the archives of the League of Nations so that more people have access to them. If you have not done it already, I invite you to visit the United Nations at Geneva Museum. Previously the League of Nations Museum, the revamped and transformed museum opened its doors to the public in May this year. The new permanent exhibition, “From the League of Nations to the United Nations”, invites visitors to interact with its exceptional archives and witnesses the development of the international system since the early 20th century. Multilateral diplomacy, human rights, refugee protection, and economic and social development are among the themes addressed, from the pioneering work of the League of Nations to today's challenges tackled by the United Nations in Geneva. The Museum is located on the first floor of the Library. It is possible to have guided tours, for which you will need to contact the Library.

The Library organizes on a regular basis "Library Events", that serve as an interface between the diplomatic community and the public, including civil society among it. I invite you to attend these events as participants or as panellists. NGO representatives are also entitled to use the Library and have access to all its resources - print and online - on the premises.

Let me now turn to the Strategic Heritage Plan, which proceeds according to plan. The physical construction works will start in 2017 with the construction of a new building to be finalised in 2019. The renovation of the old building will be finalised in 2023. This is an ambitious project that will transform the Palais des Nations into a safe, modern, more energy efficient and sustainable center to support the work of the United Nations. Necessary funding has been secured to have the SHP implemented. The next objective for me is to find funds for the renovation of the buildings and villas within the perimeter of the Ariana Park that are not part of the SHP, and to also establish a renovation fund to protect the investment in the SHP.

I have already mentioned earlier some results of the Perception Change Project in relation to the promotion of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Let me brief you further about the further progress of this Project. As you know, the PCP has now worked for three years to encourage people worldwide to better understand the impact and relevance of International Geneva. It has also contributed to change the way we work, using creativity and innovation to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The Project, with its 90+ partners, makes emphasis not on individual organizations, but on the substance that is being generated in Geneva and the impact of the collective efforts. The Project strengthens partnerships and raises visibility of International Geneva as a whole. It has become a place for incubating innovative initiatives and creating enhanced synergies. In addition to producing the second edition of the SDG mapping as well as growing and promoting GVADATA, the PCP Team is working on the Storybook for younger audience, which brings traditional tales into one story, transformed by modern day challenges and linked to the SDGs. More outreach, communication and crowd-sourcing activities are in the pipeline, and I invite you to follow the project on Twitter @GenevaImpact.

Those of you who attend regularly the sessions of the Human Rights Council and its related mechanisms might have noticed the Delegates Information Desk near the Serpent Bar. This is a result of the cooperation between my Office and the Geneva Welcome Center – CAGI. This mobile Information Desk, which is managed by CAGI and appears during major conferences at the Palais, provides essential services to conference participants, especially the newcomers, in guiding them on International Geneva and practical aspects of their stay in this city. I hope that yourselves as well as your NGO delegates from abroad take advantage of this new service.

Before I finish, I would also like to let you know that we continue revising our security regulations carefully, including the accreditation procedures, in view of harmonising them among duty stations. With more people entering the Palais, including from the growing NGO community, we need to find a balance between openness and accessibility on the one hand, and safety and security on the other hand. This is a difficult task, as you will understand, and we have to upgrade our security posture. It will affect you, and I count on your understanding.

As always, I encourage you to bring to my attention issues that you feel warrant closer attention by my Office, and the NGO Liaison Unit is at your disposal to assist you in your interaction with the United Nations.

I will close here and open our discussion.

Thank you.