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It is now a full two years since the start of the pandemic. Like other employers the UN had to change its way of working and fast. Twenty-four months later it’s time to draw some conclusions and discuss how we want our new workplace to be. Telecommuting works… under...
An inclusive society is one where all people, including persons with disabilities, can live with dignity, participate fully, and realise their potential. Persons with disabilities are first and foremost people, with the same rights and needs as anyone else. However,...
In 2019, the United Nations adopted the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy. How do you assess the usefulness of this strategy? It is a logical step because the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) obviously applies to States and...
Most of us regularly check the e-mails and other texts we write for spelling or grammar mistakes before sending them, but how many of us use an accessibility checker to make sure that they can be read easily by colleagues who are blind? Do we know what pitfalls, such...
Pour les personnes confrontées de manière durable à une fragilité ou à une limitation physique, sensorielle ou psychique, les activités à l’extérieur requièrent des efforts et nécessitent d’anticiper certaines difficultés. Exemples : y-a-t-il un parking à proximité ?...
Fostering peace, promoting human rights, and protecting the planet are central to the United Nation’s mandate. The United Nations seeks to realise this mandate primarily by convening Member States to agree on common principles and agendas, such as human rights, the...
With COP 26 taking place in Glasgow this November, it’s time to look at how the UN system contributes to the climate crisis. With support from the Environment Management Group and UNEP, in 2007 the UN system Chief Executives Board (CEB) worked on the UN Climate...
Parmi les principaux secteurs productifs de l’économie genevoise, quel est celui qui manifeste le plus haut degré d’implication en matière de durabilité, et de quelle manière le fait-il ? Le secteur financier, de par son rôle au sein de l’économie, est un important...
You are the creator of this role at P&G, how did you manage to convince your management about opening an entire department? More than 10 years ago, I had an “Aha!” moment while I was sitting at my desk. The year was 2005 and I was leading marketing and innovation...
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How do you view each other’s justice system? Joelle Adda (J.A.) From my point of view, the objectives of the formal and the informal systems are very different, but complementary. The powers of the UN internal justice system are limited to the review of the legality...
Sometime during my first week on the job as an ombudsman, a staff member came to see me with a concern of harassment. When this visitor entered the office, I was keen to make some sort of connection. I offered her coffee and tried to engage in small talk. She,...
The formal and informal justice systems are complementary It is essential to have bridges between the formal and informal systems so that disputes can be resolved amicably at any time. It is obviously easier to find amicable solutions at an early stage, before...
Before I joined the UNOG staff union, I thought that the only way to resolve work-related conflicts was to go through each step of the formal justice system, first submitting a request to the Management Evaluation Unit (MEU), then filing a case before the United...
Generally, the UN doesn’t have well-defined, linear or predictable progressions within established structures. As in more and more organizations nowadays, there are no career ladders through regular promotions over prescribed periods of time in the United Nations...
Why does career development work for some, but not for others? How much lobbying is required in order to move up? These are questions most staff are asking themselves. Firstly the figures. The UN has a pyramid structure and not everyone will make it up. In the...
My views onto the serene landscape of Lac Léman and the terraced vineyards of the Swiss Romande, were slowly replaced by the functional office buildings and warehouses of Swiss German. I was being driven to Zug for a job interview at Marc Rich + Co. by a headhunter...
What are the benefits of being accompanied by a coach to develop your career? Career-oriented coaching will support you by: 1. Clarifying professional objectives A coach will invite you to visualize your desired professional situation in the future. In this future,...
Tourism - Innovation and diversity are called for Measures to curb the Covid-19 pandemic are gradually being eased, but the tourism industry is likely to be marred for some time to come. Let’s use this time of upheaval to reshape the industry and guide it into a...
In our hectic daily lives, instants of calm and serenity are becoming increasingly rare. But all you have to do is look out the window, put yourself in discovery mode and head for the train station. Switzerland is full of extraordinary places and mountains that are...
