MET League of Colleges has provided a golden opportunity to its management students to be an integral part of the NGO Section at the United Nations’ Headquarters in New York. Pawan Thadani narrates his experiences.
“I consider myself fortunate to be part of the contingent that served at the UN Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC) in the winter of 2004-05. It goes without saying that the enthusiasm among METians for grabbing this break has gone up tremendously.”
“It was Dassera when I got the news that I had been selected to be a part of the Winter Mission of the UN ECOSOC. My joy knew no bounds! From that time on until I left Mumbai on 19th November 2004, the four of us- Shweta, Purva, Bhavin and myself plunged into preparations for the trip ahead of us. To add to our excitement, we had a generous de-brief from the pioneer group of students that had visited UN in the Summer of 2002 to set up what is now a familiar term among METians- “The Paperless Committee” (a record management and an electronic meeting system for the Committee on NGOs). It dawned on us that the work we were chosen for was of a unique nature and that we were to be part of a forum of delegates from all over the globe!”
“The euphoria among the group was immense. My first day at work was filled with social extravaganza and I must admit that I have never had the pleasure of meeting a bunch of people with such diverse origins. The NGO Section is one of the few departments in the Secretariat of the UN that has interns throughout the year! Our friend, philosopher and guide Ms. Meena, a tough taskmaster and a highly energetic individual, Meena possesses the true qualities of a perfectionist and is an ideal facilitator. As my memory races back to the first week that I spent in our cozy little “Paperless Committee” cabin, I recall the number of times I wrote and re-wrote memos of communication to various personnel while sipping my cup of ‘freshly brewed medium roast’ coffee (recommended as an adrenaline gusher by Meena). ‘Nothing is good enough until you think it is perfect’ is Meena’s magic mantra. “
Among the several projects that I undertook, I would like to highlight particularly, the work that I did on the Report of the Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. In his address to the General Assembly in September 2003, Kofi Annan warned Member States that the United Nations had reached a fork in the road. It could rise to the challenge of meeting new threats or it could risk erosion in the face of mounting discord between States and unilateral action by them. He created the High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change to generate new ideas about the kinds of policies and institutions required for the UN to be effective in the 21st century. In its report, the High Level Panel sets out a bold, new vision of collective security for the 21st century. The Panel has set out 101 recommendations for various bodies that make up the United Nations. Primarily it has advocated the setup of a Peace-Building Commission that will fill the crucial gap between regional organizations, international financial institutions and the UN by giving the necessary attention to countries emerging from conflict.
We did have our share of socializing and retreat during thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. The group was elated when the Head of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)- Mr. Sarbuland Khan acknowledged the contributions of MET and its students in an address during a private gathering on Christmas Eve. And if you thought that the UN employees were conservative and shy, you should have been a part of the party that went on that evening. There was wine, entrees and conversations galore! The Regular Session of the Committee was fast approaching and in a span of just over five weeks we were geared up for a smooth show. Running errands from the NGO section office to the conference room in the main Secretariat building had become a frequent affair and enjoyable all the same as we would get to relish the sumptuous meals at the One-world Café- a melting pot of different cuisines from across the world. My vegetarian co-workers must
agree that they never felt out of place as there was always something for them to eat (I was the only non-vegetarian in the group).
Note taking of the proceedings of the committee was a job that was handled by each intern by rotation. This task was one that required maximum concentration and a high level of alertness. Any point missed could lead to misinterpretation of an entire discussion among the delegates. The biggest advantage the note-takers had was that they learnt a great deal about the NGOs whose applications were being discussed or reviewed. And it was this involvement with the work of the NGOs that gave us a chance to interact with delegations from the member nations. We had the honour of having lunch with the delegate representing India- Smt. Mukta Tomar who appreciated the work that the Indian team had put in during the Committee. This was when we realized that our contribution was special and MET had provided us a platform for making a difference at the global level!
We decided to spend the remaining days of our Winter Mission in concentrating on regular work of the NGO Section and learnt that the scope of work of this tiny group was very broad. In the following weeks we were fortunate to witness a movie screening on Dr. Kiran Bedi who was at the end of her tenure in the UN. The documentary on reform of the prisoners at Tihar jail through meditation- “You be the Sky” moved many a heart. An NGO called “Woman on Top” sponsored a conference on Domestic Violence of which we did become a part. The team helped to manage logistics for the opening ceremony of the conference organized by the NGO Section. Our last week was spent wrapping up the various projects that were ongoing like the Publication of the Millennium Development Goals where I had to hand-over the completed surveys of NGOs who sent in details of the work that they were doing in line with the eight goals set out by the United Nations.
If I were to sum up what I learnt from this Winter Mission, I could go on endlessly using all the buzzwords of management for all of them did unfold while we performed the wide range of tasks. Each one of us specialized in some areas while assisting others in their work. But what matters most to me is that we did make a difference, a difference that may have changed the life of someone, somewhere.
Pawan was a part of the 3rd batch of UN interns and is currently working with Globe-OP Financial Services.