seminar and excursion: international organizations in practice: uniqueness ... (mps)/vienna... ·...

Seminar and Excursion:

International Organizations in Practice: Uniqueness, Cooperation or Overlapping, Vienna 4 – 8 May 2015

Coordinators: Prof. Dr. Götz Neuneck Mag. Dipl.-SozWiss. Teodora Aurora Vrancean, M.P.S

Seminar and Excursion to Vienna International Institutions, 4 – 8 May 2015

2

Introduction

Within the framework of their graduate studies, MPS Students at Hamburg University/IFSH and E.MA students went on a study trip to Vienna between May 4th and May 8th, 2015. During this trip, the students mainly visited some of the most prominent International institutions in the Austrian capital, whereby they got to learn more about each of these institutions, the history behind their initiation, their main areas of focus, their basic tasks, achievements, and future aspirations, the obstacles facing them, and the cooperation among them (or the lack of it). The institutions included in this excursion were well-chosen and varied in such a way that satisfies the interests of most of the students, taking into consideration the different academic and professional backgrounds that each of them comes from. Presentations and discussions mainly revolved around topics related to nuclear energy, arms control, counter-terrorism, security and cooperation, migration policies, development, human trafficking, and the current situation in Ukraine. During the entire week, the students visited the following institutions: Energy Community Vienna, Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Office of the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna, Landesverteidigungsakademie Wien (Institut für Friedenssicherung und Konfliktmanagement), Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and The International Centre for Migration Policy (ICMPD). In addition, the students visited the UN Headquarters in Vienna where they went on a tour but also visited The Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Preparatory Commission, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)-Atoms For Peace, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). Moreover, the last two days were dedicated to visiting the OSCE, with emphasis on The German Perspective, Transnational threats, Conflict Prevention Centre, Economic and Environmental Aspects of Security, Human Anti-trafficking, The US perspective and mission, and last but not least a perspective on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Zahraa Awada-Badawi


3

Monday 4 May 2015 Energy Community Vienna Speaker: Heli Annika Lesjak On a beautiful Monday morning we were welcomed by Heli Annika LESJAK, the Webmaster and Publication Officer of the Energy Community Vienna. She introduced us to the Energy Community (Enc). The EnC is one of the 10 energy related organisations in Vienna:

Energy Community (EnC) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) International Peace Institute (IPI) OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

And the EnC is the youngest member of the Energy Club. The mission of the EnC is to extend the EU internal energy policy to non-EU members on the ground of legally binding framework, based on the EU acquis. It provides a stable investment environment, ties its members together with the EU and thereby contributes to security of supply in wider Europe. The EnC distinguishes between the 17 EU participants, Contracting Parties, Candidates

and Observers:

The Institutional setting is as follows: Ministerial Council: The Ministerial Council is

the highest decision making body of the Energy Community. It convenes once a year. The key task of the Ministerial Council is to ensure that the objectives set out in the Treaty establishing the Energy Community are attained

Permanent High Level Group: The Permanent High Level Group (PHLG) prepares the meetings of the Ministerial Council. Meeting generally four times a year, the PHLG is more closely involved in the Energy Community's day-to-day work.

FORA: The Fora embody the broadest discussion platform within the Energy Community, where ongoing and future legal, regulatory and practical developments of the Energy Community are discussed.

Regulatory Board: The Energy Community Regulatory Board (ECRB) is the coordination platform for exchange of knowledge and development of best practices for regulated electricity and gas markets in the Energy Community.

The Energy Community secretariat: The Energy Community Secretariat is the only permanent institution of the Energy Community. It is responsible for administering the day-to-day activities of the Energy Community e.g. assists ,

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/enc

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/iaea

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/iiasa

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/ipi

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/ofid

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/opec

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/osce

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/reeep

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/se4all-menu-org

http://www.vienna-energy-club.at/index.php/organisations/unido


4

monitors, enforces the implementation Administrative support, dispute settlement procedure

Areas of interest and work for the EnC are: gas, electricity, infrastructure, renewable energy, environment, competition, oil, social statistic, energy efficiency. Energy Community, and its relationship to the EU, is tight. The EnC, however, is not an agency of the EU, but independent and founded by an international law treaty. Yet, the EU contributes 95% of the Budget. There are bottlenecks within the work of the EnC. There is still a gap between transpositions and implementations. Eating or heating is still an issue, as the liberalisation of the markets usually leads to higher prices for the consumers, and there is no pan-European internal market yet. The Achievements of the EnC so far are e.g.

Increased truest and co-operation. So Parties share Security of Supply info. The Creation of a Joint Energy Community Strategy in 2012. Joint Projects of energy Community interest, 2013, rationality as key criteria Establishment of SEE Coordinated Auction office by 7 TSO, 2014

Finally Mrs. Lesjak quotes the European Commission´s Assessment Report which stated in 2011 that “Energy Community is a model for regional co-operation”.

Beram Mahmoud Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Office of the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna Speakers: Deputy Sven Krauspe, Alternate Permanent Representative Frank Bernhardt

The German embassy in Vienna consists of three missions: The bilateral representation to Austria, the representation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Office of the United Nations and other International Organizations in Vienna, which was the place of visit during the Vienna trip.

Deputy Sven Krauspe, in the name of Ambassador Konrad Max Scharinger, first explained the organizational structure and work of the mission. Eight diplomats are appointed to Vienna, supported by four German and four local Austrian staff members, to represent German interests in a total of twelve organizations. They attend meetings with the international organizations (IOs) and participate in discussions, e.g. about budgets, according to the instructions from Berlin. Krauspe underlined the “Vienna spirit” of trying to establish consensus between all member states, instead of having majority votes. He also explained that the German mission encourages recruitment of German citizens into the organizations, as this made communication and flow of information much easier. In his view, the fact that Germany is the third biggest financial contributor to the UN calls for a “certain balance between payment contributions and representation”.


5

As Krauspe is appointed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), discussion focused on current issues within their area of competence. After explaining the difficulties of talks with North Korea, and the standstill in negotiations about a “weapons of mass destruction free zone in the Middle East”, the diplomat shared his opinion on talks with Iran: He perceives the Lausanne agreement as “step into the right direction”, and is optimistic that a “good deal” can be made which includes both an

assurance for the international community that Iran will not work on atomic bombs, and a lift of the Security Council sanctions against the country. On the question about why the international discourse is biased towards perceiving Iran as “threat”, while other countries possessing atomic bombs are considered “partners”, Krauspe said that the German government “would like to see Pakistan, India and Israel join the NPT”, but that no one can force them to do so.1 Asked about attempts to reconsider the IAEA’s slogan “Atoms for Peace” due to the danger to atomic power plans, and the unsolved issue of atomic waste, the diplomat explained that Germany is supporting the current shift towards “peace and development”, and focuses its actions on nuclear projects, e.g. in the medical and agricultural sector.

Alternate Permanent Representative Frank Bernhardt finally joined the group to talk about career options in the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He explained that application consists of an online test, written test and oral exam. There are about 2000 applications for 35 to 45 spots each year. Future diplomats have to speak two international languages, should be internationally orientated and socially active. German citizenship is a requirement for representing Germany abroad, and Bernhardt considers it important to be able to avouch for Germany. Diplomats with two years of work experience can be seconded by their national government to work for an IO.

Lara Eckstein Landesverteidigungsakademie Wien Institut für Friedenssicherung und Konfliktmanagement Speakers: Brigadier General Dr. Walter Feichtinger, Jasmina Rupp Brigadier General Dr. Walter Feichtinger met us in a very friendly and open way. He took the time to stay with us and to answer the many questions. First, he gave a brief overview to the National Defense Academy and in particular to the Institute for Peace Support and Conflict Management. Their key tasks are lecturing, contribution for

1 Iran has ratified the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1970. In 2002, the United States accused Iran of

attempting to gain nuclear weapons.


6

political advising, and to provide information to the public. The research perspective is sectioned in four areas: “future threat scenarios”, “conflict analysis”, “conflict transformation”, and “structuring and development of the armed forces”. The compiled results are released in the IFK Spiegel journal. Subsequently, Jasmina Rupp gave us a presentation and an overview over the so called Islamic State. She talked about the history, the functioning, the expansion and the propaganda, which was actively discussed afterwards. This appointment was very interesting and good structured. The presenters were not in a hurry and supported with their appearance a good atmosphere and a fruitful discussion.

Peter Finke


7

Tuesday 5 May 2015 The Evolution of Nuclear Safety Presented by Grant Spence at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Speaker: Grant Spence The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation was founded in 2011 as a result of a proposal put forward by the Austrian Government. The Center is designed as a think tank existing beside the major nuclear organizations in Vienna like CTBTO or IAEA. The main objective is to bring together different actors from the nuclear stage. The center organizes workshops and seminars for journalists and other professionals and, among other things, focuses on training and education. We were welcomed by a marvelous view over Vienna and the Danube river from the 13th floor and by Grant Spence, a visiting researcher at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. Mr. Spence, who is working on his PhD in the field of nuclear engineering, gave us a detailed overview of the evolution of nuclear safety in the context of nuclear power plants. This more technical, rather than political view on the topic was supposed to help us understand policy issues and discussions on nuclear power in more depth. The charismatic speaker started with a detailed introduction on how nuclear power plants are supposed to work. In his presentation he put emphasis on the use of correct terminology like criticality and the difference between safety and security. Therefore, nuclear safety from his point of view is meant to protect people and the environment against radiation risks, by preventing accidents. This field within the realm of nuclear engineering has developed with varying dynamics since the advent of nuclear power

production. Between 1946 and 1970, the “golden age of nuclear energy”, big efforts were made to promote the advantages of nuclear

technologies, including energy production and medical or food radiation applications. In the 1970s the US in particular created ambitious plans to construct more nuclear power plants

throughout the country. The overall perception was: “Nuclear is okay.” Officials planned to have 1.000 nuclear power plants operating by the 21st century. In reality there are about 100 power plants in the US today that produce roughly 20 % of the country’s overall energy supply. A number of nuclear accidents changed the attitude towards nuclear technologies of all kinds. The first accident took place in 1979 in Pennsylvania: The Three Mile Island accident. Compared to later accidents this incident was rather minor, but still marks the starting point of the so-called “nuclear safety culture”. An even stronger impact was


8

witnessed in the Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986. The accident was followed by a process of “nuclear consensus building” throughout the 1990s. The strategy developed was called “defense in depth” and meant that no single human or technical failure in a nuclear power plant should have severe consequences. This nuclear safety regime was consolidated in 2000, and in 2005 the IAEA even won the Nobel Prize for its work. Nuclear optimists believed in a renaissance of the technology by 2010. But the severe consequences of the earthquake and following tsunami that affected the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan in 2011 put new facts on the table: accidents can also happen without technical or human failures. Even “defense in depth” can fail. Grant Spence assumed that, in the case of Fukushima, economic pressures led to an underestimation of hazards. As current hot issues of nuclear safety the speaker identified overconfidence of countries despite incidents on a regular basis, a gap in knowledge due to a missing generation of nuclear engineers, the fact that nuclear power is an industry and therefore underlies economic pressures and an unsatisfying level of information of the civil society on this issue.

Stella Peters Visit to the UN Headquarters in Vienna Speakers: Romana Kropilova On Tuesday we visited the headquarters of the United Nations in Vienna. After a formal security and passport check we were able to enter the exterritorial area also called UNO-city. Romana Kropilova gave us a guided tour that first lead us to the main square, displaying the flags of all 193 United Nations Member States, as well as those of the two observer states Palestine and Vatican. As one out of four headquarters, in Vienna they mainly deal with technical issues and incorporate among others the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Later we would also have talks with officials from these agencies. The decisions to establish and build the UN headquarters in Vienna in 1979 were manifold. On the one side Austria was a neutral country and held a strategic position in a Cold War world order. On the other side practical reasons such as the fact that the IAEA was already in Vienna and that the Austrian government was willing to pay for the site finalized the decision. The design of the Austrian architect Johann Staber won the international competition and the Vienna International Centre was built on 180 000 m2 and cost 8.8 billion Austrian shilling. It was financed 35% by the city of Vienna and 65% by the state of Austria. The UNO-city has many attributes of a real city: it has its own security system, follows international bank holidays and even has its own postal office. People from more than 120 different countries in the world work here every day. The next thing we visited on our guided tour was a conference room which would hold up to 1600 people. We saw the booths for the interpreters were speeches are interpreted in all official languages of the UN, namely English, French, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Chinese. Here our guide Romana told us some anecdotes: One time Colonel Gaddafi held a speech and brought his own interpreter. Since interpreting requires a high level of concentration it is usually not done for more than 20-30 minutes at the time by one


9

person. Because Ghaddafi spoke for more than one hour, his personal interpreter couldn’t make it any longer and collapsed! Toward the end of our tour through the buildings we were able to see the Nobel Peace Prize that the IAEA received in 2005 as well as gifts that the UN has received for their work over the years. Noteworthy was a tapestry designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

Marie Schwall The Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Preparatory Commission Speaker: Prof. Martin Kalinowski Prof. Martin Kalinowski is currently a staff member at CTBTO, working there in his capacity as a nuclear physicist. Given that Prof. Kalinowski is on leave from his teaching post at the University of Hamburg and heading the Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker-Centre for Science and Peace Research since 2012, he is familiar with the MPS program and hence kindly tailored his presentation according to the interests to the group. He began, and dedicated the larger part of his presentation, to giving information and answering questions from the participants regarding employment opportunities at CTBTO. In response to a participant’s question, he mentioned that it could be advantageous, but by no means compulsory, for a candidate to belong to one of the diplomatic missions of one of the member states of the CTBTO, in order to get employed. Prof. Kalinowski also stressed the importance of networking and contacts for being selected for a job. Under the advantages of being a member of the CTBTO’s staff, Kalinowski listed the multicultural environment, the feeling of working for an organization with a goal that serves a humanitarian purpose and the beauty of Vienna. As for the disadvantages, he referenced the rotational system at CTBTO, which doesn’t allow for employment longer than seven years. This could lead to problems of uncertainty and difficulty in finding future employment. Nevertheless, he added that in the end it might not be such a bad thing, given the importance of change for personal growth.


10

In the second part of his presentation, Kalinowski gave a short overview of CTBTO and what it does. He began by giving a short historical background regarding nuclear tests, the first of which is the ‘Trinity’ test, conducted by the US on July 16, 1945 in Alamogordo, NM. He went on to explain the principles of fission and fusion of nuclear matter and the basic science of nuclear explosions. After that, Kalinowski showed a time-lapse map, created by a Japanese artist, which showed every nuclear explosion since 1945. The number of nuclear explosions since then has exceeded 2000, which come up to about once test every nine days in the last 50 days. This number includes peaceful nuclear explosions, such as those conducted for mining purposes. Kalinowski went on to explain the negative effects of the nuclear explosions on the level of radioactivity in the atmosphere and consequently, on man, flora and fauna. The Partial Test-Ban Treaty (PTBT) from 1963, banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater and in space, but not underground, was intended to prepare for the CTBT. It enjoyed some success with the number of tests conducted ‘above ground’ decreasing immensely. The number of underground tests, however, increased. According to Kalinowski, the PTBT served more of an environmental protection purpose rather than an arms control purpose. Ultimately, the PTBT didn’t slow down testing nor did it serve its environmental purpose, since the radioactivity was still able to make its way to the atmosphere. In 1996, the CTBT was open for signature at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and since then boasts 183 members. Unfortunately the treaty has not yet entered into force, due to the failure of some Annex 2 states to sign or ratify it. Annex 2, is a list of 44 countries that operate nuclear reactors and have the capabilities to produce fissile material. The list was produced and submitted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The CTBTO Preparatory Commission currently operates an international monitoring system, which, upon the treaty’s entry into force, can be used for verification. The system monitors four indicators of nuclear explosions: seismic signals, atmospheric radioactivity detectors, infrasound monitoring and hydro acoustic waves. The reason for the existence of such an extensive monitoring regime although the treaty has not yet entered to force is that it has to be functional after six months of the treaty’s entry to force, which, due to its complexity, required longer preparations. Thus, it was set up beforehand, so that once the treaty does enter into force, it would be ready.

Tomisha Tino International Atomic Energy Agency -The IAEA at Work Atoms for Peace Speakers: Jeff Donovan

Mr. Jeff Donovan, Public Information and Press Officer at the IAEA, gave a very interesting and informative presentation on the history, main missions and activities of

ennen

Notiz

ONE test every nine das in the last 50 YEARS


11

the International Atomic Energy Agency. First of all he introduced himself as a life-time journalist and told us that he was quite new to the IAEA, working there only since the beginning of the year 2015. After the introduction he talked about the history of the creation of IAEA. Mr. Donovan spoke about the development of the field of nuclear physics, which appeared with the discovery of radioactivity and then the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938. He told us about the contributions of Marie Curie, Lise Meitner, Otto Hahn, Niels Bohr and Leo Szilard into this field. The speaker proceeded by showing the connection between the developments in the field of nuclear physics and the events on the international arena right before the outbreak of the World War II. It started from Einstein’s (Szilard’s) Letter to Roosevelt (the letter to the US President Roosevelt written by Szilard but signed by Einstein), suggesting that the USA should start its own nuclear program, because there were suspicions of Germany possibly developing nuclear bombs. This created conditions for the race for the atomic bomb and eventually led to the birth of the Nuclear Arms Race in 1949. Further developments in this field, taking place in the context of the Cold War, resulting in fears of the consequences of the discovery of nuclear energy, found its reflection in the creation of the IAEA in 1957. The famous speech “Atoms for Peace” by the US President Eisenhower at the General Assembly of the United Nations on 8 December 1953 was a genesis of the organization. The ideas expressed in this speech helped to shape the IAEA Statute which was approved unanimously by 81 nations in October 1956. On 29 July 1957, the IAEA's Statute came into force. In October 1957, the first IAEA General Conference took place in Vienna. This city was chosen as the location of the IAEA’s permanent headquarters. After introducing the history of the Organization’s development, Mr. Donovan talked about the three Pillars of the IAEA’s mission and activities, which are:

- Science and Technology - Safety and Security - Safeguards and Verification

He described in detail the main activities within each pillar, but put special emphasis on the first two, as the least known by common audience. The speaker mentioned that mostly the work of the IAEA is associated with the issues of verification and safeguards. At the same time he stressed that the International safeguards regime was not well developed at the beginning, and only the war in Iraq in 1991 served as a trigger to the realization of the importance of the safeguards regime. Within the Science and Technology pillar, there is an IAEA PACT (Programme on Action for cancer therapy) which was developed in order to address comprehensively the urgent problem of the uneven access to the radiotherapy. In agriculture the Organization is also working on the plant mutation breeding, by this helping to feed the world, 3200 plant varieties have been developed in 60 countries so far. After the presentation the speaker engaged into the discussion with the students and answered all the questions. One of the questions was with regard to financing the expertise being sent to a destination by request of the member state. As a response to it Mr. Donovan explained the financing scheme of the IAEA reflected in its Statute. He ended his speech by expressing his best wishes to the students and offering them to contact him any time whenever there were any questions with regard to the IAEA.

Anastasiya Bayok


12

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation Speakers: Ravindra Wickremasinghe, Advocacy and Communications Unit The presentation of UNIDO held by Ravindra Wickremasinghe from the Advocacy and Communications Unit gave first insights into their goals and work. The organization is based on the assumption that industrialization is essential for development and aims to provide richness for the people through industrial development. Founded in 1966 as a result of an experiment by the name of “Centre for Industrial Development” by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN, UNIDO acts as an autonomous agency, dealing mainly with the industrialization of developing countries. Since 1985, UNIDO is a specialized agency of the UN with its own constitution, member states, policy making organs, executive head and budget. Its work is based on three pillars, namely “Poverty Reduction through Productive Activities”, “Trade Capacity Building” and “Energy and Environment”. Under the first pillar, UNIDO promotes sustainable industrial development as well as the creation of wealth and tackling of poverty through industry and manufacturing. The goal is to have people create jobs for themselves, since, as Wickremasinghe put it: “If you work for someone else, one day you will be fired.” The targets are mostly small and medium enterprises. Furthermore, UNIDO supports the participation in international trade and the need to safeguard the environment. UNIDO wants to be “green” by listening, learning and contributing, by creating tailor made programs for each country. On the ground, UNIDO does trainings and workshops with the people and certifies skills so that these people are qualified in the eyes of an employer. According to Wickremasinghe; “Trade Capacity Building” means that “countries should have the full benefit of their raw material”. The motto here is: compete, conform, and connect. This means, develop a competitive manufacturing capability, prove conformity with market


13

requirements and connect to the market by upgrading the supply capacities and standards infrastructure. Create quality and keep it long-term. Pillar number three is UNIDO’s engagement in energy production, environmental safety, sustainability, cost-effectiveness and quality of production. Summed up, UNIDO aims to keep energy-consumption down and the amount of industrial waste as low as possible.

Katrin Obenauf


14

Wednesday 6 May 2015

OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Speaker: Ms. Reem Aljarbou, Information Officer The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) is a development finance institution that was founded in 1976 by the OPEC member states. The members of OFID are Algeria, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. OPEC and OFID perceive themselves as sister institutions. Their membership overlaps to a big extent, but both organizations work independently in very different fields. As an international organization OFID’s aim is to promote development cooperation between the OPEC members and other developing countries. Working in the field of South-South cooperation, OFID supports social and economic development projects particularly in poor and low-income countries. Compared to other international institutions and agencies OFID is a relatively small actor in the field of poverty reduction and development cooperation with an annual budget of about 17 billion USD. However, what makes the organization special is that its financial schemes are given out as untied aid which means they come without political or economic conditions. As OFID’s work is people-centered, it offers aid regardless of religion or politics in the receiving countries. So far, OFID has supported projects in 134 partner countries all over the world. Its own member states are exempted from taking financial help from OFID. OFID’s financial mechanisms cover public sector lending, private sector loans, trade finance facilities and grant assistance. Loans to governments and the public sector make up the biggest share of activities. The overall budget consists primarily of funds made available by the OPEC Member States and to a smaller extent of financial reserves that OFID holds on its own. There is special focus on programmes that work in the field of battling HIV/Aids, supporting the people of Palestine and alleviating energy poverty. Furthermore, with the recent initiative “Energy for the Poor” OFID is trying to bring the topic of energy poverty onto the development agenda of the global community. During the discussion several questions were raised about good governance and government accountability concerning development aid. Ms. Aljarbou explained risks and strategies with regards to monitoring the use of financial aid in development projects. Other questions that were discussed touched on human rights issues and gender equality within the framework of sustainable development. Before we left Ms. Aljarbou gave us a tour of the OFID building, which once served as the headquarters of the German Order of Knights before it was seized by the Nazis and turned into the SS-headquarters in Vienna.

Kathrin Rupprecht


15

The International Center for Migration Policy (ICMPD) Speaker: Slavka Zborovianova, the Head of External Relations Unit

The talk at the headquarters of the ICMPD was a very interesting, leading to a motivated and controversial discussion at the end of session. First we were introduced in the history and mission of the ICMPD by Mrs. Slavka Zborovianova, the Head of External Relations Unit. The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) was founded in 1993, upon

the initiative of Austria and Switzerland. The organization was created to serve as a support mechanism for informal consultations, and to provide expertise and efficient services in the newly emerging landscape of multilateral cooperation on migration and asylum issues. The ICMPD is an international organization with 15 Member States (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland), 146 staff members, a mission in Brussels and regional offices and representatives throughout Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. ICMPD holds UN observer status. Mrs. Zborovianova explained that the ICMPD's working philosophy is based upon the conviction that the complexities of migration challenges can only be met by working in partnership with governments, research institutes, international organizations, intergovernmental institutions and civil society. Therefore the work of ICMPD is based on a three-pillar approach, that includes research, migration dialogues, and capacity building. Each research and capacity building activity generally focuses on one out of the six thematic areas, which consist of: irregular migration and return, trafficking in human beings, border management and visa, asylum, migration and development, legal migration and integration.

Mariam Puvogel


16

Thursday 7 May 2015 The German Perspective, OSCE Speaker: Rüdiger Lüdeking, head of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the OSCE On Wednesday, 7th May the first presentation of the day was held by the Head of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the OSCE, Ambassador Rüdiger Lüdeking, who spoke about the German perspective. In his opening remarks, Lüdeking pointed to the hybrid nature of the OSCE that, since the 1990s, has lead to a lack of focus. While the OSCE helped to overcome the military and political tensions of the Cold War era, the benefits of the organizations expertise of arms control as well as confidence and trust-building measures were not adequately garnered in the post-Cold War era. Yet, in the light of the Ukraine crisis the OSCE was able to draw on a set of distinct features, routines and tools that have helped managing the crisis. Amongst these are (1) the inclusive nature of the OSCE that helped discussing tension between Russia, the Ukraine, the EU and NATO at eye level and thus helped facilitate a diplomatic process, (2) the availability of a tested and agreed toolbox for arms control measures that could be put in place on short-notice, (3) the creation of the Special Monitoring Mission for Ukraine as a means to oversee the implement of the Minsk agreement, (4) the creation of a trilateral contact group of OSCE, Ukraine and Russia as a means to discuss measures in four working groups (security, political / elections, economic, humanitarian), (5) a dedicated and able OSCE chairmanship-in-office, especially the Swiss Chairmanship in 2014 as well the upcoming chairmanships of Germany in 2016 and Austria in 2017, (6) the ability of the OSCE to foster an international dialogue and it thus able to adapt to a changing environment. Yet, despite the OSCE being the only inclusive, consensus-based international organization, Russia’s annexation of Crimea will be problematic for the time for come and may pose as a stumbling block for Germany’s chairmanship in 2016.

Tobias Taube

Transnational threats, OSCE Speaker:Manuel Eising Manuel Eising, Policy and Co-ordination Officer of the OSCE Transnational threats department (TNTD), began by introducing his department and its activities. The department was established at the beginning of 2012. It was created by an OSCE Ministerial Council decision in 2011, which integrated different agencies. While being a structure of its own, it is strongly interlinked with other OSCE departments as well as the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Strategy and several Directorate-Generals of the EU commission. Integrated border control project management is for example done in cooperation with the EU’s Frontex agency. The TNTD however is not the only department dealing with these issues – there is, for example, a specific department on combatting organized crime. Eising first of all presented a list of transnational threats the OSCE is dealing with. These are: human trafficking, organized crime, terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters, drugs and weapons trafficking together with their chemical precursors, corruption and money-laundering, cyber/ICT threats, which include privacy issues, and ID theft and espionage.


17

Eising then presented how the OSCE is dealing with transnational threats. This he presented in form a hexagon – each side representing one of the TNTD’s activities. These are: police reform, development and co-operation, border security and management, combating organized crime, illicit drugs, counter-terrorism, new emerging issues like cyber and ICT security, combating corruption and finally money laundering and financing of terrorism.

At last, Eising presented the structure of the TNTD, which is led by a co-ordinator and a co-ordination cell and divided into the Agency against Terrorism (ATU), the Border Security Management Unit (BSMU) and the Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU). According to Eising, the “added value” of the OSCE in this domain consists in being a unique forum, in having a tested toolbox and having a comprehensive and cross-

dimensional approach to security. For Eising, the TNTD has developed successfully after a first set of confidence building measures and enhanced services for information exchange. After a question from the group Mister Eising then offered the audience some information on job opportunities at the OSCE and presented his personal professional experience. The group then thanked the speaker for his lecture.

Michel Buckley

Conflict Prevention Centre, OSCE Speaker: Tarik Ndifi, Analyst/ Researcher, OSCE Secretariat-Conflict Prevention Centre The third lecture at the OSCE was held by Tarik Ndifi, analyst/ researcher of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC). As a short introduction Tarik Ndifi gave us information about how it would be possible to work at the OSCE. After that Tarik Ndifi presented the concept of early warning, early action, conflicts management, and post-conflict rehabilitation, also named the “conflict cycle.”, and CPC’s activities. The CPC is designated as an OSCE-wide focal point for early warning. By annual and regional meetings the network of early warning focal points is built in OSCE executive structures. Tarik Ndifi introduced “agreed formats” for conflict settlement such as the Nagorno-Karabakh Settlement which the OSCE strived for. The CPC is also engaged in conflict mediation and mediation-support as Tarik Ndifi showed us with a picture of Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group on the implementation of the peace plan in the East of Ukraine. At the end, Tarik Ndifi opened the floor to questions and comments. We learned more about jobs at the OSCE, the speaker’s background, and the two current OSCE-missions in Ukraine.

Chihiro Sugisawa

ennen

Notiz

in form of a hexagon

ennen

Notiz

Punkt zuviel


18

Economic and Environmental Aspects of Security, OSCE Speaker: Mr. Lorenzo Rilasciati During his presentation Mr. Rilasciati discussed the economic and environmental dimension of the OSCE, one of the three “baskets” aside from the political-military and human dimension, all three of which constitute the comprehensive approach to security. The presentation discussed the basis for OSCE’s involvement in development and economic affairs, the most important being 1990 Bonn document and the 2003 Maastricht document. Further, we learned about the structure of EED and its most important instruments. The office of Coordinator of OSCE economic and environmental activities is the main organ responsible for those challenges. It does so by cooperation with field mission as well as by organizing an annual Economic and Environmental Forum and Dimension Implementation Meetings, meant to enhance dialogue and cooperation and set the direction for future work. The Coordinators office works with a number other organizations; OECD, NATO, UNDP, Council of Europe, UNODC, etc. The areas cover by the office fall in both categories, economic and environmental. The first one focuses on the idea that Economic Prosperity leads to stability. Hence OSCE implements projects such as combating corruption and money laundering, combating the financing of terrorism, promoting good governance, Supporting transport development or assisting migration management. The environmental activities on the other hand deal with water resource management, hazardous waste, climate change and cooperation with other organizations within the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) framework. The students asked about examples of the field missions within this dimensions to which a few examples were given. Kazakhstan has asked for OSCE assistance in developing legislation on migration. The office together with missions in central Asia has worked on ways to mobilize those migrants choosing Russia as their destination after. In Montenegro students were involved in projects teaching them about environmental issues. A question was also raised about a possible overlap in work with other international organizations based in Vienna to which the response was that because the OSCE is aware of the overlaps and at the same time has a limited budget on its own, it is a good motivation to search for partners in other institutions and establish a common, comprehensive action.

Marcin Macenowicz

ennen

Notiz

covered?


19

Anti-trafficking Human Beings, OSCE Speaker: Mr. Alfred Kueppers, Public Information Officer, Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Before joining OSCE, Mr. Alfred Kueppers maintained for ten years a career as a journalist and concluded his Master degree at the Columbia University in the United States. After a brief introduction about himself and the OSCE, Mr. Alfred Kueppers asked about the background of M.P.S. Students, which is very diverse and differs from the majority of the staff in the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, which is mainly made by international lawyers and public administrators. In order to introduce the topic, Mr. Alfred Kueppers showed an emotional video about the different forms of human trafficking: forced labour, forced begging, sexual exploitation, and organs trafficking (mostly kidneys). According to art. 3 of the UN Trafficking Protocol, human trafficking refers to “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation”. Thus, human trafficking has first and foremost an economic goal. According to International Labour Organization (ILO) this criminal business represents about US 32$ million a year. The Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings relies mainly on the research made by NGOs and participant states, with special emphasis on the U.S, highlighted Mr. Kueppers. According to recent statistics by the ILO, 20.9 million people are victims of forced labour and human trafficking worldwide. In spite of the media focusing particularly on forced sexual exploitation, these victims represent only 22% of the total (4.5 million), and the majority, 68%, are victims of forced labour exploitation in sectors such as agriculture, construction, domestic work or manufacturing (14.2 million). Out of the total, 5.5 million of victims are children. However, only less than 1% (9.460) of those crimes are prosecuted. Thereby, Mr. Alfred Kueppers recognized that there is still a long way to go in order to eliminate that criminal practice. Even in Germany, he says, there is human trafficking, mainly in the border region with Poland and Czech Republic. The differences of income between countries seem to be an important cause for the practice. In Europe, the main trend of trafficking occurs from East towards Western countries (mostly in the case of sexual exploitation). In order to combat the human trafficking, the Office of the Special Representative focus its work on supporting capacity building across the OSCE region; promoting internal and external cooperation; advocating and rising political will; promoting political dialogue and technical assistance; as well as promoting research. The session was concluded by brief a question-and-answer round about the topic.

Glória Sousa


20

Friday 8 May 2015

The US perspective, OSCE Speakers: Kathy Eagen, Monica Greco, and Jules Silberberg On the last day of our trip we arrived at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for a presentation on the US perspective and mission. The talk included three members of the US delegation, Kathy Eagen, Monica Greco, and Jules Silberberg. Mrs. Greco started the presentation by giving a brief introduction to the OSCE in order to highlight the role of the United States. She explained the three dimensions or “baskets” of the OSCE; the political-military dimension, the economic-environmental dimension, and the human dimension, and pointed out the difficulty that can arise in trying to find consensus among the 57 participating states, but the significance when consensus is found. According to the U.S. Mission to the OSCE brochure, the United States’ goals in the OSCE include: to build democracy and rule of law, promote the implementation of OSCE commitments, enhance political and military security, implement arms control agreements, strengthen the Organization’s conflict prevention, increase the OSCE’s capabilities to promote good governance, combat new regional security threats, and encourage democratic development in Central Asia. Mrs. Greco also added that the US is the largest contributor to the OSCE (Approx. 14% of total budget) and activity supports the OSCE in dealing with such issues as the Ukraine crisis, foreign fighters, cyber security, and kidnapping for ransom. Mrs. Eagen then spoke, as Mrs. Greco had another meeting to attend, and explained that although all of the OSCE dimensions are of equal importance, the US is particularly


21

interested in the human dimension and supporting human rights. She then answered a couple questions concerning the human rights record of the US and the existence of double standards, particularly in the case of Palestine. She stated that the US supports an independent Palestine, but that the issue is extremely complicated and that the US does not have as much power regarding the situation as is commonly assumed. Additionally, she addressed the situations in Ferguson and Baltimore and said that such issues were regularly brought up by the US delegation and discussed in the permanent council. Mr. Silberberg then took over to give a brief overview on arms control. He explained the three “robust” arms control agreements. The biggest is the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE), which is over 20 years old, and covers issues of heavy weaponry (tanks, aircraft, large artillery, etc.) as well as information exchanges (organization, troop numbers, locations of military bases, etc.). The second treaty, he explained, is the Open Sky Treaty, which allows for unmanned flights for observation and is meant to compliment on the ground observation from the CFE. Lastly, he spoke briefly about the Vienna Document, which includes confidence and security building measures, and which he said is sometimes considered a “poor man’s” CFE. To conclude Mr. Silberberg answered a couple questions concerning Russia. He explained that Russia has backed away from the CFE and that their complaints are based on NATO enlargement. However, he expressed hope for a return to full dialogue with Russia, but admitted that the situation in the Ukraine severely complicates the issue.

John Elflein A perspective on the Ukraine Conflict Speaker: Dr. Claus Neukrich, Deputy Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre Dr. Neukirch gave us an insight in the work of the Operation Centre of the Conflict Prevention Department of the OSCE and how it established the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM). The Operation Service plans and deploys new missions and by that follows methods of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, also named the “conflict cycle”. It uses a rapid deployment roster, which is a mechanism that allows setting up a team of experts to deploy in the

field within 24 hours. Further, Dr. Neukirch explained that different back-up supplies like cars or special kits are permanently installed to keep the logistic effort of providing fundamental devices low. 21st of March 2014 the OSCE deployed for the first time people with help of the rapid deployment roaster within 24 hours when establishing the SMM. This happened after the annexation of Crimea. The SMM is an unarmed, civilian mission, present on the ground 24/7 in all regions of Ukraine. Its main tasks are to observe and report in an impartial and objective way on the situation in Ukraine; and to facilitate dialogue among all parties to the crisis. Considering the military


22

approach, they for example monitor the cease fire, record cease fire violations and follow verification approaches of weapon systems. This is one of the reasons why experts with military background are deployed, too. According to Dr. Neukirch one prospect of conflict prevention by the OSCE is elaborating further capacities of the Operation Centre though he emphasized that using violence cannot be necessarily stopped. Mechanisms, operations and technical devices are tools, but no guarantee for preventing a conflict since each conflict depends on the actions of the respective conflict parties.

Ina Wolf

seminar and excursion: international organizations in practice: uniqueness ... (mps)/vienna... ·...

Documents