the HRC

So I've been in Geneva for about 2 weeks and have just completed my first full week of work. I really like my job. Everyone in the office is so friendly and open and helpful. I never feel like an idiot for asking questions, since, of course, I just don't know how things work quite yet.

The 8th session of the Human Rights Council has been convening for the past 2 weeks, so what I've been doing is essentially attending all of the meetings, taking down, verbatim, what the delegates are saying, and reporting back to the organization with reviews of the day's discussions. It has been so interesting to observe the way that these diplomats speak to and about one another. There are so many careful subtleties that they use in order not to ruffle anyone's feathers. The delegate from Slovenia, who has been speaking on behalf of the European Union for this session, once said, in response to numerous interruptions by the delegate from Egypt during NGO speeches, "This is becoming a farce." A FARCE is extremely strong language when it comes to UN diplomacy. It's just interesting how careful the delegates have to be.

The languages used in the HRC are just as fascinating. The interpreters that work for the UN do simultaneous translating, which requires them to listen to what the delegates are saying and translate at the same time, while also listening to what the delegates say afterwards, while the interpreters are translating. It's incredible, to not only develop that kind of multi-tasking ability, but also to be able to have the kind of specific, technical, and also diplomatic vocabulary that the delegates use in their statements. The delegates themselves are so very articulate. Often, even when they are not reading their statements, it sounds as if they have already planned out what they have to say and are simply reciting it. No hesitations, no ums, no pauses, just perfect speeches. That's not to say that they always say something significant, but they can say nothing so beautifully.

I often listen to the French translation, or the Russian translation, just to hear the type of language that they are using. It's so technical. I find that I'm understanding more of the French than the Russian, simply because I never encounter that kind of sophisticated, technical, diplomatic language in Russian.

Here's a picture of one of the HRC sessions that I found online, which looks exactly like one of the rooms they have been convening in. I usually sit on the very far left, behind the divider.



I've also been working on several research projects, looking into human rights violations in Russia and analyzing the 2008-2009 members of the HRC in terms of their own human rights status. So many of them have terrible human rights records, so it's a shame they were voted in as members.

This weekend is the Fete de la Musique, a festival during which there is always some kind of band, orchestra, or group playing music all over the city. I'm actually going to leave soon to find some music to listen to! Maybe salsa? Or some blues. We'll see.