SystemWatch
Long-term UN Partner Becomes UN Member
By Johannes J. Manz
 | | Johannes J. Manz with Secretary-General Kofi Annan. (UN Photo) |
On 3 March 2002, both the people and the cantons (the double majority required) accepted the popular initiative on Switzerland’s membership to the United Nations. On the basis of an expected decision by the competent organs of the Organization, my country will thus become the 190th member of the United Nations this coming autumn. This fills me with great satisfaction for at least two reasons.
First of all, I still consider myself somewhat of a “UN man”, having worked for over twenty years with and within the UN system. I started my career in New York in 1971 at the Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations, then continued in Vienna (at the UN Industrial Development Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency), where I proposed the opening of and inaugurated the very first mission in Donaupark, and later transferred to Geneva as Deputy Chief of Mission (Host Country Affairs and Political Questions). In 1990/1991, I acted as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara - a difficult but fascinating assignment - before being appointed Permanent Observer of Switzerland in New York. My work within the United Nations was a very special experience from which I learned a lot. Although coming from a country where people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds live together in harmony, it was quite a challenge to encounter this on a much larger scale.
At the beginning, I was quite worried at the idea of having a staff coming from several nations and liaising with colleagues from many more. But it worked perfectly. I just had to accept the fact that one can arrive at the same result by using different methods and that nobody should pretend to have the only valid one. The UN Secretariat has quite a distinct corporate identity that unites most of its staff. I have great respect for the work of these international civil servants, most of whom are reliable, well trained and serious about their work. That there are always some exceptions is inherent in human nature and certainly not unique for the United Nations. In any case, and in spite of some less happy experiences, I would not miss my activity within the United Nations for anything and am grateful for having had this opportunity.
Apart from a fascinating time spent within the UN system, I cherish wonderful memories and have kept many good friends, among them, might I say, the present Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, whom I had already known and greatly admired during our common stay in Geneva. The link between UN friends from New York is so strong that here in Tokyo I suggested, together with my friend Yasushi Akashi, the creation of a very informal group, which meets sporadically to discuss UN matters and refresh memories of our work at the East River (UN Headquarters in New York).
Secondly, Switzerland finally joining the United Nations constitutes a very important matter indeed. At first sight, it is a relatively small and certainly logical step. My country has been closely involved with the United Nations system for many years. We are a member of all the specialized agencies - such as the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Telecommunication Union - and actively participate in many UN programmes, including the United Nations Children’s Fund, the UN Development Programme and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Moreover, Geneva is the host city for the European headquarters of the United Nations, as well as for many organizations in the UN system. In this context, we have been working with the United Nations as such like a full member for all practical purposes. But in spite of all this, the decision taken by the Swiss people is a very important one. It is, above all, a demonstration of my country’s solidarity with the world. It is a clear signal that Switzerland wants to commit itself to working with all other countries to solve world problems, be this poverty, suffering, illness or war. We may well be the last country to join the United Nations, but we are the only one to do this on the basis of a popular vote, and I do take some pride in this fact. Also as a member of the world Organization, Switzerland will remain what it always has been: a strong democracy, a sovereign State, a neutral country.
I cherish the memories of my work with and within the United Nations, and I wish all my colleagues, especially Switzerland’s first Permanent Representative, as much satisfaction from their work as I always enjoyed. I am convinced that our “UN Team”, in Bern as well as in New York, will actively contribute to the worthy cause of this truly unique Organization.
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Johannes J. Manz has been Switzerland’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan since 1997. A member of the Dean’s Council, Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, he was head of the Permanent Observer Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations from 1992 to 1997.
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