UN Chronicle | It Took 25 for Men to Break the Gender Barrier Fifty Years of the UN Guided Tours

It Took 25 for Men to Break the Gender Barrier: Fifty Years of the UN Guided Tours
By Pauline Karakat for the Chronicle

Article

The United Nations guided tour operation celebrated its fiftieth anniversary on 6 November 2002. To mark this event, several hundred former and current tour guides and the media attended the opening of a photographic exhibit highlighting experiences at the United Nations of guides and visitors. Secretary-General Kofi Annan formally opened the exhibit, on display until 6 January 2003 in the visitors' lobby at UN Headquarters. A tour for former guides and media representatives and a private dinner for current and former guides followed the opening. This was designed not only as an anniversary celebration but also a celebration of the invaluable contributions the guides have given to visitors and to the United Nations system as a whole.

A number of Permanent Missions to the United Nations, the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and the International Photographic Council partnered with the UN Department of Public Information to publicize this anniversary and make guided tours more visible to the public. Kodak Company designed and produced the exhibit, while Canon, Fuji, Nikon and Olympus sponsored the opening reception.

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For the past five decades, over 37 million visitors have been led through UN Headquarters by 2,000 tour guides from more than 100 countries. The one-hour lecture tour covers the main council chambers, including the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council; exhibits on peacekeeping, decolonization and disarmament; an art collection consisting of tapestries, murals, mosaics and sculptures presented by Member States; and ends at the General Assembly Hall. The guides have been dubbed the "ambassadors to the public", because they are the visitors' direct link to the United Nations, providing them insight and knowledge into the work and activities of the Organization.

From 1952 to 1955, the American Association for the United Nations (the forerunner of UNA-USA) headed the tour operation until it was incorporated into the United Nations Office of Public Information. A September 1952 excerpt from The New York Times advertising tour guide positions read, "UN Goes In For Paid Tours: Lovelies Wanted!" Nina Miness, one of the first guides, remembered how she was hired: "The employment agency was a seedy office on 42nd Street, run by a woman named Mae Sweeney. She told me the job required knowledge of different languages and entailed working with diplomats. The reality of the position turned out to be quite different. I found out that the job advertised was actually for tour guides!" Despite this misinformation, Ms. Miness accepted and joined the first corps of tour guides, which consisted of ten women between 20 and 30 years of age. The first week of November that year, they began giving tours at UN Headquarters, which was then a new element of the New York City skyline.

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As part of their tour guide training, the women were taught to politely dissuade male visitors' advances and were dressed in uniforms similar to those of airline stewardesses. From the very beginning, the job was considered glamorous and exciting. Ms. Miness explained her reasons for taking the tour guide position: "What attracted me most to the job was the international aspect of the environment. It was uniquely compatible with my background, coming from France. Having been raised internationally, I felt at home when I joined the United Nations, and the years I spent there were totally satisfying." The image of the tour guide has changed, but many aspects have remained the same. In 1977, the first male tour guides were hired, and men now make up one fourth of the guiding staff. The guides always represent a mix of nationalities and backgrounds. The Guided Tours Unit now employs 52 guides from 32 countries, who give tours in over 20 languages.

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While all are required to speak English and at least one other language fluently, many guides are multilingual. It is not uncommon for them to give tours in three to four languages during the course of a day. They must also possess strong public-speaking skills and have college education. Many prestigious design houses, such as Christian Dior, Benetton, Harvé Bernard and Evan Picone, have been responsible for creating the designs of their uniform over the past five decades. Currently, they wear uniforms designed by Mondrian and footwear by Valleverde. They also have the option of wearing their national dress instead of the official uniform.

The structure of the tour has essentially remained the same, although there have been changes. The original $1.00 fee to take a tour has increased to $8.50. While basic aspects of the tour cover sites and functions of the United Nations and its organs, the latest developments regarding the work of the Organization shape each guide's presentation. In addition to knowing the history of the United Nations, the functions of its main organs and the principles of the UN Charter, tour guides are briefed every morning to keep their presentations current and to enable them to answer as many questions posed by visitors as accurately as possible. Some of the topics discussed at these in-depth briefings include landmines, global warming, children and armed conflict.

Guides must use their creativity to put together their presentations and must have the patience, tact and political sense to interact successfully with visitors. Although it can be frustrating and sometimes difficult, these interactions between people of diverse backgrounds are generally positive. This aspect of the UN tour experience is unique, because it allows guides and visitors to learn and teach each other at the same time. Melissa Maldonado, currently a guide of Colombian descent, recalled an experience that helped her change any preconceived notions about some visitors. "I was sure that they were there only to take pictures of the Security Council Chamber or maybe ask questions about the flags", she said. "I thought their appearance, long trench coats with high-top sneakers, was going to modify my presentation. Instead, their questions reflected a true desire to understand and learn more about the world, even though this had been the first time they had left their small town from middle America. This rewarding experience taught me the timely lesson of never judging a book by its cover."

Although the tour guide operations were temporarily suspended after the terrorist attacks in New York on 11 September last year, they were able to use their skills in a way that transcended their job requirements. As volunteers, guides assisted visitors, New Yorkers and family members of the victims and the missing with information on various relief operations. The use of their skills helped many people during one of the most tragic experiences in history. Many tour guides have gone on to hold prominent jobs in government, academia, media and the arts. Famous former UN tour guides include former United States Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Hanford Dole, Princess Wiwan Wariwan of Thailand, best-selling Israeli author Yael Hedaya and Indian cookbook author and actress Madhur Jaffrey.

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The fiftieth anniversary celebration and photo exhibit proved to be memorable, especially for current and former guides. Not only have they given visitors from all over the world insight into the United Nations system, they have also learned from their experiences with visitors and fellow guides. Ms. Miness, who was a speaker at the event, continued to work professionally in the United Nations system for more than forty years. "What I look forward to the most at the 50th anniversary celebration is meeting friends and colleagues of years past", she had said. "I am sure we shall all say to each other, 'you haven't changed a bit.' It's a lie, of course, but the truth we share is that we are all bonded by the common, uniquely wonderful experience of being a UN tour guide. This experience has influenced our lives." Ms. Maldonado, who will be pursuing a Master's degree in international affairs focusing on economic and social development, also stressed the importance of the anniversary celebration and the tour experience for guides and visitors, past and present. "We have welcomed everyone from all over the world for the past 50 years, and hopefully we will do so for another 50. Tour guides are teachers, students, individuals, one out of many and many out of one, idealistic one day, realistic the other. Tour guides are mirrors for visitors from all over the world."

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