May 23-26, 2004
Overview
The Fifth Annual Student Forum, titled “The United Nations: Dealing with Hard and Soft Threats”, organized by the UN Information Service Vienna, in cooperation with the City of Vienna, brought together university students from Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia (the four countries serviced by UNIS Vienna) for a three-day event from 23 to 26 May 2004. A number of senior level students from each country participated in a series of lectures and social gatherings. This year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was a major partner in the lecture programme.
Lecture topics covered the work of the UNODC in the fields of terrorism, international drug control, corruption, money laundering, anti-human trafficking and law enforcement.
The student groups were also briefed by the Ambassadors of their Permanent Missions, to enable them to get a Member State perspective of how they work with the United Nations in dealing the issues discussed at the Forum, and their general working relationship with the United Nations.
The Forum concluded in a final session where the students presented their views on how the issue addressed by the Forum and the information they received from their Missions aligned with their ideas and perceptions of the United Nations.
Student evaluation of the Forum
Student participants were asked through a questionnaire to provide suggestions for future similar events both from an organizational point of view as well as from a substantive perspective, and also offer feedback on the lectures they found informative.
In general, all the students enjoyed the Forum tremendously and encouraged UNIS to continue with organizing such events in the future. They expressed their satisfaction with the fact that it had been well organized, and they had a suitable mix of work and social occasions, so that they could also interact with each other. The students especially appreciated the fact that the speakers chosen for the lectures, were relatively young and strengthened the “expert appeal” of the UN– a fact they confirmed in their presentations – this raised their comfort levels and allowed them to engage with the speakers to a greater degree. The best lecture got an average of 1.3 in the final evaluation on a scale of 1 to 5, and even the lecture with the lowest score received a rating of 2.3. Austria appreciated its visit to the Permanent Missions most (an average of 1.2). The others ranged up to 2.2 (Slovenia).
The comments for improvement included more precise instructions for the final student presentations. Other topics for future Student Forums suggested by the participants included terrorism, the relationship between the UN, EU and NATO and the merits of pre-emptive action. The students also expressed an interest in learning more about other international organizations based at the United Nations Office at Vienna, like CTBTO and IAEA.
Summary of student views
All the student groups agreed on the fact that while the UN way was the only way, the organization needed to adapt itself to the new threats the world faces today. They questioned the basis of the structure of the Security Council, arguing that perhaps its composition did not truly reflect the current international balance of power. Since many of the speakers emphasized the fact that the UN is essentially a tool in the hands of the Member States, they recognized the fact that stronger political will on the part of the Member States would be a catalyst in the functioning of the United Nations. The participants observed that since the threats that the world faces collectively today are truly global in nature, for instance, crime, corruption and trafficking, a concerted, joint action by Member States, a strong commitment to resolving these problems and developing an international outlook instead of only serving national interests was critical to the survival and relevance of the United Nations. With reference to the subject of the Forum, they said that soft threats needed to be treated no more softly than hard ones.
The UN’s role and status as a truly international forum was recognized especially by the Austrian students, who saw it as the world’s “conscience”. In that context, they expressed a need for the Secretary-General to be more vocal and take a moral high stance when it came to resolving issues. They saw the UN as a pool of experts who had a global playing ground, and a real chance at solving the threats faced by international community, as the United Nations “knows no borders.”
The fact that individual interests of Member States often influence the working and indeed, the effectiveness of the United Nations, was affirmed by the Austrian and Hungarian students. The Austrian students pointed out that it was this perhaps that impeded the decision-making process in the United Nations, drawing it out in a long-winded procedure, where often the issues became obsolete before a decision could be arrived at.
The reform of the Security Council was touched upon by almost all the student groups. The Slovak students questioned whether the veto should be abolished altogether, while other student groups commented on the need to review the composition of the Security Council itself.
In their presentation, the Hungarian students urged the United Nations to reexamine its priorities and intervene only in areas where it felt it could play an effective role. It felt that the United Nations should work as a “good doctor”, and increase its work in the area of prevention, instead of stepping in after the fact. They also said that the United Nations must do away with “double standards” – for instance, in its condemnation of terrorist incidents. In this context, the Austrian students said that the UN should not try to work like a “Swiss Army knife”, but try to set priorities and work in areas where progress or even solutions could be achieved.
The Slovak students also spoke of the need to amend the Charter of the United Nations, saying that the world situation had changed greatly since the organization was first established. While they acknowledged that touching the Charter would amount to opening a “Pandora’s Box”, they also felt that the UN would lose its edge if it did not change its goals to meet the challenges of today. They especially challenged Article 23 of the Charter, saying that the ideals of the Organization were contradictory to the methods it used to solve conflicts. For instance, they pointed out that the idea of non-interference and the use of force as a last resort, in some cases, contradicted the ideal of protecting human rights. For the Member States, they proposed a philosophy composed of “co-operation, courage, consultation and compromise.”
Both the Slovak and Slovene students recommended that the United Nations become more regional in its work – saying that since cultures and traditions were not the same worldwide, the United Nations could not hope to have one solution that would suit everyone. They also urged more co-operation with countries, non governmental organizations, and within United Nations agencies, to avoid the duplication of work, and clash of strategies. For instance, the Slovenes pointed out that both the US and the UN were working with Colombia in the field of crop eradication, but not together. The Hungarian students called for the development of local partnerships, so that the United Nations could solve problems at the grass roots level. The Slovak students also said that the United Nations must have a clear stance on how it wants to deal with the United States, a view affirmed by the Slovene students. They also urged that the UN become more transparent in its dealings, to build confidence and also encourage more contributions from Member States.
The Slovene students also urged the UNODC to do more to publicize its alternative development efforts.
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Theme:
This year’s Student Forum is themed on “United Nations: dealing with hard and soft threats” using the Vienna-based programmes of the United Nations as examples. The Forum is being held in co-operation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Forum will discuss the work of the United Nations in the field of international drug control, terrorism, organized crime, corruption, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings and money laundering, and how Member States collaborate with the UN in these areas.
Day 1 – 23 May – Sunday
(Hotel Korotan)
Morning/Afternoon – Arrival
19.00: informal welcome gathering and reception
(Hotel Korotan)
Day 2 – 24 May – Monday
(Vienna International Centre)
08.20: departure from Hotel
09.15: arrival at VIC
09.30: Guided Tour
10.00: briefing and discussion (UNIS briefing room G0534)
The United Nations: dealing with hard and soft threats – framing the issues
Overview lecture (by Janos Tisovszky, Information Officer, United Nations Information Service, Vienna (UNIS))
11.00: coffee break
11.15: briefing and discussion (UNIS briefing room G0534)
The United Nations working in combating international terrorism (by Alex Schmid, Senior Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, Terrorism Prevention Branch, UNODC)
12.30: lunch hosted by UNIS (VIC Restaurant)
14.00: briefing and discussion (UNIS briefing room G0534)
Dealing with a global challenge: the UN’s work in international drug control (by Gautam Babbar, Co-ordinator, Global Youth Network, UNODC)
15.30: departure and visit to respective Permanent Missions
The work of the UN in Vienna – a member state perspective
19.00: Informal Reception and Buffet dinner hosted by City of Vienna at the Rathauskeller
Day 3 – 25 May - Tuesday
(Vienna International Centre)
08.30: departure from Hotel
09.15: arrival at VIC
09.30 – 10.30: briefing and discussion (UNIS briefing room G0534)
Organized Crime (by Mark Shaw, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, Anti-Organized Crime and Law Enforcement Unit, UNODC)
Money Laundering (by Elizabeth Joyce, Money Laundering Advisor, Anti-Money Laundering Unit, UNODC)
10.30-11.00: discussions, question and answer session
11.00-11.15: coffee break
11.15-12.30: briefing and discussion (UNIS briefing room G0534)
Trafficking in human beings (by Federica Sechi, Anti-Human Trafficking Section, UNODC)
Corruption (by Oliver Stolpe, Crime Prevention Expert, Anti-Corruption Unit, UNODC)
13.00: working lunch (G0534 and reception area outside)
and computer access to groups for preparing/finalizing presentations
15.00: closing session: briefing and student presentations (UNIS briefing room G0534)
Student presentations
17.00: coffee -- farewell
Day 4 – 26 May - Wednesday
Departure
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