This is Nick Werts saying g’day from Sydney!

I am approaching the end of my adventure in this wonderful city. There is so much to do that I have been running non-stop so I can soak up as much of it as I can before we head to Brisbane. Having little downtime to sit around has been an adventure in itself. I can remember the lazy days before the trip sitting and listening to the radio or watching television. Speaking of TV and radio, the one thing I don’t miss are all of the commercials.

I had the great opportunity to visit the Australian Broadcast Corporation and one of Australia’s biggest radio stations, Triple J. After wandering through some of the ABC’s huge studios (the largest on this side of the world) I got to see the insides of Australian television and news.

Tom Swenson looks on as the group is given a tour of the ABC studio. (Photo by Nate Hulings)

Did I mention that all of these TV channels are free? The government of Australia completely funds their media and they keep a tight hold on advertisements. This is about the opposite of the US. It was so strange to think about how huge media corporations are not in the business commercially. The whole experience was eye-opening, and it got even better when we went up a couple floors to Triple J.

Triple J is Australia’s alternative radio station that has a huge reputation for pushing the boundaries with its programs. Walking into their office is like stepping into any music fanatic’s paradise with the walls covered in autographed posters and their huge library of music. Even though we have been learning about how much Australian media is carefully controlled to protect children and promote education this radio station pushes the boundary that makes anything coming from American radio sound tame. The best part of the trip was that one of the DJs recorded us for his radio show! So if any of you happen to be listening to Triple J and here a bunch of college students yelling, that would be us.

I might just have to tune in myself.

--Nick Werts

This is Nick Werts saying g’day from Sydney!

I am approaching the end of my adventure in this wonderful city. There is so much to do that I have been running non-stop so I can soak up as much of it as I can before we head to Brisbane. Having little downtime to sit around has been an adventure in itself. I can remember the lazy days before the trip sitting and listening to the radio or watching television. Speaking of TV and radio, the one thing I don’t miss are all of the commercials.

I had the great opportunity to visit the Australian Broadcast Corporation and one of Australia’s biggest radio stations, Triple J. After wandering through some of the ABC’s huge studios (the largest on this side of the world) I got to see the insides of Australian television and news.

Tom Swenson looks on as the group is given a tour of the ABC studio. (Photo by Nate Hulings)

Did I mention that all of these TV channels are free? The government of Australia completely funds their media and they keep a tight hold on advertisements. This is about the opposite of the US. It was so strange to think about how huge media corporations are not in the business commercially. The whole experience was eye-opening, and it got even better when we went up a couple floors to Triple J.

Triple J is Australia’s alternative radio station that has a huge reputation for pushing the boundaries with its programs. Walking into their office is like stepping into any music fanatic’s paradise with the walls covered in autographed posters and their huge library of music. Even though we have been learning about how much Australian media is carefully controlled to protect children and promote education this radio station pushes the boundary that makes anything coming from American radio sound tame. The best part of the trip was that one of the DJs recorded us for his radio show! So if any of you happen to be listening to Triple J and here a bunch of college students yelling, that would be us.

I might just have to tune in myself.

--Nick Werts

This is Roxanne Cooke blogging from Sydney, Australia. Within the first few days of tromping around this massive city, I’ve noticed that it’s more tourist-friendly than Melbourne. I hear fewer Aussie accents, and those I do hear seem more subtle (or maybe I’ve just gotten used to them). I feel less of an outsider with my American accent, whereas in Melbourne I felt I should try to blend in and talk like the Aussies – so much so that I accidentally spoke in an accent on a few occasions.

Unfortunately, the people in Sydney appear less friendly. When the 16 of us took a bus together, all those icy stares could’ve cooled us off for the rest of this trip. In downtown Sydney, the crowds somehow permit people to be pushy. It’s not awful, just different from Melbourne.

Today (Monday) we visited the Australian Press Council, which is similar to the Washington News Council, except that its coverage is nation-wide. The purpose of the APC is self-regulation of print media (newspapers and magazines) through a public complaint process.

Australia has no Bill of Rights like the U.S. does, so freedom of speech is not a guarantee. In fact, Executive Secretary Jack Herman told us it’s a constant fear that freedoms will be lost. The APC acts as a sort of fifth estate, keeping check that the media are fair, balanced and accurate, while at the same time preserving the freedom for media to publish what falls under public interest.

The problem (for any press council) is that many journalists take offense that they are being regulated. After all, one of the goals of journalism is to act as a watchdog and keep tabs on governmental bodies. Because of this, the APC is completely independent from the government – which means it has little power. On the other hand, if it had that sort of authority, it would lose credibility. It wouldn’t work.

As a class, we’ve read in our textbooks and heard from Australians that the APC is a “toothless tiger.” No one mustered up the courage to ask Jack Herman for his response to that criticism, but it would an interesting question to pursue.

I’m curious: What do the journalists out there think?

Time to bid adieu to Geneva and the United Nations.

Andrea Stanaway, Valerie Smith and Maren Anderson left for home Monday. I leave tomorrow. Four of our original group, Emma Lugenbill, Liz Lamb-Ferro, Jonathan Bongard and Jennifer Henrichsen are staying in Geneva until the end of August or perhaps longer. They will be working as freelance journalists at the Palais des Nations.

The UN Sojourners: Emma, Maren, Andrea, Jennifer, Valerie, Liz and Jonathan.

During the past weeks we have been like sponges... absorbing everything we can about the United Nations in Geneva. We have engaged with UN agencies and NGOs... we attended the historic first meeting of the Human Rights Council... we heard how the world regards the United States... Some of what we learned was thrilling and some disappointing... but all of it was enlightening.

No doubt when the students return home they will experience a bout of culture shock... Leaving this international city in the throes of a major international conference for hometown, U.S.A. might be a bit jarring at first... But, I suspect these students will remain engaged in international issues whether home or abroad ... even at the Lutedome.

a bientôt

How poignant… on a day when the BBC announced Hamas had agreed to implicitly accept Israel, I had lunch with a delightful 21-year-old woman who has already begun her vocation working for non-violent strategies in the world.

Aline Jaccottet, a Swiss native, has traveled to the Occupied Palestinian Territories five times. She is currently an intern at the information office at the United Nations. When she is not at the U.N., she is the Public Relations officer for the Palestinian Center for the Study of NonViolence in Lausanne, Switzerland.
http://www.pnn.ps

Her job at the Palestinian Center includes writing and editing stories for the Palestine Press Network, a press agency established in 2001. She said the idea behind PPN was to create a media focused on non-violent action to ensure this non-violent action would succeed. “Non-violent strategies need to be demonstrated in the media so they work,” she said.

Aline has studied the non-violent strategies of Martin Luther King and Bernard LaFayette, from the Center for Non-Violence and Peace Studies at the University of Rhode Island.

Unfortunately, most U.S. people believe all Palestinians as terrorists. But, Aline said many people in the Occupied Territories are experimenting with non-violent strategies. She said all cities in the Occupied Territories now have non-violent training centers. Her sources tell her even Hamas may be interested with the idea of non-violent approaches. And this would be a challenge for a regime whose origins were developed around violent action. “When people see (Palestinians) using non-violent strategies, (the people) are impressed.”

Aline is a true believer in non-violent strategies. She said it is vital for people to realize hatred is a product of suffering. To illustrate this point she told me of a conversation she had with a young woman from the OPT. The 20-year-old told Aline she wanted to be a suicide bomber. The young woman was not motivated by religion. She didn`t wear a head scarf or pray. The main reason she wanted to commit this heinous act was to reestablish her family’s pride. The woman had seen many children killed in her short life and she had also witnessed her father’s field destroyed five times by the Israelis.

Aline said she appealed to the woman with several points. Aline first told her by becoming a suicide bomber she would not gain anything for her family, but lose her family physically and spiritually. Her family would be horrified by her action because her father was a believer in non-violent action. As a result of her action, her brothers would not be able to go to school; her family could be imprisoned, lose their home or be killed.

Aline also told the young woman if she committed such an act of violence, the action could kill Aline. “I could be on the bus,” she told her. “And I want to help you.” Aline told her that her actions could result in one less advocate for the Palestinians.

Aline then appealed to the young woman’s spirituality. Even though the young woman didn’t practice Islam in the strictest sense, the young woman was aware of the Islamic teachings against killing.

Finally, Aline asked the young woman if it was difficult to hate. “It’s horrible,” she responded. In the end, the young woman was moved by Aline’s pleas. That was the most Aline had hoped to accomplish.

The most important message Aline said she wanted to share with U.S. students about non-violence is an adage she learned from Bernard LaFayette: “Don’t trust your first impression.” She added, first impressions lead you to think one side is right and one side is wrong... But you must discover what is behind the hatred. When you discover this, you can begin a real dialogue toward peace.

Talking to Aline has made me realize how powerful young people can be in their quest for peace.

The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1997 and is celebrated each year on 26 June.

This year a book, Rebuilding Lives, was introduced to mark the occasion. The text focuses on the work of the Fund and the efforts of the non-governmental organizations it has supported over the past 25 years to assist and rehabilitate victims of torture. The book includes five illustrated articles on current victim support projects in Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Pakistan and Rwanda.

http://www.omct.org/index_en.cfm?CFID=3806929&CFTOKEN=38707879

A few of the illustrations in the book are gruesome. In a display downtown to commemorate the day, the images were even more disturbing.

It is difficult to imagine how one person could inflict such untold harm on another... and this is happening not in the dark ages, but during our life time.

Some of the most curious images at the United Nations in Geneva are the icons found on the women`s and men`s toilets.

Little variation is found in the entire U.N. complex. Even the recent addition contains the same icons.

I realize Europeans dress differently and have slightly different values, but I`ve yet to come across anyone, woman or man, who looks even remotely like these images. I`ve not been able to find a dress or suit in the shops that resembles these outfits either.

I may be thinking small, but UN reform could begin with the images on the toilet doors. :)

This is the logo symbolizing the first meeting of the Human Rights Council. We find this image not only all around the U.N., but flags with this image can be seen all over Geneva... even on the buses.

Below is a painting given to the United Nations in Geneva from the former Soviet Union. Oui, the shoe does symbolize something... Do you know what?

Sitting in the second largest room in the Palais, the Council Chamber, the students are learning about the stunning paintings on the wall and ceiling. The construction of the Council Chamber started late in 1936 to accommodate the members of the League of Nations. The setting and the furnishings of the square-shaped room were assigned to the Parisian decorator René Prou.

Walking past the flags every morning after we enter the security gate never seems to get old.

The General Assembly last week during the Human Rights Council.

The grand hallway on the other side of the General Assembly.

And the view from the other side of those windows.

And finally, below is the famous landmark of the U.N. in Geneva, the Armillary Sphere...

Also known as The Celestial Sphere, it was designed by the American sculptor Paul Manship, then cast and plated in Italy by Bruno Bearzy.
 
In its early years, the sphere would slowly rotate. But its prolonged exposure to the elements has damaged the internal motor – and any attempts to repair it would mean completely disassembling an original masterpiece of art deco sculpture.
 
It was donated in 1939 by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation to commemorate the US President’s work for the creation of the League of Nations.
 

I have talked a great deal about NGOs but not given much detail…

NGOs are known at the U.N. as non-governmental organizations. They are often considered the most effective means for the voices of ordinary people to be heard in the international arena. NGOs are considered necessary because the U.N. is a large system of complex human machinery that remains rife with politics and bureaucracy. NGOs usually work multi-nationally and include the most outspoken and apolitical advocates of human rights, the environment, social programs, women's rights and more.

During this first meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, the role of NGOs in promoting human rights and exposing human rights abuses has been hotly debated. It`s been suggested, the previous Human Rights Commission did not often make room at the table for these human rights advocates. During this meeting of the Human Rights Council, the NGOs are demanding a greater presence and a strong voice in addressing global human rights.

Earlier in our Geneva experience, we met with a number of Geneva-based NGOs. We learned NGOs were simply international social advocacy groups or public relations agents. In addition to legitimate NGOs, the community of advocates includes what is pejoratively described as G-NGOs--government-backed non-governmental organizations... or NGOs in sheeps' clothing. Additionally, we were told about another unsavory group called: B-NGOs--or groups who claim to be NGOs but are really funded by big business.

Below is a summary of a few of the groups we met.

IFHR (International Federation of Human Rights) We interviewed Alexandra Pomeon O`Neill, an international lawyer of the organization. This international NGO has defended human rights since 1922. The organization, more prominently recognized as FIDH, or the Fèdèration Internationale des Lingues des Droits de l`Homme, was created by French and German human rights leagues.
http://www.fidh.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=350

OMCT (World Organization Against Torture) The director of OMCT, Eric Sottas, told us about a just-completed report that examines why torture is acceptable in some countries but not in others. The report suggests a link between economic and social difficulties with the acceptance of torture. He also shared with us his musing about the new Human Rights Council. He wasn`t entirely optimistic.
http://www.omct.org/index_en.cfm?CFID=3806933&CFTOKEN=298542

Sottas sharing his experience of 30 years with various NGOs.

COHRE (Center on Housing Rights and Evictions) Jessica Marasovic met with us at her office. She told us her organization is working to promote housing rights for everyone everywhere. A great deal of what her organization provides is free legal advice for victims of forced eviction.
http://www.cohre.org/

LID/LIP (International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples) Verena Graf, Secretary General of this organization explained few NGOs deal with collective or group rights the way her organization does. "We consider ourselves an organ for those who have no voice in the U.N.," she said. She added the U.N. represents states, not people. Her organization has been considered mercenary by some governments because it gives voice to all people struggling for a voice at the table.

In addition to NGOs, we also meet with several U.N. diplomats, including:

Alaska Native Peoples—Ambassador Ronald Barnes represents the major native tribes of Alaska. He explained in great detail how his fellow Alaskans should not be considered part of the United States. He described a treaty signed in 1887 where the United States clearly said Alaska was a sovereign state. He told us about his quest to bring this evidence to the Council in July.

French Diplomatic Mission—The U.N. French Ambassador, Jean-Pierre François, Rivasseau, welcomed us to the French embassy in Geneva on a quiet afternoon. We sat in a beautiful conference room as he told us about how France and the U.S. are not as far apart as we might have assumed.

French Ambassador sharing a laugh with the students.

Ambassador obviously enjoying his gift from the students--a PLU baseball cap.

Turkish Diplomatic Mission—First Secretary, Selcuk Unal described his country`s quest to join the European Union. We reminded us the Turkey has more in common with the West than we might think. His country was the first Muslim country to recognize Israel, he said. He added, "By the way, we don`t have tails."

Turkish First Secretary explaining some of the pressing issues in his country.

Through these interaction with various Geneva NGOs and embassies we gained a greater understanding of the internal mechanics of international relations—-from those feeding the machine.

Switzerland was victorious over South Korea in its coup du monde match last night. I know this because this otherwise peaceful and polite ville was transformed into town without pity shortly after 11 p.m.

In this town were strangers generally nod and whisper, "bon soir" when they pass you on the street at this hour, the norm became loud shouting and constant car horns. Hundreds of people, mostly young adults, took to the streets so much that the main routes through town appeared more like 11 in the morning than 11 at night. The roads were jammed with cars, scooters and bikes... and the sidewalks crowded with people festooned in Swiss flags. A visitor from another planet might have assumed world peace had just been declared with all of the joyful exuberance displayed. The UN peacekeepers should definitely be working on a way to bottle this esprit.

One group of young men held up a flag across the street to block a taxi. They proceeded to hold the flag up for the taxi to pass under, which it did. Another young man managed to thrust his arm through the doors of a bus as they were closing and the doors shut on his arm. In his hand was a Swiss flag he waved proudly as the bus passed through town. (That`s got to leave a mark.)

On a similar note, I watched a beautifully produced ad for Emeriates Airlines on BBC television a few days ago showing two Asian strangers being dropped off in a small town in what looked like South America. They meandered through the deserted streets until they stumbled upon a bar where folks had just finished watching a football match on television. The crowd suddenly erupted and lifted the two Asian fellows on their shoulders in celebration. Then, everyone went outside to kick a soccer ball around the town square. The message on the screen... " We all speak the same language: Football." I felt the true spirit of that message last night.

She is our favorite volunteer NGO employee.

Maren Anderson was one of the three students who had searched around the city for an NGO willing to adopt them... so they could attend the full session of the historic Human Rights Council. The two other students, Andrea Stanaway and Valerie Smith were lucky enough to talk the Northwest-affiliated NGO, World Vision, into offering them accreditation (just another one of those stinkin` badges).

Maren`s quest took another route. She was rescued by CETIM, a Swiss (French) NGO that works to eliminate third-world (CETIM`s word, not mine) debt. The moto of CETIM is: "There is no such thing as a developed and an under-developed world. There is only a single, badly developed world."

NGOs are playing a large part in this first meeting of the UN Human Rights Council. Stay tuned for other blogs on this topic...

(For more information on CETIM.)
http://www.cetim.ch/en/dossier_lutte.php

In exchange for her NGO badge, Maren has been translating (in long hand) everything said on the floor of the General Assembly from English to French. She has worked about 10 hours a day during the last five days.

Oui. C'est trop mauvais.

Maren and a colleague before the translating day starts.

Despite working her translating fingers to the bone, she continues to have a great attitude. She says she has to pinch herself whenever she thinks of complaining... and remind herself where she is.

Elle est une grande personne.

Journalists around the world experience a great deal of hassle from governments and private organizations. And they are especially venerable in armed conflicts.

Jennifer Henricksen has discovered a humanitarian operation here in Geneva proposing journalists wear distinctive armbands with a symbol, much like the Red Cross/Red Crescent, to indicate the wearer is a journalist. The organization essentially wants a new convention (or treaty) to broadly introduce and codify this press emblem initiative.

Jennifer wrote an op ed article about this emblem that will likely be published on the Press Emblem Campaign’s website.

Jennifer being photographed (for her op ed piece to be placed on the Press Emblem Campaign website) by Hedayat Abdel Nabi, PEC President.

The risk of being a journalist in a conflict area has increased in recent years. In fact, 2005 was the deadliest year for journalists since 1995: 63 journalists and 5 media assistants were killed doing their job or for having expressed their opinion. In Jennifer's op ed she says that more than 150 journalists were killed last year and more than 40 journalists have been killed this year, according to the International Federation of Journalists. Thus, the Iraq conflict has been more deadly for the media than WWII and 20 years of war in Vietnam.

Unfortunately, international humanitarian law says journalists are entitled to the same protection as civilians—no more, no less. But in serious situations like armed conflicts, journalists are on a mission to disseminate information valuable to the resolution of the conflicts. In addition, humanitarian law is limited to armed conflicts. No protection currently exists for journalists who are involved in other dangerous situations like internal conflicts and civil unrest. In these cases, journalist should be identified and protected by some international treaty or law.

The Press Emblem Campaign is calling upon members of the Human Rights Council to act to prioritize the question of freedom of expression and access to information by deliberating on a new international convention for the protection of journalists in zones of conflict and civil unrest.

http://www.pressemblem.ch/index2.html

Sounds like a good idea... but still researching it.

Here are some of the emblems proposed in the draft document of the Convention on the Protection of Journalists.