What’s in a UN? 国連とは？

本当の国際安全保障理事会の大統領席に座っている私

As a journalist, I have some pretty amazing access to the United Nations. Maybe that sounds impressive, but as an American I feel most people don't actually know or care much about it. So here is what will hopefully be the first in a series I'll call:  "A day in the life". Today is: The United Nations. 

レゴセットになったほどニューヨーク市にある国連は有名です。この中に私はよく働いています。只今国連は工事中で,
臨時施設「ノース・ロン・ビリデぃング」(NLB)というビルがありますが、このレゴセットにはありません。

First, let's break it down into pieces...:

The United Nations has many organizations that do amazing work around the world, especially UNICEF, the PKO (Peace Keepers), and OCHA (Humanitarian aid), but other than the infrequent press conference, I rarely get to cover them. I spend most of my time at the headquarters dealing with the three main bodies: the General Assembly, Security Council, and Secretariat (including the office of the Secretary General). 

The Secretariat - 国際連合事務局

国連事務所長パン・ギムン何回もみたことありますが、所長はほとんどこの会見の部屋に来られていません。

Most people think Kofi Annan when they think "Secretary General", but the current SG is a Korean named Ban Ki Moon. 

国連が大すき？ネット上で生放送はみれますよ。

His office, holds press conferences down the hall from the Security Council in the Press Briefing Room. These are always broadcast by the UN's own media division UNTV and can be watched online, always, for free. If you watch the Spokesperson for the SG's daily noon briefing, you'll likely see me, or at least a half-dozen people I know. It's especially fun to watch 15 minutes before the noon briefing starts because the reporters forget they're on camera and you can catch them being silly!

記者は会見の方によって沢山来ますが、満席はあまりなりません。

The Security Council - 国際安全保障理事会

普段、私が国連にいる時間の6割はこんなかんじです。

The Security Council is made up of 15 countries; 5 permanent members, the "P5", and two other groups of 5 countries representing their regions of the world through their own countries' self-interests, and these countries are chosen by a vote of the General Assembly to serve two-year terms in the SC. 

Each month, in alphabetical order, one of these 15 countries takes a turn as President of the SC, meaning they chair all meetings and set the agenda for the month. The SC passes resolutions affecting global policy, but many of the countries who are obligated as members of the UN to follow these resolutions do not comply when it doesn't suit their interests. Also, the P5 - the U.S., China, Russia, France, and the U.K. have the power to veto any resolution for any reason they choose. For these two reasons, along with a simple lack of consensus which is often the case, the SC is often ineffective. Even when they do reach consensus, the UN is mostly ignored by the U.S. public, but not the Japanese! Of all the foreign media, Japan is the most disproportionately present, with every television network, newspaper, and wire service present for all major events and a lot of minor ones that don't even make the news.
I spend a lot of time waiting outside the Security Council. Most of the serious topics discussed inside are closed to the media, so we rely on delegates, press liaisons, and the ambassadors themselves to come out and fill us in. They also come out sometimes to use the restroom, and we get all excited over nothing! When they do approach the podium (also recorded and broadcast live by the UN online) where we stakeout, you get a strange and rare sight. Ambassadors who are normally whizzing in and out private meetings, actually stand and listen respectively (usually) along with us, to their counterparts, patiently waiting for their turn at the podium. 

If we can just watch online, why spend so long staking out the podium? Often countries will speak off to the side of our media stakeout area, and being there is how we find out about countries tensions, future plans, and more. Of course the biggest scoops are made elsewhere, walking one-on-one in hushed tones down empty hallways. 

シリアの国連大使が安保理の外で申します。

The speaker pictured above is the Ambassador of Syria, Ja'afari.

記者の使っているスペースはとても狭いです。

ロシアのチュルキン国連大使

While "unity in the security council" is the often over-used and truly best thing for making progress on serious issues, I can't help but enjoy when the P5 ambassadors arguing at the stakeout! The verbal pokes and jabs they take at one another show their truly masterful grasp of wit. No one is more skilled at this than Ambassador Churkin of Russia. His - usual, deadpan humor, and classic Russian accent reminds me of Rocky and Bullwinkle's Boris mixed with Rodney Dangerfield, all while driving home exactly what he means to say.

安保理の近くに偉い方が使うラウンジ

This is the "North Delegates Lounge" down the hall from the Security Council chamber. It is mostly reserved for Ambassadors and delegates, and some press. With lots of art and vaulted ceilings, it is a great place to sneak off for a coffee during all that stakeout downtime, or grab a beer with a delegate and create a contact. Here, I thought I would be coyly leave it at that, but while writing this, a scathing article came out about the more deviant side if the room, and I encourage you to read it!

The General Assembly - 国際連合総会

改造中で去年から今年の夏まで完成させる予定です。

Okay, this may look impressive, and when President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine received a standing ovation from nearly every country (not the U.S. or Israel obviously) in the standing-room-only, packed hall, for his speech asking for observer-state UN membership in 2012, impressive would be an understatement. However, the General Assembly Hall has been moved to a temporary building for remodeling and currently looks like this:

総会の臨時施設です。この写真撮った時の公演者がわかりますか？

Aesthetics aside, because I never follow their daily meetings outside of the UN General Assembly every late September/Early October when the world's heads of states come to speak, I tend to subconsciously assign less importance to their proceedings. But reflecting, I realize things like last year's arms trade treaty, the sudden election of Jordan to the Security Council to substitute Saudi Arabia, and special speakers like Steven Spielberg (above) for the Holocaust day of remembrance, all make it an equally important branch that should not be ignored. Much the way the U.S. 435+ members of the House of Representatives, are (sometimes disappointingly) essential to the design of the full congress in our legislative branch, everything at the U.N. relies on their member states.


It's fascinating to work where some of the biggest names across the full spectrum of fame. I've seen current and former heads of state - including dictators, Bill Gates, Stevie Wonder, Malala on her 16th birthday, Ted Turner, and royalty. Here are a few:

ヨルダンの王子様が国連大使です。

Ambassador and Prince of Jordan, His Royal Highness Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein

スティーヴィー・ワンダー

Stevie! (A couple months later I also got to hear him perform live!) On this occasion he spoke about freedom of accessibility for the disabled.

去年ビル・ゲーツの奥様メリンダさんが何か国の元首と一緒にパネルディスカッションしました

Melinda Gates chairs a panel of heads of states during last year's General Assembly.

去年の総会でイランのローハニ大統領とザリフ外務大臣のトゥーショットが撮れました。

The newly elected President of Iran Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Zarif. 

パン・ギムン事務所長とマララさんとイギリスの元総理大臣ゴルドン・ブラウン氏です。

Gordon Brown, introducing Malala Yousafzai before her first public speech since being shot by the Taliban. It was also her 16th birthday that day.

第二次世界大戦でオスカー・シンドラーに命救われた生存者レナ・フィンダーさんが先月総会の前で語りました。

Rena Finder, who survived the Holocaust thanks to Oskar Schindler, speaks before the GA and thanks Steven Spielberg for "making it easier to tell" her story, by making people genuinely interested. It was a beautiful speech. 

That's IT! Plenty, I think. I leave you with this gorgeous view of the UN from the East River and the UN's rose garden! See you in a couple weeks!

イースト川から見える国連の姿はいいですね。

2013's Resolution and 2014 Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone!
2013 was quite the adventure, for me - a year of transitions to be sure!

Inside the control room for the Metro North Rail at Grand Central Terminal, one year ago

At work, I covered the Boston Marathon bombing; was promoted from "Associate Producer", to "Producer"; started focusing on the United Nations and Security Council much more; met and interviewed all sorts of interesting, sometimes famous, people; produced many many news stories, including one I wrote about craft beer; and almost got to do a live broadcast myself. (The story didn't turn out to be as newsworthy, so it has been placed on my very large back-burner.)

At home, my sweet cat Samus has been with me a full year now! She purrs away next to me as I type this. I have successfully brewed four out of four one-gallon batches of home-brewed beer, and number five is fermenting happily under my sink.

I ended a big chapter in my love life, meaning I am single again, but the break was amicable and mutual, and hopefully we will remain friends. The prospect of dating in New York City is both intriguing and daunting, but I will wade out into those waters when I'm ready.

If you've paid some small attention to my sparse blogging, you'll know I bought an SLR off a friend, and slowly work on my photography skills, and I traveled to South America for the first time, and my first foreign business trip... ever! So yes, this review skips much of my big events and reduces others to broad strokes, but one cannot live in the past, now can one!

2014 promises to be no less engaging and I plan to meet it head on with many New Years resolutions. The first one being this! . . . my online presence. My blog, my Facebook, my social media engagement. I have slacked and probably missed opportunities because of it, but no more! I will blog monthly at least, with more updates, stories from months and years past, and behind-the-scenes photos I may have forgotten to share along the way, going on my new Facebook Page. Feel free to "like" that, and subscribe to this while you're at it. My goal is to create a following to engage with, so it feels less like work, and more like chatting.

Next is studying Spanish.
I have already started studying on a free app called Duolingo, which I love so far, and I've just been accepted to a beginner's-level Spanish class at the UN, starting next week! Wish me luck.
Another goal is to visit at least 3 new countries this year, and I'm very sorry Japan, but that means I'm focusing on different parts of the globe until 2015, at least. You're always welcome to visit me in New York City!

- Greg