On Monday, I unleashed my inner diplomat and went to the United Nations Office in Geneva. It’s the second most active UN Office in the world after the New York Headquarters, hosting about 8,000 meetings a year.
I first started by taking the obligatory tourist photos in front of the main gate and the Broken Chair (the missing leg of the chair represents a symbol for landmine disarmament). I then headed for the Palais de Nations for the guided tour. Remember to bring you passport with you and leave time to pass through the security checkpoint with x-ray machine. The tour costs CHF 12 for one hour and is worth every penny. Our guide, Natalia was extremely knowledgeable, providing the historical background on the UN and each of the main rooms within the building. The website says tours are in English or French but they offer several languages and I heard Spanish and Italian tours while I was there.
The building itself has a beautiful art deco exterior, built in 1936, originally for the League of Nations. While the interior has several different looks to it. The hallways house an impressive gallery of artwork donated from around the world.
The Assembly Hall is the largest room in the building, capable to seating 2,000 people with simultaneous interpretation capability in the UN’s six official languages (English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Russian). UN interpreters need to be fluent in at least two foreign languages.
The Salle des Pas Perdus (“Hall of Lost Steps”) is just outside the Assembly Hall. It’s the grand hallway connecting the two sides of the building with beautiful, marbled art deco floors and columns.
We concluded the tour in the Council Chamber, also known as the Spanish Room because of the artwork of Catalan artist, José María Sert, a gift from the Spanish Government in 1936. This impressive room features murals on three walls and the ceiling. They depict Man’s struggles throughout history with the culmination of peace on the ceiling. Five giants, representing the world’s five continents, come together with hands meeting in the centre of the depiction.
The United Nations tour was one of my favourite parts of my trip. A beautiful building filled with history and providing a look into how the world comes together to negotiate peace.
LIN NYUNT 