GA/10/2
16 November 2010
Association of Former International Civil Servants for Development
General Assembly, World Council of Churches, Geneva
Thursday, 9 December 2010, 10.30 am – Room IV
Report by the Executive Committee
December 2009-November 2010
1. 2010 has been Greycells’ third year of activity.
2. At the time of drafting this report, the number of members of the Association who have paid their subscription fees for 2010 (33) is somewhat fewer than at the end of 2009 (43).
3. According to the Statutes, the Executive Committee is elected by the General Assembly for two years (Art. 10). An Executive Committee of 15 members was therefore elected at the ordinary General Assembly, held on 2 December 2008. In 2010, with the departure of two incumbents, the Executive Committee operated with the following 13 members:
- Fermin Alcoba (ex-WTO)
- Jamshid Anvar (ex-UNHCR/UN)
- Catherine Bertrand (ex-UNHCR)
- Alberto Campeas (ex-WTO)
- Marjory Dam (ex-WHO)
- Jean Erhardt (ex-City of Geneva)
- Neel Mani (ex-WHO)
- Jean-
- Christina Schröder (ex-WTO)
4. Since last December, the Executive Committee has held 17 meetings. The records for those meetings, as well as any other documents mentioned in this report, are available to members and may be consulted upon request.
5. As reported to the 2009 General Assembly changes took place in the composition of the Executive Committee due to the fact that some officers did not wish to continue in their functions. Fermin Alcoba and Marjory Dam were stepping down as President and Vice President respectively. As of December 2009 the Executive was composed of the following officers:
- René Kirszbaum, President
- Alberto Campeas, Vice-president
- Neel Mani, Vice-president
- Jean
6. Greycells has continued to operate from its office at the World Council of Churches. The Executive Committee pursued its outreach efforts through direct contacts, written follow-up and by making presentations to various organisations, institutions and permanent missions and more specifically with the LDCs. The flyer which had been produced in English explaining the aims, structure and activities of Greycells is now also available in French. The website (www.greycells.ch) has now been developed on a new platform and is maintained by Greycells itself at no extra cost.
7. The coverage of the member database combined with a search engine has been extended. However, as yet it is far from including all members.
8. The activities carried out by Greycells in 2010 include some initiated earlier as well as new ones. They are summarized below:
9. Université Ouvrière de Genève: Greycells organized a programme of presentations of international organisations, starting with the ILO, the WHO and WTO. The emphasis of these lectures was to bring to light the relevance of the work of these organisations in relation to common concerns of civil society.
10. Cooperation with the Permanent mission of the Central African Republic (RCA), initiated in 2008, was pursued. Following a formal request for training in international relations and international organizations for RCA diplomats and other civil servants, Greycells prepared a programme for a two week course and wrote a corresponding project document, which was submitted to financing sources; however so far without success. Greycells is now helping the RCA mission to manage its documentation, and coaching of its staff is also envisaged.
11. “Les Murs”: Greycells has cooperated in several ways with this project, conceived and implemented by the Earth Focus Foundation and the Geneva Département de l’Instruction Publique, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. The photo exhibition of different walls in the world was presented, and Greycells together with another NGO, “Graines de Paix”, guided more than 700 secondary school pupils through it, exchanging views on their impact and impressing upon them principles and values such as respect of others, tolerance, non-discrimination as well as sensitizing them on current political issues and prevailing prejudices. Greycells also contributed to the training of the guides and the drafting of the documentation prepared for the teachers and pupils.
12. Computers for girl’s school in Kerala, India. The 109 computers and peripherals obtained by Greycells from the UNHCR were delivered and installed at the Perintalmanna secondary girl’s school and are now used by its pupils.
13. Following a request from the Herzen State University, St. Petersburg, Russia, Greycells prepared and submitted a proposal for a 3-day seminar on international organizations/international relations, intended for 40 participants (students and teaching staff). This project seems to be on hold.
14. Greycells has continued to carry out various translations for other bodies. Most of this work consists in translation and editing into English. The beneficiaries were CAGI (Centre Accueil Genève Internationale), Mandat International, the Friends of the OSR (Orchestre de la Suisse Romande), Green Map (a census of sustainable development initiatives). These Greycells contributions provide a highly appreciated added value at the receiving end.
15. Visit of a delegation from the Beijing Federation of Social Science Circles. Through Genève Tourisme, Greycells received five leaders of this Federation and in response to their request delivered a presentation on:
- International organisations in Geneva;
- Research work in social sciences in international organizations;
- Development consulting services offered by international organizations.
The visitors were happy with the presentation and expressed the wish for further cooperation between the Federation and Greycells.
16. The Abarka Gambia-Suisse is an NGO concerned with the rural, human, sustainable development of the village of Bajon Koto in Gambia. This village of 1500 inhabitants has little access to water, no electricity, no sanitation system and rudimentary agricultural tools. Greycells helps finding the financing for this project.
17. The University of Granada, Spain intends to propose to its students a Masters curriculum on international relations, and has approached Greycells requesting a contribution in terms of lecturers. Greycells responded positively. Because of time constraints, the course is now planned for 2011.
18. Greycells representatives participated in the 8ème rassemblement pour les droits humains organized by CAGI, the Global Youth Conference on climate change and sustainable development organized by the Earth Focus Foundation, and in the Salon des Métiers de l’Humanitaire, organized by the Cité de la Solidarité Internationale in Annemasse.
19. The Executive Committee considers that Greycells’ prospects are good. Thanks to its contacts and activities Greycells has acquired credibility and is considered as a resource in terms of experience and expertise. Future work should give priority to direct assistance to LDCs’ permanent missions as well as sensitizing educational institutions, NGOs and civil society at large on issues and problems worked on by international organizations. These prospects make the greater involvement of Greycells members all the more desirable. In order to have the means of bringing these activities to fruition, we appeal to members: a) to canvass among their colleagues and friends to join the Association, and b) to join the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee
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