IAEA Staff Journal ISSUE 250lists.iaea.org/.../20141110/cf1c789c/attachment-0001.pdf4 – Issue 250,...

IAEA Staff Journal ISSUE 250October 2014

CONTENTSIAEA Staff Journal

ISSUE 250October 2014

You will have gathered from the latest issue that ECHO has to reduce costs to enable it to continue as a publication. In order to achieve this aim, the new ECHO Editorial Committee intends to deliver ECHO to IAEA staff and retirees by two means:

Electronic copy in PDF format via subscription to: [email protected]

OR

A limited number of hard copies available for pick-up at the Staff Council offi ce (A0425)

We hope that the majority of our readers will opt for the electronic version. To secure your copy of ECHO, simply send an email with “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line [email protected]

Editorial Committee:

Lydia Baben Susan Cohen-UngerAndrea Eschner David Floyd Jane Goericke Arno WeldertImed Zabaar

Design and layout by Anna Schlosman

We look forward to hearing from you at [email protected]

Disclaimer:Opinions expressed in signed articles are not necessarily shared by the Editorial Committee.

IAEA Staff Association News2 FICSA Report on the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC):

Review of the Compensation Package

5 Role of Staff Representatives

6 Know Your Rights

7 IAEA Souvenirs Spotlight: Collectors Medals

VIC Clubs8 A Question of Mind over Matter

9 VIC Health Club: Taiji, Qigong and Relaxation Classes

10 IAEA Ski Club Season 2014/2015

11 IAEA Department of Management (MT) Volleyball Tournament

Your Voice12 Harassment in the Workplace

14 The Art of Retirement

Health and Safety16 EBOLA: FAQs for UN Personnel

18 Stretches

Stories and Articles20 Interview with Stefan Wögerer, General Manager, VIC Eurest

22 Living History

Inside the IAEA 24 Knowledge Management: Managing our Legacy

28 Celebrating 35 Years of the Vienna International Centre

30 Meet the New Special Assistant to the DG for Management, Tomiko Ichikawa

32 Sourcing Strategy Roadshow

What's Happening in Vienna34 Vienna's English Theatre Season 2014/2015

35 Open House Theatre Company: Vienna's New English-Speaking Theatre

36 Welt Museum Wien: "Es geht um Menschen"

In Memoriam38 Carlos Büchler

2 – Issue 250, October 2014 – Issue 250, October 2014 3

IAEA Staff Association News

1 Differentiated rate of pay (S and D)

The ICSC’s direction is to adopt one rate of pay for dependents and single staff members. A new scale would be developed during the next Working Group meeting. The ICSC’s rationale for moving to a single scale instead of the current scale was to follow the principle of equal pay for equal work and to establish a fl at-rate spouse allowance to replace the difference in the current scale between single and dependents. The ICSC confi rmed that the principle of acquired rights would be respected. FICSA will propose by the time of the next working group meeting a scale that would not erode salaries. The basis for the proposal would be to start from the dependents rate and adjust accordingly.

2 Education grant

Some members of the Commission wanted to follow the comparator with a 100 per cent reimbursement from K-12 and to discontinue the reimbursement of tertiary (University) education. This issue was returned to the Working Group for further analysis based on:

FICSA REPORT ONTHE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION (ICSC)

Review of the Compensation Package

(a) The fact that the education grant was an essential element of the compensation package and an important tool to attract and retain a globally mobile workforce. The purpose of the grant was to assist expatriate staff in covering additional expenses relating to the education of their children while serving at a duty station away from their home country, thus an expatriate benefi t.

(b) Continuing the review of the grant scheme and agreeing on the following directives:

(i) The scheme should continue to be based on the cost-sharing principle between the organization and the staff member;

(ii) The level of grant would no longer be based on claim data but rather be determined through alternative means so as to prevent the admissible expense maxima from being driven by a few excessively large claim amounts;

(iii) For the primary/secondary level education, the option of establishing ceilings for maximum

admissible expenses in reference to educational institutions at the place of duty of the staff member should be explored. However, different arrangements might be applied where there were no adequate educational institutions available within commuting distance or where frequent/urgent needs for the staff member to relocate would disrupt the education of the child;

(iv) For the tertiary level, options should be developed based on a detailed analysis of the overall cost of the scheme and its assessment in reference to that of the comparator; the option of a global lump sum, using a ceiling approach, should also be explored;

(v) The admissible expenses should be revised for further consideration to include tuition only or tuition and enrolment-related fees with the option of providing a lump-sum reimbursement based on actual tuition fee data; and

(vi) The reimbursement of non-refundable capital assessment fees would be administered by the organizations outside the education grant scheme.

(c) The following proposals should also be developed further:

(i) New zones;

(ii) A sliding reimbursement scale or a lump-sum of the grant at both the primary/secondary and tertiary levels;

(iii) The concept of adequate representative schools and tuition fees which would be a basis for setting the ceiling; and

(iv) The conditions under which boarding expenses and the cost of education travel would be considered acceptable in the grant scheme.

FICSA would come up with a proposal for the next working group meeting which will protect the education grant in its current value while reducing administration costs and the time in processing applications. It is worth noting that the time and paper work in processing each application is cumbersome and the cost is estimated at $US 500.

3 Dependent children’s allowance, secondary dependent’s allowance and leave

3.1 Dependent children’s allowance

The Commission decided to discontinue the practice of substituting the fi rst child for the spouse. However, if the staff member is a single parent the allowance for the fi rst

child would be higher than the standard child allowance. The level of the new allowance was yet to be set. The staff federations would support an allowance that is equal to the spouse allowance, but the ICSC Secretariat has not yet made proposals in this regard.

3.2 Secondary dependent's allowance

The views of the commissioners in the Working Group earlier to this ICSC session were to discontinue the allowance. However, the draft Commission report of the session stated that the allowance should be maintained at its current level. The decision of the Commission was therefore to maintain the allowance.

3.3 Annual leave

No change. However, in order to reduce costs, the ICSC encouraged organizations to ensure that staff use their leave days and not accumulate them to the permitted 60-days level.

4 Location and relocation related elements of the compensation system

4.1 Hardship allowance

The current system would be maintained. The Commission requested the working Group to study if the additional hardship allowance could be included as a category of the hardship allowance classifi cation.

4.2 Additional hardship allowance

The Commission was in favour of streamlining this allowance within the normal hardship classifi cation system. The Working Group would study the issue further. The Commission was in favour of adopting an equal allowance for single staff (currently at 37.5% of the level for dependant) based on the principle that all staff face equal hardship. The allowance would be based on the rate currently provided to dependent staff.

4.2 Mobility allowance

Discussions varied from discontinuing the allowance to reducing it considerably. However based on interventions by the staff and organizations, supported by several Commissioners, it was recommended to establish an annual fl at amount for each geographical reassignment based on the degree of hardship for a maximum of 5 years without talking into account the family status, grade or history of past moves. H duty stations would be completely excluded from the mobility allowance. The upcoming Working Group would explore streamlining and

The International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) held its 79th session at the International Fund

for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 21 July to 1 August 2014.

The Federation of International Civil Servants' Associations (FICSA) was represented by Diab El-

Tabari, President, and Brett Fitzgerald, General Secretary, during the full session. Matthew Montavon,

Member of the Executive Committee, and several local staff representatives also assisted at various

times.

21 July to 1 August 2014, IFAD Rome



integrating the mobility allowance and the assignment grant into one system.

4.3 Other benefi ts in the fi eld under the mobility and hardship scheme

(a) Additional freight entitlement

The Commission recommended discontinuing the 50kg additional freight entitlement for home leave.

(b) Additional education grant, travel and additional reimbursement of school boarding costs

The Commission decided to study this allowance within the education grant revision during the forthcoming Working Group.

4.4 Additional reimbursement of the cost of basic medical examinations

The Commission wanted to discontinue the reimbursement of the cost of basic medical examination of the family of the staff member as it could be covered by the family’s insurance scheme. FICSA was not in agreement with this as this would lead to a rise in the insurance premium. Data was requested from the ICSC Secretariat on the costs involved and whether these examinations were mandatory or not. The issue would be address in the next meeting of the Working Group.

5 Assignment and DSA portion for initial cost of assignment or reassignment

The Commission requested the Working Group to look further into integrating the DSA portion of the assignment and reassignment grant into the mobility allowance. FICSA will be participating in the Working Group and will ensure that any change would not reduce or discontinue any entitlement.

6 Shipment/removal related payments

The Commission considered the discontinuation of the additional one-month salary currently being paid at the beginning of the third year in the fi eld duty station when staff opt for non-removal of house hold goods. FICSA requested further data on the cost involved and requested details on the rationale as to how this one month salary came about before the Commission should agree to terminate it. The Commission also requested the ICSC Secretariat to group the non-removal allowance under relocation related payments instead of the mobility and hardship scheme as well as conduct further studies in order to simplify and streamline all shipment/removal

related elements and present suitable options to its Working Group for further deliberation.

FICSA will participate in the Working Group and will monitor the situation to ensure that entitlements are maintained at an appropriate level to meet staff needs.

7 Rest and recuperation and acclimated home leave

Discussions focused on time actually spent in the duty station carrying out the work. At no point were there doubts as to its importance to the health of the staff member or on the interest of the operation. It was simply a discussion to try to streamline the potential overlap in leave benefi ts coming out of a mistaken perception that staff in these situations spent little time at duty station. The recommendation was for the working group to fi nd ways of either combining R&R with the accelerated home leave or terminating the accelerated home leave. The fi nal recommendation was left pending and the Working Group would study the issue again in its forthcoming meeting.

8 Basic fl oor salary scale and review of staff assessment rates used in conjunction with gross salaries

FICSA noted the interest of the Commission in returning the margin to the desired 115 per cent ratio vis-a-vis the comparator and supported a long-term perspective that would allow minor increases on the path to reaching it. However, the Commission recommended the option of continuing the freeze on the base salary to achieve quicker results.

9 Post adjustment matters

The Commission decided that all headquarters duty stations should be reviewed only once a year i.e. on the anniversary date of the post adjustment classifi cation review for New York. Also the Commission deferred the question of the continued use of the 5 per cent rule for group I duty stations, for consideration by the Advisory Committee on Post Adjustment Questions (ACPAQ) in the context of its review of the operational rules governing the post adjustment system, at its next session. FICSA supported the fi rst recommendation and would continue to advocate for maintaining the 5 per cent ceiling or even setting it lower. The issue will be brought up at the next ACPAQ session.

10 ACPAQ report

The Report of ACPAQ was supported by FICSA and the Commission recommended no changes.

A staff representative body would ideally be composed of individuals who, together perform the following tasks described below:

Tasks:

1. Deal sympathetically and objectively with all matters of concern to staff members: work-related issues; working conditions; working environment;

2. Negotiate with management (Administration);

3. Conciliate/mediate between staff members and between staff members and their superiors;

4. Confl ict resolution;

5. Advocate for and support improved staff rights;

6. Supervise staff association budget;

7. Plan and undertake fundraising activities;

8. Organize social functions;

9. Represent staff interests;

10. Continuously scan the political and economic environment and identify changes that could threaten and/or affect the working environment of staff; and

11. Keep up-to-date with technical information as provided by the Federation of International Civil Servants' Associations (FICSA) and other relevant bodies such as the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the High Level Committee on Management (HLCM), the Chief Executives Board (CEB), etc.

ROLE OF THE STAFF REPRESENTATIVE IN THE DIVISIONAL/DEPARTMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS PROCEDURES (AM. II/3, VI)

The staff representatives’ role is to monitor the fairness, consistency and transparency of the process. They may also represent the interests of a staff member if requested to do so by the staff member. The staff representative and alternate must both be given access

STAFF REPRESENTATIVES

to the reports and to the relevant nominations/justifi cations. Both must participate in the review thereof, in order to ensure that all Performance Review System (PRS) and related procedures have been correctly followed, that staff members are being fairly treated — both individually and with respect to their colleagues — in accordance with the procedures for the PRS and relevant Staff Regulations and Rules and that the concerns of staff members are duly addressed. This is particularly important in cases where staff members are reported as being poor performers.

http://adminonline.iaea.org/AdminManual/documents/amp2s3n6.pdf

The Staff Representatives’ and Alternates’ role is neither to provide feedback on any staff member’s performance, nor to comment on and/or assist in the selection of nominations for merit awards/promotions, but rather to ensure that the procedures have been followed correctly and all procedurally required documentation has been provided and that the assessment of and feedback on the staff member’s performance by the Supervisor are fair, objective, constructive and consistent.

ROLE OF THE STAFF REPRESENTATIVE IN THE RESOLUTION PROCESS PROCEDURES (AM. II/3, VIII)

A formal resolution process should be the exceptional remedy for disagreements about performance appraisals. Parties to a disagreement may seek the advice and guidance of MTHR and/or the Staff Council, which may help to resolve disagreements informally at an early stage.

Both the supervisor and the staff member, each with the agreement of the other, may request the presence of an appropriate third party (such as a staff representative, a representative from MTHR, an independent mediator, the Staff Counsellor or a trusted colleague) to represent her/his interests during the preliminary attempts to fi nd a solution.


In accordance with Article 2 of the Statutes of the Staff Association (AM.II/14, I), the purposes of the Staff Association are to:

(a) Promote working conditions for the staff which are in conformity with the principles of the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Statute of the Agency, and the Staff Regulations and Rules, and which furthermore permit the most effi cient discharge by the staff of the duties assigned to it;

(b) Safeguard the rights and promote the interests of all members of the Agency staff, and in particular to seek to ensure that the staff shall be treated in the manner laid out in the ICSC’s “Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Servant”; and

(c) Inform the Director General and the governing bodies of the Agency of the views and wishes of the staff on all questions of concern to it.


OFROLE



As part of a regular feature in future ECHO editions, certain souvenir items, special offers or new arrivals will be highlighted. The focus this time is on that “special gift” Exclusive Gold, Silver and Bronze medals designed and produced by the Austrian Mint. In 2013, the Austrian Mint designed an exclusive IAEA Gold Plated collectors Medal with the IAEA logo on one side and the VIC on the reverse. Only 100 were produced, and the item proved popular for collectors and those wanting that “special gift”. In 2014 The Austrian Mint again produced a new 2nd Edition Gold medal, this time with typical scenes from Vienna on the rear, as well as limited quantities of the 1st edition medal in Bronze and Silver plated. There are now limited quantities of the 1st edition and the 2nd edition is proving popular also.

The Medals are available in either a Red or Blue velvet box, or black presentation case.

Discount for Dues Paying Members: 10% discount (on purchases over € 50.00) This discount is applicable to the card holder only and the card will need to be produced to the sales personnel. (Not applicable to items on Special offer). A bargain basket has been introduced where selected items will be offered at below regular sales price.

The IAEA Staff Association Souvenir Shop operates on a self-sustaining basis. Proceeds from the sale of souvenir items are used to replenish stocks and further expand the choice of items available, as well as cover personnel costs.

IAEA SOUVENIRS

Collectors MedalsSpotlight: KNOW

RULES GOVERNING COMPENSATION IN THE EVENT OF DEATH, INJURY OR ILLNESS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE PERFORMANCE OF OFFICIAL DUTIES (AM.II/1, D)

ARTICLE 3[...] Leave taken in connection with injury or illness attributable to the performance of offi cial duties shall not be deducted from sick leave entitlements.

ARTICLE 5In the event of illness or injury attributable to the performance of offi cial duties, an offi cial shall be entitled to compensation as prescribed in these rules. In the event of the offi cial's death in consequence of such illness or injury, his/her surviving spouse, child or secondary dependant shall be entitled to compensation as prescribed in these rules. No benefi t or compensation shall be payable in respect of illness, injury or death resulting from serious and willful misconduct or negligence on the part of the offi cial concerned.

ARTICLE 6Without restricting the generality of Article 5, illness, injury or death shall be deemed to be attributable to the performance of offi cial duties in the following circumstances:

(a) Resulting from any accident at the offi cial's place of work, if his/her presence there was connected with the performance of his/her duties;

(b) Resulting from an accident sustained while an offi cial is on his/her way to or from work and on the uninterrupted direct route between his/her work, and:

(i) a place where he/she habitually resides; or (ii) his/her accommodation when he/she is on duty travel status

or on assignment by the Agency; or (iii) a place where he/she usually takes his/her meals.(c) Resulting directly from special hazards of his/her functions or

place of work, or from the presence of the offi cial in accordance with an assignment by the Agency in an area involving special hazards to the offi cial's health or security, and occurring as a result of such hazards;

(d) Resulting directly from the offi cial's authorized travel in connection with the performance of offi cial duties by a means of transport provided by or at the expense of the Agency or in pursuance of arrangements with the Agency, other than travel by private means of transport which is not authorized or is authorized at the request of and solely for the convenience of the offi cial.

http://adminonline.iaea.org/AdminManual/documents/amp2s1pD.pdf

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR THE REHABILITATION OF A DEPENDENT DISABLED CHILD (AM. II/1, C(2) )

Reasonable expenses for special equipment for the rehabilitation of a dependent disabled child may be reimbursed up to a maximum of US $1 000 per year, provided they are not reimbursable in accordance with Staff Rule 5.04.2, or under the staff member’s health insurance scheme, or from another source.

http://adminonline.iaea.org/AdminManual/documents/amp2s1pC(2).pdf

PERFORMANCE REVIEW REPORT PROCEDURES (AM. II/3, V)The PRR process provides for a discussion between supervisor and staff member. Nevertheless, supervisors are reminded that the PRR is not designed to replace their ongoing human resource management duties. Feedback should occur regularly throughout the year and should focus on what the staff member has done well, and on his/her strengths, skills and weaknesses; where diffi culties exist, the feedback should be constructive and help the staff member and supervisor correct the situation.The performance review should be a constructive and transparent process. This means that there should be no hidden assessments and no surprises for the staff member.


RESOLUTION PROCESS PROCEDURES (AM. II/3, VIII) Where a staff member considers that there has been a lack of fairness and/or objectivity in supervisors’ assessments, she/he may request that a resolution process be launched.


PREVENTION AND RESOLUTION OF HARASSMENT RELATED GRIEVANCES AND APPOINTMENT OF MEDIATORS (AM. II/17, E)

Every staff member has the right to invoke the procedures provided for in this policy without fear of intimidation, discrimination or unfavourable treatment. Any retaliation or adverse action or threat of these against a staff member who reports harassment or who assists in the investigation of such a report may constitute misconduct. However, deliberately false allegations of harassment may also constitute misconduct.

http://adminonline.iaea.org/AdminManual/documents/amp2s17pE.pdf

APPEALS (AM.II/1)

(1) A staff member who, under the terms of Staff Regulation 12.01 wishes to appeal against an administrative decision, shall, as a fi rst step, address a letter to the Director General, requesting that the administrative decision be reviewed or reconsidered by him/her. Such letter must be sent within two months from the time the staff member received notifi cation of the decision in writing.

(2) If the staff member wishes to appeal against the answer received from the Director General he/she shall submit his/her appeal in writing to the Secretary of the Joint Appeals Board within one month from the date of receipt of the answer. If no answer has been received from the Director General within one month of the date the letter under subparagraph (1) above was sent to him/her, the staff member shall, within the following month, submit his/her appeal in writing to the Secretary of the Joint Appeals Board.

http://adminonline.iaea.org/AdminManual/documents/amp2s1.pdf#amPage80

YOURRIGHTS


VIC Clubs

Taiji and qigong improve your health and fl exibility in addition to ensuring you freedom of movement and mind. Taiji and qigong are both medicinal and practical in their effects. Whether you are seeking an exercise regimen, a way to better health or simply a means of relaxing, these centuries-old traditional sets of movements fi t the bill.

Feel the fl ow of internal energy (chi) within your body and learn to move with consummate ease. As a low-impact form of exercise, taiji and qigong know no rush; their benefi ts, however, are soon felt. It is very much a question of mind over matter.

The VIC Health Club has been offering classes in taiji, qigong and relaxation techniques for many years; some students are so enthusiastic that they have learned a number of “forms” and continue to practice them every week. Benefi ts they have felt include: increased energy and coordination, improved balance, fl exibility and concentration. There is no need to be fi t to enjoy taiji and qigong and you can “come as you are”, simply put down your bags and take off your shoes. These sets of exercises can be learned at any age and practiced until well after your 100th birthday.

Classes for beginners will start on 13 October 2014 and the schedule is laid out on the opposite page.

A QUESTION OF MIND OVER MATTER

If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]

by Evelyn Hesp (with thanks to Peter Lillie)VIC Health Club Secretary

Photo: Paul Hesp

VIC Health Club

Oh, and it´s fun!

Classes START: 13 October 2014

Mondays: Location F0910

13-14 Qigong for supple joints — beginners Improves your fl exibility in addition to ensuring you freedom of movement and mind.

Tuesdays: Location F 0910

13-14 Taiji for beginners A gentle energy booster.

Thursdays: Location F0910

13-14 Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) This simple technique was developed by Edmund Jacobsen MD, PhD in the 1930s. Deep muscle relaxation releases physical tension resulting from stress – physical relaxation

brings mental calm. No memorizing, no exercise, just lie down (bring mat, cushion and blanket), close your eyes and follow the instructions of the coach.

Advanced Taiji and Qigong classes will continue to take place as in previous semesters.

NEWCOMERS MAY ATTEND A TRIAL LESSON FREE OF CHARGEFor more information please contact E.Hesp ([email protected]) or E.Moedlhammer ([email protected]). The annual VIC Health Club membership fee is € 5. The course fee is payable directly to the teacher.

THIS IS A CIRCULAR FROM A RECOGNIZED CLUB

JOIN OUR NEW TAIJI, QIGONG AND RELAXATION CLASSES

10 – Issue 250, October 2014

VIC Clubs

– Issue 250, October 2014 11

Staff played to their strengths: speed, agility, talent, height…

Traditions have to start somewhere, and two years ago MTBF took the initiative to start an annual MT Beach Volleyball tournament. Handing the torch over to MTPS this year it looked as if any outdoor activity would be washed out by poor weather. However sun and blue skies were successfully procured and players and spectators brought great spirits and lots of fan support to the 3rd annual MT Beach Volleyball tournament. Staff from all athletic backgrounds (cri cket, football, golf, swimming, curling, basketball and yes, some volleyball) took to the sand, committed to putting in a good effort and having fun along the way. Teams from MTBF, AIPS, MTIT, MTGS and MTPS participated in a lively round of matches. The fi nal standings were MTPS (1st), MTGS (2nd and 3rd), MTIT (4th), AIPS (5th), and MTBF (6th).All players proudly represented their divisions and offi ces, as well as the IAEA as a whole.

by Carolyn LETTNER

Team MTPS – Hosts and champions of the 2014 MT beach volleyball tournament

Team AIPS – Spirited, Radioactive Green competitors, found at least one female in their ranks to support the team

MTPS coordinators Leendert Colijn and Carolyn Lettner, supported by their scorekeepers and timekeeper, managed a tight schedule


YOUR Voice

Once upon a time, several decades ago, an unmarried couple were caught in fl agrante in a UN offi ce after working hours by a randomly patrolling security guard, who found them — a Section Head and his secretary — copulating on the desk. The incident was reported to senior management and had consequences. He was disqualifi ed from ever being promoted to Director; she was fi red with no possibility for appeal. I heard of the case years later — after harassment had become a hot topic — and pondered on its vast potential for critical analysis.

Before going any further, let us defi ne harassment. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, harassment is “aggressive pressure or intimidation” and some synonyms are “persecution, pestering, intimidation, annoyance, aggravation, coercion, molestation and (informal) hassle.”

Wikipedia has a more elaborate defi nition: “Harassment covers a wide range of behaviour of an offensive nature. It is intended to disturb or upset, and it is characteristically repetitive. It is found threatening or disturbing. Sexual harassment refers to persistent and unwanted sexual advances, typically in the workplace, where the consequences of refusing are potentially very disadvantageous to the victim.”

Back to the ill-fated amoureux de bureau, several questions occur to me. Was coercion involved? Had the boss abused his position of power, tempting the secretary with promises of advancement and threatening her with demotion if she didn’t submit to his advances? If so, she was the victim of harassment by her boss. Or had the secretary been stalking the boss, intimidating him with fake calls to his wife? Then, he was the victim. Perhaps it was simply a fl irt that had gotten out of control or even entirely consensual mutual passion, unluckily timed and unwisely located. Did the guard report them as a security risk or simply as having indulged in unseemly behaviour? Did the blatant discrimination in the punishments they incurred constitute harassment by management or should we just call it gross unfairness? Maybe somebody in a high place put in a word for him but not for her.

Harassment covers a multitude of sins — it might be unintentional offence attributable to cultural differences; unsolicited advances (which can be subtle, sleazy and embarrassing); or downright abuse such as nasty offi ce intrigues directed against those who can’t easily defend themselves, or even physical violence. Harassment can be sexual, racial, professional or a combination of these. Perpetrators and victims can be individuals or groups. Often, there are no witnesses.

The fact that there are rarely witnesses to harassment incidents means that when complaints are being dealt with, it will probably be one person’s word against another’s — a contest of credibility. How can personal integrity (of the alleged perpetrator, the alleged victim and also of the adjudicators) be fairly assessed and by whom?

Individual mind-sets, cultural bias and offi ce politics will — consciously or unconsciously — infl uence all parties involved. It sure is a messy state of affairs!

A female colleague told me about a baffl ing incident that happened when she was on a ladder stowing books on a high shelf in her offi ce. She was wearing rather sexy slacks. A guy she didn’t know walked past, then doubled back, leered at her and said, “Some suit pants better than others.” She wasn’t sure whether it was a compliment or an insult but she felt uncomfortable and was troubled by the remark — by both the words and the accessory body language — for a long time.

Another colleague told me about a strange occurrence involving a young woman in his offi ce. He, as her Section Head, invited her — a new secretary — to have coffee with him on her fi rst day of work. She replied furiously, “Yes, but I’m not going to sleep with you.” He pointed out that the invitation was only for a coffee — nothing else. She retorted, “Yes, but you really want me to sleep with you.” She then reported him to HR, claiming sexual harassment.

What had really happened? Both were rather conventional, prim types — she a conservative Austrian; he a middle-aged, God-fearing US American — so probably there was no cultural misunderstanding in this context. Did she fi nd that his voice or his manner suggested improper intentions? Was his invitation badly timed? Had she been harassed before and become paranoid or was she usually

so hysterical? I ask myself who was being harassed here, if anyone. The investigation following her report indicates the Agency’s (and my) take on the case — her short-term contract was not extended.

Personally, I fi nd sexual harassment much easier to counter than racial or professional harassment. Make the harasser look ridiculous! Especially if it’s something between teasing and pestering — borderline harassment — a good idea might be to have some devastating sarcasm ready and, of course, if the ‘humorous’ behaviour degenerates and becomes offensive, to report the perpetrator to OIOS, who will investigate the matter.

I have heard many accounts of obvious professional harassment involving discriminatory treatment such as unfairly allocating the workload, ignoring achievement that would deserve recognition, spreading damaging rumours and gossip, behaving contemptuously towards colleagues — all of which leave the victims feeling demoralized, frustrated and helpless.

I know one such case well and present it to you in the victim’s own words:

As a young professional in a very technical and male-dominated section, I had been struggling with acceptance issues since joining the Agency as an intern. I was given substantive tasks that were related to both my professional and my educational background so I worked on these fully confi dent of being capable of conducting my assigned duties, which was also testifi ed by many in-house colleagues and external counterparts. Only my male colleagues in the section didn’t take my work seriously. I attributed that to my youth and the fact that I didn’t have a science degree (not a prerequisite for my tasks). A new manager was appointed and I thought this would be my chance to prove my value. What I didn’t expect was that his opinion of me was tainted with slander — false gossip of which I wasn’t aware. When I introduced my work to him during our fi rst face-to-face meeting, he didn’t listen to me and asked me why I had been given a contract when I wasn’t a technical person and didn’t fi t in the Section. I was told that rumours were going around

that I had been employed because of the sexual favours I’d granted the previous manager. I was utterly astonished because there was no basis for such an assumption. My new manager refused to listen to me, reassigned my tasks to another colleague with the justifi cation that I was young and needed help. He used every possible occasion to humiliate me and speak badly of my work in public. Colleagues from a different Section with whom I had to coordinate closely and who were aware of the quality of my work were baffl ed and tried to defend me. As a result, my new manager suspended cooperation with them. One year later, I left the Agency with a shattered dream and with the feeling I had done my best but in return had been ridiculed and despised. I am still working within the UN system but don’t ever want to work for the Agency again. Why? Mainly because when I sought the guidance of senior staff, I was advised not to make a big deal out of it as I was in the losing position anyway — a dispute with a P5 would never end in my favour.

I can offer my own observations. When working with this consultant under her earlier manager, I was impressed by her competence, motivation and intelligence. She was kind, helpful and hard working — an excellent team player. I was shocked to learn that she had been the butt of such disrespectful, false treatment. I fi nd it a disgrace that the new manager is still there and she had to go — a loss to the Agency! Since this case was never offi cially investigated, we could protest that we have heard only one side of the story. That’s often how it is and we don’t know whom to believe. However, knowing both people involved, I fi nd her account credible.

How can we preempt such nightmares? If you feel you’re being harassed at work but don’t feel you can make a formal report yet, help is available. You don’t have to try and cope alone and you have a choice of possibilities for recourse. You should contact your own Staff Representative, the Departmental Offi cer or the President of the Staff Council. Also, you can see the Agency’s staff psychologist, Patience Gebauer (ext 26065, [email protected]), or talk to Dr. Binta Ahmed at the VIC medical centre (ext 22224, [email protected]). You can talk to SOS Colleagues — a group of volunteers who are trained to assist other staff members with personal and professional problems (see OASIS/staff resources/welfare/SOS colleagues).

Whenever I mention examples of harassment to colleagues, they immediately cite similar experiences — so it seems to be a common problem. Harassment can be subtle or blatant, unintentional or deliberate, and it has a multitude of manifestations. Just as offence can be taken when it is not intended, outrage can be committed under the guise of following the rules. Why can’t people be kind and respectful to their colleagues and treat each other with dignity and generosity? Why do they have to be cowardly and vicious? Many of us feel strongly about this topic. ECHO welcomes your ideas on how to deal with harassment. Please feel free to write to us at [email protected].

by Susan Cohen-Unger

IN THE WORKPLACEThere is nothing either good or bad,

but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare

HARASSMENT

Compliment or insult?

Ridicule the harasser!


YOUR Voice

One of the pivotal moments in your life is when you decide to cease working full time for an organization or in your own business and to fi nally be able to do those things that were never possible in the past. While there are so many possibilities in this new phase in your life, there are just as many pitfalls that you should be aware of. Here is my very personal and subjective experience that I would like to pass on to the readers of ECHO.

When? There are infi nite factors to be taken into consideration about when you should take the big step. Here are a few for your consideration:

My partner. There are potentially severe pitfalls when you are living with a partner and one retires some years before the other. This may well be unavoidable if there is a signifi cant age difference. However, where the age difference is between one and fi ve years, tension and jealousy may occur when one has to work for another fi ve years while the other is, for instance, playing golf every day. There needs to be an open discussion and full consensus before a decision is taken.

My UNJSPF Pension Benefi ts. A talk with MTHR and with Geneva to clarify the fi nancial implications of early retirement or commuting part of your benefi ts is an absolute MUST.

My health. Having worked perhaps for 40 years, you may fi nd that job-related stress has created physical/mental disorders, such as slipped discs (from sitting too long in front of a computer) or severe headaches or burn-out syndrome. Retirement means having more time to work on your body and mind which, in the long run, may be far more benefi cial than working an additional three or fours years for slightly better pension benefi ts.

What now? If you have placed your career at the top of your list of priorities during your entire professional life, then retirement may mean falling into the infamous black hole. Your family, health and hobbies may have suffered

because you were simply too busy to take enough time for what some people call the important things in life. I have a friend who is 62 years old and is horrifi ed by the thought of retirement. "I want to work until my last breath," he recently confi ded in me. He has absolutely no idea what he will do when he retires.

So you do need to form a plan. In my case, I asked myself what I planned to do when I left the Agency. I really had to think about it until I came up with three clear visions:

1. After 20 years of severe back pains, I wanted to get back in good shape, both physically and spiritually;

2. For many years, there had been a book inside me that needed writing;

3. I fi nally wanted to dedicate more time to supporting my wife in her photo studio.

I have been able to realize these visions and also nurture some of my much neglected hobbies. I personally have no regrets about early UN retirement.

THE ART OF RETIREMENT

Can I afford to retire? I actually seriously considered this after retiring. I strongly recommend that you do the following exercise before retiring. Take a piece of paper, consider your household needs and life style, and make a list of your monthly fi xed costs — the gym, magazine subscriptions, mortgage/rental commitments, car and so on. Now calculate the extras — e.g. holidays, supporting the children, clothing, food, hobbies. Then calculate your and your partner's combined monthly earnings before and after retirement. Can I cover my costs? These fi xed and variable costs will not change much but how much will your (reduced) monthly earnings be once you or both of you have retired?

I need space. There are two extremes to the coin. You are so obsessed with a particular sport that your partner, consequently, hardly sees you. Hobbies and sports are fi ne but anything that excludes one partner and is time-intensive is poison for the relationship. The other extreme is where a couple has to be together day and night and one (or both) of you is suffocating. Respect each other’s interests and, when one wants to go off for a week, be both tolerant and supportive.

Some DOs and DON’Ts when retiring from the UN

"Retire from work, but not from life".

M.K. Soni

"When a man retires, his wife gets twice the husband but only half the income."

Chi Chi Rodriguez

"Retirement has been a discovery of beauty for me. I never had the time before to notice the beauty of my

grandkids, my wife, the tree outside my very own front door. And, the beauty of time itself."

Hartman Jule

Networking. Once I retired from the Agency and picked up my retiree’s grounds pass, I made an extra effort to nurture my collegial friendships with both staff members and fellow retirees. Frequent visits to the VIC were always good for surprises and kept me informed of the latest ‘gossip’ and developments within the Agency. I was pleasantly surprised, for example, when I fi rst visited the cafeteria and the breakfast corner. I am on the ECHO Committee, and it is extraordinary how many clubs within the VIC are seeking volunteers. ARICSA and ABICS are two examples of associations that retirees can join. So keep your eyes and ears open for any possible activities that could enhance your lives.

Your own experience? For those of you out there who (a) are planning to retire in the not-too-distant future or (b) have already retired, we would really appreciate your feedback to the above article and, more important, your sharing experiences and tips with us.

by David Floyd


HEALTH and Safety


FAQs for UN PersonnelUN Medical Services Division

Q. Where can I get reliable information about Ebola?

A. Consult the following authoritative sources containing more detailed information regarding Ebola (known formally as Ebola Virus Disease, or EVD) and the most updated status of suspected/confi rmed cases in affected countries:

• WHO’s Ebola website: http://who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/• CDC’s Ebola website: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/• ECDC’s Ebola website: http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/

healthtopics/ebola_marburg_fevers/Pages/index.aspx• UN Clinic• UN Broadcasts• Local health authority

The WHO website, in particular, contains detailed information on what Ebola virus disease is, a history of past outbreaks, symptoms, preventative steps that can be taken and the latest known information concerning the current outbreak.

Q. What is Ebola virus disease?

A. The Ebola strain in the Guinea outbreak is the most lethal of the fi ve known strains of the virus. It is called Ebola Zaire and can kill up to 9 out of 10 infected people. The present case fatality rate in this outbreak is around 60%. The severity of the outbreak is a result of weaknesses in national healthcare systems, community fear, resistance and stigmatization, inappropriate use of personal protective equipment and unsafe burial practices. During the current outbreak, most of the disease has spread through human-to-human transmission.

Q. What are the typical signs and symptoms of Ebola?

A. It can take 2 – 21 days for symptoms to appear after a person is exposed to the virus. Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function and, in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Men who have recovered from Ebola can still spread the virus to their partner through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery. For this reason, it is important to either avoid sexual intercourse or to wear condoms during sexual intercourse for 7 weeks after recovery. In the deceased, Ebola virus can live for several days after death. For this reason, it is important not to touch or kiss the body of a deceased person as this can contribute to continued disease spread.

More detailed information may be found on the WHO website and the sources mentioned above.

Q. How do you get Ebola?

A. A person is not contagious until he/she is acutely ill. When a person is showing symptoms, they are most likely to give the disease to others through direct contact and contact with objects contaminated with body fl uids (e.g. syringes). An infected person’s body fl uids carry the virus. This means saliva, mucus, blood, urine, feaces, semen, vomit, breast milk, and sweat can transmit the virus.

The virus is also very contagious from the bodies of people who have died of Ebola, which is why preparing their bodies for burial is dangerous and should be performed by medical care professionals.

Some bush animals may also transmit the virus to humans if the humans handle infected animals or eat infected bush meat, especially from fruit bats and monkeys/apes. While the initial case of Ebola in this outbreak was the result of someone handling an infected animal, nearly all cases since have spread through human-to-human transmission.

Health workers have frequently been exposed to the virus when caring for Ebola patients. This happened because they did not take simple measures, such as wearing personal protection gear, including gloves, when caring for an infected patient. Health care providers at all levels of the health system – hospitals, clinics and health posts – should strictly follow WHO recommended infection control precautions11.

Q. What can be done to protect yourself from the Ebola virus?

A. The virus is fragile and easily killed by contact with soap, bleach, sunlight or drying. Hand washing with soap and water is very effective and should be practiced as much as possible. An alcohol- based solution/rub could be considered as an effective alternative. Regular bleach (1%) is also very effective to disinfect surfaces potentially infected by bodily secretions.

Listen to and follow directives issued by your country’s respective Ministry of Health or the UN Medical Offi cer/s. If you think someone close to you or in your community has Ebola virus infection, encourage and support them in seeking appropriate medical treatment in a health care facility.

If you are aware of individuals who have chosen to care for an ill person in their home, encourage them to notify public health offi cials or the UN Medical Offi cer/s so they can be trained and provided with appropriate gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as provided instructions on how to properly care for the patient, protect themselves and their family, and properly dispose of the PPE after use.

When visiting patients in the hospital or caring for someone at home, hand washing with soap and water is recommended after touching a patient, being in contact with their bodily fl uids, or touching his/her surroundings.

People who have died from Ebola should only be handled using appropriate protective equipment and should be buried immediately. Households can consider extra precautions by buying a set of gloves and masks to keep at home for personal protection in case a family member gets sick. Keeping a thermometer at home to monitor temperature is also recommended.

1 Please refer to WHO’s “ Interim Infection prevention and control guidance for care of patients with Suspected or Confi rmed Filovirus Haemorrhagic fever in health-care settings, with focus on Ebola ” (August 2014), available at http://www.who.int/csr/bioriskreduction/fi lovirus_infection_control/en/

EBOLAIt is important to understand the nature of the disease, how it is transmitted and how to prevent it from spreading further. (For additional information, please see WHO’s FAQs available at http://who.int/csr/disease/ebola/faq-ebola/en/.)

Q. Why doesn’t the UN give us preventative medicine to take to keep us from getting Ebola?

A. There isn’t any preventive medicine against or specifi c cure for Ebola virus disease, nor a vaccine that will make you immune. The only treatments currently available for Ebola patients are supportive, such as intravenous fl uids or oral rehydration for individuals who are dehydrated, or medicines for treating some of the symptoms, such as fever. This is why prevention is so important.

Q. Can I do anything to help stop the spread of Ebola?

A. Yes. You can take a number of very simple actions.

Ebola isn’t as contagious as more common viruses, such as colds, infl uenza, or measles. Risk is negligible if one has not been in close contact with a person actively sick with the virus. It spreads to people by close contact with skin and bodily fl uids. The key message is to minimize bodily fl uid exposures.

Because there is no treatment and no cure, raising awareness of the risk factors for Ebola infection and the protective measures individuals can take is the only way to reduce human infection and death.

There are other diseases that have very similar symptoms, e.g. malaria, dengue, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, plague, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers. The symptoms described above could be something else, so this is why all UN personnel need to stay calm and call the UN Medical Offi cer/s at their duty station so that the situation can be further investigated and managed properly.

In addition to the information above, other simple measures you should take are:

• Avoid contact with people who show signs of this illness, including the bodies of persons who have died after showing these symptoms, ideally at least 1 meter / 3 feet away.

• Avoid contact with high-risk infected animals (i.e. fruit bats, monkeys or apes) in the affected rainforest areas. If you suspect an animal is infected, do not handle it. Animal products (blood and meat) should be thoroughly cooked before eating.

• Share the reliable information you are receiving about Ebola with your friends and family.

Q. What has caused Ebola epidemics to end in past occurrences?

A. Previous outbreaks of Ebola appear to have continued only as long as a steady supply of victims came in contact with bodily fl uids from infected persons. The epidemics were resolved by teaching the local population about how to avoid spreading the disease and improving conditions at hospitals in impacted areas (e.g. unsterilized needles and syringes were a major factor in the 1976 outbreak in Zaire). Ebola's virulence may also serve to limit its spread: its victims die so quickly that they don't have a chance to spread infection very far.

Q. Is vaccination required or recommended for travel to Ebola-affected areas, and what should I be aware about?

A. There is no vaccine. If you are traveling, please ensure that you check the most updated travel advisories that have been put out by the World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/ith/updates/en/ and http://who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/) before you travel. Please also adhere to any travel precautions put in place by your local UN administration, such as health checks needed upon exiting an area where Ebola is known to be occurring.

Ideally, before your travel, you should consult a health care provider or visit a travel health clinic at least six weeks before intended date of departure. If you are planning to visit a locality affected by or adjacent to the current Ebola outbreak, you should also have a discussion with your healthcare provider the week before departure, to obtain the most up-to-date information about risks of your intended destination.

In general, the risk of infection for travelers is very low since person-to-person transmission results from direct contact with the body fl uids or secretion of an infected patient.

WHO advises that if you are traveling to an Ebola-affected area, you should remember to avoid all contact with infected patients, and be aware of the symptoms of infection so that you can seek medical attention at the fi rst sign of illness. When seeking medical care, you should inform your medical practitioner that you have just returned from an Ebola-affected area, so that they can consider the possibility of Ebola virus disease.

Q. What about professional visits and private visits to affected areas during the outbreak? Should these be cancelled or postponed?

A. In line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendations, MSD does not recommend a general ban on international travel. Each UN organization should assess the risk of duty travel of their staff to areas affected by Ebola in keeping with their health and safety obligations to staff. These areas may expose workers to an increased risk, due consideration should be taken of the criticality of the activity to be performed during the duty travel, and every effort made to ensure staff health and safety and to minimize the risks of infection.

Q. Should I tell my household help to take time off during the outbreak?

A. This is up to you. You may keep your domestic help on as long as you are confi dent that they have been sensitized on how to prevent contagion. You can assist in this effort by talking to them and sharing with them the reliable information you are receiving on Ebola.

Q. Is the UN ready if any of its staff get Ebola? What facilities do the affected duty stations have to deal with this possibility?

A. In coordination with the local WHO medical response team, affected duty stations have prepared the necessary facilities and logistics for dealing with suspect or confi rmed Ebola patients. For all information related to Ebola virus disease, please contact your local UN Medical Offi cer/s for more information. In addition, the UN Medical Service will continue to conduct continuous awareness sessions in all locations where UN has its own health facility/clinic.


HEALTH and Safety


STORIES and Articles


Echo: How long have you been the General Manager of the VIC Branch of EUREST?

Stefan WÖGERER: EUREST was awarded the catering contract for the entire VIC on 1 January 2014. On the same day, I was appointed the General Manager. About 100 catering staff members had been previously employed by WIWAG so there were some major challenges in passing on the catering facilities to a new company.

Echo: What were the major challenges facing you and your organization?

SW: There are seven outlets within the VIC and between 2000 and 2500 clients using these facilities every day. The restaurant was closed and in March we had to switch to plastic dishes and outsource the cooking. Getting to know the people, issuing new contracts, seeking new products and fi nding the right suppliers were all a challenge for us. We were also under time pressure as we had to be fi nished with the renovation work by the summer. This we accomplished thanks to the good cooperation with BMS.

Echo: Are you able to order directly from the VIC Commissary?

SW: The IAEA has been very cooperative and we are now conducting negotiations with the Austrian authorities. We already know that we cannot buy tax-free from the VIC Commissary. However, it is all about getting products that the international community wants. The legality of us buying from the VIC Commissary has still to be verifi ed.

Echo: Are the local health authorities required to check periodically that EUREST is conforming to the local health standards?

SW: Of course. We have also employed a private company to check monthly that we are meeting the required ISO Standards in preparation for the fi rst offi cial health inspection. This will take place in Autumn 2014 once the renovation work is completed.

Echo: A questionnaire was circulated in the VIC about two years ago regarding the catering services and one common complaint was the unacceptably high level of noise in the cafeteria. In planning the new cafeteria, did you take this concern into consideration?

SW: Indeed. You will notice that the level of noise is considerably lower due to sound absorbing ceiling and window panels and many have asked me how we managed to address this problem!

Echo: How much did EUREST invest in the renovation of the cafeteria?

SW: The renovation costs so far are several million euro and the work is not yet completed.

Echo: And the return on investment?

SW: We do not plan to increase the prices but would rather attract more guests. Via the main menus we have slightly reduced the prices.

Echo: But several people have informed ECHO that the prices have increased since the renovations.

SW: Within the 12 menus we have dropped the prices, but in the bar we have become more expensive, due mainly to the fact that we can no longer order drinks from the VIC Commissary. Conversely, we do have to cover our investment costs.

Echo: What are you offering the VIC customer that is new?

SW: The pizza corner is new and very popular. We also have a pasta and antipasto corner. We now have ‘cool and fresh’ products — sandwiches, fruit and muesli cups. The bakery and sweet store is where we bake and sell fresh bread. And we now offer 12 daily menus.

Echo: Can you promise your customers that the food being offered is an improvement over that of the previous caterers?

SW: We can compare our menu sales to those of the previous company and we have an increase of 20 to 25% sales of our menus. We control our suppliers very carefully and can, therefore, guarantee top quality foods — in particular meat.

Echo: And how can you measure the satisfaction level of your customers?

SW: We are planning a survey in January 2015 while concurrently keeping the Catering Committee fully up to date. The representatives will be from all VIC organizations and provide signifi cant feedback

from their staff, including matters for complaint. For example, many would like VEGA menus so I plan to open a vegan corner in the near future.

Echo: How well does the cashless system function?

SW: We are issuing a EUREST Card and there are machines where one can credit the card. We have ascertained that when paying with cash, it takes four times longer than when one pays with the EUREST Card. I would recommend the EUREST Card to all of our customers.

Echo: How many meals can your company cater for per day?

SW: Up to 3000 meals per day, which is the requisite, for instance, during the IAEA General Conference.

Echo: What would be your essential message to the staff of the VIC?

SW: We are new, we are fresh and we are open to any suggestions for improvements to our services. We have a new restaurant and a new cafeteria, plus the recent addition of a new breakfast bar. Also, by the time of the IAEA General Conference (22–26 September 2014), everything should be functioning perfectly. The garden is also a completely new feature.

Echo: Perhaps you could locate a suggestion box at the entrance to the cafeteria as was the practice of the previous caterers.

SW: On our home page staff can send their comments to us on line. I also receive many e-mails from customers with their concerns.

Echo: Thank you, Mr. Wögerer, for this interview.

by David Floyd

Save time & pay with „Eurest Card“!

HIER ISST MAN RICHTIG

>> Short waiting time at the checkout!>> Multiple checkouts ONLY for EUREST Cards!>> Have the possibility to control your consumption afterwards!>> Pay at every F&B Outlet!

FAST LANEONLY!

HIER ISST MAN RICHTIG

Save time & pay with „Eurest Card“!

HOW TO TOP UP THE EUREST PREPAID CARD

1. Select from given top up possibilities (EC/CC or Cash)

2. If you select the EC/CC function, please choose the amount of money you would like to top upa.

the transaction by entering you PIN code

b. receipt can be printed upon request

3. If you select the cash function, please insert the money to receive your Eurest Prepaid Card for the designated area

4. The amount of money will be topped up automatically or added to the existing credit on you card

5. If required, receipts can be viewed individually and printed under the point “Receipts”

6. Please consider the maximum top up amount of € 120,-

INTERVIEW WITH STEFAN WÖGERER

GENERAL MANAGER OF VIC EUREST

Photos: Kevin Floyd, Fotostudio Floyd

EUREST PREPAID CARD


STORIES and Articles


A lot of people don’t know the difference between Hollywood movies and real historical facts. They believe that Viking helmets had horns (they didn’t), that a sword could kill someone in full armour with one strike (that is not possible), that musketeers were rapier swordsmen (they had muskets and not swords), and that everybody in armour was a knight (soldiers had armour, too). William Wallace (Brave Heart) had no kilt. They weren’t invented then. And did you know that medieval knights in the 14th and 15th centuries used guns and cannons? I could continue for hours mentioning examples.

About 13 years ago I began to participate in diverse historical events as a hobby, acting as a knight, a ’bader‘ (a person who did anything from cutting beards and hair, to bleeding and treating patients) a medieval executioner, a theatrical devil, and other characters. We did all this in a funny not-so-serious way, making people laugh and enjoy history as entertainment. The longer I participated, the more I learned about history and how wrong the things are that we believe.

Later, I began to practise historical fencing, learning about the numerous fencing masters and styles, the difference between a knight and a soldier, and so much more. And, surprise — historical fencing has nothing to do with the fencing you see in movies. Of course, they are actors, not fencers.

It was then that I began to analyse Hollywood movies that claimed to be historical, and also TV series, like this one on TV now, about Vikings, which is not historically accurate at all. The story, clothing, weapons and armour are all wrong.

I began to notice all the historical errors that we learn throughout our lives under the infl uence of TV and movies, and that most inhabitants of this planet believe are true. They don’t know the difference between medieval times, Renaissance and Baroque, because they see them all mixed together in movies.

People ask you strange things about historical events, like: “is this sword real” (yes, they are not sharp so as not to hurt ourselves in combat, but yes, they are the real thing), or: “Is this fi re real?” (Please, try putting your hand in it). “Is the food real?” (No, we all eat plastic food). These kind of questions can be very annoying.

Later I began to make my own armour, clothing, and gadgets needed for the different historical character interpretations, beginning with Vikings, 12th century knights, 13th century knights and others.

I wandered through a lot of events here in Austria with my little armoury, making my own armour and historical jewellery reproductions, meeting a lot of pleasant and interesting people, and spectacular locations and castles through the whole country.

One day I was discovered by a movie agent, as an extra. I had the opportunity to participle in some of these Hollywood movies and TV productions, like Pillars of the Earth, based on the book with the same title. There I had the opportunity to stand beside famous actors such as Donald Sutherland, Ian McShane and Tony Curran. It was a great experience, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking: “What horrible costumes, they are not remotely historically accurate.” Some other movies followed. And

in case you ask — yes, the fi re, weapons and food in the movies were fake and no, I am not rich or famous and really don’t want to be.

Like everything in life, a hobby evolves too. First, you buy or make cheap and ugly costumes, suitable for carnival, but not for historical re-enactment. With time, they become better and better till they are historically accurate (more or less).

You pass from epoch to epoch, from medieval times, maybe to the Napoleonic wars or the American civil war or, in my case, to the 17th century — early Baroque — the time of pike men and musketeers.

I moved from events in Austria, to events all over Europe. I passed from handgonnes (medieval guns), long swords, and big shields to muskets, wheel-lock guns (clockwork-type working guns), rodelas (small round bulletproof shields) and sabres. That’s where I am located in history now, learning about the cruelties of the Thirty Years’ War and about the Ottoman-European wars, and the social structures of this time.

But it’s not about war. It’s about living. We live all together in friendship, in big camps typical of bygone times, with children playing without electronic toys, people cooking with fi re, working with their bare hands all together, living a past life without modern comfort, sleeping in straw beds on the ground.

This gives me the opportunity to travel around Europe, to meet people from Poland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, France, and other great countries. Maybe we re-enact cruel battles on the fi eld, but we have all become great friends. We’re like a big family with a common interest in history, and learning about humankind. And that is why I do this. Why we all do this: building a strong friendship between people of different cultures and countries — to learn that we are not different at all. We share the same interests, the same passions. We learn from each other, about our cultures, about our past.

There is so much to learn about history, about human nature, about other cultures, about fashion through history, about where we come from, about the evolution of inventions — not only for war, but also for medicine and for daily life — and about the evolution of society and so much more.

by Arno Weldert

Repoussé technique

Making the "Defence-turtle" in a a Spanisch 16th century armour

Forging armour parts

Viking helmets had no horns

The Handgonne (Hackenbüchse) was a medieval gun (14th,15th century), used long before nights used full body plate armours. It

was the predecessor of the Muskets and Rifl es

My little Armoury

17th century style auto portrait made by me in Repoussé technique

People living and resting in the 17th Century historical camp

G HISTORLIVING


INSIDE the IAEA

Managing knowledge is not new. It is part of what we do in everyday life — we share what we know, we learn from each other and from past events, we capture, retain and share knowledge at every moment. As a discipline, knowledge management is relatively new. It entered popular usage at the end of the 1980s and became a hit in the 1990s, when books on knowledge management began to appear. It appeared at the universities in the fi rst years of 2000.

It promotes an integrated and systemic approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving and sharing knowledge, one of the most valuable assets in our ‘knowledge society’. These assets vary from information and/or explicit knowledge — e.g. databases, documents, policies, procedures — to implicit knowledge, such as the undocumented knowledge accumulated through education and experience of individual workers.

What do we call knowledge management? It is a set of management practices that enable and enhance knowledge processes and help to build and maintain the organizational knowledge base.

The necessity of using knowledge management tools and techniques can be driven by different challenges, all of them related to people, process and technology and very much infl uenced by culture. If not addressed properly, they may adversely affect the organizational ability to take the right decisions and effectively achieve its goals.

Human resource factors, such as high employee turnover, ageing demographics, reduced labour market and concentration of knowledge in one employee might be some of the drivers for knowledge management.

The set of available tools is vast, depending on the problem to solve but, in any case, the approach must always be adapted to meet the needs and objectives of the organization: ‘one size does not fi t all.’

Adopting a knowledge management strategy requires management commitment; however, it is important to understand that every individual plays a role in knowledge management and to ensure this it must be integrated in key business or organizational processes (for instance, human resource development processes such as hiring, induction, training, professional development, succession planning).

Organizations whose leaders effectively commit to integrating knowledge management in the overall management system and promote knowledge sharing culture in their organizations will experience better

results. These results include improved decision making, mitigation of risks, avoidance of waste of resources and duplication, increased productivity and effi ciency and speedup of innovation potential and, in the case of commercial applications, improved time to market.

Knowledge management within the Agency

Knowledge management is certainly not new within the Agency. Several knowledge management mechanisms and tools have been established and used in the last decades. However, in recent years, the Departments have developed and implemented a systemic approach to knowledge management within the management system, a coordinated approach lead by the Agency Interdepartmental Steering Group on Corporate Knowledge Management.

The Agency’s Corporate Knowledge Management (CKM) was established in 2011 to provide a “coordinated one-house approach to CKM and its related activities, ensuring that they remain part of results based and quality management activities in the Secretariat and ultimately enhance the effectiveness and effi ciency of programme delivery.”1 The interdepartmental steering group has accomplished several tasks, including the establishment of the Agency CKM System (CKM Policy, Guideline and Plan), the Agency Process Diagram, the identifi cation of the Agency processes, and the high level induction process and support documents. Currently, the ISG-CKM is working to establish a high level exit process. In addition, the outputs of CKM related to the induction process are currently reviewed for integration into the new AIPS human resource modules.

Following the discussions and developments with the ISG-CKM, the Departments are developing and implementing the appropriate management mechanisms and tools to preserve knowledge relevant to achieving the specifi c objectives of the Agency.

Knowledge management towards Member States

As in any other knowledge intensive activity, there are many factors that make Nuclear Knowledge Management (NKM) an important part of management strategies in nuclear organizations. It is an important aspect of safely operating and maintaining nuclear facilities and allows for more effective and informed decision-making along the whole life of an installation, from design to decommissioning.

1 INF/NOT/209 - The Agency’s Corporate Knowledge Management (26 March 2013)

The IAEA Safety Standards, which are applied in the Agency activities with the Member States, establish requirements for managing knowledge and knowledge processes within the management system for nuclear facilities and activities and, further, provide guidelines for their implementation.

The Agency continuously evolves in NKM methodology guidance based on good practices from nuclear organizations. For operating or design organizations, regulatory bodies, technical support organizations or scientifi c institutions, NKM is a necessity for maintaining competencies and knowledge critical for the fulfi lment of their strategic objectives.

In response to request to help in ensuring suffi cient qualifi ed human resources and preserve knowledge critical

for the safe and sustainable use of nuclear technology, the NKM section supports Member States in three main areas:

• Developing and providing methodology, guidance and tools for knowledge management, to support nuclear organizations in applying knowledge management strategies, through meetings, documents, and by providing knowledge management services and assistance through ‘assist visits’.

• Fostering nuclear education, networking, and information exchange to nurture high quality capacity building. The Agency supports the activities of universities and regional nuclear education networks, developing curricula and supporting documents, providing e-learning tools and content, collecting and sharing high quality nuclear education material and conducting training.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT:MANAGING OUR LEGACY

10th Anniversary of the School of Nuclear Knowledge Management: Celebrating a Decade of Success

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Nuclear Knowledge Management School. Over the last ten years, bright young professionals from around the world, especially from developing countries, have been selected each year to come together to take part in a week-long specialized training and educational programme in the fi eld of nuclear knowledge management.

The certifi cate programme is jointly organized by the Agency and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), and provides an opportunity to gain practical and theoretical skills and learn from renowned specialists in the nuclear fi eld. The aim of the School is to prepare participants for implementing knowledge management programmes for nuclear science and technology in their organizations.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, Director General Amano, in his welcoming remarks to the 2014 class of NKMS and its alumni, spoke on the signifi cance of nuclear knowledge management as an essential component of safety in the nuclear sector, and also addressed how the joint IAEA-ICPT school assists Member States to build their capacities for better management of nuclear knowledge for science and technology. He underscored the role of the school and said, “This school is one of many tools the IAEA uses to help countries preserve and share nuclear knowledge and

expertise. It is an important part of the IAEA’s work to support the safe, responsible and sustainable use of nuclear energy.”

Since its inception, the School has attracted and trained more than 350 professionals from over 70 Member States. The interest in the School has steadily grown. During this year 160 young professionals applied and about 50 were selected to attend, after having passed an on-line pre-training course done through the Agency e-leaning platform CLP4NET.

Basic topics covered are fundamentals of knowledge management in the nuclear sector; developing policies and strategies for managing nuclear knowledge; managing nuclear information resources; human resource development, risk of knowledge loss and diffi culties of knowledge transfer; practical guidance and best practices on NKM.

If you want to participate in the next NKMS IAEA/ICTP edition, to take place in Trieste, Italy, from 7 to 11 September 2015, please check conditions and fi nd the application form at:

http://www.iaea.org/nuclearenergy/nuclearknowledge/

Please be aware that deadline is 10 March 2015.


INSIDE the IAEA

• Assisting Member States in maintaining and preserving knowledge, through knowledge preservation activities and developing and sharing fl exible tools and services; creating knowledge organization systems, mapping knowledge, and developing platforms for knowledge sharing using advanced technologies.

Knowledge management at the Agency is a cross-cutting activity. At the Agency, the mission of the NKM Section, located in the Department of Nuclear Energy, is to promote, innovate and share NKM methods, tools and best practices through direct initiatives for Member States and also to connect with other Agency units and support them in integrating NKM in their external activities.

Examples of successful corporate knowledge management initiatives at the Agency

There have been several departmental initiatives supporting CKM. Some started way before the fi ndings of the ISG-CKM, others have built on the CKM’s outputs.

The Offi ce of Legal Affairs (OLA) recently implemented a comprehensive knowledge management system, addressing six key areas. Some of the key initiatives are outlined in the attached diagram. To ensure sustainability of the OLA knowledge management system, all key processes and systems have documented guidelines and procedures and assigned ownership. OLA managers and staff members have experienced the direct benefi ts of their knowledge management efforts, including increased transparency and effi ciency of work processes, time savings, clarifi cation of roles and accountability and improved communication throughout the Division, to name a few.

At the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security (NS), an internal knowledge and quality management strategy has been implemented following the outputs of the ISG-CKM. The strategy was driven by the need to establish a process for helping new staff to get acquainted with the work of the department, and preserve and capture knowledge of staff.

Knowledge procedures have been developed to capture and promote the ways of working in the Department and to increase NS staff awareness of existing mechanisms and tools that assist staff in performing work assignments. The practical approach included the development of the ‘HOW TO’ series, and the identifi cation of any material, database, and systems supporting the implementation of the NS processes. Further, a new dedicated NS Intranet — what we do, how we do it — makes available, at one single point, any information relevant to performing the NS processes. Since July 2014, NS staff have access to the new NS Intranet through OASIS and are actively engaged in the development of knowledge procedures for all critical NS process. Seminars, meetings and other mechanisms to promote sharing of critical knowledge are also part of this strategy.

If you want to know more about knowledge management, please look at the NKMS web page and consult the IAEA NKM publications and, of course, feel to contact us at any time!

http://www.iaea.org/nuclearen ergy/nuclearknowledge/

by Monica Sbaffoni, Jo Dee Martinez and Rejane Spiegelberg Planer

OLA Knowledge Management Diagram

Hire

Orient

TrainWork

Exit

New Staff Induction Process

Shared DivisionCalendars

Legal OpinionsDatabase

Logbook TaskManagement System

InformationManagement(Electronic andPaper)

End of Service Guide &Hand off Process

KM Introduction andTraining


INSIDE the IAEA

l b tl b tAEA

VIENNA, 15 August 2014 (UN Information Service) – More than 2 000 people from Austria and abroad came to the Vienna International Centre (VIC) to join free guided tours to help mark the 35th anniversary of the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna.

The VIC was offi cially opened on 23 August 1979 when it was handed over to the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Commonly known locally as 'UNO City', the VIC has been leased to the organizations for 99 years at a symbolic annual rate of 1 Austrian schilling (7 Euro cents).

The visitors were welcomed by a number of United Nations organizations based in Vienna and got a glimpse of everyday life in the Vienna International Centre, a complex that comprises about 4 500 offi ces and nine conference rooms. About 4 400 people work at the VIC from about 120 countries. About a third of the staff are Austrian.

More than 2 000 people visit 'UNO City' to mark 35 years of Vienna International Centre

More than 2 00visit 'UNO City35 years of ViI t ti l C

Centre


INSIDE the IAEA Echo: Could you please tell us something about yourself and your professional experiences before joining the Agency?

Tomiko ICHIKAWA: This is the second time that I work in an international organisation: the fi rst time was in a UN peace-keeping mission some 20 years ago. I come from the Japanese Foreign Ministry and have worked at the Permanent Mission of Japan in Vienna for the last three years, in charge of the IAEA matters. I was also Non-proliferation Director in Tokyo before, so I knew the Agency fi rst from a Member State’s perspective. My other experiences at the Foreign Ministry include UN fi nance and administration, the DPRK nuclear issue, and the information dissemination after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi accident in 2011.

Echo: Please tell us about your function and some of the challenges you encounter (that you can talk about of course) as the “Special Assistant to the Director General for Management”?

TI: I am still trying to understand the full scope of my function, as it is only three months since I joined the Secretariat in July. We have very professional colleagues in the Department of Management, many of whom I know from my time at the Japanese Mission. I see my role as facilitating the interface between the management matters and the overall policy directions, which is very important in promoting the “one house approach”. I work very closely with my colleagues in the IAEA Department of Management, of course, but also have many contacts with all the Departments, which makes my work very interesting. The preparation of the 2016-2017 budget proposal is probably the most illustrative example of my current task in this sense.

Echo: How would you describe a usual business day in your offi ce?

TI: In a few words: many meetings and e-mail exchanges. We have a daily meeting with the Director General. There are a number of meetings on budgetary and human resource matters, as well as on specifi c projects or ad hoc issues. I also have many appointments with colleagues in the Secretariat and sometimes with Member States’ representatives. In between these meetings, I frequently exchange quick words or e-mails with my colleagues of the DGOC to share information and coordinate.

Echo: What do you think of the recently freshly launched ECHO Staff Journal?

TI: I heard that it was re-launched recently in a printed format, too. I support a paper-smart policy in the Agency, but as I grew up in reading printed books and journals, I believe that the journal in a printed format has its own appeal to some of the staff, so I see the combination of these two media is a good way to go. I will try to subscribe online, to go paper-smart myself.

Echo: What are the things you miss most from home in Japan?

TI: When I started my stay in Vienna three years ago, I

sometimes missed the shops being open on Sundays (some of them open 24-hours in Japan). But now I am quite accustomed to the pace of life in Austria.

Echo: Please tell us about your experiences so far living in Austria?

TI: I have been too busy to take full advantage of living in Vienna: opera, music, museums, etc. But I fi nd the city very attractive, with its elegant buildings and in particular its traditional cafes (I have been to many). I also enjoy the beautiful woods, hills and mountains which are so close to Vienna.

Echo: What are your hobbies?

TI: Reading and travelling are my long-time hobbies. I started walking in Austria, and now regularly go walking whenever I have time over the weekend.

Echo: During the recent Staff Survey conducted by the Staff Council, staff rated “Career Development” and “Staff Development” as two of the most important, among other issues, that need to be addressed. Do you already have plans on how to create better opportunities for staff, and better prospects for advancement?

TI: I have been fully briefed on the result of the Staff Survey, and understand the importance placed by the staff on career development and staff development. I cannot say that I have plans now, but will work in close cooperation with Division of Human Resources on how we can address these matters.

Echo: How do you see the relationship between Senior Management and the Staff Council?

TI: My experience is still very limited, but I believe there is strong willingness from both sides to work together to promote a better working environment for the staff of the Agency. I have met Imed already several times, and hope to be able to contribute in continuing and further strengthening such relationship.

Echo: Do you have any special message or advice to the staff of the Agency?

TI: I do not consider myself to be in a position to give advice, but as a message, I would just like to say that I am very happy to be able to join the Agency and looking forward to working with my colleagues. I would also like to add that by becoming special assistant to the Director General, I am happy to be able to contribute to the promotion of gender balance in the DGOC, as I know very well that gender balance is a theme on which the Director General has been very keen since the start of his tenure.

Echo: Will you attend the IAEA Staff Association Ball in February 2015?

TI: This is something I have been missing for the past three years. I need to fi nd a partner to go there together fi rst…

Meet the New Special Assistant to the DG

for Management

Tomiko Ichikawa Photo: Dean Calma


INSIDE the IAEA

IAEA Sourcing Strategy

Recruitment has changed dramatically with the advent of technology, but building relationships is still essential to attract qualifi ed and diverse candidates. The Agency relies on a highly educated professional workforce often with skills and experience that are not easily found in the job market. For this reason we have developed a sophisticated and pro-active Candidate Recruitment / Sourcing Strategy.

The objectives of the new Candidate Recruitment / Sourcing Strategy are:

• Attract more and stronger candidates for highly technical and key managerial positions;

• Diversify Member States representation in number of applications and potential hires;

• Increase number of female staff in all levels and area.

In order to achieve these objectives, Recruitment will engage in many activities, including:

• Utilize a geographical approach to enhance our recruitment exercises;

SOURCING STRATEGY ROADSHOW

• Build relationships with organizations in the nuclear, nuclearized, nuclear-friendly fi eld;

• Increase online visibility of our opportunities in targeted channels and create virtual groups to attract targeted audiences (i.e.: Women at IAEA, IAEA alumni…);

• Leverage internal staff as recruitment ambassadors to organizations and as champions to candidates in critically-needed positions;

• Socialize new strategy with Members States and enhance channels of communication and their involvement ;

• Leverage upcoming Taleo Implementation to develop and create a roster of P-candidates and a Referral System;

• Conduct teleconferences in English and all other Agency’s offi cial languages as part of our outreach efforts.

by Gustavo Araujo

• Teleconferences in English and all other Agency’s official languages

• Talent Pipeline / Roster Creation powered by Taleo post AIPS implementation

• LinkedIn Workshops for staff and Recruitment Champions Training

• Roster of global and regional organizations, associations and professional groups to disseminate our vacancies

• Member States Involvement via key Points of Contact

Geographical Approach

• Attract more and stronger candidates for highly technical and key managerial positions

• Diversity Member State representation in number of application and potential hires

• Increase number of female staff in all levels and areas

Building Relationships

with Organizations

Alumni Network

Online Visibility

Roster Creation

Recruitment Champions

Referral System

Women @ IAEA

Member State

Involvement

Talent Acquisition Candidate

Sourcing Strategy

Reaching Our Audience

VIENNA'S NEW ENGLISH-SPEAKING THEATRE


What’s Happening in VIENNA

PERFORMANCES DAILY AT 7:30 PM, EXCEPT SUNDAYS E N G L I S H T H E A T R E . A T

The Open House Theatre Company was founded by professionals active in the performing arts to superseed the now defunct International Theatre of Vienna as the new English-speaking theatrical voice...

“To bring culture, entertainment and education to the people and children of Vienna“

...and are well into their third season! It is also their desired aim as a theatre group to instil, once again, a love for the theatre! Open House claims that good theatre can be appreciated by audiences of all ages and their desire is to ignite a love of the stage, of the written and the spoken word, in the next generation of theatre-goers.

The Company is currently enjoying a successful run with “The Turn of the Screw” adapted from the novel by Henry James, followed by the timeless and traditional tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and “A Christmas Carol”... by the Victorian novelist Charles Dickens. Tickets are already on sale for the performances at KIP-Kunst im Prückel (Cafe Prückel, 1010 Vienna), from 4 to 23 December 2014.

At the Theater Brett in the 6th district the Tenessee William’s evergreen “The Glass Menagerie” comes to the stage from 12 February to 5 March 2015, based substantially on his own life.

Then in early spring “Hedda”, inspired by Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler emerges, moulded into a modern artistic mesh.

7 to 23 May generates “Hypnosis” by David Tristram... a hilarious mixture between thriller and farce!

Next summer’s Shakespeare in the Park, a highlight running from 14 July to 15 August 2015, is scheduled to be “Twelfth Night/Was Ihr Wollt”; the Bard’s most renowned comedy! Very few props are required on the 18th district set as the cast uses the stunning Schloss and parkland as a fascinating and delightful backdrop! As in previous seasons, both the English and German languages will be used on alternate nights whilst duplicating the cast of actors/actresses. Palais Pötzleinsdorf is reachable, by public transport, with the 41 Tram from Wahringerstrasse/Volksoper, while car drivers can enjoy free parking just in front of the Palais.

The Open House Theatre is rapidly becoming a vibrant and diverse theatre project with ‘side-line’ products such as theatre essentially for children between the ages of 6-11 years of age as it goes touring to Viennese and Lower Austrian schools as of January next year. The initial production unfolds around the heroine Izzy, the witch, on

her fi rst day at witch school where class participants learn to brew potions and cast spells! Beware, however, of the devious witch Bathelda who is planning to carry out evil deeds! Smacks of (young) Harry Potter!

Other aspects foreseen for the coming year are workshops for students and teachers alike with regard to learning more about the power of acting, techniques and how to produce a stage play from script to opening performance. In this connection ‘Open Minds’ play-readings for the 2014/15 season will start up again in spring.

Casting opportunities for would-be actors are primarily advertised on dedicated websites. However the Artistic Management Offi ce in Vienna is willing to accept applications by email only at any time.

Ticket prices range from € 14 for students under 26 years of age to € 22 for a regular ticket.

Worthy of note: Partner and sponsors of Open House include: Wien Kultur, Hunger auf Kunst u. Kultur, Kultur Innerestadt, Vienna Private University and Webster Univesity.

Dear reader, take a closer look at the Open House website, you may fi nd it upbeat and refreshing!

www.openhousetheatre.at

The oldest and most established English-language theatre in continental Europe is located in the Josefstadt in Vienna's 8th district. Vienna’s English Theatre was founded in 1963 by Austrian director Franz Schafranek and his American wife, Ruth Brinkmann, an actress and graduate of the Yale University School of Drama. By 1974 Vienna’s English Theatre had well established itself into Viennese cultural life and, with the support of the City of Vienna, moved to its permanent location in the Josefgasse where the Schafraneks gained international as well as local recognition. A measure of their professional success can be seen in awards made to them by the British Queen, Elizabeth II, which very rarely go to non-British subjects... namely, an OBE and an MBE (Order of/Member of the British Empire).

Following the sudden death of her father in 1991 and the loss of her mother to an unforgiving illness in 1997, Julia Schafranek took over as Artistic Executive Director where she continues to follow the directive of both her parents, encompassing vital and captivating theatre, with more than adequate success.

A Christmas Carol

Opening 4 December 2014


What’s Happening in VIENNAp

Why ECHO presents Welt Museum Wien

Vienna is home to an impressive array of museums, great and small, as many of us witnessed during the recent Lange Nacht der Museen (4 October), when over 100 museums in the city invited the public to visit their exhibitions and enjoy special events from 6 pm till well after midnight. Among the famous and exquisite palaces of art and history here, one — the Welt Museum Wien — deserves the ECHO’s special attention because it is a museum created for us!

Our readers come from all parts of the globe and many different cultures, bringing cultural diversity to Vienna. We are the Welt Museum’s main target group as many historical treasures from our countries await our discovery there.

A little history

The Welt Museum Wien is located in the Neue Burg, part of the Hofburg (imperial palace) on Heldenplatz in the heart of the Vienna. The very location points to its history. In 1906, Emperor Franz Joseph asked his nephew, Franz Ferdinand, to complete the palace’s new wing, known as the Corps de Logis. Between 1909 and 1912 the artefacts and photographs that Franz Ferdinand had collected during his ten-month-long round-the-world trip in 1892–3 were displayed there; today, these grand rooms house the galleries of the Welt Museum Wien.

However, the museum had its beginnings much earlier — in 1806, when the acquisition of the Pacifi c collection of James Cook led to the establishment of a separate ethnographic section within the Imperial Cabinet of Natural History. After 1876, the rapidly growing collections were preserved in the Anthropological-Ethnographic Department of the Museum of Natural History. In 1928, a separate Museum für Völkerkunde (Museum of Ethnology) was created in Franz Ferdinand’s Corps de Logis.

Today, the Welt Museum Wien is one of the most important ethnological museums in the world. It preserves more than 250 000 artifacts, 25 000 historical photographs, and 136 000 books and journals relating primarily to the culture and history of non-European peoples.

Treasures

The museum’s holdings — acquired over the past 500 years — testify to the strong, intense relationships of the imperial Austro-Hungarian Habsburgs, and also post-Habsburg Austria, with the rest of the world. For example, Princess Leopoldina was married to the Portuguese crown prince in 1817, and Metternich sent them to Brazil. She had an expeditionary team in her entourage. They researched the Amazon region for resources and also investigated the local culture. The fascinating ethnographic collections from Brazil are one of the sterling holdings of the museum.

Another example is Captain Cook’s Pacifi c collection. Why does it reside in Vienna? Because the London museum housing it went broke and the British Crown wasn’t interested in saving it. But Kaiser Franz was, so he sent a diplomat to London to purchase it, thus acquiring the entire collection.

The museum's most famous piece, the Penacho, is a headdress made of feathers mounted in a base of gold studded with precious stones, believed to have belonged to Moctezuma, the ninth Aztec emperor, and is the last surviving feathered headdress of the Aztecs. It has undergone a long restoration process in Austria. For decades it has caused friction between Austria and Mexico, as Mexico wants the headpiece to be returned, but Austrian conservators say it is too fragile to be transported.

The museum’s many collections have secrets to reveal and stories to tell. Now this treasure trove needs a breath of new life to reach the people whose legacy it represents and those whose curiosity and interest it can arouse.

Meet the museum, the motto and the man

“The Welt Museum Wien will be the Bezirksmuseum for the international community here in Vienna!” Museum Director Steven Engelsman — an expansive Dutchman with charisma to match — explained his dictum for the museum: “Just as every district in the city has its local museum, the Welt Museum Wien is for people from all over the world — international visitors and residents, and our Austrian hosts — a place where they can discover and enjoy historical treasures from their countries.” He sees the Welt Museum as a meeting place of peoples and cultures where values and enthusiasm for cultural diversity are experienced and transmitted.

In June 2011, about to retire as Director of the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde in Leiden, Netherlands, Dr. Engelsman was contacted by a headhunting company and asked if he would be interested in taking on the directorship of the Museum für Völkerkunde (Museum of Ethnology) in Vienna. The museum had been closed for 10 years at the time and was in enormous need of an overhaul. He accepted the post and began work in Vienna in May 2012. His brief was to renovate the museum, re-install the galleries and give it high visibility.

What’s in a name?

Dr. Engelsman chose the name — Welt Museum Wien — from a long list of 200 suggestions. He received full in-house support and, after a little convincing, the outside world also accepted his choice.

The name should help us to get away from the idea — which stems from colonial times — that we over here are looking at those exotic strangers over there. Now those times are over and many inhabitants of former colonies have moved to Europe. Vienna is a multicultural metropolis — 40% of its inhabitants have a cultural background that is not Austrian and some of them come from countries that are sources for the museum’s collections.

Dr. Engelsman and his team want the museum to be a place where people with roots abroad can come and celebrate their cultures. There are many examples: the Koreans hold a fashion show, the Japanese stage Noh theatre, the Mexicans observe their día de los muertos and a Brazilian orchestra from the Amazon region perform in the museum. Vienna-based embassies and missions know the museum, which is a favourite spot for national day receptions. It’s a place where the world at large living in Vienna should feel at home.

That is why the Welt Museum Wien — with the pay-off, es geht um Menschen (it’s all about people) — is the right name for the museum.

Renovation and reinvigoration

The Welt Museum Wien will implement its new philosophy with a new design, involving an

architectural overhaul and a new style of display. A New York based museum design fi rm will collaborate with a Scottish architect, both with offi ces in Berlin. The museum will acquire new spaces dedicated to new functions. There will be a large restaurant, called Cook!

The museum’s collections will be presented as 15 different stories — about Austria and the rest of the world. Some of the stories will be presented with Austrian voices talking about the heritage the museum represents — acknowledging the countries of origin and showing the Austrian connection. One gallery will recount the tale of why the Cook collection is here. Another gallery will describe how Japan — having decided to open up to the rest of the world — came to Europe in 1873 for the World Fair in Vienna. The world was amazed at Japanese art and technology, so the whole wave of Japonism — Japanese infl uence on European art — started in Vienna. For the Penacho, Mexican voices will tell the story of the unique Aztec headdress. Thus, altogether, the stories will be multilingual but always with versions in German and in English.

Special features

There will be many new features in the renovated Welt Museum. For example, there will be two galleries dedicated to migration — one space showing migration in action; the other, a refl ective gallery, showing how migration is part of the human story and necessary for development. This will make a strong statement in a period when migration is under attack from populist politics.

For the opening of the new galleries in 2016, the Welt Museum plans to hold a special exhibition, putting 700 precious objects on display collected from people living in Vienna. During 2015, a container branded Welt Museum Wien will move around Vienna going to strategic spots in the city, where people will bring their precious objects to be 3-D scanned and printed in miniature. They will be invited to tell the stories about the objects and about their lives — how they came to be in Vienna. Dr. Engelsman hopes to include the VIC as a collection point for those who work there and visit it. It would be the main collection point for the local international community.

Now’s your chance

The Welt Museum will close for renovation on 3 November, so there’s still time for a visit. Its closing event will be the Mexican día de los muertos on 1–2 November.

When the museum reopens in 2016, we will already be familiar with its new philosophy and design through information promulgated in 2015. Also, watch out for the container next year so that you can contribute to the special opening exhibition!

For more information about the museum, please see: www.weltmuseumwien.at/en/

Steven Engelsman, Director of Welt

Museum Wien“It’s all about people”

Susan Cohen-Unger meets Steven Engelsman, the new Director

Phot

o by

Hilz

Penacho, MexicoTreasured headdress with hundreds

of Quetzal feathers and over a thousand gold plaques

Es geht um Menschen

Feather cape, Brazil. Rare Munduruku cape collected by zoologist J. Natterer on the Austrian Brazil expedition

1817–1835


In MEMORIAM


Carlos Büchler, an IAEA staff member from July 17, 1959 to his retirement in March 1987, died peacefully at his home in Maria Enzersdorf on Saturday July 5, 2014 after a long battle with cancer. His three sons and daughter were with him at the end. His wife, Lucy, had died in September 2008.

Carlos Büchler was born July 18, 1927 in Rosario, Argentina. After receiving his degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Buenos Aires, he joined the Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina and continued his post-graduate studies in nuclear engineering in Norway and the USA, where in 1956 he was a participant in the fi rst class of the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, created under President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” programme. From 1956 to 1959 he worked for Argonne National Laboratory in the fi eld of research and training reactors.

Safeguards was a venture into the unknown during Carlos’ career in the IAEA and he was a pioneer. He had been recruited as a P-3 but when he arrived in Vienna in July 1959 and was met at Westbahnhof by the Director of the Division of Safeguards he learned he was a P-4. In 1960, it might be noted, the Division of Safeguards consisted of a Director, three professional offi cers, and three general service staff. At that time SG had no separate budget, no safeguards agreements in force or under negotiation, no inspectors and no facilities to safeguard. The initial task was to obtain a clear understanding of the political purpose, the technical objective and the verifi cation procedures for international verifi cation.

I believe that Carlos was the only professional staff member who was actively involved in the preparation, negotiation, and implementation of all safeguards documents from the beginning of IAEA safeguards until his retirement 28 years later in 1987. Carlos was one of the very few

IAEA professional staff members to acquire a permanent contract and was the fi rst designated safeguards inspector. Carlos conducted the fi rst IAEA design verifi cation inspection at the Nora critical facility in Norway in February 1962. A few months later he conducted the fi rst IAEA safeguards inspection at the Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor in the USA. In fact, Carlos carried out probably the fi rst 50 safeguards inspections. In addition, he had substantial responsibility for the IAEA’s initial efforts in developing equipment for use in safeguards inspections and he was the one who introduced the use of seals into safeguards operations. Carlos also bore substantial responsibility for developing inspection procedures and inspector training programs. During the course of his distinguished career in Safeguards he served as Head of the Section for Asia, Pacifi c and the Far East; Head of the SG Accounting and Control Section; Head of the Section for Standardization and Administrative Support; and Director of the Division of Standardization, Training and Administrative Support. In addition, he acted for many years as the Head of the Technical Review Group and liaison with SAGSI. Hans Blix once referred to him as “the genius of safeguards” and, although the comment was made in the context of a disagreement between the department and the Director General’s offi ce, it was a sincere and respectful observation.

I fi rst met Carlos at the end of September 1981 when I learned of a job in the Section for Standardization and Administrative Support for which I thought myself well qualifi ed. Upon inquiry to the US Mission, I also learned that the job was “wired” for someone else. Nevertheless, passing through Vienna, I called him up, noted that I was aware that he had someone in mind for the advertised position, but would appreciate the opportunity to meet with him just in case there was “a slip between cup and lip.” (A tangential comment: I applied for and obtained that position four years later.) He graciously agreed to see

me and we met the next morning. When I came into his offi ce, I noticed a copy of Kierkegaard’s Being and Nothingness on his desk. I asked him what he thought of Scandinavian existentialism and how Kierkegaard compares to French existentialism. We hit it off. Carlos then called the US Mission and asked to speak with Cal Solem who was the liaison person for the International Safeguards Project Offi ce at Brookhaven National Laboratories assigned to the US Mission. He asked Cal if he could leave the mission and come over to the Agency to have coffee in an hour with someone he would like him to meet. Cal agreed and I subsequently talked with him in the cafeteria over coffee about my background. I then left and returned to Salzburg where my wife worked.

What I did not know at the time of meeting Carlos was that the Department of Safeguards had been undergoing a study by Cooper and Lybrand, funded by the US, to determine if it had defi ciencies that might have justifi ed the Israeli lack of confi dence in it that led to the June 7,1981 Israeli raid on the Osirak reactor in Iraq. I also did not know that Cooper and Lybrand’s fi nal report

Carlos Büchler July 18, 1927 – July 5, 2014

contained a recommendation that the Department of Safeguards should hire a management expert to strengthen its internal management and that this report was going to be submitted on October 10. Carlos and Cal were familiar with the draft report and had concluded, but not disclosed, that with my background I could be that expert. By accidentally being the right person in the right place at the right time I joined the Department of Safeguards on October 5, 1981 and worked with Carlos and the DDG to implement the Coopers and Lybrand recommendations.

As the so-called management expert, I worked in close contact with Carlos and Professor Hans Grümm, the DDG-SG. Both of them had an honest desire to improve the organization and treat staff correctly. Grümm believed that each person should know where he or she was in the organizational structure and should have the chance for promotion if his or her performance was good. (At that time, before formal job descriptions and classifi cation, 17% of the professional posts were staffed at the P-5 level and 50% at the P-4 level. Some posts were considered to be P-3/P-4 posts. 1/3 of the P-5 positions were to be fi lled from outside the organization, 1/2 of the P-4 positions, and 1/5 of the P-3 positions could be fi lled at the P-2 level if that was needed to get candidates from developing countries.)

In early 1982 I recall being in Carlos’ offi ce when he observed that the G-77 was going to be pressuring the Department of Safeguards to hire more inspectors from developing countries. He said that we had to fi gure out a way to respond to their legitimate desire to have their nationals employed and the Agency’s legitimate need to have qualifi ed inspectors. The two of us bounced ideas around and concluded that we would either be forced to take non-qualifi ed applicants from countries where nationals could not acquire the relevant experience Safeguards required or we could take some pro-active steps to develop a system to provide experience and training to technically well-educated inexperienced developing country nationals. Gradually we formulated the Young Professionals from Developing Countries Programme for nationals from countries without fuel

cycle facilities but who had technical university degrees. In this programme the Agency provided a year’s safeguards training as well as on-the-job experience in a nuclear facility for part of that year. The German Support Programme at Karlsruhe assisted us by placing young professionals in that facility. Subsequently, the Hungarians also assisted us with on the job experience at Paks. Entry into the Young Professionals Programme required government support. Subsequent hiring, after successful completion of the year’s training programme, required a second government support in the context of the P-3 inspector vacancy notice competition. Because young professionals still did not have 6 years of relevant experience, they were hired at the P-2 level until they had the required 6 years. The programme had as its primary purpose to provide the IAEA with young professionals from developing countries who, after successful completion of the training wanted to work for the IAEA and who without the training would not have been able to compete for inspector positions. A secondary purpose was to provide training that would allow those who either did not wish to work for the IAEA after the training or were not successful applicants to return to their national systems and to strengthen the State System of Accounting and Control in their own countries. The fi rst Young Professionals Programme began in January 1983. It was quite successful and over the years, before I retired at the end of 2007, the IAEA was able to recruit more than 70 highly qualifi ed young professionals, many of whom have advanced to senior level positions.

Carlos and I, at Hans Grümm’s prodding, also developed the inspection assistant programme. This was an attempt to increase the inspection effort by utilizing less expensive general service staff to work with professional inspectors carrying out verifi cation work both in the fi eld and at headquarters. Basing the programme on the type B inspectors of Euratom, we developed job descriptions and work procedures. Calling these general service level staff “inspection assistants” was a fatal nomenclature error. It motivated the Board of Governors to insist

that these inspection assistants could not work independently in the fi eld and should always be under the supervision of a professional inspector. This hamstrung the effort and restricted the use of inspection assistants to inspections where a team of inspectors would be required, such as PIVs (physical inventory takings) or bulk handling facilities. We were able to hire some very able inspection assistants, people who went on to become quite successful and well-respected inspectors. The programme, however, actively recruited for just over three years and then gradually faded away until the last of the inspection assistants was converted to a regular inspector post in, I believe, the late 90s.

For the International Symposium on Nuclear Material Safeguards held in Vienna in November 1986, Carlos and I prepared a paper on Career Prospects in the IAEA Safeguards Inspectorate: A Synopsis. The paper basically described the prerequisites for employment in the inspectorate, the selection process, and the working conditions. It emphasized the importance of career potential in the inspectorate to ensure staff loyalty, independence, and competence. Carlos and I followed this paper with another one entitled Present Trends and Future Prospects for the IAEA Inspectorate for the ESARDA meeting in London (May 11-15, 1987). This paper looked at the size, composition, and tasks of the IAEA safeguards inspectorate and its role in the non-proliferation regime. It also dealt with the problems of under-funding, minimal likely growth, increased routinization of activities, the problem of an aging inspectorate, and use of the safeguards experience in possible disarmament related agreements.

Carlos retired from the IAEA at the end of March 1987. For me personally it was most enjoyable working for and with him. He was very logical, had strong opinions that he had no hesitation in expressing, and was completely committed to the mission of the IAEA. He was a mentor, a friend, and one of the original geniuses of Safeguards. It was a privilege to work with and learn from him.

by Bill Lichliter


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