Pistis reclaims goodwill and messages of peace (weekending April 30th 2022)

 

‽istis reclaims goodwill and messages of peace (weekending April 30th 2022)

This week ends on a day that has been designated ‘International Jazz Day’ by UNESCO (1): ‘to focus global attention on the role that jazz has played in breaking down race and gender barriers around the world, promoting co-operation mutual understanding and communication - and peace and freedom.’ (2).

‽istis begins to ponder jazz and recalls earlier thoughts on ‘extemporising’ back in August 2020 when we were trying to find our way through the score-destroying uncertainty of a response to a potential existential threatening pandemic (3).

But then, on reading that the initiative leading to ‘International Jazz Day’ came from ‘American Jazz pianist, composer and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogues’, ‽istis riffed away to consider the people who are, or have been ‘Goodwill Ambassadors’ - who are they? What is their role? Has  anyone evaluated their impact? Has the stock of ‘goodwill’ across the world increased and how, on earth, could we ever tell?

Considering these questions took ‽istis down what might be considered a ‘rabbit hole’ (4) leading to a maze of tunnels and corridors opened up by the internet and the mysterious algorithmic magic of search engines. A complex network is found - the structure of the United Nations (5): 

‽ six main organs (6)

‽ four pillars (7)

‽ fifteen ‘specialised organisations’ including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank (8)

‽ a number of a number of UN offices, programmes and funds — such as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) — working to improve the economic and social condition of people around the world. (9)

And, ‽istis discovers that there are both ‘Goodwill Ambassadors’ and ‘Messengers of Peace’ (10): ‘distinguished individuals, carefully selected from the fields of art, literature, science, entertainment, sports or other fields of public life, who have agreed to help focus worldwide attention on the work of the United Nations. Backed by the highest honour bestowed by the Secretary-General on a global citizen, these prominent personalities volunteer their time, talent and passion to raise awareness of United Nations efforts to improve the lives of billions of people everywhere.’ (11)

Links and files available from the webpage https://ask.un.org/faq/14597 lead to a list, a gallery and further individual pages for the 13 current ‘Messengers of Peace’. Another link takes this rabbit-hole explorer to the initialised world of: UNESCO, UNEP, UNDP, UNAIDS FAO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO, World Food Programme (WFP, surely?), UN WOMEN, UNODC, IFAD & UNCDF…  all of which seem to have Goodwill Ambassadors, Advocates or Special Ambassadors.

Wondering about evaluation and impact matters, ‽istis follows (from https://ask.un.org/faq/14597) another link and finds a report from 2006: ‘Goodwill Ambassadors in the United Nations System’ by Papa Louis Fall and Guangting Tang (Joint Inspection Unit, Geneva) (12) - an  evaluation  of  the  Goodwill  Ambassadors programmes in the United Nations system from March to May 2006. Several recommendations are made including this: ‘Executive heads should:  (a) Develop systems to track and report regularly on the impact of the activities of the Goodwill Ambassadors and Messengers of Peace;  (b) Conduct periodic evaluations of the programmes to improve their efficiency.

So, tunnelling on, ‽istis types in ‘UN Evaluation of the impact of Goodwill Ambassadors and Messengers of Peace’ to a popular search engine. An article emerges by Mark Wheeler emerges in the journal ‘Celebrity Studies’ (2011) (13) and, with it, ‘a mixed picture’ - but an acknowledgement that ‘the UN experience demonstrates that celebrities have promoted new or alternative discourses, and by occupying a public space have affected credible diplomatic interventions across the international community.’

Finally, ‽istis comes up for air, pops out of the rabbit hole and looks again at the world around...

And ‽istis is left wondering what messages of goodwill and peace are being proclaimed this week and today by the 153 Goodwill Ambassadors (14) and 13 Messengers of Peace (15)?, how and to whom?, whether we are listening? and if it will make a difference‽

© Pistis                                                                                                                    

NB: further reflections and comments linked to this week’s theme and past blog entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders. ‘Follows’ and respectful comment and dialogue welcome...  

1. UNESCO: United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization
2. https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/jazz-day
3. https://pistisrec.blogspot.com/2020/08/pistis-reclaims-extemporising.html when ‽istis hoped that ‘the required extemporisation is indeed based and built on sound and shared principles, experience and expertise; presented by people in harmony, united and sharing an understanding of ‘what works’; acknowledging, referencing, citing, adopting and adapting the best of past and contemporary exponents and of acclaimed and proven forebears and peers…’ Hmm, that went well?
4. After Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)?
5. https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/mun-guide-general-assembly
6. Economic and Social Council; General Assembly; International Court of Justice; Secretariat; Security Council; Trusteeship Council
7. Peace and Security; Human Rights; The Rule of Law; Development. ‘These four pillars are all interconnected. You can’t fully achieve one without achieving all of them.’ Hmm, that’s going well?  https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/4-pillars-united-nations
8. & 9) https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/un-family-organizations

 

10. and 11.  https://ask.un.org/faq/14597 : ‘The United Nations Secretary-General appoints Messengers of Peace. Goodwill Ambassadors, on the other hand, are designated by the heads of United Nations Funds, Programmes and specialized Agencies, e.g., UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNHCR. Goodwill Ambassadors are subsequently endorsed by the Secretary-General. In 2010, in response to a General Assembly request to mark the International Year of Biodiversity, for the first time the Secretary-General appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.

 

12. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/593164?ln=en  the objective of the evaluation was to ‘Assess the level of financial and human resources needed to meet established objectives effectively and to achieve a return on investment.  Identify  best  practices  and  performance  indicators  for  the  use  and  administration  of  Goodwill Ambassador programmes. Recommend  where  necessary  general  guidelines  for  improvement,  rationalization  and harmonization of current practices within the system.’

Eleven recommendations are noted including: Recommendation 8 Executive heads should:  (a) Develop systems to track and report regularly on the impact of the activities of the Goodwill Ambassadors and Messengers of Peace;  (b) Conduct periodic evaluations of the programmes to improve their efficiency.

 

13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232831254_Celebrity_diplomacy_United_Nations'_Goodwill_Ambassadors_and_Messengers_of_Peace and concludes: ‘a mixed picture has emerged… Undoubtedly, Goodwill Ambassadors and Messengers of Peace have lent weight to the public campaigns waged by the UN in a commercially driven global news media. They have provided a definable focus for public engagement and have utilised their star power to affect pressure upon diplomats, international policy-makers and national leaders but, …there are dangers in over-simplifying complex forms of international diplomacy and utilising emotional responses. However, the UN experience demonstrates that celebrities have promoted new or alternative discourses, and by occupying a public space have affected credible diplomatic interventions across the international community.’

14.  UNESCO (55), UNEP (9), UNDP (10), UNAIDS (8), UNFPA (6), FAO (3), UNHCR (6), UNICEF (30), World Food Programme (4), WHO (9), UN WOMEN (5), UNODC (5), IFAD (2), UNCDF (1).

15. HRH Princess Haya , Daniel Barenboim , Paulo Coelho, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Douglas, Jane Goodall, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Stevie Wonder, Malala Yousafzai.