“The UN’s 60th year: auspici

ous, or just very difficult?”

Background

Stéphane Dujarric

Stéphane Dujarric served as chief spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan from June 2005 through December 2006. During that time he faced daily questions on a number of crises, notably the Oil-for-Food scandal and the Israel-Lebanon conflict.

Previously, Dujarric served as an associate spokesman for the UN, under Fred Eckhard, and before that he worked nine years for ABC News in New York, London and Paris, traveling extensively on assignment throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

He was replaced by the Haitian journalist Michèle Montas when Ban Ki-moon became the new Secretary-General in January 2007. Ban Ki-moon then named him to his office as Deputy Communications Director. In the spring of 2008, Dujarric joined the UN Development Programme (UNDP) as Senior Advisor and Spokesman. He was then appointed UNDP's Director of Communications in March 2009.

Dujarric graduated from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1988.

The UN’s 60th yearThe United Nations (UN) is an international

organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.

2005 was a year of disasters, starting with the tsunami in the Indian Ocean that took 200.000 lives. The whole world reacted, using the UN as the lead for logistics and coordination. Thus, 2005 - The UN’s 60th year- tested the international community and the United Nations as never before. As the UN grappled with issues of war and peace, demand for its reform and renewal grew louder.

Can the same be said for the 60th year of the Un

ited Nations? Are there signs of a new beginnin

g? Has it been an auspicious year for the UN – o

r just a horrible one? That’s what will be talking

about in the show with the guest-Stéphane Duja

rric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General.

Words and Expressions

auspicious

auguring favorable circumstances and good luck. Something that is auspicious indicates that success is likely. e.g. His career as a playwright had an auspicious start.

unprecedented

If something is unprecedented, it has never happened before.

e.g. Science and technology have come to pervade every aspect of our lives and, as a result, society is changing at a speed which is quite unprecedented.

chronic

being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering

e.g. There is a chronic unemployment problem in America.

grapple

Wrestle; If you grapple with a problem or difficulty, you try hard to solve it. e.g. The economy is just one of several critical problems the country is grappling with.

ambitious

having a strong desire for success or achievement or requiring full use of your abilities or resources

e.g. By no stretch of the imagination could you call him ambitious.

mortality

the ratio of deaths in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 per year

e.g. Infant mortality is still very high in some developing countries.

pledge

When someone makes a pledge, they make a serious promise that they will do something. e.g. The meeting ended with a pledge to step up cooperation between the six states of the region.

unanimously

When a group of people are unanimous, they all agree about something or all vote for the same thing.

e.g. The Conference unanimously adopted Lenin's report.

frustration

the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals

e.g. It's healthier to release frustration than to bottle it up

proliferation

a rapid increase in number (especially a rapid increase in the number of deadly weapons)

e.g. the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

disarmament

Disarmament is the act of reducing the number of weapons, especially nuclear weapons, that a country has.

e.g. Public opinion was moving strongly in favor of disarmament.

upsurge

If there is an upsurge in something, there is a sudden, large increase in it.

e.g. A new upsurge in construction is in the making.

sanction

If someone in authority sanctions an action or practice, they officially approve of it and allow it to be done.

e.g. The economic sanctions could not prevent the development of that country.

allegation

statements affirming or denying certain matters of fact that you are prepared to prove

e.g. He demand the right of reply to the newspaper allegation.

allegation

claim; An allegation is a statement saying that someone has done something wrong.

e.g. Allegations of brutality and theft have been levelled at the army.

innuendo

Innuendo is indirect reference to something rude or unpleasant. e.g.The report was based on rumours, speculation, and innuendo.

rumour

A rumour is a story or piece of information that may or may not be true, but that people are talking about. e.g. Simon denied rumours that he was planning to visit Bulgaria later this month.

keep sb on sb’s toe

If you say that someone or something keeps you on your toes, you mean that they cause you to remain alert and ready for anything that might happen. e.g. His fiery campaign rhetoric has kept opposition parties on their toes for months.

seamless

You use seamless to describe something that has no breaks or gaps in it or which continues without stopping. e.g. It was a seamless procession of wonderful electronic music.

collateral

Collateral is money or property which is used as a guarantee that someone will repay a loan. e.g. Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.

genocide

Genocide is the deliberate murder of a whole community or race. e.g. They have alleged that acts of genocide and torture were carried out.

scourge

A scourge is something that causes a lot of trouble or suffering to a group of people.

e.g. Drug dealers are a scourge on society.

robust

Someone or something that is robust is very strong or healthy. e.g. More women than men go to the doctor. Perhaps men are more robust or worry less?

referendum

If a country holds a referendum on a particular policy, they ask the people to vote on the policy and show whether or not they agree with it. e.g. Estonia said it too planned to hold a referendum on independence.

epidemic

If there is an epidemic of a particular disease somewhere, it affects a very large number of people there and spreads quickly to other areas. e.g. A flu epidemic is sweeping through Moscow.

pandemic

A pandemic is an occurrence of a disease that affects many people over a very wide area. e.g. They feared a new cholera pandemic.