Background
The UN Geneva multi-track initiative Conferencing Today and Tomorrow was launched by the Division of Conference Management (DCM) in November 2018 as part of ongoing efforts to build on our relationship and engagement with client organisations, to identify how major external trends (economic, technological, social, environmental etc.), as well as internal trends within the UN may lead to changes in the conferencing support requirements of clients.
The phase one of the initiative aimed to visualize and identify how DCM can adapt, plan and innovate to respond to these changing needs.
Since the COVID-19 crisis, working remotely, attending meetings online has become routine. Phase two of the project, Conferencing Today and Tomorrow 2 (CTT-2) aims to collect feedback from our clients’ experiences to understand how COVID-19 changed their participation in conferences, how it changed their activities in terms of organising conferences, and how they envisage future meeting experiences post-COVID-19. What did we learn during this time and how could we take advantage from this experience?
This new initiative includes a survey, and a series of events, one-to-one interviews, focus groups, aimed to facilitate a deeper understanding of our client’s priorities today and in the post-COVID-19 world. The findings have been published in a project report (PDF file).
Contact us: cct@un.org
Events
Knowledge & Learning Commons and CTT-2 Event: Shape the conferences of tomorrow!
Thursday, 21 October 2021
In March 2020, conferencing stopped at the Palais des Nations. In the months since then UNOG and conference organizers brought remote participation into the mainstream, equipping rooms, training staff, and facing challenges. This new way of conferencing is more than business continuity – it opens opportunities. What works well? What doesn’t? What’s missing? Join the discussion to tell us how remote participation changed your experience of conferencing and share ideas for how we can use today’s experience for improving the future.
Material
The recording of the event is available here: https://youtu.be/bT2_6mJGAVU
Additional resources can be found on the Commons website here: : Shape the conferences of tomorrow! Conferencing Today and Tomorrow 2 | Knowledge and Learning Commons (ungeneva.org)
Speakers:
Kira Kruglikova, Director, Division of Conference Management (DCM)
Isabelle Valentiny, Deputy Chief of Staff / Coordinator of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 15 (UNCTAD)
Jonas Pasquier, Head of Global Affairs, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN
Moderators from DCM and Library & Archives Geneva
Knowledge & Learning Commons and CTT-2 Event: COP26: setting the tone for the conferences of tomorrow!
Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Material
The recording of the event is available here
PowerPoint presentation: Welcome to the (ungeneva.org)
Additional resources can be found on the Commons website
Speakers
Michelle Keating, Chief, Languages Service, DCM
Laura Lopez, Director, Conference Affairs Services at UNFCCC
Helen Wright, Deputy Director Events for COP 26, UK Government
Victoria Busby, Director of Protocol, FCDO and Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, United Kingdom Government
Kira Kruglikova, Director, Division of Conference Management (DCM)
Moderators
Jonathan Morgan, Project Lead CTT-2 and from the Library & Archives Geneva