Excuse me, Madam,

Are you working here?

  The dialogue below will take place in room 356 at the Palais des Nations on 26 May 2007:

The door opens, a young man of 45 pops his head in:

– Excuse me, Madam, do you work here? – Yes, indeed, but only since two weeks ago, answers the lady who is sitting in an empty office. Just before I was stationed in Bangkok, and I hope to be moving to New York in two years to get a promotion, and you? – I’ve just been recruited. But I come from the private sector, answers the man proudly. – And what is your assignment? – I have not idea says the man, the person who recruited me has just been transferred to Santiago. – But do you at least know who your supervisor is? – I think it’s you, Madam. – You’ll have to excuse me, but my predecessor left without telling me where the files were!

In the next five years, one third of the Secretariat of the United Nations will be retiring. Furthermore, keeping in line with the current trend, half of the staff members will seek a lateral transfer during this period in order to gain a promotion.

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Editor-in-Chief, Jean Michel Jakobowicz