JSBP Invades Geneva

This week, the usual Wednesday field excursion was replaced by a three-day adventure. The JSBP hooligans boarded a plane destined for Geneva - second largest city in Switzerland, home to the United Nations, and famed for its chocolate. In between wandering the cobblestone streets, casually hopping the border to France, and hitting up a Swiss flea market, we actually did some learning.

On Wednesday, we were lucky to hear from some pretty influential people working within the United Nations. The first series of lectures was hosted by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) - a program that we had a bit of background information on, thanks to an article by Maria Ivanova. (We were even on the official schedule! I know, I'm kind of a big dork to be excited.) Barbara Ruis, a Netherlands native who acts as a legal law officer within UNEP's regional office, kicked off the lecture with a brief introduction. Angela Cropper, who I found to be most intriguing, followed. Cropper is the Deputy Executive Director of UNEP - the second in command. She spoke a bit about the history of UNEP, and then shifted focus to the Rio+20 Summit.

I feel a bit ignorant for not knowing much about the summit. Set twenty years after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio+20 aims to "secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development." Cropper mentioned that the summit's themes are aimed at sustainable development as well as poverty eradication. Initially, I thought this was an unusually lofty goal. Combining two of the most extreme, pressing issues of our time might not actually accomplish anything. The more I thought, though, the more the two topics seemed to merge. The world has not had success with it's previous methods - both for preserving the integrity of the environment and eradicating poverty. Some foods are imported because of cheaper labor in other nations. The process exploits the desperation of farmers in developing nations while ignoring the plight of local farmers. Even in some aid programs meant to assist the impoverished, food is packed up here and sent abroad. This not only wastes enormous amounts of money in shipping costs, but also releases unnecessary

harmful emissions into the air from transportation efforts. It also doesn't create a sustainable system. Local farmers in these impoverished places are available to sell their crops, while food is being sent from halfway across the world. The more environmentally and socially sustainable system would be to contribute money to a cause that buys local produce for impoverished families. I'm certain that this issue will be thoroughly dissected during the Rio+20 Summit next June.

The next speaker, Mijke Hertoghs, has been with UNEP for the past 11 years. She has been the Regional Coordinator for Chemical Conventions for the past two years. Hertoghs was a very sociable speaker, and immediately connected with us by asking how many cell phones we've gone through over the years. In developing countries, some people dissect all those old phones and computers in order to remove extremely hazardous but valuable chemicals. Hertoghs briefly touched on the Rotterdam Convention, a treaty addressing the importation of such hazardous materials. She mentioned that in some instances, the elimination of certain chemicals is best. In fact, there are many chemicals banned in developed, industrialized nations but still perfectly legal in developing countries. The lack of education about such chemicals oftentimes leads to accidents. In the end, Hertoghs mentioned, it's the internalization of costs that prevents nations from banning certain substances. If it brings in a profit, there is less of an incentive to cease the process - despite the harmful effects on its citizens and environment. She summed the constant battle of industry against the environment when she said that "in the end, it's money that matters."

The last speaker during the conference, Eva Duer, is a legal officer and works on knowledge management within UNEP. Duer introduced us to a database called InforMEA, which is directed by the UN and is a useful tool in understanding the collection of treaties directed towards the environment. I wish we had gotten to hear a bit more from Duer, but I was truly impressed with all of our speakers. (I was especially impressed that all four speakers were women! I've been waiting all semester to hear from some strong, intelligent,

prominent women within the government. Good job, UNEP, for employing such great minds.)

After a short break, we also had the honor of visiting the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Initially, I was entirely enthusiastic about this opportunity. The topic falls a bit more under my anthropology major, which I've missed discussing this past semester. Mr. Semih Bulbul, senior desk officer for the Iraq support unit, was generous enough to give us a few hours of his time. Bulbul began by outlining the UNHCR mandate, which states that the agency provides international protection to refugees and other persons of concern. As well as safeguarding their rights, UNHCR provides refugees with shelter, food, and education. Their goal is ultimately, to seek durable solutions. Bulbul defined a refugee as "a person outside his or her country because of well-founded fear of persecution due to his or her political opinion, religion, race, ethnic origin, or social group." The rest of the lecture was disappointing. Bulbul is clearly an intelligent man, and I would have appreciated a more open forum (I know, I'm saying I would have liked to ask more questions in public. This is a first.) Bulbul seemed like he simply enjoyed having us as a captive audience.

In the end, I learned more from reading the information posted throughout the room than from Bulbul himself. I learned about the waste - both of firewood and labor - expended on different types of ovens. Lots of ovens consist of heating three rocks until they're hot enough to cook on. This uses up the most firewood, and is therefore least ecologically-friendly. A "Wonderbox" oven, on the other hand, uses thermal energy - using up a fraction of the firewood to cook food even faster. A few years ago, I helped build solar ovens for rural families in Costa Rica, and I would have really enjoyed discussing this with Bulbul. In the end, though, I left the lecture knowing more than when I walked in, so I can't complain that much.

In the end, Geneva chased us back to Hungary with driving rains. It was definitely an educational adventure for the JSBP, but I think we were all ready to get back to the place we now call home. Missed you, Budapest. For those of you back home - okay, for my mom - you can learn more about Geneva's history through this website, which has the straight facts. If you want to learn more about the chocolate, cheese, and pretty pictures, visit the Lonely Planet website!

Law Talk, Round Two

This past Wednesday, we had the opportunity to sit down with a pretty major figure in the government game. The former head of Hungary's National Disaster Management, Attila Nyikos, was willing to put up with our questions for a few hours. The National Disaster Management is comparable to America's FEMA - both perhaps with a bit of a tarnished history. According to Nyikos, this department has one crucial difference from FEMA. Back home, firefighters are a local sector. Each city or collection of towns has a fire department. Here,

firefighters are part of a centralized body. They work and act under the federal government, meaning that there are civil and fire protection activities incorporated into the National Disaster Management. Nyikos also outlined the major responsibilities in a flow-chart: prevention, recovery, and response. All three are tied together, and help the department learn from their past successes and failures. As Nyikos said, "Man is always planning and God is always deciding."

The department typically deals with the preparation for and damage resulting from natural disasters. Hungary is susceptible to frequent floods from inland waters. There is also an outstanding danger of freshwater pollution, as well as possible disasters from the pressure of geological fault lines. In the past decade, Hungary has had to address cyanide pollution in the Tisza River, a dyke breach and subsequent flood of the land along the Tisza River, and major fires resulting from extreme heat. The department does not only address natural disasters, but sometimes assists with social and political issues. They once helped in the evacuation of 9,000 citizens from Tripoli, Libya during a time of political unrest. Nyikos job must have been ever-evolving.

The topic of red sludge was inevitably raised as well. Nyikos was able to offer some new information on the topic, which I was surprised about considering the amount of times we've discussed it with other guest speakers. As it turns out, the red sludge isn't what caused the chemical burns that injured so many in Kolontar. There is a thin layer of highly alkaline water, referred to as "technical water," that rests on top of the red sludge pool. I was surprised at this new piece of information, considering it was a fairly simple concept to understand and had not been mentioned in any of our previous field studies or readings. Nyikos went on to mention that the cause of the accident is "still unknown," and may be due to layers of causes - some human, some natural. He identified the main goal of workers in the post-disaster days: keep the sludge as close to the site as possible. This not only limits the amount of damage done to property, but also limits the human toll and even the evacuation efforts of nearby towns. Essentially, there are three steps to a disaster management effort. The first is to rescue and secure all lives. The second, to stabilize the situation. The third step involves recovery and reconstruction.

Nyikos was able to shed some light on the last step, something that we haven't been able to discuss too much. 300 houses had to be destroyed because of contamination. In the wake of the demolition, Hungary's best architects stepped forward and offered to work, without pay, on the reconstruction. The government offered victims three options: build a new house, buy yourself a different house within the county, or buy a flat in another part of Hungary. Most opted for the third option, which actually surprised me at first. I thought most would opt to stay, at least within the county. The more I contemplated it, though, the more it made sense. If red sludge came flooding through Portland and destroyed my entire house, I would be devastated. I've lived in the same house for my entire life and simply cannot imagine the pain and grief that would come with losing such an integral part of my childhood. Once the demolition crews haul away the wreckage, there would

only be an empty plot where my house once stood. I can imagine standing in the void, surrounded by hulking machines carrying away the damage. I can imagine looking down at my feet and seeing the land still stained red, and wondering if the color could ever be washed from the ground. I can imagine seeing my entire history carried away with the broken boards and shards of glass, and knowing that - even built back up - nothing would be the same. And like most of the Hungarians, I can imagine wanting to get as far away from the memory as possible.

Overall, I enjoyed this past field study. At times, Nyikos showed a clear bias on behalf of his department. He seemed to shuffle most of the blame onto the company, and absolve government inspectors for their oversights. He even mentioned that an inspector did a routine check the morning of the disaster - something he saw as an indication this was all an unstoppable accident. I, however, viewed it as a spot on the government's record. Clearly the inspector did not do a sufficient check, considering there were stress fractures present on the concrete pool walls. Despite his leanings, though, I did consider Nyikos to be an intelligent speaker and enjoyed his lecture.

Law Talk

This past Wednesday, we took a break from riots and terror opted for a more low-key field study. Dr. Lajos Korona, from the Budapest Attorney General's Office, was kind enough to sit down with some New Hampshire hooligans and educate us about a new aspect of the Hungarian legal system. Dr. Korona works as a public prosecutor within the Department of Supervision of Investigations. The department's name illustrates the main purpose: to oversee police investigations. In the most basic terms, Dr. Korona and his colleagues make sure the police are carrying out investigations in compliance with the law. There are local offices in charge of the same task, but they only deal with lower-level crimes. Dr. Korona deals with more serious offenses. High-scale drug crimes, crimes against property above two million forints (about $8,900), and crimes against life all fall under his expertise.

To help us better understand his department's responsibilities, Dr. Korona outlined his place within a typical homicide investigation. Police initiate investigations once they discover a crime has been committed, and must inform the Attorney General's Office that they are undertaking such an investigation. The justice system in the States has statutes of limitations - a maximum amount of time between when the crime is committed and when legal action can be taken. For example, most states have a statute of limitations on rape ranging from five to ten years. (More on U.S. statutes of limitations on rape, state by state.) The Hungarian legal system believes that investigations should be concluded in no longer than two months - for any crime. If the deadline passes, police must outline any further investigation plans. It is then up to the prosecutor check the process and files from beginning to end, before extending deadlines. Protracted cases require enhanced supervision by the General Attorney's Office. This deadline on investigations struck me as very strict and short. In the United States, investigations can be dragged out for months. It can depend on a number of different factors, from the integrity of the evidence, the severity of the offense, or the number of officers assigned to the case. Even media attention can disrupt and prolong the investigation. The Casey Anthony trial, for example, garnered an almost unprecedented amount of media attention this past summer. Casey Anthony's daughter was reported missing on July 15, 2008. The trial regarding her death and disappearance did not take place until May 9, 2011 - during which the investigation was ongoing. (ABC outlined the investigation's timeline here.) If the trial had been picked up and dropped down within Budapest's borders, I wonder how the Hungarian legal system would have handled the setbacks and media interruptions. Would Dr. Korona have had to intervene after two months, to make sure that the police investigations were remaining on track and within the penal code? If we had the same set-up in the States, perhaps it would create a more stable, strict, efficient system, Dr. Korona mostly deals with procedural issues. Just like in the States, Hungarian citizens have the right to a lawyer. When interrogating a witness interrogated, some police may break the accepted code of conduct. During house searches, citizens have the right to ask for an independent witness to be present. By not providing one, an officer is going against the penal code. These are instances when Dr. Korona and his associates intervene. Some of you back home - especially those who I force to watch

Law and Order: SVU with me - may relate Dr. Korona's duries to those of Internal Affairs or Internal Investigations offices. These departments intervene when it becomes evident that an officer may have used excessive force or broken procedure during the course of their work. Generally, officers loathe these types of departments - they break up the stereotypical police "brotherhood" by asking for statements from different officers within departments. They never intervene when something has been done correctly, but only when there's a hint that something was done wrong. Anyone would come to correlate this department with negative feelings. Since this is the only department I can compare to Dr. Korona's work, I wonder if the Hungarian Rendőrség find it meddlesome.

I truly enjoyed learning about Dr. Korona's line of work. I think we all found him to be a very intriguing, engaging, and open guest speaker. I'd love to sit down and talk with him again sometime, but I'm afraid the thirty kilograms of seized marijuana that he told us fell on his desk that morning may keep him busy with investigations for at least a while...