Background / Topics
Diversity and Global Understanding
What does it mean?
Working in the context of the United Nations means experiencing cultural diversity and multilingualism. The workshops seek to promote greater awareness of the importance of efficient communication tools and "a common language" spoken when people from diverse backgrounds work together.
We will look into the realities of diversity in the UN system, as they manifest in the field. We will seek to explore the full range of what diversity means for the UN's working procedure and explore the modes of diversity in real-life situations of working together on the ground.
Why does it matter?
Hence, since deficits in effective internal and external communication, intercultural competence and diversity management have been identified as problematic the question must be asked as to how specially targeted initiatives, tools and policies in this field have the potential to improve such communication and therefore the performance of the United Nations System and civil society in its support.
What do we aim?
Our objective is to deepen the international debate on questions relating to cultural diversity, particularly (but not exclusively) its effects to the working environment of the UN organizations and its peace operations.
Existing infrastructure, ongoing activities and common practise are discussed by the workshop participants and new research proposed in a series of presentations by scholars and practitioners. Thematically the focus is on the benefits of diversity management, terminology, education and shared communication tools.
Definitions
Concepts
Concepts can be defined as abstract ideas or units of knowledge. In the field of international relations and international organizations, concepts play an essential role in framing policy-fields, actor roles, and strategies for action.
Terminology
Terminology is defined as the entirety of all concepts and terms in one specialist field, both linguistically (special vocabulary) and non-linguistically (e.g. graphic symbols, formulas, gestures).
Efficient communication and knowledge transfer with regard to technical language is not possible without the correct use of specialist vocabulary and can be improved significantly through the use of terminological methods.
Terminology work deals with the preparing, the processing, the documenting and the use of specialist vocabulary; tools like terminology management software support this work. Terminology work is concept-oriented and thus, from a methodical point of view, especially suited to solve multilingual communication tasks.
Terminology is
- essential for precise and efficient communication across language and cultural barriers
- a prerequisite for translators, interpreters and localizers
- an indispensable component in virtually all standardization and harmonization activities.
Terminology management has become an integral part of business processes aiming at increasing productivity, quality and user satisfaction.
Diversity management (DiM)
a strategic management approach aimed at the targeted consideration and deliberate utilization of the diversity of persons and relevant organizational environments or stakeholders in order to create structural and social conditions under which all employees can develop their abilities and reach their full performance to the benefit of all parties involved and for raising the organization´s success. (source: Austrian Standards Institute: ÖNORM S 2501)