Georges Dupuy led a team of UN Geneva interpeters at the UN Climate Change Summit COP21. This interview gives an insight into one of the many critical behind-the-scenes contributions to the historic Paris Agreement....
When 175 countries signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change on Friday, it broke the record for the biggest number of States to sign an international treaty in one day.
It's difficult to imagine just how many people worked behind the scenes to bring about that historic moment. We spoke to a group of UN staff who were critical to the success of the treaty - the hard-working UN Geneva interpreters who serviced the COP21 negotiations in Paris, where the agreement was negotiated in December 2015.
Speaking to UN Radio Geneva, Chief UN Geneva interpreter Georges Dupuy recalled the high points - and challenges - of his coordinating role at COP21. "It was very exciting - not only because of the high profile of the event but also knowing you are connecting with a much larger audience", Georges said.
"That you will have to interpret a statement by world leaders and that your voice is being carried live over the airwaves, on television, on radio, in your home country so that your mum and dad can listen to you live - it was quite a thrill"
The tricky bits were not interpreting the languages, but the logistics, Georges explained: "It was challenging, but interpreters are used to dealing with all sorts of situations in the booth. The difficulties are that when you have 150 Heads of State together for one day that inevitably results in logistical issues - interpreters can be called for bilateral consultations at a moment's notice and we have to run to a room to interpret, without sounding out of breath!"
Interpreters may be the oil on the wheels of the UN, enabling people to talk to each other, but Georges takes a humble view: "The work that we do is the work we do best, but its not necessarily more important that what's being done at the grass roots level - we all have a part to play."
These photos show the UN Geneva interpreters, including Georges, at work at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015 - and the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the UN Headquarters in New York on 22 April 2016.
Listen to the interview, by UN Radio Geneva's Daniel Johnson, here - http://goo.gl/93xvwz
