OSCE

Probably you don't know what OSCE is either.
I had planned to talk about my assignment today-think of that!
You ask "Does Genie actually remember she is on this journey to work, not to go to the opera, and walk aimlessly around paris?"
But in the first sentence of a monthly report from Abkhazia, it read "Russia has blocked extension of the OSCE mission's mandate........." and so I thought who is OSCE?
I read further, "Jan 21 - meeting with Knut Vollebeck, High Commissionner of OSCE for national minorities. On that occasion, issues of delivering passports........."

I have to find out what OSCE is, and PACE, and other such mysteries;

I now know:

OSCE is Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, an ad hoc organization under the UN whose mission is to be a primary instrument for early warnings, conflict prevention and crisis management. We, MSF, work closely with OSCE in the region where I will be stationed.
PACE Parlimentary Assembly of the Council Europe. A representative has been in the region, and will be there again this week overseeing border security and critical issues related to displaced persons.

Now you know about what I know.

Briefly, the reports I read speak of tense "handoffs" at borders ( I will be a "handoff" in a few days, at a bridge, from one car to the next car, between two places, Georgia, Abkhazia). Political jostlings, murders of leaders in restuarants in Sukhumi, criminals released ( for divisive purposes), staff morale low......."the aid coming into the area must be used for huamitarian purposes, not political purposes".

There is the actual work, that you and I will know more about soon, but for now THE CONTEXT into which I will be headed is grim. I am not there yet, but from this desk in Paris, PEACE seems like such an important banner to hold.

Many of you have given me symbols of protection, good luck pieces, prayers..... to each of these and those in addition that I don't know about, thank you, merci beaucoup.

genie