living and working in a diverse workplace

With almost 200 countries belonging to the United Nations organization, working for the United Nations means you will be working with people from many different backgrounds and cultures. In addition, taking up an appointment at a field mission or a UN duty station in a different country means you will not only be interacting with people from a different culture on a workrelated basis but also living in a society whose beliefs, values and standards may be very different from your own. While this is often a very enriching experience it can also be very difficult if you are not well prepared for the challenges implicit in such an environment.

The two main sources of differences between people are biology and culture.

By biology we are referring to physical differences such as sex, hair, eyes, skin colour, and height. These are produced by our genetic structure. But no two people have exactly the same genetic coding thus no two people are exactly the same (excluding identical twins). Most biological differences have little importance on their own. It is how we view them that gives them importance. How we view biological differences is determined by culture.

CULTURE

When we speak of culture we are generally referring to the beliefs, shared values, customs and practices, arts and intellectual achievements of a people or race. Culture is how we are raised to view and practice life. It shows up in how we make, do and celebrate things. Culture provides terms such as “us and them.” It plays a large part in our understanding of who we are.

Race is a term used to refer to physical differences like hair, skin tone, facial features. But these are artificially selected determinants since there are many physical differences like weight, arm length or shoe size which could be used as differentiating factors. More significant are the economic and social issues associated with the concept of race. Race refers to how society views the characteristics that result from genetic similarities.

United Nations Mission In Eritrea and Ethiopia. Under a quick impact project financed by UNMEE and the Embassies of Italy and Holland, for the construction of houses in Shambiko, Eritrea, a visit took place in the town to asses the construction project. Shown, a woman demonstrates making bricks which will be used for the construction of new homes.

Race and culture are two of the concepts we use in understanding and establishing our personal identities and belief and value systems. We associate ourselves with a race (e.g. European, Inuit, African) and a culture which is sometimes, but not always, associated with a religion (e.g. Jewish, Mkonde, French). We then develop attitudes about those who are different.