VOL. 68, NO. 2 - AAFI-AFICS, Geneva - UNOG

EDITORIAL
The article in this edition by Yves Beigbeder on the reform of the Internal Justice system in the United
Nations reminds us that even the most seemingly immovable structures can be changed radically.
Change IS possible.
In another Organization of the UN system, FAO, a six person independent evaluation team has made
proposals challenging FAO to reform. The FAO Council has adopted these proposals and is engaged in
their implementation.
And this in an Organization which has traditionally been deemed to be somewhat resistant to change. 3
The Berlin Wall did fall. Barack Obama did become President of the United States of America.
I do not think that I have a chronic attack of "rose-tinted spectacles"( Translator: voir la vie en rose) but I
thought it was time to put some balance into the gloomy headlines about banking collapse, global
depression and the like. Aamir Ali lists a selection of such headlines in this edition's Cabbages and Kings.
Brilliant as ever.
And just in case you were thinking that all this is for the "actives", ( Is the opposite of active staff really
passive staff? ) take careful note of Odette Foudral's exhortation to action - "70 is an age, not an expiry
date".
Happy reading.
We shall revert to the issues surrounding ageing in future editions of the Bulletin. The subject is vast as a
very recent book by George Magnus makes clear. In “The age of Aging: How Demographics are Changing
the Global Economy and Our World” 4 , Magnus examines the demographic time bomb. “By 2050 the world
will have about 2 billion people aged over 60, three times as many as today. In parts of the rich world…. that
age group already makes up nearly a quarter of the population. By 2050 their share will rise to 30 - 40%,
and even in the - much younger – developing world it will go up to 25 -30%”. Magnus examines a series of
options for managing this “new, global reality”. He concludes that the biggest part of the solution lies in
expanding the shrinking band of workers, mainly by getting people to retire later….
So it is not surprising that the United Nations system is also reviewing the age of retirement. We shall keep
you fully informed as the debate unfolds.
Roger Eggleston
3 Our colleague and friend from our sister Association, BAFUNCS, Michael Davies, was one of the six core members of
the evaluation team. He has kindly agreed to submit an article for a future edition of the Bulletin on his and the team's
experiences.
4 The Age of Aging: How demographics are Changing the Global Economy and Our World. By George Magnus. John
Wiley, 2009.D
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