at iob
In the meantime...
Paris 2016
Spring time, Paris time. For a number of years,
IOB has organised a visit to the French capital
for its Master students, a highlight in the IOB
year. A group of 34 students and 4 IOB staff –
including probably the youngest IOB member
ever, 2-year-old Theo – left Antwerp on 6 April
2016.
A diverse academic and touristic programme
awaited us. On our first day, we went straight
to OECD headquarters, where we had three
excellent speakers: Isabelle Meert, member
of the Belgian permanent delegation to
UNESCO; Raundi Halversion, Senior Adviser
in the Development Co-operation Directorate;
and Henri-Bernard Solignac-Lecomte, Head
of the Europe, Middle East & Africa Unit at the
Development Centre, all excellently organised
by Phyllis Flick from the OECD Public Affairs &
Communications Directorate. Together, Phyllis
and the speakers provided a lot of insights into
the different aspects of the OECD’s work and
answered many questions. Had we had more
time, we would probably still be discussing
development policies and OECD activities
today!
We started the second day with a boat tour
along the river Seine. We passed many of the
top attractions of Paris, from the Eiffel Tower
to the Louvre museum and Notre Dame
cathedral. In the afternoon, former IOB staff
member Jos Vaessen welcomed us at UNESCO
headquarters, which are located in the heart
of Paris. After passing by some of UNESCO’s
many treasures such as a Giacometti statue,
we had another set of exciting and interesting
presentations and discussions. Jos, now
a Senior Evaluator at UNESCO, gave an
overview of UNESCO and specifically its
evaluation activities, while his colleague
Ricardo Grassi, a former journalist, talked
about his work and the many development
challenges in Afghanistan. Again, time was
short and the questions many.
Before heading back to Antwerp, there
was still some time on Friday for tourist
explorations. Many students strolled through
the trendy Marais neighbourhood on a
guided walk, while others went to see the
art collections in the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay
or Centre Pompidou. There was also time to
explore the city at one’s own pace.
The three days went by very quickly. Not least
thanks to the wonderful sunshine, we all
enjoyed the trip and its rich programme. Paris
is always worth a trip, all the more so with a
wonderful group of people!
Exchange to change June 2016
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