Diplomacy and pace keeping
They meet in the predawn darkness outside Central Park, less than three kilometres from the United Nations, where many of them often encounter one another, exchanging knowing glances or a runner-to-runner handshake.
Chugging through the dimly lit park on a 30-minute jog, they pass dog walkers, other runners and the occasional homeless person, stopping on a bridge midway through for a group photo and selfies. You might mistake them for tourists. But they are a group of ambassadors and other diplomats who call themselves the “PRunners” — named for the titles held by many as permanent representatives to the United Nations.
On a recent morning, they convened in a frigid pre-winter chill. Many wore white team shirts embossed with “PRunners” and the hashtag #NoExcuses. The range of other attire reflected their varying tolerances for the cold.
Richard Arbeiter, the deputy permanent representative of Canada, was hatless and wore shorts. Amal Mudallali, the permanent representative of Lebanon, wore long pants, a jacket and a headband around her ears.
When the Scandinavian diplomats exclaimed that the weather was great for running, Ivana Pajevic, the deputy permanent representative of Montenegro, responded: “Ha! Only if you’re Nordic!”
The diplomats may not always agree on proper running attire or on everything in world affairs. But their weekly runs have bonded them in ways often missing in other gatherings of disparate UN diplomats — like the Security Council or Human Rights Council.
“For me, the runners group is a bit like going to the sauna — everyone is equal,” said Kai Sauer, Finland’s permanent representative, who co-ordinates and often leads the runs. “Diplomacy is very hierarchical, but we leave our titles at home when we enter Central Park. It’s more about human than professional interaction.”
Sauer, who has run seven marathons, said he never cancelled the runs. And unlike the fuzzy start times of many UN meetings, Sauer insists that everyone arrive promptly at 6:30 a.m. — “no exceptions.”
Still, the group, which ranges in age from 40 to 60, applies the UN slogan “No One Left Behind” in practice. “If necessary, I run with the slowest runner,” Sauer said. It is “simply a positive group,” he added. The group was founded by the representatives of Finland and Liechtenstein a few summers ago.
Not many female diplomats are in the group — only the representatives from Lebanon, Montenegro, Palau and Belgium. This is a shortcoming acknowledged by Sauer and Pajevic of Montenegro, who is the president of the executive board of UN Women, an organization that promotes gender equality.
“I agree that we should have more women on board for running,” Pajevic said.