Recently, Nankai University, Tianjin University and Tianjin Foreign Studies University cooperatively held a lecture in Nankai, the topic of which was “Sharing Experiences of Working in Intergovernmental Organizations”. Song Yunfu, former director of external affairs in the Ministry of Public Health and senior diplomat in the World Health Organization, was invited to give this speech.
Song Yunfu introducing the basic requirements of becoming an international civil servant
Song was among the first group of students to study abroad, sponsored by the government. He went to Morocco at the age of 18 to study French. And then, he studied at Georgetown University and the School of Administrative Management in France. In the end his hard work enabled him to obtain the United Nations Language Proficiency Certificate of English and become an international civil servant. He has made great contribution to our nation, he always resigned himself to being where our country needed him the most. To prepare for China being restored to its rightful seat in the United Nations, he actively responded to the call of his nation.
Today, he looked back on 40 years of experience in foreign affairs, of which he has worked for 26 years in China and 14 years abroad. He has gone through ups and downs in his life. However, he never gave up on the pursuit of his dream. In retrospect, he summarized his political career with a poem: “The sharp edge of a sword comes from grinding, and a plum blossom's fragrance comes from the bitter cold.” He first went to Africa as a medical worker, after returning to China, he worked in Jiangxi province for a period and came back to Beijing as a medical worker and conference staff member. He arranged meetings for national leaders in China. It was not until 1994 that he truly went to the UN and realized his dream.
The audience all moved by his tortuous fate. In the meantime, they were inspired by his patriotism and perseverance. After sharing his life experience, Song told us what he believes are the essential qualities of an international talent. The core values of being an international civil servant are integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity. Integrity means we should embrace all aspects of behavior of an international Civil Servant, including such qualities as truthfulness, honesty, impartiality and incorruptibility. Similarly, professionalism means that we should be dedicated, conscientious and efficient in meeting deadlines and achieving results. He also stressed the importance of core competence and managerial competence.
Song described how international civil servants have been faced with historic opportunities and policy changes. Nowadays, with China’s policy being more open and inclusive, our motherland needs more international civil servants to speak for our country and defend the national interest. Song also stressed the importance of English language proficiency in effective communication.
At the end of the speech, he quoted a saying “A great era calls for great vision, which in turn requires great wisdom”. Throughout this meaningful speech, he encouraged more students to dedicate themselves to helping raise the status of the nation and make the world a better one for all of us.
By: Wang Huiting
Editors: Qin Mian and Christopher Peter Clarke
