Oral history interview with Janez Stanovnik, 2001

Biographical Note

Executive Secretary of UN Economic Commission for Europe

Scope and Contents

Background and childhood: born 1922, Slovenia, one of seven children; education: High School of Classical Studies, University of Ljublijana, law, 1940, Institute for Social Sciences, Belgrade; career: parliament member, chief of staff for first vice president of Yugoslavia, director of Institute for International Economics and Politics, Belgrade, chairman of the Economic and Financial Committee at first United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTAD] Conference, 1964, special advisor, UNCTAD, 1965, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, 1967-83, president of the Republic of Slovenia; themes: political protests during college against Yugoslavian pact with Hitler, relations between Slovenia and Yugoslavia, involvement with Christian Socialist party, impacts of the Great Depression on Slovenia, effect of Christianity on political beliefs, reminiscences of McCarthy era, nepotism within the UN, role of UNCTAD and the Economic Commission for Europe [ECE] within socialist nations, UN approaches to world crises, social impacts of UN commissions and reports, generational differences in human rights ideas, women's rights and gender inequalities, relationships between UN agencies, collapse of Soviet Union, role of nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], changing personal opinions of the UN, reminiscences of working in Slovenian politics, UN response to Bosnian-Croatian conflicts, colleague reminiscences

Subjects

• Human rights.
• International organization.
• Interviews
• Non-governmental organizations.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Presidents--Slovenia--Interviews.
• Slovenia--History--1945-1990.
• Stanovnik, Janez--Interviews.
• United Nations--History.
• United Nations--Officials and employees--Interviews.
• United Nations. Economic Commission for Europe.
• Weiss, Thomas G. (Thomas George), 1946- interviewer.
• Yugoslav War, 1991-1995.
• Yugoslavia--Politics and government--1918-1945.

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, 2001