6/17/2005 - AFS Alumnus Elected President of the UN General Assembly

Jan Eliasson, a former AFS student and ambassador to the United Nations from Sweden, was recently elected president of the United Nations General Assembly. AFS congratulates Mr. Eliasson on his election and we are pleased to reprint an interview with him that took place in April of 1997.

In the interview, Jan Eliasson talked about his decision to go on an AFS program, his experiences in the United States during his exchange year and about the benefits of having the opportunity to participate in an AFS intercultural exchange. His words still have a deep resonance and immediacy eight years after he shared his thoughts with us.

Why did you decide to go on AFS?

JE: It was natural curiosity and an interest in seeing what goes on outside Sweden – I saw the deeper implications of this only later when I was in the U.S.

What did you learn or gain that helped you later in your life and career?

JE: It brought home a notion of all people being equal – during my year I met not only Americans but the time I spent together with other exchange students was also important. We spent a lot of time together on the bus trip around the U.S. and on the boat to and from the U.S. – it was a kind of miniature United Nations. The contact with another culture was a very concrete and useful experience. Also, in the U.S. there was a course in public speaking that was very useful. It was during that year that, perhaps subconsciously, I decided to go for an international career.

What do you think makes AFS special?

JE: It puts young people from different parts of the world in contact with each other. You are very receptive at that age so a positive experience of the AFS program is doubly positive. It was good that AFS became more international and encouraged exchanges between nations in addition to those with the U.S.

Looking at the trends you see in the world today, what is a role that AFS can play or a contribution that AFS can make?

JE: We live in a world where many societies are looking inward; there is a feeling of uncertainty. In many places, there are fears of unemployment and concerns over immigration. There are even in some places a fear of religions and other cultures. There have to be positive actions taken to encourage and strengthen tolerance – to take away the fear that is associated with lack of knowledge of foreign people. AFS gives young people this internationalist approach.

I very much support the development in AFS of multinational exchanges – it is crucial right now – it strengthens the belief in truly global cooperation.

Is there anything you would like to add?

JE: I had a great AFS experience as a young man – it left a very positive impression on me. It gave me a deeper understanding of American culture which I had great use of at points in my diplomatic career.

On my bus (a bus trip organized by AFS) we had 22 nations – it was a mini United Nations. I kept this with me through the years. I still have friends I made on that bus trip – we have a community – we have broken through a wall – it is a positive thing.

This move into multinationalism is important. We should not put one culture in the center but see ourselves as part of a multinational network, breaking down barriers and working against the dangerous trend of looking inward; to quote Shakespeare from Romeo and Juliet, “There is a world outside Verona.” It is not only a question of solidarity but also a question of enlightened self interest. There are a number of pressing global problems such as environmental degradation, organized crime, the pressures of population and ethnic and religious conflicts to which limited national solutions cannot be applied.

AFS builds networks and encourages tolerance by bringing young people from different parts of the world together, exposing them to different cultures and ideas. It gives them the opportunity to become global citizens.

In the photo: Jan Eliasson during his exchange year in the U.S., 1957