The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2015 15 In my time as Secretary-General, I have seen too many leaders turn a deaf ear to the voices and dreams of their people. It is as though they rule with noise-cancelling headphones. Again and again, I have urged leaders to listen carefully and sincerely to the aspirations of their people. But listening is not just for leaders. It is just as important for average citizens to turn to each other with open minds and open ears. Yet I fear that people are increasingly reluctant to hear dissonant voices. They are comfortable in their echo chambers. Too many communities rush to point out an affront against them, but ignore the legitimate griev- ances of others. We must close the “empathy gap” that is so prevalent in our world today. —United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, speaking at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Commencement Ceremony on May 16. Contemporary Quote particularly for glass bottles; created a program that recycles newspapers to Burkina Faso’s prison population; planted a community garden near the embassy; and launched a bike-share program through which 10 percent of employees now bike to work each day. The People’s Choice Award, voted on by more than 21,000 employees, went to Mission India, for its significant reduc- tion of energy and water use in its many facilities, both old and new. The mission has several green teams and a resource conservation unit, a team of engineers who work full-time on identifying water and energy savings. The honorable mention for Excellence in Unity Management, which is chosen by State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, went to Embassy Bangkok for its reduction and more efficient use of energy across 17 facilities and 85 percent of its residences. For more information on the Greening Diplomacy Initiative, go to: state.gov/m/ pri/gdi/index.htm. You can also follow GDI on Facebook and Twitter @StateGDI —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern Europe’s Mediterranean Migrant Crisis D uring the four months between January and April this year, 18 times as many refugees perished in the Medi- terranean Sea as during the same period last year, according to estimates from the International Organization for Migration. Despite this, a record number of crossings—which mainly include people from the Middle East and Africa, looking to escape war and oppression—are still occurring. International aid groups, as well as the European Union countries to which the migrants are fleeing, are scram- bling to respond. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, headed by António Guterres, recently announced a Central Mediterranean Sea Initiative. The plan emphasizes collaboration among countries of transit and first asy- lum, and recommends mass information programs along transit routes to inform people of the risks of onward movement. “We can’t deter people fleeing for their lives. They will come. The choice we have is how well we manage their arrival,