Jean-Noël Wetterwald was 24 years old when he left his native Switzerland to join the UNHCR in 1979. For 33 years, he served in Vietnam, Cambodia, Chile, Guatemala, Bosnia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Germany and Colombia, as well as at HQs in Geneva and New York. At his last post in Bangkok, where he was assigned as UNHCR Regional Director for South East Asia, he decided to retire and return to his country in December 2011. What makes a traveling field-man like Wetterwald wish to return to his native Switzerland? And how does he find the homecoming?
GBN: You recently retired from UNHCR after thirty-three years of service. How does it feel to be back in Switzerland?
Well, on the one hand it is nice to be back in my home country, closer to my children and friends. On the other hand, my wife Olivia and I had to go through an adaptation period after having spent many years abroad, in Asia and Latin America. At the beginning, we felt like expatriates in our own country. While we truly enjoy sunny Valais, sometimes we still miss the exhilaration of our life with the United Nations. We now live in the lovely town of Sion, where we enjoy the proximity of well-known summer and winter resorts in the region.
GBN: Why did you choose to take early retirement?
There is a Swiss proverb that says: “You should stop eating fondue when you still feel like dipping a piece of bread in the melting cheese!” When you work for too long in the same organization, it is easy to become cynical. Cynicism kills empathy, which is the fuel for humanitarian action. After 33 years of service, mostly spent abroad, you want to be closer to your relatives and leave the organization, without losing your motivation. This is what I did, even if sometimes I feel some hunger pangs.
GBN: What’s next?
My wife and I are both realizing that it is difficult to re-enter the Swiss job market at this relatively late stage of our professional lives. Yet, I remain convinced that the skills and experience we gained can be useful for potential employers. After all, we are still some years away from retirement age in Switzerland. Although we do not need a company to pay for a “deuxième pillier” (Swiss retirement plan) or health insurance, it becomes very expensive for any company to hire people beyond a certain age. Their priority should be to decrease joblessness amongst young persons seeking to enter the job market. It makes no sense to force companies to cover social insurance for people in my situation, who are already enjoying social benefits. So, another alternative which I am currently exploring is seeking consultancy opportunities.
GBN: How did you adapt to your new lifestyle?
A former colleague warned me that when you are still working, you dream about the day when you will be able to read your paper and drink your coffee in the morning without having to worry about your agenda for the rest of the day. Yet after a few weeks of rest, you feel the need to be active again. As for myself, I joined as a volunteer to distribute home meals to elderly people. I helped Amnesty International Switzerland in their national campaign to promote an asylum debate, which respects the dignity of asylum seekers. I wrote some articles, published in the newspaper le Temps. I am also a Board member of CINFO*, a fascinating organization, still relatively unknown in Geneva, positioning itself as a reference center in Switzerland for all matters pertaining to international cooperation, including training and counseling for people wishing to work in the humanitarian sector.
GBN: We understand that you also wrote a book?
Correct. Initially, I started to write down something for the family about our fascinating years with the UNHCR before the memories start fading away. I eventually wrote more than anticipated. I sent the manuscript to a couple of editors and one of them expressed interest in publishing it. The book talks about my missions and the challenges of an expatriate family having to move regularly from one continent to the other –including with pets! The true heroes of the story are my wife, Olivia, who had to adapt each time to a new situation and find a new job, and our three children, who coped extremely well with the situation. The book will be published in March. On a separate note, I am happy to see that the UN and the private sector are now making serious efforts to assist spouses in pursuing a professional career.
GBN: A last question: with hindsight, how do you see your years with the UN?
It has been a real privilege to work for an organization like the UNHCR. I was also selected to work for two years at the UNFPA in New York. The UN is a vast organization with undoubtedly some bureaucratic snags. Yet the international community has no other instrument at its disposal to address pressing global issues relating to peace and security, environmental protection, and the resolution of humanitarian and development challenges.
*Centre d’information, de conseil et de formation pour les professions de la coopération internationale (CI)
