UN Connections No. 81
In this issue: 
o Overview
o UN Perspectives: Dr. Andrew Hudson
o UNAs and Water and Sanitation
o NGOs on the Move
o Book Recommendation
o Film Recommendations
 ‘Washington and Moscow must begin nuclear disarmament. So long as these nuclear states maintain that these weapons are indispensable to their security, it is not surprising that others may think they are useful. What, really, is the alternative: invasion and occupation, as in Iraq?’
From his March 20th article in The Guardian: ‘Iraq Five Years On: A War of Utter Folly’
WFUNA's competition is inspiring students all around the world to elaborate and share their visions of a world free of nuclear weapons. By thinking about 'what can lead governments to stay away from, or do away with, nuclear weapons?' and producing an essay, a poster, or a video, students can win a trip to Geneva and participate in a seminar lead by Hans Blix. All details for how to participate can be found at www.disarmamenthub.org.
Join the Facebook Cause and spread the word about this emerging global youth movement. The latest statistics from Google Analytics reveal that students from the United States currently lead the participation, followed by youth from Romania, Russia and India. Strongly rising participation is coming in from Greece. Get your country to the top of the list!
 Melting Ice/ A Hot Topic
For the occasion of World Environment Day 2007, the Natural World Museum in partnership with the UN Environment Programme produced the art exhibition addressing climate change from a global perspective. The exhibition has already been to UN Headquarters, Oslo, Brussels and Monaco, and it will be in the Field Museum (Chicago, USA) from April 18 to September 6, 2008.
 Get Ready to STAND UP and Take Action on the MDGs
Last year, more then 43 million people participated in STAND UP Against Poverty Day, sending a clear and powerful message to governments: keep your promises to end poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This year, in which we reach the halfway point of the target date for achieving the MDGs, STAND UP will be observed from 17-19 October. Every year more and more UNAs organize events on this day. Please email editor@wfuna.org to update us about your plans, so we can share them with our network. Keep watching www.StandAgainstPoverty.org for information and updates!
The GLN OpenAccess, a collaboration project between the UN Global Compact, the International Finance Corporation, and the Global Leadership Network, launched the GLN OpenAccess - an interactive self-assessment tool assisting companies to improve their understanding of how the management of social, environmental and governance issues impact their business and stakeholders. For more information go to: www.gln-openaccess.org
The book, O United Nations, written by Mr. Sinha M. A. Sayeed was published recently by the Bangladesh Political Science Association. The book was declared as the best book of 2007-2008 by the Bangladesh Writers Foundation and the Bangladesh Political Science Association.
 Resolution on Water and Sanitation
On 28 March, the Human Rights Council adopted by consensus, a resolution sponsored by Germany and Spain, with over 40 co-sponsors, on ‘Human Rights and access to safe drinking water and sanitation.’ Through this resolution, the Council established a new ‘Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation.’ The resolution is available at www.cohre.org/water
Human Rights Council elects advisory committee members and approves special procedures mandate holders
The Human Rights Council elected 18 experts to make up its new Advisory Committee, and approved candidates for its Special Procedures on the right to adequate housing, the right to food, human rights of indigenous people, sale of children, effects of economic reform policies, human rights in Myanmar, human rights in the Palestinian territories, human rights and extreme poverty, contemporary forms of slavery, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, people of African descent, human rights in Somalia and human rights defenders.
WFUNA Highlights
The concluded on 29 March 2007 in New York. UN Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Mr. Kiyo Akasaka addressed the ExCo. Representatives of the Millennium Project, Mr Jerry Glenn and Ms Concepcion Olavarrieta, made presentations on their program of work.
Major decisions included:
- Endorsement of the priority WFUNA is giving to projects on disarmament, human rights, climate change and the Millennium Development Goals.
- Continuing high priority to activities that engage the participation of young people in the UN
- A letter of protest was sent to the American Ambassador to the UN, regretting that the Cuban member of the Committee could not be present because he did not receive a US visa to come to New York.
- Three new UNAs are being recommended to the Plenary for membership: Colombia, Montenegro and Morocco
- The appointment of Mr. Bonian Golmohammadi (UNA-Sweden) as Treasurer until the next Plenary Assembly.
- A WFUNA Audit Committee is to be established with 3 members from the US, Cyprus and Haiti.
- The 39th Plenary Assembly will be held in June 2009 in Seoul, Republic of Korea
- The 195th ExCo meeting will be hosted by UNA-Cyprus, 2 -4 October 2008
Minutes of the meeting will be available shortly on the WFUNA website.
To educate rural Congolese women and children about their rights, the has published two booklets that compile excerpts from domestic and internationals laws, declarations, resolutions and treaties referring to women and children. The booklets are available in French, and are being translated into indigenous languages. To make the most effective use of this tool, the UNA is organizing seminars in which they talk to women and children about what their rights are, and what they mean, and then provide them with the booklets.
Organized by the with the support of the , the 2008 Geneva Seminar on Health and Globalization will be held from 15-21 May 2008. The Geneva Seminar is an intensive course for health care professionals interested in global health. For more information please contact ghl.seminar@gmail.com
The National Conference will be held from 21-23 August at the Parliament House in Brisbane. Sessions will focus on the UN’s work on climate change, life-long education, governance, human rights, conflict resolution and the Global Compact.
 Alec Gaines from the has received a letter from the British Foreign Minister which clearly states the “UK Government has repeatedly stressed its commitment to work for a world free from nuclear weapons”. His message and the letter can be found at www.disarmamenthub.org All UNAs are encouraged to ask their governments fro a similar statement!
UNA-Ecuador, in cooperation with UN agencies and other partners, will be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by organizing an international meeting on "Social Cohesion and Social Well-Being: Inclusion and Dialogue from a Human Rights Perspective ", in Quito from 28-29 April 2008. Go to:
www.auditoriademocratica.org/60anniversary
Mr. Christos Theodoulou was re-elected for 4 years as President of UNA-Cyprus, and a new Council was elected.
Asso.Prof. Dambar Bir Thapa was re-elected as the President of UNA-Nepal, and the UNA elected a new Executive Committee.
WFUNA-youth New
The launched its second annual essay competition on 23 February 2008. The topics include: the reputation of Turkey in world affairs, and lobbying for membership of the Security Council. Detailed information can be found on the youth section web-site: www.una-turk.org/youth_section.
Model UN News
hosted a panel at the first session of the National Model UN (NMUN) in New York. The panel focused on Students for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World. This was the most popular session at the conference, attracting a lively exchange of views from over 300 students from around the world. A second WFUNA panel will be taking place at the spring session of the NMUN on 24 April 2007. For more information on NMUN visit www.nmun.org.
 The in Incheon, Republic of Korea will take place from 21-25 July 2008. The theme of the conference is “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015: Reducing Global Poverty and Improving Living Standards through a More Proactive Approach.” The website for the Model UN is now available at www.apmun2008.org
will be hosting the Moscow International Model UN conference from 14-18 April 2008. WFUNA President Hans Blix and WFUNA Secretary-General Pera Wells will be in attendance. www.modelun.ru
will be hosting the 3rd Annual International Model UN conference of Catalonia from 30 April- 3 May in Barcelona. Go to: www.anue.org/en/cmun
will be hosting the 3rd annual East African Model UN conference (EARMUN) in August 2008.
All of these UNA hosted Model UN conferences will be held under the auspices of WFUNA.
New Faces at the Secretariat
 Philip Urech, who took over from Marcus Wilson as the Disarmament Program Coordinator in the New York office, is a student in International Affairs at the University of St. Gallen HSG in Switzerland. His core interests are sustainable development, security, and information technology. Prior to his studies he founded and subsequently sold his own firm in the field of film and advertisement. Email: urech@wfuna.org
Millennium Project News
On 27 March the Millennium Project led a seminar at the UN on Futures Research Methodologies for the United Nations. Jerome C. Glenn and Ted Gordon, co-founders of the Project in 1996, led the discussion. Some of the ideas discussed were: 1) Connecting government and UN agency future strategy units via Web/intranet with the Offices of the UN Sec-Gen and President of the GA; 2) Creating an interoperable global futures scanning system in the SG’s Office and in each major UN organ; 3) Designing a global situation room for the Secretary-General that might initially focus on global climate change; 4) Developing a UN state of the art system for “just in time knowledge” to support the Secretariat’s management; 5) Using Real-time Delphi to rapidly collect best judgments world-wide to support decision-making; and 6) Connecting each of these elements for a strategic information system to support decision-making.
There was a follow-up meeting the next day with the Asst. Sec-Gen for Information Technologies and the Deputy ASG for Strategy to explore how the policy/strategy office and the UN IT systems could work together to upgrade the future strategic capacities of the UN.
Who’s Who at the UN
Formerly an Ombudsman at Pace University, Johnston Barkat of the United States is the new Ombudsman for the UN Secretariat.
 Wilfried Lemke from Germany was appointed Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace,
with the rank of Under-Secretary-General.
 Susana Malcorra of Argentina, formerly the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of
the World Food Programme, has been appointed the head of the Department of Field Support.
 Rima Salah of Jordan, formerly Deputy Director of UNICEF, is now Deputy Special Representative of
the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad.
What’s Happening at the UN
Thematic Debates convened bv the President of the General Assembly
- Recognising the achievements, addressing the challenges and getting back on track to achieve the MDGs by 2015 (1- 2 April 2008)
- Towards a Common Understanding on Management Reform (8- 9 April 2008)
- Thematic Debate on Human Trafficking (3 June 2008)
Commission on Population and Development
7 April 2008 – 11 April 2008, New York
Disarmament Commission
7 April 2008 – 24 April 2008, New York
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Second Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention
7 April 2008 – 18 April 2008, The Hague
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
21 April 2008 – 2 May 2008, New York
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
28 April 2008 – 16 May 2008, Geneva
NPT Preparatory Committee
28April-2 May 2008, Geneva
Commission on Sustainable Development
5-16 May 2008, New York
Topic of the Month: Water and Sanitation
A 21st Century Challenge: Achieving Universal Access to Water & Sanitation
By: Beatriz Eraso Puig, WFUNA Climate Change Associate
 Clean water and sanitation are essential for life. This is why the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) include the target to “reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”. A successful achievement of this target would save millions of lives - especially children’s, create progress in education, liberate women and children from their daily task of collecting water, and help people overcome poverty.
Kofi Annan once said “access to safe water is a fundamental human need and, therefore, a basic human right”, but there are about 1.1 billion people in developing countries who don't have access to clean water, and 2.6 billion people who lack access to basic sanitation. Every year, 1.8 million children die as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. Therefore, the access to this basic human right still remains one the world’s challenges for the 21st century.
To read the complete article, go to:http://www.wfuna.org/site/lookup.asp?c=rvIYIcN1JwE&b=3995999
UN Perspectives: Dr. Andrew Hudson
 Dr. Andrew Hudson joined UNDP in 1996 in the position of Principal Technical Advisor. Initially he was assigned to oversee UNDP’s Global Environmental Facility International Waters programme and work on trans-boundary water issues. Recently, UNDP’s Global Water Governance team has integrated other elements of UNDP’s water programme into one group, now lead by Dr. Hudson. The Programme works in three key areas: water supply and sanitation, integrated water resources management, and trans-boundary waters management. Programmatically, it works at local, regional, national and global scales, as well as engaging in global policy dialogue in the water and sanitation sectors, and on marine and coastal resource management issues.
For the interview with Dr. Hudson, click here: http://www.wfuna.org/site/lookup.asp?c=rvIYIcN1JwE&b=3996013
UNAs and Water and Sanitation
 UNA-UK promotes its advocacy work by keeping its members abreast of parliamentary issues. The UNA is urging its members to contact their representatives about Early Day Motion 2073, which aims to promote public solutions to global water shortages. www.una-uk.org/parliament/key_issues.html
 UNA-Canada’s Youth and the Right to Water is a public engagement initiative that brings together youth from diverse backgrounds around the issue of the Right to Water as a basic human right and necessity. www.unac.org/righttowater/index.asp
NGOs on the Move
 WaterAid is an international charity with the aim of overcoming poverty by enabling the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. The organization seeks to influence policy at the national and international levels. WaterAid helped over 50,000 people in Ghana and 1.1 million in Tanzania to gain access to safe drinking water and sanitation services, and implemented 450 rural water, sanitation and hygiene programs in Nepal. www.wateraid.org
 PlayPumps International is a South African NGO that provides schools and communities throughout Africa with an innovative, uniquely sustainable, free supply of clean drinking water. Over the next few years they will expand operations throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, with the goal of installing more than 4,000 pumps, reaching up to 10 million people by 2010. www.playpumps.org/site/c.hqLNIXOEKrF/b.2559311/k.BCFF/Home.htm
 Global Water offers permanent solutions to water needs by providing appropriate equipment. In recent years, Global Water has funded multiple projects in Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Zaire and Zimbabwe. In these countries they designed to drill multiple water wells, supported an extensive health and agricultural water development program and provided professional supervision for many projects. In Romania, Global Water coordinated a survey and project for a water well that could provide safe water for orphanage children. www.globalwater.org/index.htm
 Water For People helps people in developing countries improve their quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education programs. Water For People announced a Country Tour to Guatemala from 6-12 April 2008 to show sustainable water and sanitation development in progress and the vast difference they are making in people’s lives. www.waterforpeople.org/site/PageServer?button=Home+Page
 ACUA (Communitarian Association United for Water and Agriculture) is an NGO from El Salvador, which aims to reduce the vulnerability of poor families through the promotion of appropriate technologies for food production and for the access and conservation of water through communitarian participation. They carry out a sanitation and hygiene program in rural communities promoting good practices in order to improve health standards and the protection of the water resource. www.acuasv.org
Book Recommendation:
by Allerd Stikker
 Allerd Stikker, who leads the Ecological Management Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated towards environmentalism through business, writes a compelling book about one of the most significant problems the human race will face in the near future – lack of clean water. With his extensive experience in water resources management, Stikker approaches the subject from a broad perspective to craft an inspirational and eye-opening analysis. He also provides insight into desalination techniques.
Film Recommendation
Director: Sam Bozzo, 2008
 Wars of the future will be fought over water, not oil - is the message of this documentary film, which is based on the book “Blue Gold: the fight to stop the corporate theft of the world’s water” by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke. The film explores the global water crisis both from the ecological and political angle. Shot in nearly a dozen countries, the film looks at the process in which water - the source of human survival - has entered the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments compete for control over our dwindling water supply, promoting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. Past civilizations collapsed from poor water management. Can the human race survive? More information about the film at: www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com
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Students for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World – Sparking a global youth movement!
OpenAccess tool for Global Compact Signatories
