Issue No.78 - December 2007
In this issue:
o Overview
o UN Perspectives: Patrick Hayford
o UNAs and Africa
o NGOs on the Move
o Book Recommendation
o Film Recommendations
 Season's greetings from WFUNA! Take our end-of-the year quiz to test your knowledge of the UN in 2007 and for a chance to win a WFUNA t-shirt! Go to: www.wfuna.org
Update on Bali Conference
 Some 10,000 delegates, scientists, journalists and activists from nearly 190 countries have gathered in Bali, Indonesia on 3 December, for the start of two weeks of UN-sponsored talks aimed at laying the foundation for a new and stronger international treaty to manage global warming.
The event includes sessions of the thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Conference on Climate Change, a meeting of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol and other subsidiary bodies. A ministerial segment will take place 12-14 December to conclude the Conference.
To view entire article, please click here>>>>>
Message from WFUNA President Hans Blix
 Hans Blix from his cottage on the Island of Graso, Sweden: "The butterflies I used to see as a child have gone. There are more ticks. The cod is finished; the cuckoo is now very rare. The water temperature has now gone from about 16 to 19 degrees. The world should be as worried about climate change as nuclear weapons, if not more so. Nuclear disarmament only requires 12 governments to change their ways; climate change, 6.5 billion people." In an interview with Chris Blott published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend, 29 September 2007.
Who's Who at the UN
 Ms. Angela Cropper of Trinidad and Tobago was appointed as the new Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for the United Nations Environment Programme.
 Ambassador to Ireland Robert H. Serry of the Netherlands will be appointed as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.
Director for the Asia and the Pacific Division in the Department of Political Affairs Vladimir Goryayev of the Russian Federation has been appointed Executive Director of the office of the UN Register of Damage caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
 The appointment of Serge Brammertz as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has been approved by the UN Security Council.
 Sierra Leonean Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone and former child soldier, has been appointed UNICEF Advocate for Children Affected by War.
 The Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle, its Artistic Director, have been appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors
What's Happening at the UN
UN Democracy Fund Accepting Applications
15 November - 18 December, www.un.org/democracyfund
World AIDS Day
1 December 2007
United Nations Climate Change Conference
3 December, 2007, Bali, Indonesia
Committee of Permanent Representatives to UN-Habitat
6 December 2007, Nairobi
International Human Rights Day
10 December
Human Rights Council, resumed sixth session
10 - 14 December 2007, Geneva
Working Group on the Financing of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
31 December 2007 - 3 January 2008, New York
Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, regular session
21 - 30 January 2008
Conference on Disarmament, first part
21 January - 28 March 2008, Geneva
Human Rights Council, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent
7 - 11 January 2008, Geneva
Human Rights Council, Working Group on Situations
28 January - 1 February 2008, Geneva
UN Partnerships in Action: The Three Tiers
 UPDATE: Students for a Nuclear-weapons Free World
The response to Students for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World has been fantastic. Already, in its first weeks of conception, there is a growing list of official partners who have agreed to use their networks to spread the word on this initiative. The project has received feedback from students in Austria, California, New Zealand, Nigeria and Sweden thanks to UNA outreach and partner networks.
The Disarmament-Forum has now changed its name. In order to convey a more youthful approach to disarmament issues, it has become www.disarmamenthub.org. This is all part of the ultimate goal of amassing a global youth movement towards a nuclear weapons-free world.
 Do you know what it is like to be a refugee? Developed as a multimedia educational tool for students and teachers, the UN Higher Commission for Refugees recently launched its free, online game "Against the Odds". Players get to live the life of a refugee escaping the brutal regime of their native home in search of safety in an unfamiliar foreign country. To complete the game, you must survive interrogation, escape the authorities and cross the border in search of a better life. But as you will discover, even once you have escaped the tragedy of your homeland, life is not easy for refugees. This game is not just for children - players of all ages have something to gain! Play at: www.playagainsttheodds.com.
 Launched on 27 November in Brazil, the Human Development Report 2007/2008 "Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world" argues that progress made in recent years in human development is being threatened by climate change. The signs are already observable, mainly among the poorest and most vulnerable populations and countries. The report identifies five tipping points, which could stall and then seriously reverse human development if we do not act together now to protect the planet we all share:
- Agricultural production and food security
- Water stress and water insecurity
- Rising sea levels and exposure to climate disasters
- Declining health
- Collapsing ecosystems
The Report contains a number of specific recommendations for international cooperation and multilateralism to effectively address climate change, thereby averting the significant negative consequences for human development today and for future generations.
Read the report at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/
 Donate rice to the hungry and improve your vocabulary at the same time! On the new website www.freerice.com players answer questions about word definitions. For each correct answer, the website donates 20 grains of rice through the United Nations World Food Programme to developing countries. The more you play the more rice is donated, and you improve your vocabulary at the same time!
 The 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) will be commemorated for a full year - December 10th 2007 - 2008, with the theme of "Dignity and justice for us all".
A deep and abiding commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been at the heart of the mission of the World Federation of United Nations Associations, a peoples' movement to support the United Nations.
Please click here to view entire article.
WFUNA Highlights
 On 23 October in Toronto Ontario, the UNA-Canada hosted a gala dinner, entitled "A World Without Weapons" at which WFUNA President was the guest of honor. He spoke about issues of peace and disarmament, from nuclear to biological to chemical to small arms.
 Dr. Blix and Secretary-General Pera Wells attended the meeting of European UNAs in Brussels on 26 November, convened by UNA-Sweden. In the morning, the group visited the UN Regional Information Centre and then went to the European Parliament where Karen Fogg, Head of the UN and Treaties Office gave a briefing on European policies on issues on the UN agenda. In the afternoon Dr Blix talked to a large audience of EC officals and representatives about Europe and the United Nations.
 Ms. Wells participated in the conference of the International Center for Democratic Transition in Budapest on Tuesday 27 November. The theme of the conference was The changing role of Women in the Changing world . Her speech described the advances in the status of women that have been made through the United Nations in the 20th century and the need to maintain the positive momentum of change in this century, including strengthening the capacity of the UN to mainstream gender issues. For the text of her remarks, please click here>>>>
UNA-ROK convened in partnership with the city of Incheon an international symposium on 23 November. Amb Sun Joun-yung chaired the meeting. Mr Kim Hak-su, former Executive Director of ESCAP gave the key note speech and Ms. Wells spoke about the the role of the UN and UNAs in resolving international issues. For the text of her remarks, please click here>>>>
To celebrate the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNA-Togo, in collaboration with the International Front for Human Rights, Youth For Human Rights and WAI-Afrique, is hosting an event in New York on 8 December that will include the screening of a video on the Universal Declaration, and the announcement of the 2007 Human Rights Heroes contest.
On 28 November, UNA-Singapore co-hosted a seminar and book launch of the UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008 with UNDP in Malaysia and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
UNA-UK's Westminster chapter hosted a "We the Peoples Film Festival" together with the National Film Theatre, Institute of Contemporary Arts, and Frontline Club in London. The weekend-long event featured 5 separate sessions of short films dealing with Health, Education, the Millennium Development Goals, Gender, and the Environment. The following weekend they screened Peace films, including the "Pastor and the Imam" (Nigeria) and "A View from a Grain of Sand" (Afghanistan). All the film sessions are followed by discussions with the Directors or experts in the field. The UNA - Westminster is seeking to put the best films on a DVD and lend them to other UNAs so they can organize their own festivals.
WFUNA was reelected to the board of CONGO - the Conference of NGOs. Levi Bautista is the new President of CONGO.
 5 December 2007 - International Volunteer Day
Every year on International Volunteer Day, UNAs and UNYAs actively participate in UN activities and programs in their communities, from organizing rallies and parades to participating in community projects and advocacy campaigns. Please send a brief description of your UNA or UNYA volunteer activities to commemorate International Volunteer Day so that it may be publicized in UN Connections and on the WFUNA website. For more information go to: www.worldvolunteerweb.org/int-l-volunteer-day.html
 Message from WFUNA Youth Program Coordinator - Shruti Pant
Young people around the world have emailed the WFUNA New York office to learn how we can assist youth who wish to become involved in supporting the work of the UN. Here is our response to the most common question asked:
1) What responsibilities do United Nations Youth Associations (UNYAs) have? And what can UNYAs contribute to their societies?
UNYAs work under the auspices of WFUNA-youth. Officially integrated into the WFUNA Constitution in 2006, WFUNA-youth is a network of UNYAs around the world. By supporting each other's work, WFUNA and WFUNA-youth are able to reach their common goals of engaging young people with the UN and furthering the global activities of UNYAs and UNA Youth Programs. To learn how you can establish an UNYA in your country, please go to: www.wfuna-youth.org
Through their UNYA, young people have access to a number of tools and resources to educate themselves and others about the UN. The WFUNA-youth Coordinating Committee hosts an annual Capacity-building Workshop on project implementation for UNYA members. WFUNA hosts regional Model UN Conferences to provide young people with the opportunity to step into the shoes of Ambassadors in a simulation of a UN conference. UNYA Members have access to a global network of UNAs, with whom they can jointly implement projects and events.
 Are you interested in discussing nuclear non-proliferation in the Security Council, or UN Reform in the General Assembly? Registration opens on 15 December for the Fifth Annual Belgrade International Model UN - BIMUN taking place from 27-30 March 2008. Hosted by UNA-Serbia, BIMUN 2008 is expecting to see the participation of over 150 university students from around the world. Go to: www.unaserbia.org.yu
 Cherie Settle has been working at the WFUNA office since October 2007. Prior to that she was involved with the UNA-National Capital Area in Washington, DC where she was Vice President and Secretary. Cherie attended the University of Maryland, obtaining a degree in Russian Language and Linguistics with a minor in Chinese Language. She did her graduate studies at Georgetown University where she was a member of the Russian Honor Society and was elected President of the Graduate Student Association. As a consultant, she worked for the Environmental Protection Agency at the Freedom of Information office. She also worked as a research assistant at the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, which is part of the Wilson Center, a prominent think tank in Washington, DC and she worked in Senator Kennedy's office for Labor and Health issues.
Millennium Project News
 UNESCO just purchased a license from the Millennium Project to use its Real Time Delphi software for UNESCO's world water scenario project after it used it last month for initial research on water scenarios. See www.unesco.org/water/wwap
The 31st Node of the Millennium Project was opened in Dubai within the Knowledge and Human Development Authority of the Government of Dubai. See www.ameinfo.com/138182.html. The Chairman of KHDA called the Millennium Project "the world's pre-eminent futures research think tank. We are in an era where change is not only inevitable but also quick and decisive. Preparing and coping with these changes requires foresight and telescopic vision."
As part of the Millennium Project's review of government foresight strategy units, Jerome Glenn meet with President Sarkozy's new foresight strategy unit in Paris, which is using the 2007 State of the Future as part of the French strategic planning process, and welcomed the opportunity to participate to the proposed intranet to link government and UN strategy units.
To read a recent UN Chronicle article about the State of the Future report go to: www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/100307_state_of_the_future.html
Topic of the Month: Africa
By Anita Kabikire (UNA-Uganda, WFUNA Secretariat NY)
 After years of struggle, many African economies seem to be growing at fast and steady rates. Once this is maintained or even improved, it will cut down the region's high poverty rate and attract global investment. Africa's economy is expanding by 5.4 percent a year and it is projected to hit almost 7 percent next year.
The encouraging trends are shown in the World Bank Africa Development Indicators 2007. "Over the past decade, Africa has recorded an average growth rate of 5.4 percent which is at par with the rest of the world," said Obiage li Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region. "The ability to support, sustain and in fact diversify the sources of these growth indicators would be critical not only to Africa's capacity to meet the Millennium Development Goals, but also to becoming an exciting investment destination for global capital."
Through the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, African countries are making a difference in promoting dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts. Progress is being made in the peace process in Somalia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Northern Uganda as well as in Sudan.
Please click here to view entire article.
The Role and Potential of African UNAs
By Cissa Wa Numbe, UNA-Democratic Republic of the Congo, WFUNA Executive Committee member
 It is no secret that, African UNAs are working hard within a very difficult context of political and security instability. Yet, they are doing their best in promoting human rights, peace, democracy, humanitarian relief and environment issues - to name a few. However, is not only political and security issues that provide major challenges. UNAs in Africa have faced a history of poor support by mainstream UN agencies - often surviving without sufficient financial support or cooperation from governments. This means, in many countries or regions, UNAs are limited in what they can do despite their capacities of mobilizing public opinion or their experience in working with grassroots and community group partners. This includes the physical and practical resources which enable UNAs to exist and thrive, such as: financial sponsors, office buildings (e.g. office space/meeting space), paid workers and training. One example of this negative effect has been the cancellation of the African regional Model UN that was scheduled to take place in Nairobi this year. Unfortunately, it will no longer take place due to a lack of funding; while in other regions such as Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, Model UN have been taking place.
What lessons are to be learnt from this? Well, African UNA have to build strong networks. These are particularly relevant as they have a role in building support, communication, trust and new ideas, as well as offering the opportunity to build the infrastructure that was previously lacking. Networks can:
- Provide motivation for groups, either regional or sub-regional, and can encourage strong work ideas and practices, and revitalize resources
- provide focus for improving services that will facilitate wider public involvement
- lead to multilateral UNA collaboration on strategic projects, such as: regular exchange of ideas, discussion, mutual learning and information sharing
- add authority, experience and credibility to the work being undertaken to influence policies for the benefit of human rights, peace and security, environment and the UN development agenda
To view entire article, please click here
UN Perspectives: Patrick R. D. Hayford, Director of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
 Patrick Hayford served as Director for African Affairs in the Executive Office UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan from 1999 to 2005. His thirty-three year diplomatic career in Ghana's Foreign Service included tours of duty in New York, Egypt, the United Kingdom and South Africa. At the Foreign Ministry in Ghana he was Director of International Organizations and Conferences between 1986 and 1988 and again from 1992 through 1995. Since January 2006, Mr. Hayford serves as Director of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) at UN Headquarters.
The mission of OSAA is to enhance international support for Africa's development and security, assist the Secretary-General in improving coherence and coordination of the UN system support to Africa, and facilitate inter-governmental deliberations on Africa at the global level, in particular relating to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The OSAA website is: www.un.org/africa/osaa
To view interview, please click here>>>>
UNAs and Africa
Partnerships are at the heart of the successful projects being implemented by the UNAs in Africa. They work together within the region and with UNAs from around the world to help raise awareness, educate their constituencies about the UN and connect their leadership with the UN. Examples include;
UNA-Norway has established the five-year FredsKorpset Exchange Program with the UNAs of Tanzania and Uganda. Through the program, each year two participants from the African UNAs travel to Norway to work at the UNA, and two participants from Norway work at the UNAs of Tanzania and Uganda. The primary aims of the exchange are to facilitate better understanding and cooperation among the partners, enhance the capacity of the participating organizations, and strengthen advocacy and information-sharing about the UN and the MDGs.
 In collaboration with the UNAs of South Africa and the UK, the UNA-Democratic Republic of the Congo played an important role during the recent election process by implementing democracy-related projects. Through its Train-the-trainer Program the UNA prepared over 350 elections monitors and observers to ensure a fair and transparent democratic process in the country. The UNA translated important elections-related materials such as the constitution into indigenous languages to make them available to non-French speaking communities.
The UNA-Sudan is involved in activities to raise awareness about, and improve the current situation in southern Sudan. During Ban Ki-moon's visit to Sudan this year, the UNA organized a public lecture presented by the Secretary-General on the "Role of the UN in a Changing World".
The most recent members of WFUNA, the UNAs of Togo and Cote d'Ivoire are planning to hold the first Model UN conference for francophone African UNAs in 2008. They are meeting this month with UNA-Canada to learn from their experience, and to receive tips and advice on how to organize such an event.
NGOs on the Move
There are hundreds of NGOs in Africa that do creative, efficient and far-reaching work on a wide range of issues such as sustainable development, infectious disease prevention, girls' education and refugee rights. Some of these include:
 Agricultural and Rural Development Association (ARA) is a Ghanaian NGO working in rural communities to improve living conditions.. One of ARA's projects is an experimental sustainable farm used to teach good practices for farming methods while at the same time helping to increase the income of the rural population. The farm is used to train youth on organic farming methods, and is as a place for workshops on sustainable agriculture for regional farmers. www.ara-ghana.de
 Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) is a pan-African organization working in over 40 countries with and for women and their families to strengthen their capacity to prevent, control, and mitigate the impact of AIDS. One of their key areas of intervention is orphans and vulnerable children. SWAA is a partner of the Hope for African Children Initiative that works to increase the capacity of the affected communities to provide care, services and assistance to vulnerable children. www.swaainternational.org
 Refugee Law Project (RLP) works to ensure the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons within Uganda. One of their focus areas is education and training on human rights and refugee law for people involved in the protection of forced migrants. RLP has trained over 3000 officials, service providers and other stakeholders in Uganda. It is a member of the East African School of Refugee and Humanitarian Affairs, a two-week program providing training on responsible refugee policy and practices in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. www.refugeelawproject.org
 The Community Development Foundation is a civic organization from Mozambique that works to bring together all sectors of society to achieve democracy, development and social justice. The foundation carries out the "Girl's Education Programme" that has benefited over 10,000 girls during the last eight y
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