UN Connections
The World Federation of United Nations Associations Newsletter
Issue No. 67 - December 2006

In this issue:

The Buenos Aires Declaration
Reflections from the Youth Conference
UN Partnerships: Implementing the Millennium Declaration
Who's Who at the UN
What's Happening at the UN
WFUNA Highlights
Inside Global Civil Society: How it Networks
"We the Peoples" Forum


How much do you know about the UN?
Take our end-of-the-year quiz, and find out! The first three people to get all of the questions correct will receive a t-shirt. Go to: www.wfuna.org/you/unquiz06.cfm

The Buenos Aires Declaration:  We the Peoples supporting the United Nations for Fair and Peaceful Globalization

The World Federation of United Nations Associations and its member associations at the 38th Plenary Assembly 6-10 November 2006 in Argentina, adopted the Buenos Aires Declaration and commended it to the Membership of the United Nations and to the peoples of the world.

• The following are highlights from the Declaration
•  

• We support a continuing process of strengthening for an effective UN that is relevant to the lives of people everywhere and efficient in the sustenance of the planet as a whole.
• We believe in a UN that supports democracy and that is itself democratic.
• We support the UN's emphasis on human security, which means realizing the basic human rights of every person and protecting people from critical and pervasive threats.
• We hearten young people to support the United Nations and to use our organization to participate in shaping the future of the world.
• We welcome the incoming Secretary-General's commitment to peace, development, and human rights and his vision that the mandate of the UN in the coming period "is to strengthen the interstate system so that humanity can be better served amidst new challenges."

We call for vigorous efforts to reduce the number of arms and to teach peaceful conflict resolution. We will work to bring this critical issue to the people, as it is their security.

We shall continue to support the Millennium Development Goals and to mobilize civil society to engage in partnerships. We encourage the introduction of the concept of preventable poverty, which means that every country should monitor itself to detect parts of the population not having access to the available means of development resources. We shall support and encourage dialogue about new financing mechanisms for development and continue to work for the protection of the global environment and for renewable sources of energy.

We shall particularly emphasize the rights of women because they are the ones who bear a major part of the burden of poverty, war, and environmental degradation. We call for the establishment of a UN Department for the Advancement of Women, headed by a UN Under-Secretary-General, to energize this process.

We shall work with other NGOs to enhance the effectiveness of the new Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court.  We will campaign for the adoption of a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and for early ratification of the Convention of the Rights of Peoples with Disabilities.

We shall organize in 2007 an Expert Panel on the implementation of international human rights treaties.

We pledge ourselves to support dynamic international cooperation in support of the vision of the United Nations Charter, which remains as valid today as it was on the day of its adoption. We call upon the Peoples of the United Nations to rally in support of their United Nations.

For the full text of the Declaration, please go to:
www.wfuna.org/docUploads/BADeclarationFinal%2Epdf

Reflections from the Youth Conference

The Youth meeting that was held during the World Federation's Plenary Assembly in Buenos Aires, attended by representatives from 23 countries, led to an amendment being made to include  WFUNA-Youth in the World Federation's Constitution and the setting up a 9 member Coordinating Committee to guide the work of WFUNA-Youth.

The youth participants agreed on their aims and priorities.  Top aims include facilitating the creation of more Youth Programs within UNAs, new UNA Youth sections, as well as helping build the capacities of the existing ones through networking and information sharing. One project has already been agreed upon: to promote inclusion of young people in government delegations to the General Assembly.

"During the meeting in Buenos Aires the youth delegates came up with a lot of ideas and future projects, now it's time for us to work hard in order to make a reality out of them. Through its projects and networking capacity WFUNA Youth will be the tool that enables the voice of youth to be  heard at the UN".
Pol Fontanet Perez, UNA-Spain, Youth Coordinator at World Federation Secretariat in New York, Member of Coordinating Committee

To read more about WFUNA Youth and the new Coordinating Committee, go to www.wfuna-youth.org

UN Partnerships in Action: Implementing the Millennium Declaration

"Freedom From Want": The Development Agenda

"Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis"
In the early 21st Century, prospects for human development are threatened by a deepening global water crisis. In a world of unprecedented wealth, almost 2 million children die each year for want of a glass of clean water and adequate sanitation. Millions of women and young girls are forced to spend hours collecting and carrying water, restricting their opportunities and their choices, and water-borne infectious diseases are holding back poverty reduction and economic growth in some of the world's poorest countries. The 2006 UNDP Human Development Report investigates the underlying causes and consequences of the water crisis, argues for a concerted drive to achieve water and sanitation for all through national strategies, examines the social and economic forces that are driving water shortages, and looks at the scope for international cooperation to resolve cross-border tensions in water management. Download the Report at: http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/
Some of the leading NGOs working on water-related issues are:
Stockholm International Water Institute: www.siwi.org
Water for Life: www.mtv.com/thinkmtv/features/global/water_for_life/
WaterAid: www.wateraid.org.uk
Freshwater Action Network: www.freshwateraction.net
 

The Report of the 2006 Civil Society Forum to the ECOSOC High Level Segment on Employment and Decent Work is now available online at:
www.ngocongo.org/index.php?what=doc&id=996

"Freedom From Fear": The Security Agenda

A New Perspective on Divisions and Conflict
The key reasons for the growing divide between Muslim and Western societies are not religious, but political, concludes a report presented by the High-level Group on the Alliance of Civilizations to Kofi Annan on 16 November in Istanbul. In its report, the High-level Group -which includes statesmen, historians, religious leaders, politicians and civil society experts- maintains that although religion is often cynically exploited to stir passions, fuel suspicions, and support alarmist claims that the world is facing a new 'war of religion', the root of the matter is political. The Arab-Israeli conflict has become a critical symbol of the deepening rift. The Group's recommendations for addressing these issues, include a focus on education and youth employment. The governments of Spain and Turkey were co-sponsors of the Alliance initiative.  The UNAs in these countries have been actively involved.  The UNA-Spain is planning to host a meeting of UNAs from the Middle East to discuss and agree on areas of practical cooperation that could serve to contribute to a cessation of violence, greater understanding and a lasting and durable peace. For more information about the Alliance of Civilization, to download a copy of the report, go to: www.unaoc.org

"A Sustainable Future": The Environmental Agenda

UN Climate Change Conference Concludes with Decisions to Support Developing Countries
The UN Climate Change Conference ended on 17 November 2006 with the adoption of a wide range of decisions designed to mitigate climate change and help countries adapt to the effects of global warming. The 6000 people at the conference, among them more than 100 ministers, the UN Secretary-General and two heads of state, agreed on the "Nairobi Work Program on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation" and on the management of the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol. The Fund draws on proceeds generated by the Clean Development Mechanism and is designed to support adaptation activities in developing countries. "The spirit of Nairobi has been truly remarkable," Conference President Kibwana said. "Let us now use the momentum of this conference to carry this spirit forward and jointly undertake the kind of concerted action we need for humankind to have a future on this planet."
Civil society has always played an important role in environmental activism. This year at the Climate Change Conference, dozens of NGOs held side-events and exhibitions on their campaigns, publications, specialized studies and more.

World Bank's 2006 "Green Award"
A collaborative effort by FAO and a group of partner organizations to make shrimp farming more environmentally friendly has received the World Bank's 2006 "Green Award." The award is presented each year by the bank to projects which help developing countries green up their economic development programs and guide the bank's efforts to fund development that is environmentally sustainable.
For a list of NGO partners, go to:www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000439/index.html

"Renewing the UN": The Institutional Agenda

New UN Coherence Report
In February 2006, as mandated by the 2005 World Summit outcome document, the UN Secretary-General formally established the 15-member Panel of eminent persons on UN System-wide Coherence in the fields of humanitarian affairs, environment and development. The Panel's new report puts forward a series of recommendations to overcome the fragmentation of the United Nations so that the system can deliver as one, in true partnership with and serving the needs of all countries in their efforts to achieve the MDGs. Recommendations include closer working relations with NGOs in areas such as humanitarian assistance and sustainable development.
For more information, see www.un.org/events/panel/resources/pdfs/HLP-SWC-FinalReport.pdf

Who's Who at the UN

Prominent South African singer and actor Zola has been appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Eastern and Southern Africa.

U.S. Under Secretary of State, Economic, Business and Economic Affairs, Josette Sheeran was appointed the new chief for the World Food Programme.

Former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu will head the UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission into Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Swiss winner of some 10 'World Music Awards' DJ BOBO was appointed as a National Ambassador Against Hunger for the UN World Food Programme.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006, divided into two equal parts, to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social development.

What's Happening
  
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, thirty-seventh Session
6 November - 24 December, Geneva

3rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
27 November - 8 December 2006, Geneva
www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil

World AIDS Day
1 December 2006
www.worldaidsday.org

Human Rights Day 
10 December 2006
www.ohchr.org

51st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
26 February - 9 March 2007, New York
www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/51sess.htm

WFUNA Highlights

Launch of anti-WMD Campaign
Dr. Hans Blix, recently elected President of the World Federation, is the Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission.  The World Federation is launching a campaign in support of the recommendations of the report and in particular the call for the elimination of all WMDs.   As a first step, the World Federation is setting-up an on-line collaborative work space on its website where students and any other interested parties will have the opportunity to read each other's essays and articles and enter into dialogue with each other. 

Nearing the end of his second term as Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan went to Princeton University on November 28, 2006 to make what may well be remembered as the most important speech of his tenure.  He began by talking about the general sense of insecurity in our world today related to a broad range of issues, including poverty, environmental degradation, disease, war and terrorism.  He concluded that “the greatest danger of all” may well be “the area of nuclear weapons.”  He gave three reasons for this conclusion. Read the entire speech at:
www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2006/11/30_krieger_annan.htm

Elections in the DR Congo
The October elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were the country's first open, multi-party elections in more than 40 years. The UNA-DRC was accredited by the Independent Electoral Commission to monitor and observe these elections, and with the support of UNA-Sweden, and Malcolm Harper from UNA-UK, it was able to mobilize and inform citizens, make available elections materials, and train elections monitors, amongst other things. Reflecting on the UNA's achievements, Mr. Cissa Wa Numbe Secretary-General of UNA-DRC writes in the Elections Report, "the DRC has had its first democratic elections which I believe will pave way for sustainable peace, democracy, human rights and development. I hope that the elected leaders will now concentrate on the reconstruction and rebuilding of the social, educational and health infrastructure of the country. I hope that the government, civil society and the international community will come together to work for the reconciliation, tolerance and conflict prevention".
The full UNA report can be found at: www.wfuna.org/who/members/africa/drc.cfm

Encouraging Education and Youth Activism on Human Rights in China
The 2006 Chinese National Model United Nations (CNMUN2006) was a simulation of the UN Human Rights Council. The event was hosted by the UNA-China in collaboration with the Australian Agency for International Development and the Australian Human Rights Commission, at Sichuan University from 25-26 November 2006. The Model UN was conducted to help educate the students about the provisions of the international covenants on human rights and to encourage them to pay more attention to economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights. The overarching goal was to contribute to improving human rights education in China and to raise the awareness of human rights protection and promotion among the general public.

Alliance of Civilizations
In October the UNA-Spain organized a Mediterranean Forum for the Youth Alliance of Civilizations. Over one hundred young people from the Euro-Mediterranean region debated the six topics highlighted by the High Level Group of the Alliance: migration, youth, institutional policy, media, education and gender. The final document of the conference with the reflections of the participants was handed to the High Level Group Co-Chair, Prof. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, who committed to including them in the report to be presented to the UN Secretary General.

Online Guide on the UN for Youth
The new on-line guidebook, UN4YOUth, is a new resource offering a wide range of ideas and activities to raise young people's awareness of the UN: workshops, internships, training courses, UN simulations, educational aids, networks and sources of documentation. In addition, the website itself covers the structure of the UN and how it works, and explains the many areas in which it operates. UNA-Switzerland and the World Federation were involved in the creation of this publication. The Guidebook is available in German, French and Italian at www.un4youth.educa.ch

UN Day Celebrations - 24 October 2006

UN Day in Bulgaria
The UNA-Bulgaria held a conference on UN Day in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry and the UNDP country office. The  President  of  the  UNA, Ambassador Ivan  Garvalov,  gave  a  detailed  account  of the World Federation's Seminar on the Human Rights Council, and  he reaffirmed the commitment  of the UNA-Bulgaria to continue to uphold  the  purposes, goals, and principles of the United Nations.

UN Day in Slovenia
UNA-Slovenia hosted its annual event on 23 October 2006 at the University of Ljubljana. The Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke about the importance of the UN in today's world and the role of Slovenia in engaging with global issues and shaping the international community's agenda. The UNA-Slovenia awarded prizes to the authors of the ten best masters and doctoral theses on the UN. On the following day, the UNA, hosted a round table on "the role of the United Nations in solving the conflict issues in the Middle East".

The UNA-Malaysia has redesigned its website! Take a look at: www.unam.org.my

Inside Global Civil Society: How it Networks

From 6-10 December, in honor of Human Rights week, there will be several events hosted by NGOs at the UN. Participate in panels, contests, and even special children's events. For more information, visit: www.un.org/events/humanrights/2006

CIVICUS World Assembly to Focus on Cross-sectoral Accountability
In May 2007, the CIVICUS World Assembly will bring together over 1,000 people from across the globe to discuss accountability and how it can be used to deliver results. "Be there to recharge your batteries, to learn new ideas, to make new connections and to explore joint projects across borders and sectors", says Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS Secretary General. The 7th CIVICUS World Assembly will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 - 27 May 2007. For more information, see
www.civicus.org/new/content/CIVICUSWorldAssembly-PressReleaseNovember17-2006.htm

Effective Strategies for Online Philanthropy
From email campaigns to online auctions, advocacy to marketing, communications to community building, the ePhilanthropy Master Trainers conduct eTours perspectives and instruction and provide participants with the tools needed to shape an organisation's efforts.  For more information about this training program, please see:
www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=107541

Read the Stories of Palestinian Youth
Have you ever wondered what it must be like to live in the West Bank? The third edition of Life Behind the Wall, an on-line magazine written by high school students in Palestine is now available. Through their stories the students convey their views and visions of living in the Middle East conflict and the future of the region. Read the e-zine at: www.lifebehindthewall.com

UN-EU Cooperation
The new book, The United Nations and the European Union: An Ever Stronger Partnership, compiles some 20 different contributions by EU and UN officials, ambassadors and scholars. Topics include EU coordination and EU status in various UN bodies and agencies and the results of UN-EU cooperation on human development and security matters. One of the editors of the book, Mr. Tom Ruys, is a member of the UNA-Flanders-Belgium. The table of contents and the introductory chapter are available at:
www.law.kuleuven.be/iir/nl/onderzoek/TableOfContents.pdf

 "We the Peoples" Forum

Share your insights and experiences of participating in networks and partnerships shaping relationships between the emerging global civil society and the UN.

Tell us all about "best practices", new initiatives, and how to optimize the benefits of information communication technologies.

Send your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future issues to the Editor at editor@wfuna.org.