The World Federation of United Nations Associations newsletter
Issue No. 84 - July 2008
Topic for August: Educating About the UN
In this issue:
Topic people are talking about:
“
Students have a crucial role in solving the issues of today because they have more time in life ahead of them. With fresher perspectives, they have a better chance at making the world more secure. When students write about current global issues, the greatest value they gain is that they learn and have the opportunity to look into certain questions on these issues and gain insight and new ideas. Young people have a vested interest in securing peace - and I believe they should make great use of it.”
Dr. Hans Blix speaking at Opening Ceremony of WFUNA’s Students for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World Conference in Geneva 13 July 2008
Peace and Security
Hans Blix Inspires Student Movement Against Nuclear Weapons
Students from around the world and from a diversity of disciplines were invited by Hans Blix to write an essay, design a poster or make a video to express their ideas on how to free the world of nuclear weapons. The 15 winning students are from Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, China, Colombia, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, and the United States. After three days of intensive meetings at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, from 13-16 July, the students decided to create a mass movement of youth against nuclear weapons. “We want to solve these problems before we inherit them,” said Catriona Standfield, a student from Australia.
Hans Blix’s initiative received high-level support from the UN and governments. Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director General of the UN in Geneva, and Mr. Sergio Duarte, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, both sent messages to the students. Their conference program included sessions with the Ambassadors of Canada, Pakistan, Iraq and Sweden and presentations from Robert Berg and John Cox, World Academy of Art and Science, Alyn Ware from Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, renowned investigative journalist, Phillip Knightley, and civil society activists, Susi Snyder and Colin Archer.
For more information about Students for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World visit:
www.disarmamenthub.org
www.wfuna.org/site/c.rvIYIcN1JwE/b.4401597/k.FB94/Press_Releases__2008.htm
(press release)
www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/TeenAge/html/20080721T180000-0500_138119_OBS_TEENAGE_GOES_TO_GENEVA_.asp (article by one of the participating students)
UNICEF Teams up with V-Day Campaign to Stop Rape in the DR Congo
The joint global campaign created by V-DAY and UNICEF, Stop Raping our Greatest Resource: Power to Women in the DRC, calls attention to the wide-scale atrocities committed against women and girls in Eastern DRC and demands an end to the impunity with which these crimes are committed. V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. Stop Raping our Greatest Resource: Power to Women in the DRC looks to establish and strengthen women’s groups to provide women the space to talk about sexual violence and gender inequalities.
www.stoprapeindrc.org
Development
Asia/Pacific young leaders unite to support the Millennium Development Goals
Nearly 300 university students from 20 member countries of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) met from 21-25 July in Incheon, Republic of Korea in the context of the WFUNA Asia and Pacific Regional Model UN Conference. In considering how to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, they discussed in a Plenary and three Committees, the need for pursuing alternative energy sources to ensure the future against threats of climate change, diminishing the risk of natural disasters especially in
impoverished areas, advancing towards a knowledge-based economy, and regional collaboration to stop human trafficking. The delegates adopted by acclamation several resolutions and the Incheon Declaration, which advocates drawing on support from international organizations, civil society and the private sector to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Mr. Kiyo Akasaka, UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information participated in the conference on the final day, and announced that the UN will, for the first time next year, convene a global Model UN conference at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. For more information, visit:
www.apmun2008.org
www.wfuna.org/site/c.rvIYIcN1JwE/b.4401597/k.FB94/Press_Releases__2008.htm (press release)
The High-level Event (HLE) on the Millennium Development Goals will take place at UN Headquarters on 25 September 2008.
It will be jointly convened by the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly to review progress, identify gaps and motivate commitments to ensure that the MDGs are achieved by 2015. It will be a special informal event bringing together Heads of State or Government, as well as leaders of the private sector and civil society. The HLE will provide an opportunity for world leaders to announce concrete plans and proposals to translate commitments into action and help accelerate implementation of the MDGs. The HLE will send a message to the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development in Doha, Qatar (29 November - 2 December).
www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2008highlevel/
Human Rights
WFUNA Human Rights Seminar
The sixth annual WFUNA Human Rights Seminar organized in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was held in Geneva from 13-16 July 2008. The over 80 participants came from NGOs, the UN, Missions and the UNAs of Belgium-Flanders, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Israel, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, United States, and Venezuela. Gregory Kovrizhenko, Honorary President of WFUNA, was there with a group of 20 University students.
Dr. Hans Blix opened the seminar, and Mr. Alexey Borisov, Secretary-General of UNA-Russia served as the Chair. Through a series of panels and workshops, the participants discussed various aspects of the second year of the Human Rights Council and the first two sessions of the Universal Periodic Review. They came to positive conclusions about the improvements in the procedures and tools for NGO participation in the work of the Human Rights Council - a quantitative and qualitative improvement over the last 12 months. WFUNA SG Pera Wells facilitated the final session of the Human Rights Seminar on the question of the Human Right to Peace. The Students for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World joined in the discussion which explored the extent to which a campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons could draw on the work that has been done to promote a rights-based approach to other issues, including development.
The full conference report will soon be available at
www.wfuna.org
Human Rights Village at Paris Conference
NGOs participating in the 61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference on Human Rights, are invited to "TAKE A STAND" or "PULL UP A CHAIR" on Saturday 30 August at the one-day, public, Human Rights Village. The event will include numerous stands representing various UN organizations and NGOs, as well as a podium and audience style seating area for dialogue to take place and smaller conversation circles used for more intimate conversation forums. If your organization would like a presence at the village, please send an inquiry by 12 August to veronique@andactiononline.com.
The 195th
WFUNA Executive Committee meeting will be held from 2-4 October in Cyprus.
WFUNA SG Pera Wells was one of the two guest speakers at the Melbourne University Business School annual dinner on the theme of Women and Management, which took place on 5 August. Her speech was webcast and can be seen at
www.mbs.edu
The
UNA-UK Westminster Branch is organizing the 3rd We the Peoples film festival in London in November 2008. The UNA is inviting submissions on the Festival’s theme, “The Three Pillars,” identified in former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Report In Larger Freedom. The three freedoms are: freedom from want, freedom from fear, and freedom to live in dignity. The Festival will include the Young Film Makers for Development festival, the world's first such event inviting submissions from under-19 year-olds on these issues. Please visit:
www.wethepeoples.org.uk
In collaboration with their Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
UNA-Malaysia is organizing the roundtable discussion “Nuclear Abolition Now: Tomorrow May Be Too Late” on 11 August 2008. Please visit:
www.icanw.org
The
UNA-Tanzania will be holding its Annual General Assembly on 2 September 2008 in Dar es Salaam.
The
WFUNA-Youth Coordinating Committee launched the UNYA Project Database at,
www.wfuna-youth.de/wordpress/projects-and-resources/project-database/. The database is a platform for information about ongoing projects being carried out by UNYA's and can be used as a tool to generate new ideas and collaboration for future projects. The database will soon be filled with useful information including project descriptions, reports, resources such as operating procedures and handbooks, as well as a list of UNYA's and current projects they are carrying out.
UNA-Canada’s Toronto Youth Advisory Committee (Youth4Water) traveled to the international Exposition on Water and Sustainable Development in Zaragoza Spain to present a segment on Canadian water issues and to premier their documentary film “Water is a Matter of Survival”. Go to:
www.youth4water.blogspot.com
UNYA-Australia held their National Youth Conference in Hobart, Tasmania which brought over 130 young people together for lectures, workshops and a Model UN conference. The participants issued a Youth Declaration which was accepted by the Governor of Tasmania at the closing ceremony. Go to:
www.unya.asn.au/unyc2008
UNYA-Australia launched YouthSpeak: A Conversation for the Future Report on Friday 25 July. The report documents the largest consultation of young people in Australian history - over 13,000 - about issues that concerned them, their communities and their world.
UNA-Tanzania will be hosting the 3rd annual East African Model UN conference (EARMUN) in August 2008.
The
UNA-Dominican Republic will be hosting the annual International Conference in the Americas (CILA2008), under the auspices of WFUNA from 15-19 October 2008, in Punta Cana. The conference will simulate 12 organs and commissions of the UN and other multilateral institutions, with more than 1,500 participants. CILA 2008 will host a UNESCO Regional Youth Forum, the first seminar-workshop for journalists about the UN and Global Issues, and observe the UN Stand Up Against Poverty Day.
The second annual Latin American and Caribbean Regional UNA-WFUNA-UNIC meeting will be held in conjunction with CILA2008. For details, go to:
www.unadr.org.
UNA-Democratic Republic of the Congo will hold its Model UN conference in Kinshasa from 23-24 October 2008.
Monika Bolliger from Switzerland is a Human Rights Program Coordinator in the Geneva office. She is a student of History, Arabic and International Law at the University of Zurich. Her previous work experiences include an internship at the Swiss Embassy in Damascus, where she lived for one year, and a job as a Communications Assistant at the municipality of Zurich. She speaks English, French, Arabic and German. Email: bolliger@wfuna.org
Suehyan Cho is an intern at the WFUNA Geneva office for the summer of 2008. She will continue her internship at the WFUNA New York office in the fall. Although born in the United States, Suehyan spent her childhood in Seoul, South Korea before moving back to America for high school. She has studied Political Science at the University of Chicago and has just completed a year-long exchange program at Sciences Po Paris. She works as a Human Rights Program Coordinator for WFUNA. Email: cho@wfuna.org.
The 2008 State of the Future Report of the Millennium Project will be launched in collaboration with WFUNA and the UN Department of Public Information at the UN Bookstore this September in New York.
The English, Spanish, and Russian versions of the Executive Summary available at:
www.millennium-project.org/millennium/sof2008.html
Initial pre-publication press coverage is available at the Millennium Projects newsroom:
www.millennium-project.org/millennium/press.html
The Millennium Project Planning Committee has held its twelfth conference from 24-26 July in Washington, D.C.
Alexander Downer, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, was appointed the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus. He, as a highly respected diplomat, is expected to play an impartial role in helping resolve the Cyprus problem.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the African Union Chairperson Jakaya Kikwere appointed
Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, an experienced official from Burkina Faso, as the new joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur.
Alain Le Roy of France was appointed the new head of UN peacekeeping, tasked with overseeing almost 110,000 personnel serving in 20 peace operations around the world.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
9 August
International Youth Day
12 August
Meeting of experts of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction
18 - 22 August, Geneva
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
23 August
Human Rights Council, Organizational meeting
25 August, Geneva
Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
25 August - 12 September, Vienna
61st DPI/NGO Conference
3-5 September, Paris
High-level meeting on the theme “Africa’s development needs: state of implementation of various commitments, challenges and the way forward”
22 September, New York
High Level Event on the MDGs
25 September, New York
Topic of the Month: Educating About the UN
By Jo-Ann Karhson, Youth Program Coordinator
Kofi Annan once said: "No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline." In the spirit of that statement, the United Nations has always recognized that educating youth about the work of the UN now will lead to better global citizens in the future. Many UN organs and agencies have made educating youth about the UN a priority and host a number of programs and projects that seek to do just that.
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Astrid Hurley is the newest addition to the UN Programme on Youth, the focal point within the UN system on matters relating to youth issues. Ms. Hurley works alongside her colleagues to prepare publications for the UN, namely resolutions and recommendations regarding policies on youth for the General Assembly. Ms. Hurley’s area of expertise is youth and development within the Caribbean and Western Asia.
1. What do you think youth can do to be involved in the work of the UN?
I believe that the participation of youth is certainly out there, as long as one keeps their eyes and ears open. The UN headquarters is not the only place for youth to get involved, but is a fine resource for them to take advantage of. Here is an example: the UN Youth Delegates General program, is an opportunity for youth to literally represent their country on its government delegation. It allows youth to become more involved along with the UN and become an official member of the GA, to speak, lobby, and do anything a full delegate can do.
For the full interview
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UNAs and UN Youth Associations (UNYAs) are valuable tools for educating people of all ages about the work of the UN. UNAs and UNYAs conduct a variety of activities including Model UN conferences, seminars, and panel discussions on emerging global issues. Please see the Model UN News section for information about upcoming Model UN events hosted by UNAs. Below is a selection of UNA activities from around the world on educating about the UN:
To educate rural Congolese women and children about their rights, the
UNA-Democratic Republic of Congo 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. The UNA organized 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.
UNA-Germany emphasizes its devotion to youth education through its working group “UN Research and Teaching” which promotes scientific UN research. The purpose of this working group is to enhance the academic interest of university students who wish to go into the field of UN studies.
People have different ideas about the significance of the UN and how the organization achieves its goals. In order to combat this problem,
UNA-Venezuela offers a free online course about the UN. This free course offers simple, accessible information on the essential concepts related to the organization and its agencies.
http://anuv.net/cursos_onu_gratuitos_por_internet.htm
Each year the
UNA-Singapore brings a team of University students to visit the UN offices in Thailand, such as agencies working in agriculture and environmental protection, and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific.
www.unas.org.sg
The
UNA-USA Student Alliance seeks to engage students by creating a nationwide network of motivated individuals, student advocacy groups, international affairs clubs, and Model UN teams who stand poised to collectively sound their voices and make their opinions heard amongst their peers, in their communities and across the nation.
www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=459309
The Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN) was founded in 1996 by Sally Swing Shelley and Barbara Walker, to promote teaching about the UN. The initial goals were to establish a resource center for teachers to bring together materials developed throughout the UN system, and to make available to educators exemplary materials used by governments and NGOs, teachers, and curriculum specialists. CTAUN provides educators worldwide with opportunities to learn about the work of the UN and to incorporate this global awareness into curricula and school activities at all levels. CTAUN has developed a forum titled “Share Your Teaching Strategies with Others” enabling educators to participate and learn together how to introduce the UN into their classrooms.
www.ctaun.org/index.html
The Center for UN Reform Education (CURE) was founded in 1978 to encourage, generate and sustain discussion of specific proposals to reform and restructure the UN. CURE disseminates and collects information about UN reform through its website, monographs, papers, books, and conferences. CURE’s latest publication “Managing Change at the UN” is available on its website
www.centerforunreform.org
UNEP Children's Environmental Series
By: United Nations Environmental Program, April 2008
This set of books is a part of the TUNZA environmental series for children, which aims to inspire caring for the Earth through creative literature that raises awareness and sparks interest in children, their parents and teachers. Included in the series are six beautifully illustrated titles: Tina and the Green City, Tore and the Town on Thin Ice, Trishna and the Dream of Water, Tessa and the Fishy Mystery, Theo and the Giant Plastic Ball and Togu and the Trees of Life.
A Workshop for Peace (Peter Rosen Productions, Inc.; U.S., 2005, 54 min)
This documentary unveils the dramatic story behind the design of the famous United Nations Headquarters building in New York and how the vision of architects like Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier shaped it. Produced and directed by award-winning American film-maker Peter Rosen, in association with the UN's Department of Public Information and with support from Tele Images International, a French distribution company, and Japan's national broadcaster, NHK. A Workshop for Peace was broadcast on PBS TV channels in commemoration of the UN's 60th Anniversary, and is available on DVD.
The Peacekeepers (Office National du Film; Canada, 2005, 83 min)
This film provides an intimate and dramatic portrait of the struggle to save "a failed state." It follows the determined and often desperate maneuvers to avert another Rwandan disaster, this time in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Focusing on the UN mission, the film cuts back and forth between the United Nations headquarters in New York and events on the ground in the DRC.
The history of the UNA-Switzerland predates the beginnings of international relations within the UN family. It was founded during the lifetime of the League of Nations. When the United Nations was founded in the aftermath of World War II, the Swiss UNA lobbied in vain for a quick accession: Swiss distrust towards all organizations of the outside world was simply too big.
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