Issue No. 87 – October 2008
In this issue:
Topic people are talking about:
 “Through the adoption of innumerable conventions and agreements during the last hundred years, international law has become stronger and come to cover most subjects – from trade and double taxation to conduct in outer space. Despite – or perhaps because of the experience of – two world wars, states agreed to rules in the Charter of the United Nations under which they assumed the obligation not to use armed force against the ‘territorial integrity and political independence’ of other states”. Article by Hans Blix in MaximsNews 15 September 2008
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 Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann took up his appointment as the President of the 63rd General Assembly. Brockman is a former foreign minister of Nicaragua.
Two new Special Envoys on climate change were appointed: Srgjan Kerim, the outgoing President of the General Assembly and Festus Mogae President of Botswana from 1998 until earlier this year.
 Francis Gurry of Australia is the new Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is the head of a new joint panel set up to support African Union peacekeeping missions established under a United Nations mandate.
 Nicolas Michel of Switzerland was appointed the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser and Mediator assisting in resolving the continuing maritime boarder dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. He served as UN Legal Counsel from August 2005 until the start of this month.
 Amri Aminov, a Tajik sculptor was designated by UNESCO as an Artist for Peace at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris.
 The UN General Assembly opened this month with two high-level meetings on the MDGs and on Africa. To read the address from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “A Call to Global Leadership” on 23 September, click here.
(www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=322)
Interns at the WFUNA office are studying the statements made by heads of state, and next month we plan to send out a summary of points raised on the issues of global finance, the MDgs and civil society.
General Assembly, General Debate in Session
16 September – 1 October, New York
International Day Older Persons
1 October
International Day of Non-Violence
2 October
World Teachers Day
5 October
World Habitat Day
6 October
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
8 October
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transitional Organized Crime, and its Protocols, fourth session
8 – 17 October, Vienna
UN Book Days
9-10 October, New York
Human Rights Committee, ninety-fourth session
13 – 31 October, Geneva
Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear- Test-Ban Treaty Organization, Working Group A and informal/expert meetings, thirty-fourth session
20 – 22 October, Vienna
UN Day
24 October
Civil Society Development Forum – Geneva Component
27-28 October, Geneva
Meeting of States parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
October/ November, New York
Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus
29 November-2 December 2008 Doha, Qatar
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 Democracy: your voice, your video
On International Democracy Day the Democracy Video Challenge was launched at United Nations Headquarters. Supported by a partnership of democracy and youth organizations, the film industry, academia and the US government, this Video Challenge is a global call to action celebrating democracy. It invites participants to create short videos that complete the phrase: “Democracy is…” in an effort to enhance the global dialogue on democracy. The challenge will honor seven winners from different regions of the world with the opportunity to participate in screenings of their videos in Hollywood, New York and Washington D.C. The video platform is being provided by YouTube. There is still plenty of time to participate! Go to:
www.videochallenge.america.gov/index.html
Religions for Peace and UNIFEM launch partnership to stop gender-based violence: Partnership to End Violence against Women
Senior religious leaders of different faiths from Religions for Peace, the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious coalition, pledged to help stop violence against women. They recognize this commitment as a moral imperative rooted in their respective religious traditions. The religious leaders expressed support for the goals of the “Say NO to Violence against Women” campaign being advanced by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The Religions for Peace–UNIFEM partnership will stimulate awareness, reflection, and provide opportunities to affirm values of equality, harmony, and respectful treatment for girls and women. For more: www.saynotoviolence.org
Peace X Peace is a public charity that connects women for peace. PeaceTimes their free email newsletter is delivered every other week. Sign-up at:
www.peacexpeace.org/content
 First Global Model UN under UN Auspices will be on the MDGs
The United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), in partnership with WFUNA, will organize the first annual Global Model UN (GMUN) conference in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 7 August 2009. Mr. Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for DPI chaired a press event on 17 September in New York to announce the conference. Pera Wells, Gillian Sorensen and a former Model UN participant spoke on the press conference panel.
The theme for the first conference will be “The Millennium Developments Goals -- Lifting the bottom billion out of poverty”. Approximately 1,000 university-level students between the ages of 18 and 24 will be invited. To read the Press Release, go to
www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/pi1858.doc.htm
 Taking Action on the MDGs – Youth Summit in India
The Global Youth MDG Summit will be taking place in Mumbai, India from 7-11 November 2008. The Indian Federation of UN Associations and WFUNA are co-organizers of this Summit, which will bring together more then 200 young people from around the world to study and take action on the MDGs. At the Summit, the participants will be divided into eight groups, each working on one MDG. They will attend panel discussions and workshops on the MDGs as well as practical training in film-making, project development and fundraising. At the end of the Summit, the participants will have created eight 5-minute films, and eight actions plans – one for each MDG. The films will be showcased by WFUNA at an event at the United Nations.
Go to: www.globalmdgsummit.org
The Stakeholder Forum Network 2015 has produced eight half hour radio programs on each of the MDGs that were recorded live during the Commission on Sustainable Development in May. Each roundtable discussion gathers stakeholders, experts, government representatives and UN civil servants to hammer out the challenges, progress, and the future prospects of achieving the goals. The eight radio programs are available at: www.stakeholderforum.org/index.php?id=mdgradio
WFUNA Workshop at DPI/NGO conference
Within the framework of the 61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference at UNESCO in Paris in September, WFUNA organised a workshop entitled "The Future of Human Rights" to celebrate the 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The workshop was chaired by Dr. Alexey Borisov, Secretary General of the UNA-Russia and Vice-Chair of WFUNA's Executive Committee. The meeting was attended by UNA representatives from Austria, Belgium, Cuba, Finland, France, Iran, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and United Kingdom. The report of the workshop is available at: www.wfuna.org
At the invitation by the Geneva State Council, the 6th Gathering for Human Rights focusing on “Freedom of Belief, Tolerance, Respect and Cohabitation in a Secular Society” is scheduled to take place on 6 October 2008 at the International Conference Centre Geneva.
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The 195th WFUNA Executive Committee will meet in Nicosia, Cyprus from 2-4 October 2008. The documents for the meeting are available in the UNA member section of the website.
Members of the UNA-Tanzania held their Annual General Meeting from 20 to 21 September, 2008 at the Karimjee Hall, Dar es Salaam at which they adopted a new Constitution, elected a new Executive Committee, and commemorated the International Day of Peace. They reaffirmed their commitment to fully devote their efforts “to the support of the purposes and principles contained in the United Nations Charter”.
WFUNA-Youth Project Management Workshop
WFUNA-Youth will hold its third Project Management Workshop in Barcelona from 24 to 26 October 2008. Participants have applied for participation by handing in project proposals that will be carried out after the workshop. Participants from the following United Nations Youth Associations have been selected: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Serbia, Switzerland and the UK. They will take part in events such as a project management skills training, one-to-one project proposal analysis, and a workshop on how to organize a one-day classroom Model United Nations for high-school students. For more information, go to
www.wfuna-youth.de/projects-and-resources/project-management-workshops/project-management-workshop-barcelona-2008/
 The Coordinating Committee has created a WFUNA-Youth group on Facebook in order for our members to get in touch more easily. Join it by visiting www.facebook.com!
 The UNA-Dominican Republic will be hosting the annual International Conference of 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
 The UNA-Democratic Republic of the Congo will hold its Model UN conference in Kinshasa from 23-24 October 2008. The focus will be on country policies on MDGs, arms sales, and the UN Human Rights Council. To prepare for the conference, the UNA arranged for the delegates to spend two days researching and learning at the Embassy of the country they represent.
The UNA- China will hold its annual Model United Nations conference on the Human Rights Council from 14-16 November 2008.
The UNA-Armenia, together with partners including UNPD Armenia, will hold the 2nd Armenian Republican Model UN conference on “The MDGs: Eight Ways to Change the World”, will be held from 16-19 November 2008 in Yerevan.
The Stockholm Model UN (SMUN) will be held from 21-23 November 2008. For details, go to: www.smun.se
 Krisztian Gal from Hungary is the Disarmament Coordinator at the New York office. He is expected to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Corvinus University of Budapest in 2009 and in Political Science from Lorand Eotvos Scientific University the following year. He is interested in international politics, mainly US, Cuba and Europe. E-mail: gal@wfuna.org
 Stephanie Marietta Giibwa from Uganda is the MDG Program Coordinator in the New York Office. She has a Masters Degree in International Management from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. She has worked for Maxim UK, British Council Uganda and has lived in Bangkok, Thailand. Marietta has great interest in the work of the United Nations especially the MDGs. Her other interests include International Development, Corporate Governance, and HIV/AIDS. She is a member of the Rotary International. Marietta enjoys traveling and appreciating different cultures, in Zambia she volunteered with Da Gama Orphanage home. giibwa@wfuna.org
 Vesna Marinkovic, who is working on Disarmament issues at the Geneva Office, is a PhD candidate at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, in Geneva. She is specialized in multilateral security arrangements (NATO, OSCE, SCO, EU, UN) and current issues (nuclear, regional security, energy policies), as well as having an interest in Chinese and Russian foreign and security policies. Her previous working experiences include the Balkans and Cyprus affairs. marinkovic@wfuna.org
Giulia Vitaletti is the Human Rights Program coordinator at the Geneva Office. A graduate in Law from “Roma Tre” University, Italy, she has research experience in the fields of human rights and international law. Her research focused on the British legal system and the influence of constitutional Statutes. Giulia explored the debate concerning a written constitution for Britain. She is fluent in English, Spanish and has a working knowledge of French. vitaletti@wfuna.org
 Kan Wang, the MDG and Human Rights Program coordinator at the Geneva Office has just completed his exchange study at Nagoya University. He is now a fourth year student in Jilin University, China. He looks forward to pursuing a Master Degree of East Asian Studies in the US after graduation. His interests include human rights movements and MDG Programs in East Asian Countries. He is fluent in Chinese, Japanese and English. wang@wfuna.org
 The first official launch for the 2008 State of the Future Report was held at the office of UNA-USA in New York in 22 September 2008. The keynote speaker was President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic.
A second launch will be held at the UN bookstore in New York in November.
The Arabic, English, German, Korean, Russian and Spanish versions of the Executive Summary of the 2008 State of the Future Report are available at:
www.millennium-project.org/millennium/sof2008.html
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Topic of the Month: Small Arms
 The small arms problem is present in news headlines every day. Just this past week there was a school shooting in Finland, discussions of the right to bear arms in the US Presidential campaigns, and stories of conflicts in developing countries where small arms play a devastating role.
With one gun for every ten people, the UN considers the small arms crisis one of the gravest challenges facing the world.
The area of small arms is complex and interconnected; it is precisely the type of issue that requires concerted international efforts and determination for change to be achieved. Traditionally, small arms have been placed in the field of peace and security, specifically disarmament. However, it has become clear that the existence, use, and proliferation of small arms is related to issues of governance, development, human rights, international law, culture, as well as many other fields.
To read the entire article, click here>>
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 Daniël Prins heads the Conventional Arms Branch of the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs in New York. From 1993 to 2007 he was a diplomat for the Dutch government. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he was a lecturer in International Security at the Royal Netherlands’ Naval College.
Could you tell us about the implementation of the Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects?
Large organizations like the UN, or even national governments, have difficulties with subjects that cut across issue areas. The topic of small arms relates not only to traditional disarmament issues, but to issues such as trade, health, crime and development. It is difficult to place such a complex issue in a specific area of your organization. Traditionally within the UN, the Office for the Disarmament Affairs works on small arms, but we do see that the issue is broadening more and more. We welcome that, and we work towards it, because you can only tackle these issues in a coherent manner, if you do it holistically.
To read the entire interview, click here>>
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The National Capital Area Chapter of UNA-USA has a Peace and Security Task Force (PSTF) which focuses on peace and security issues through discussion and study, supporting the UNA educational mission of informing the public debate. For 2007/2008 the PTST’s theme is "Promoting Global Security” and addressing seven key issues: non-proliferation and disarmament, trafficking in small arms, security sector reform, counter-terrorism, responsibility to protect, human security, and climate change/energy security. The objective is to produce one document surveying the state of play for each of the key UN resolutions and agreements for these issues and propose policy recommendations aimed at the UN and at member states to promote progress in implementing agreements relevant to these topics.
www.unanca.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=31#Peace_Security
 The UNA-UK has made Peace and Security one of their major policy areas and strongly supports the establishment of a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. They are raising awareness of the importance of establishing an ATT through their website and continued dialogue with NGOs and others campaigning on the issue. Chair of UNA-UK, Lord Hannay of Chiswick, wrote a letter to the Secretary of State urging British Government support for the adoption of a prompt and effective Treaty.
www.una-uk.org/peaceandsecurity/att.html
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 The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) is the global movement against gun violence - a network of 800 civil society organizations working in 120 countries to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. IANSA seeks to make people safer from gun violence by securing stronger regulation on guns in society and better controls on arms exports. It represents the voices of civil society on the international stage, for example in the UN process on small arms, and draws on the practical experience of its members to campaign for policies that will protect human security. www.iansa.org
 Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) was formed in 1994 with the aim of helping to build a safe and secure South Africa by reducing the number of firearms in society. To achieve this goal, they are involved in several activities, including, campaigning for strict gun control laws, training people to use the Firearms Control Act, promoting firearm-free and gun-free zones and conducting research on relevant issues. GFSA is working on several campaign such as the Toy Gun Free Campaign to raise public awareness of toy guns which encourage children to normalize a gun culture. www.gca.org.za
 The Small Arms Survey is an independent research project located at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. It serves as the principal international source of public information on all aspects of small arms and as a resource for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and activists. The Small Arms Survey undertakes joint research projects with independent researchers, international organizations, UN agencies, research organizations, NGOs, and partner institutions.
www.smallarmssurvey.org
For more NGOs on the move on small arms, go to http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/smallarms/links.htm
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 The Small Arms Trade: A Beginner’s Guide
By CDI Senior Analyst Rachel Stohl,Matthew Schroeder and Dan Smith (One World Publishers, November 2006)
The proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons is one of the most pressing security threats of the 21st century. Loaded with fascinating anecdotes and disturbing statistics, this guide provides a gripping overview of the global impact that these cheap and easily obtainable weapons have had, the extent of their proliferation, the threat they pose in the wrong hands, and strategies for reining in this deadly scourge.
Covering everything from gun-toting militias to child soldiers to terrorists armed with shoulder-fired missiles, this is required reading for anyone who wishes to fully understand one of today’s key threats to international peace.
www.cdi.org/program/document.cfm?documentid=3415&programID=85&from_page=../friendlyversion/printversion.cfm
 Blood at the Crossroads: Making the Case for a Global Arms Trade Treaty
By Brian Wood, September 2008
This report is the first detailed examination of the parameters and scope of an Arms Trade Treaty using nine detailed case studies of the catastrophic human rights consequences of unrestrained arms trading. From the ongoing conflict in Darfur, military crackdowns in Myanmar and Guinea, to the proliferation of sectarian violence in Iraq, the report shows how and why the current variation and loopholes in national arms legislation allows massive violations of human rights to occur. The report demonstrates that without an effective human rights provision, a global Arms Trade Treaty could fail to protect those most vulnerable. http://amnesty.org/en/library/info/ACT30/011/2008/en
 Armed to the Teeth
United Nations, 56 minutes, 2000
Armed to the Teeth: the World Wide Plague of Small Arms is an award-winning United Nations produced documentary focusing on the widespread illicit trade and easy availability of small arms, especially among children. As well as investigating the proliferation of firearms and the economic, political, and cultural reasons why people carry them, this program shows what is being done to curb a man-made pestilence. Both devastation and successful disarmament are seen in case studies from Albania, Mozambique, South Africa, Colombia, El Salvador, and the world’s largest small arms manufacturer, the United States. Discussing these issues are UN officials including former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Go to: www.un.org/av/special/armed
 Dealing and Wheeling in Small Arms
Sander Francken Film and Llink, 90 minutes, 2006
Dealing and Wheeling in Small Arms is a political documentary on the uncontrolled widespread of small arms, which rule and ruin the lives of a growing number of people in developing countries. Through the eyes of different experts whose lives depend on small arms, the film shows the causes and impact of the trade—both legal, 'grey' and illegal—in small arms and its ammunitions, in particular in regions where the European Union and the United Nations are active, such as former Yugoslavia and Congo. Dealing and Wheeling opens up our consciousness to a global reality rarely shown to the general public. Go to www.dealingandwheeling.com
 The UNA-Armenia was founded on 15 January 2005 and consolidates citizens and organizations of the Republic of Armenia around the values, ideas and principles of the United Nations.
Since its establishment, UNA-Armenia has conducted more than 40 projects, such as;
• An Awareness Raising project Armenian Artists against Trafficking within the framework of UNDP’s “Anti-Trafficking” Program (2005),
• Tolerant New Generation-Guarantee of Peace and Understanding in partnership with UNAs Caucasus Network (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, 2006),
• National Youth Report in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and UNDP (2007),
The UNA-Armenia has accumulated a wealth of experience in organizing and participating in Model UN Conferences, which is one of the priority spheres for the organization, on local, national, regional and international levels during the last three years. Around 20 Model UN Conferences have been conducted during 2005-2007 in Armenia, involving more than 800 University level students.
AUNA Recent and Ongoing Projects
 “World Fit for Children”
AUNA in partnership with UNICEF organized a Stamp designing competition under the theme of a "World Fit for Children". Over 600 children between the ages of 7 and 16 from 11 Children Development Community Centers and 4 State orphanages of Armenia participated in the competition organized by AUNA in partnership with UNICEF during January-February 2008. The winning design was placed on domestic letter rate stamp. Profits go to support the country's efforts to reduce neonatal mortality and to meet Millennium Development Goal 4 that calls for a two-thirds reduction in child mortality by 2015.
 Chess Festival-UN Cup Tournament 2008
40 children between the ages 6-12 from 35 cities and almost all the regions of Armenia and 45 representatives from different International organizations, NGOs, Mass Media and Yerevan State University took part in the Chess Festival held on 19 September in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia. The Chess Festival has become a tradition and is organized every year since 2005 by AUNA in partnership with the Chess Academy and Chess Federation of Armenia.
 The goal of the project is to promote the mission, values and principles of the UN, spreading a culture of peace, and creating an atmosphere of dialogue and tolerance through sport in Armenia.
This year the Chess Festival-UN Cup Tournament was held in the scope of the UN International Peace Day under the motto “Sports for Peace”.
Building Youth Constituencies for Peace
AUNA attaches a great importance to projects regarding Intercultural learning and Dialogue especially in the South Caucasus Region. In this sense of particular importance is the ongoing “Building Youth Constituencies for Peace” Project (BYCP). The main aim of the BYCP project is to create adequate space and communication for young people from Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh to contribute to the regional peace and development through cross-border collaborative measures. (http://youth4peace.net)
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