United Nations and Human Rights
Announcements and downloadable files
Dear NGO Colleagues,
You are invited to a Town Hall Meeting.
Date: Thursday 14 January 2010
Time: 1:15 – 2:45pm
Venue: New Conference Room A in the temporary facility of the north lawn.
The purpose of this meeting is to update the NGO Community on development of the 63rd Annual United Nations DPI/NGO Conference to be held in Melbourne, Australia from August 30 – September 1, 2010.
Maria-Luisa Chavez and I will Co-Chair the meeting, and Planning Committee.
The Planning Committee will basically follow the successful format of last conference. The committee consisted of several sub-committees such as, outreach, workshops, events and exhibits, media and publicity, youth and diversity (intergenerational and indigenous)
The Planning Committee will meet every other week from February through June to organize the affairs of the Conference. It is our fervent hope that we will have everything in place by the end of June.
The Co-Chairs of the sub-committees will have their own members. These members will be chosen from the list of volunteers who submit their names in response to the request below. The sub-committees will meet at the will of the Co-Chairs.
Sincerely,
Maria-Luisa Chávez, Chief
NGO Relations, Outreach Division
Department of Public Information,
Co-Chair, Conference |
Dr. Mary Norton, Chair
63rd Annual DPI/NGO Conference,
Co-Chair, Conference
Representative, Felician College,
International Council of Nurses |
DPI/NGO Relations invites you to a Screening
“The End of Poverty?”
Film Screening and Discussion with the Producers
Thursday, 14 January 2010
10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.*
Conference Room 2
Background Information
For the first Briefing of our Winter/Spring Season, we will be viewing a film “The End of Poverty?” and holding a discussion with the film’s producer, Beth Portello, and co-producer, Matthew Stillman.
The End of Poverty? is a daring, thought-provoking and very timely documentary by award-winning filmmaker, Philippe Diaz, showing that poverty is not an accident. Filmed in the slums of Africa to the barrios of Latin America, The End of Poverty? explores how the true causes of poverty stem from actions taken during and since colonial times to perpetuate exploitation: first by forcing people from their land and their access to natural resources, then through unfair trade, debt repayment and unjust taxes on labor and consumption. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in forced labor and the seizure of land and minerals. Today, global poverty has reached new levels because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies -- in other words, wealthy countries exploiting the weaknesses of poor, developing countries such that today 20% of the planet's population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate.
The documentary features: Nobel prize winners in economics Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz; expert authors Susan George (“Another World Is Possible If”), Eric Toussaint (“The World Bank: A Never Ending Coup d’Etat”), John Perkins (“Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”), Chalmers Johnson (“Nemesis: The Last Days of the America Republic”); Brookings Institute fellow and author, William Easterly (“White Man’s Burden”); government ministers such as Bolivia’s Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, and leaders of social movements in Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Kenya and Tanzania.
After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, and subsequently being involved in over 25 international film festivals, the film is currently being released nationwide in the United States and France, and recently made a London Premiere at the British Film Institute Southbank on 12 December 2009. (Produced by Cinema Libre Studio with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, 104mins, 2008, USA, documentary in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese with English Subtitles. www.theendofpoverty.com)
All Briefings Begin Promptly At 10:15 a.m. and we ask that our audience is seated by 10:00 a.m. sharp.
Moderator: Maria-Luisa Chavez; Chief, NGO Relations, Department of Public Information (DPI)
Speakers
Beth Portello, Producer
Matthew Stillman, Co-producer
Venue for the Briefings will be provided as soon as the information is available. United Nations-produced videos relevant to the Briefing’s theme are sometimes screened during the Briefing. For Briefing information please call the DPI/NGO Information Lines at +1-212-963-7232 / 7233 / 7234 or e-mail dpingo.briefings@un.org. To receive the Briefing information electronically, please email dpingo.briefings@un.org , and to be added to our e-mailing list please e-mail dpingo@un.org. You can also visit the DPI/NGO Cluster website at www.un.org/DPI/NGOsection, where archived web casts and audio (both when available) of the Briefing may also be assessed.
Requests for guest passes should be faxed on organization letterhead to the NGO Resource Centre at +1 212-963-2819 or e-mailed to dpingo.briefings@un.org at least two days prior to the Briefing (Please note that pass requests received at any other address other than the one provided will not be processed). All guest passes should be picked up in the DPI/NGO Resource Centre, Room GA-37, on the morning of the briefing. NGOs are reminded that the Briefing will start promptly at 10:15 a.m.
Provisional
Winter/Spring 2010 NGO Briefing and Events Calendar
January – June 2010
14 January
NGO Screening
The End of Poverty
21 January
NGO Briefing
Faith Series: Building Bridges Between Cultures: A Closer Look at Hinduism
28 January
NGO Briefing
The Moroccan Jews and Their Legacy of Survival (In Observance of International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust – 27 January)
4 February
NGO Briefing
Why the Numbers Continue to Rise: Cancer Today (In Observance of World Cancer Day)
11 February
NGO Briefing
The Prevention, Prosecution and Protection of the Trafficking of Women and Girls
18 February
NGO Briefing
Promoting Global Tolerance and Harmonious Communication through Multilingualism
(In observance of International Mother Language Day – 21 February)
25 February
Communications Workshop
4 March
NGO Briefing
Theme TBA
Making Pregnancy Safer: Achieving Millennium Development Goal #5 (In Observance of International Woman’s Day – 8 March)
11 March
NGO Briefing
Water for a Healthy World: The Challenges of Producing Clean Water (In Observance of World Water Day – 22 March)
18 – 19 March
Orientation Programme for New NGOs
25 March
NGO Briefing
Theme TBA
(In Observance of International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade)
1 April
NGO Briefing
Girl’s Education: An End to Poverty?
8 April
NGO Briefing
Making Cities Healthier: What Can Civil Society Contribute? (In Observance of World Health Day - 7 April)
15 April
NGO Briefing
Finding a Workable Solution to Internal Exile: A Look at the Plight of the Internally Displaced
22 April
NGO Briefing
Disarming for Peace and Development: The Need to Move Forward on Nuclear Non-Proliferation since Mexico 2009 (in reference to NPT Review 4-15 May)
29 April
NGO Briefing
Empowering Citizenship: Media, Dialogue and Understanding (In Observance of World Press Freedom Day – 3 May)
6 May
Communications Workshop
13 May
NGO Briefing
The Impact of Migration on Families Around the World (In Observance of the International Day of Families – 15 May)
20 May
NGO Briefing
“May I Ask a Question: Madame Administrator?” – Helen Clark from the United Nations Development Programme
27 May
NGO Briefing
Theme not yet finalized.
Blue Helmets Go Green
(In Observance of the International Day of Peacekeeping -29 May)
3 June
NGO Briefing
Theme TBA
(In Observance of World Environment Day – 5 June)
10 June
NGO Briefing
High Tide, High Crime: Piracy and other Crimes of the Sea (In Observance of World Oceans Day – 8 June)
17 June
NGO Briefing
Theme TBA
On Review of the MDG’s
24 June
NGO Briefing
Town Hall Meeting
Venue for the Briefings will be posted as soon as the information is available. United Nations-produced videos relevant to the briefing theme are usually screened at 10:00 a.m. on the morning of the briefing.
For briefing information please call the DPI/NGO Information Line at +1-212-963-7232, or e-mail dpingo@un.org. To receive the briefing information electronically and to be added to our e-mailing list, please e-mail dpingo@un.org. You can also visit the DPI/NGO Section website at www.un.org/dpi/ngosection, where an archived webcast of the briefings may also be available.
Should you require a guest pass to attend an NGO briefing, please fax your name and affiliation to +1-212-963-2819 no later than two days before a briefing. All guest passes should be picked up at the Pass & ID Office on the morning of the briefing, which is located on the corner of First Avenue and 45th Street at the ground level.
United Nations, DPI/NGO Resource Centre, Room L-1B-31
Tel: +1-212-963-7233, 7234, 7078 * Fax: +1-212-963-2819 * E-mail: dpingo@un.org
A Place to Call Our Own: Land Disputes and the Rights of the Poor
The United Nations University Office at the UN, New York (UNU-ONY) in cooperation with the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), is organizing a panel discussion entitled "A Place to Call Our Own: Land Disputes and the Rights of the Poor". This forum is intended to highlight some of the knowledge and ideas relating to legal empowerment that have been captured in recent working paper series of IDLO. Some of the key points of discussion will include the unique characteristics linking the diversity of legal empowerment approaches, legal empowerment programming and the interrelation between the state and civil society in the context of legal empowerment of the poor.
The panel discussion will feature Thomas F. McInerney, Director of Research, Policy, and Strategic Initiatives, IDLO, Stephen Golub, Editor, IDLO Legal Empowerment Working Paper Series and Adjunct Professor, Berkeley Law School and Central European University, and Dr. Hamid Rashid, Senior Advisor, Legal Empowerment, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The session will be moderated by UNU-ONY's Director, Dr. Jean-Marc Coicaud.
The event is part of the UNU-ONY Midday Forum Programme, whichoffers an intimate and informal platform to the UN Permanent Missions, the UN Secretariat, UN agencies, academia, NGOs and the private sector, to discuss and exchange ideas and experiences on important topics related to the UN.
Date: Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Time: 1.15 p.m. to 2.30 p.m New York Time (GMT -5)
WMD - We Must Disarm
The United Nations Department of Public Information has been running a multiplatform online campaign on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace called 'WMD - We Must Disarm', leading up to the International Day of Peace on 21 September 2009.
The UN theme for this year's IDP is nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Each day since 13 June (100 days before the IDP), 'WMD - We Must Disarm' issues a "reason to disarm" over Twitter (www.twitter.com/WeMustDisarm). Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued the first 10 messages. The UN plans to deliver the 100 messages to world leaders at the General Assembly when they meet in September.
Join the campaign on Twitter by becoming a "follower" and by"retweeting" the messages, and sign up to the Facebook cause page (www.causes.com/wemustdisarm) or the MySpace page (www.myspace.com/wemustdisarm). We also urge your communities to sign the Declaration against nuclear weapons which can be found on all three online platforms. See the UN International Day of Peace website for more information.
Solidarity:
The Way to Peace and International Cooperation for Human
Rights, Human Responsibility and Spirituality
 Imagine
a room of mirrors, reflecting back upon each of us and within
each of our hearts, magnifying the compassion, valuing each
other, allowing peace to resonate within and beyond each
of us. Imagine that we represent solidarity, standing together
with the clear intention that we act in unity toward supporting
global peace. We are ere to carry this image within our
hearts, reflect it everywhere we go and truly live the essential
truth that humankind is responsible for human rights and
spirituality is the vehicle for achieving that goal.
This
is the general message of the work of the International
Association of Sufism as a Department of Public Information
for the United Nations. This work falls in the domain of
humanitarian intervention as a role for civil society in
that each of us at the International Association of Sufism
is working for one goal of peace. We work in prisons, we
work with the homeless, we work with mothers and children
dying from the AIDS epidemic, and we pray for peace. We
represent humanitarian intervention by actively engaging
in the resolution of critical conflicts, we stand between
the offenders and the offendees and serve to provide an
alternative, namely, solidarity in peace. As such, each
of us stands as the bridge of resolution, the bridge of
understanding and knowledge.
The
work of the International Association of Sufism with the
United Nations invites each of us to our common point of
understanding each other, namely, knowledge. As the world
suffers from overcrowding, deforestation, pollution, technological
melt downs, competition, violence, HIV, poverty, hunger
to name a few current human conditions that the majority
of the world struggles under. The world suffers as the individual
suffers, as the society suffers. The individual spirit reflects
the collective spirit. Sufism offers the world a comprehensive
insurance plan - no deductible necessary. It is a plan that
is inclusive and brings meaning rather than rhetoric. It
acknowledges the significance of life and the value of peace
for all humanity.
The Sufi strives in every moment to be in service to Divine,
in this service is the lived expression of inner peace and
presence of heart. In this service is the lived expression
of compassion, human rights, and responsibility. The intention
in action leads to healing, change, communication, and understanding.
With
knowledge, we can stand together in solidarity and create
a civilized world of peace and cooperation built on mutual
respect and responsibility. Imagine a reality of solidarity
in peace among us.
If
you wish to be further involved with our work as a Department
of Public Information for the United Nations, please contact
us:
UN
DPI Projects
General Inquiries
International Association of Sufism
14 Commercial Blvd., Suite 101
Novato, California 94949 USA
__________________________________________________________________________
Announcements from the United Nations
In an effort to help keep interested stakeholders informed on the latest developments and events leading to the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development taking place in New York from 24-26 June 2009, NGLS has launched a dedicated weekly 'bulletin' up to the Conference.
This sixth issue features an article on two relevant reports recently issued by the UN. It also contains several links to various reports and perspectives from the UN system and civil society.
Readers are also reminded that registration for civil society representatives closes on 5 June.
To read the issue, click on the link below:
NGLS Bulletin 6: UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development
2009 In Review
17 December 2009 [open PDF]
World Environment Day 2009, June 5th.
The World Environment Day is aimed to promote awareness of the environment and give a human face to the environment threats, involving persons as agents of change towards sustainable development.
In this context, the Permanent Mission of Mexico will screen a documentary titled "Between Fire and Water", that deals with the question of water in Mexico City.
Description of the documentary: Since the beginning of the history of the world, the harmony of human existence has depended on mankind's respect for the earth, water, air, and
fire, the four fundamental elements of the planet.
With a population of more than 20 million inhabitants, Mexico City is today one of the largest cities in the world. Surrounded by active volcanoes and subject to frequent earthquakes, and with its drained lakes and channeled rivers, Mexico City finds itself precariously situated "between fire and water," subject to menacing seismic shifts, excessive stress on its water supply, floods, suffocation, multiple forms of violence--all this despite its many impressive accomplishments, which allow everything to continue functioning, more or less.
Today water management is critical for maintaining life in Mexico City, as it is throughout the world. This film shows how sustainability in Mexico City has begun to develop, and how the most critical issue of water management can be handled in the future, thanks to a new awareness of the need to balance the four elements of the world.
February 2009 Briefing Summary [document]
Briefing Calendar: Spring 2009 [document]
Durban Review Conference Information brief for NGOs
17 April 2009 [open PDF]
International Day for Mine Awareness
4 April 2009 [open PDF]
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery
Tuesday, 24, March 2009. Documentary film screenings. [open PDF]
Disarmament: Fresh Answers to Old Questions
Thursday, 30 October 2008 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. The Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium [open PDF]
Yearbook of the United Nations Website Launched
PROVIDING FREE AND UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS TO ORGANIZATION’S HISTORY
The United Nations Department of Public Information today launched the first-ever online version of the Yearbook of the United Nations - the world Organization’s flagship reference publication. The new website - unyearbook.un.org - provides free public access to the 59 volumes of the Yearbook collection, detailing the work and achievements of the United Nations system over the first 60 years of its existence (1946-2005). New useful features and volumes will be added as they become available.
The launch of a Web-based version of this extraordinarily rich resource of information about the UN system took place at the opening of first-ever UN Book Days, organized by the Department on 9 and 10 October 2008 at UN Headquarters to showcase information products and services of the United Nations system and intergovernmental organizations.
“The Yearbook is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the United Nations and its work”, said Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, who presided over the event. “The online edition brings our history and accomplishments to life for countless people across the globe, at a time when knowledge and understanding of the issues affecting our world are crucial to the achievement of the United Nations mission.”
The new site incorporates a user-friendly search function, allowing users to locate any Yearbook reference using key words, phrases or document symbols, by year or range of years. Search results can be displayed in plain text or as a printable PDF file. It is expected that the new website will not only serve as a strong research tool, but it will also help users better understand global issues as they affect them today. It will broaden the Organization’s outreach to the public, increasing awareness of, and support for, the United Nations throughout the world.
The Yearbook of the United Nations remains the most comprehensive and authoritative work on the Organization. Each Yearbook volume provides analysis, is fully indexed, and includes the texts of, and votes on, all major General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions. Yearbook chapters are currently divided into five parts covering political and security questions; human rights; economic and social questions; legal questions; and institutional, administrative and budgetary questions. The online version reproduces all Yearbook volumes up to and including the 1,682-page 2005 edition.
For more information on the Yearbook and access to the entire Yearbook collection, visit http://unyearbook.un.org. For more information on the UN Book Days event, go to http://unp.un.org/bookdays.aspx. The Yearbook of the United Nations, 2005 and earlier editions are available for purchase at the UN Bookshop and through UN Publications at https://unp.un.org/default.aspx.
Contact: UN Yearbook Unit, Tel. (917) 367-9326, email: unyearbook@un.org.
DPI/NGO Relations invites you to a briefing on:
A Call for a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons: The 18th Annual Celebration of the International Day of Older Persons
Thursday, 2 October 2008
Background Information
The International Day of Older Persons is observed each year on 1 October since the General Assembly passed resolution 45/106 on 14 December 1990.
This day is an opportunity to celebrate the contribution and to evaluate their current situation of older persons in society. On 16 December 1991, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons (resolution 46/91), which encourages Governments to incorporate the principles of independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity into their national programmes (http://www.un.org/ageing/un_principles.html).
In this 60th Anniversary Year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the NGO committee on Ageing, in New York, in consultation with NGO Relations of Department of Public Information, the United Nations, has decided to focus its 2008 observance of the 18th International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) on a process that will lead to the development and acceptance of a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. Despite the fact that older persons comprise 11 percent of the global population, they remain largely marginalized and invisible in society. With this in mind, the committee has chosen as this year’s theme, “A Call for a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.”
Keynote Speakers:
Mr. Sergei Zelenev, Chief, Social Integration Branch, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Minister Paulo de Tarso Vannuchi, Secretário Especial dos Direitos Humanos in Brazil
Mental Health on "Making Mental Health a Global Priority Through Advocacy and Action"
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Background Information
First observed in 1992, WMHD is officially commemorated each year on 10 October around the world. This year’s celebration will focus on making mental health a global priority for all people and governments in all countries. Since mental disorders affect nearly 12 percent of the world’s population and one out of every four people around the world experience some kind of mental illness in his or her lifetime, mental health should be considered a priority. Moreover, high prevalence of mental health concerns creates a heavy burden on individuals, families and communities that requires a mobilization of human, social and economic resources to provide access to effective and humane treatment for people with mental disorders. In promoting advocacy and action, WMHD will focus on the need for increased resources for mental health, treating and preventing mental disorders, and impacting the mental health systems in countries through overcoming barriers to improve mental health services.
Moderator:
Maria-Luisa Chavez; Chief of NGO Relations, Department of Public Information (DPI)
Speakers:
- Janice Wood Wetzel, PhD, Chair, NGO Committee on Mental Health
- Nancy E. Wallace, LMSW; Ex-Officio Chair, NGO Committee on Mental Health
- Werner Obermeyer; Deputy to the Executive Director and Senior External Relations Officer, World Health Organization (WHO) Office at United Nations, New York
- David A. Rosin, MD, Executive Deputy Commissioner for Mental Hygiene Services at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, who will speak on “Raising the Stakes: Making Mental Health a Priority”;
- John Draper, PhD, Director, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network, who will speak on “The Role of Crisis Hotlines in Promoting Access to Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Services”;
- Mary Guardino, Executive Director/Founder, Freedom from Fear, on “Advocacy, Empowerment and Awareness: A Journey of Understanding and Commitment”;
- Craig Mokhiber, Deputy to the Director, New York Office, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on “International Perspectives on Advocacy and Action for Promoting Mental Health”; and
- Celia Brown, President and Main UN Representative, MindFreedom International, on “Peer Advocacy at the United Nations: Impacting the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”
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