Lady to Lead Science, Education, and Culture

The UN is getting serious about its pledge to help achieve gender equality by putting a woman in charge of the UN Education, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO).

Irina Gueorguieva Bokova of Bulgaria won a hotly contested election against the Egyptian candidate. A vote on Monday had the two candidates deadlocked with 29 votes each. Apparently, if no one had one today's fifth round of voteing the winner would have been decided by a drawing of names out of a hat.

UNESCO has some really interesting projects including its list of World Heritage Sites, which promotes preservation of cutlural and natural landmarks around the globe.

Learn more about UNESCO at www.UNESCO.org

UNite for Women's Rights!

Gender inequity and violence against women have been major problems for centuries. In the United States, women’s rights became an issue to be addressed in the late 19th century when the outspoken Susan B. Anthony launched the women’s suffrage movement. Even then, Anthony’s efforts only came to fruition fourteen years after her death with the 1920 ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Fortunately, in most Western societies today, women are considered equal to their male counterparts.

Unfortunately, gender-based violence and the mistreatment of women remains a harsh reality in many countries around the world. A report released today by the United Nations shows that violence against Afghan women, for example, is widespread and often goes unpunished. To make matters worse, the Afghan government does nothing to address the impunity with which these crimes occur; within the state structure, no legislation protecting women’s rights exist, thus allowing rape and other acts of discrimination to continue.

Women actively involved in sectors of public life are most frequently attacked. Political leaders within Afghanistan must do more to address this issue and ensure that women and girls do not have to live in a state of perpetual fear. It is time that someone like Susan B. Anthony stands up against these abhorrent acts and condemns gender inequity wherever it takes place.

Romeo Does Not Have to Die!

On April 3^rd, Jet Li, an international film star and a martial arts expert, was appointed to be World Health Organization's Goodwill Ambassador. After experiencing the 2004 South Asian tsunami firsthand, Jet Li became actively involved in disaster relief efforts as well as promotion of mental health amongst youth. He set up the Jet Li One Foundation, which collaborates with the Red Cross Society of China in focusing on education, health, environment, and poverty. In honoring his effort as well as encouraging his future involvement, the World Health Organization chose Jet Li to be the spokesperson for raising awareness on key health issues. The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that directs and coordinates support on international public health issues.

Before Li’s appointment, many other celebrities have led the efforts of United Nations, such as George Clooney as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, Drew Barrymore as the Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Program, and Angelina Jolie as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Going dark for Global Warming

Saturday, March 28, at 8:30 pm, tens of millions of people in hundreds of cities around the world came together once again to make a bold statement about climate change, by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour.

Earth Hour was first celebrated two years ago in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people and thousands of businesses turned out their lights, allowing the message about climate change to shine brightly (or not!).

88 countries and more than 4,000 cities joined Earth Hour 2009, a huge increase from the 35 countries that participated for Earth Hour 2008. One billion "votes" was the stated aim for Earth Hour 2009. Among the participants in 2009 was, for the first time, the United Nations headquarters in New York City!

An example of the energy saved was the Canadian province of Ontario, outside of Toronto, which saw a decrease of 6% of electricity while Toronto saw a decrease of 15.1% (nearly doubled from 8.7% the previous year) as many businesses darkened, including the landmark CN Tower.

Swedish electricity operator Svenska Kraftnät recorded a 5% decrease in consumption. This equals approximately half a million households out of the total 4.5 million households in Sweden.

For more information or pictures click here or here.

Cutting Emissions and Saving Forests

Forests are one of our planet’s most precious resources. Unfortunately they are easily lost, and often must compete with other agricultural enterprises. Slowing deforestation is a frontline battle in the fight against climate change. Accounting for over 17 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation is second only to the energy sector as the largest source of emissions. Because of harmful practices like over-logging and slash and burn agriculture, the rate of deforestation has averaged 13 million hectares between 1990 and 2005. That’s more than 24 million football fields every year, mostly in the tropics! To take on this enormous challenge, the UN Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Program (UN-REDD) supports nations as they implement sustainable forestry management programs which offer both environmental and economic benefits to their citizens.

UN-REDD has just approved $18 Million in funding to support the programs of five new nations that are ready to take on the challenge. Senior government representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Viet Nam recently came together to discuss and share plans on how to reduce emissions and save precious forest ecosystems. They join the four other pilot program nations of Bolivia, Panama, Paraguay, and Zambia which are already participating.

To find out more about how the UN is saving forests and fighting climate change click here

UN TV? Really? George says yes!

2008 was a busy year. Check out this 11 minute video for an overview of the UN's efforts. Of course it doesn't catch everything, but it is a great reminder of all of the work the UN does.

Feel like learning more? Try watching UN Television or listening to UN Radio? Check them out at http://www.unmultimedia.org/

In the mood to do something neat? Why not start a campaign to get your local cable provider to offer a UN TV Chanel in their basic service pack or get your local public television station to air some of the United Nation's video programs? Click here to find contact information for UN Television.

The UN Embraces the Digital Age: Text Messaging for Change

The UN embraces the Digital Age: Text Messaging for Change

Pop!Tech, the global technology conference, was held last week, unveiling new projects designed to effect global change through technology. This conference displayed ways in which technology developed in countries of abundance could be used to ease the burdens in countries of scarce resources. One of these innovations is as simple as making text messaging more accessible to organizations working in developing countries. Ken Banks demonstrated FrontlineSMS, free software designed to harness the power of text messaging. Humanitarian groups and NGO’s can download this free software and use it to send information to people working in the field, so necessary information is never far away. The UN is using this technology to send security alerts in Afghanistan, while MercyCorps is using this software to send market prices to farmers and power a healthcare network in Malawi.

It was all about the Blue Flag!

Friday October 24th, the UN celebrated its birthday, marking 63 years to the date since its mandate began in 1945. Like the rest of the world, the UN has evolved quite rapidly over these years, containing 192 member states and thousands of programs. The occasion was celebrated in an array of events throughout the whole world, which included film screenings in DC, blood drives in Namibia, concerts in New York, and tree-planting in Darfur; The UN Yearbook was also launched and a ceremony was held in Moscow honoring 60 years of UN presence in Russia.

We might ask, what does UN Day really mean? Well, this day celebrates the UN’s success throughout time. It also promotes the values inscribed within the Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as honoring the everyday struggle to make this a peaceful and just world.

Stand-Up and break the Guinness Records!

Last year in the week of Oct. 17th more than 43 million people around the world Stood Up against poverty and broke the Guinness World Record for the largest stand up in a week. Today the movement to end extreme poverty is attempting to break that record and inspire 1% of the population (a massive 67 million!) to Stand Up and demand our world leaders to keep the promises and goals they set in 2000 and take action against poverty.

Given the challenges facing the international community such as halting and containing the effects of climate change, the rise in food prices, and the global economic crisis we must not forget about the world’s poor and how they are disproportionately affected by these issues. Not acting is no longer an option. We are half way to the finish line, and while tremendous achievements have been made, we (and our leaders) still have a long way to go.

So STAND UP and grasp the immense power YOU have to change the course of the world! STAND UP and give 5 minutes of your thoughts to positive ways in which we can tackle this problem! STAND UP! And don’t sit on it!
Across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania, the global movement in support of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals continues to grow. Events ranging from concerts, dances, teach-ins, film screenings and prayer circles to raise awareness and urge people to take action. To find out how you can take part in the Stand Up Guinness Record- breaking attempt got to: www.standagainstpoverty.org

UN Common Humanitarian Fund to Benefit One Million in Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR), having been subjected to violence as a result of spill-over from Darfur, will receive money from the new United Nations Common Humanitarian Fund. The increasing instability in CAR, a result of the escalating violence neighboring Chad and Sudan’s Darfur region, has affected more than one million people in the country. 2.5 million dollars has been pledged by the United States, directing the funds to be focused on health care, access to water, survival of infants and young people, and aid to help those who have been displaced. The new funding will allow humanitarian action to be more efficient; it will be directed to the 110,000 displaced people and the one million others affected by the conflict. The influx of funds will allow those on the ground to respond to emergencies faster and more efficiently.

New Hope in Somali Conflict

The United Nations Political Office for Somalia reached a new level of peace in Somalia through its inter-party, international dialogues. According to a communication document released on Sunday September 21st, two parties The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) held a second round of High Level Committee and Joint Security Committee (Djibouti) meetings from the 17th through the 21st. Also present were the United Nations, African Union, European Union, League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Conference, representatives from other countries, and Somali civilians. During the meeting, both parties solidified their efforts to continue peace talks, and set up sub-committees in order to implement the outlines already established by the Djibouti agreement. In addition, both parties agreed to conduct field assessments, and form a Board that would coordinate with the humanitarian efforts in the region.
The meeting proved to be another step in what the international community hopes, is a successful solution to the current humanitarian crisis in Somalia.

UN Recognizes Glasgow as an 'Official City of Music'

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced yesterday that the city of Glasgow would be the newest addition to its Creative Cities Network. UNESCO recently created this global partnership to encourage universal social, economic and cultural development by promoting creativity at a local level. Glasgow joins the ranks of other artistically innovative cities like Seville and Bologna.

Culture, affirms UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura, is an defining trait of all societies. It allows people to see the world both introspectively and retrospectively; they are better able to understand their values and their individual purpose in life. Additionally, it highlights the lifelines of societies and encourages people to be proud of their nations achievements as well as their own.

Glasgow was named to this exclusive list because of the role of music in defining and supporting its economy. It averages 130 concerts a week, ranging in style from underground grunge rock to traditional Celtic music. Music revenues account for $150 million of Glasgow's annual GDP. Through the UN's recognition, Glasgow and the other cultured cities will be able to share their individual culture with a much larger audience and encourage new outlets for self expression both at home and abroad.

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Remembering and Embodying UN legend Sergio Vieira de Mello

When a truck laden with explosives crashed into Baghdad's Canal Hotel August 19, 2003, 22 dedicated public servants perished. On the anniversary of this attack, it is important not only to remember those whose lives were tragically and unjustly cut short, but their principles. In today’s world where foreign policy is shaped by hard power and military might, it is essential to stick to Sergio Vieira de Mello’s belief in the power of conversation and peaceful negotiation.

Sergio, the mission’s head, is regarded as a legend within UN and foreign policy circles. The efforts of the talented peacemaker and diplomat have resulted in the repatriation on countless Cambodian refugees, and Sergio led the building of the world’s newest nation, East Timor. His remarkable abilities as a negotiator and his unwavering dedication to fostering peace was recognized by Secretary General Kofi Annan, who appointed Sergio to lead the mission head in Iraq. He had little time to fulfill his humanitarian and diplomatic duties, as the terrorist’s bomb claimed his life only months into his mission.

Sergio’s legacy continues: he is the subject of Chasing the Flame, a newly released book by Pulitzer Prize Winner Samantha Power. Both an HBO documentary and feature film based on his extraordinary life are in the works. Also be sure to check out the new blog, also titled Chasing the Flame. It is dedicated to keeping Sergio’s peacemaking vision alive. His devotion to fostering constructive and open dialogue is as relevant and important as ever to shaping American foreign policy.

Reminiscing on Sergio’s memorable role in crafting a more peaceful form of diplomacy, Annick Stevenson opens the Chasing the Flame blog:

Imagine a world in which everybody would speak to his/her neighbor, would listen to his/her views and would try to understand them, would, more generally, always wish to know the will of others before deciding, would negotiate before envisaging any military reaction, would never ever view war as the solution to any conflict whatever the reasons may be...A world in which war would become impossible because it would too difficult to think of killing someone you share so much with. This world existed. It was in the mind of Sergio Vieira de Mello. This is how he conceived it and lived it, as much as he could, or at least as a matter of principle.

Five years later, let us not only honor his memory, but follow his example.

Visit the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation

Image Credit: the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation

George Clooney on 60 Years of Keeping the Peace

The year 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the UN Peace-keeping Forces. Also known as “Blue Helmets”, the UN Peace- keepers have become one of the most adaptable and reputable international forces since World War II. The UN has deployed the forces over 110 times since 1945. The UN Peace-keeping forces, whose members represent 119 countries, are currently fighting to maintain peace, and sustainability in 17 countries (betterworldcampaign.org). To find out more information, you can watch this video, or visit united nations peacekeeping.org.

Who you gonna call? Not Ghostbusters...THE UN!

Imagine being a child traveling in a foreign country and walking down the street with your family. All of a sudden there is an explosion and you get separated from your parents. You learned in school what to do in an emergency: Call 911! Suddenly you realize that 911 doesn’t work, you can’t find you parents, and there is nobody to help you.

So what can you do as a trapped, lost, or injured child in a foreign country? Thankfully, the UN has your back! The UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has asked countries throughout the world to link to a global child helpline. The UN has proposed the helpline number to be 116 111, which is already being used in European countries such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Sweden. Child Helpline International’s (CHI) data shows that more than 10.5 million calls are made to child helplines every year for counseling and emergency intervention. In today’s globalized world, a universal child helpline will greatly benefit the well-being of children everywhere. Next time you are a child in an emergency, all you have to do is call 116 111 and help will be on the way!

For further information

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Peace Talks Occurring in Darfur to End Violence

The AU and UN hybrid mission to bring peace in Sudan has been holding new chats with the Sudanese government and rebel groups in an effort to curb violence in areas like Darfur so that humanitarian aid may be distributed to civilians and peace talks can begin.

The situation in Sudan, especially Darfur, has only worsened over the course of the past five years. The UN African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was created to help with the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement in July 2007. Hopefully these talks will be a step forward for the UN and AU and for an end to the violence in Darfur.

To learn more go to:

http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unamid/index.html

Looking at aid on google

Google and many UN humanitarian aid agencies have now teamed up so that you can use Google Earth to look up the locations of aid distribution around the world. The UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) has now posted maps that show the refugee camps located in primarily Darfur, Iraq and Colombia.

This partnership is a tool to show Americans and the world the actual work that the United Nations is performing. It brings the work of humanitarian aid home.

This project is a continuance of a number of programs, in partnership with Google, that operate as tools to connect developed countries with the stories of people in developing countries and with the work that international organizations are performing. Such other projects include UNICEF's initiative to share children's stories on www.ourstories.org, a website where children from developing countries can record their journey and share it with the world.

To learn more about this:

Read the original news article:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=24966&Cr=child&Cr1=

Cyberschoolbus

Ever want to choose when you go to school. Pick what books are assigned? Go to recess or take a break whenever you want?

Now, you can.

With the Cyberschoolbus, an online teaching tool/website produced by the UN, you can control your education while exploring global issues, watching webcasts, delving into country profiles, and of course, learning about the UN agencies of your choice.

The site is currently available in six different languages, thus increasing the possibility of having schoolmates with different backgrounds. It fosters ideals that promote diversity and appreciation for international institutions. So stop reading this blog and check out the site at http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/.

Follow the Footsteps of the Famous

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared the famous actor, George Clooney, as the ninth United Nations messenger. On January 31, 2008, Clooney will receive his official position as an international peacekeeping promoter because his example, according to UN, Oprah, and many others, is worthy enough to follow.

After Clooney made great strides to campaign on behalf of refugees in Darfur, UN officials decided to use Clooney’s celebrity to help increase public awareness on Darfur and other international issues concerning peace, violence, and forced displacement.

Clooney has already worked with notable celebrities including Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Jerry Weintraub, and Brad Pitt to raise funds and publicize in the name of their charity organization Not on Our Watch.

This charity and many UN organizations are working to mitigate drastic realities in Sudan and other poverty stricken nations. Watch Clooney’s his heartfelt speech to United Nations, which he believes is crucial in promoting peace worldwide. Help organizations like UNDP-USA promote humanitarian efforts. Follow the footsteps of the famous and work on behalf of others.

Promoting Potatos

Did you know that spuds can save lives? Yep, it is true... the carb laden potato that you shun in the name of weight loss has huge potential to deal with global hunger problems.

Why? The potato produces more nutritious food more quickly, on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop - up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50% in cereals.

In honor of this humble nightshade plant (and its potential to help solve the global hunger crisis), the United Nations has declared 2008 to be the year of the potato.

Check out the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for more information on the International Year of the Potato! The video on the home page is quite informative, although a bit dry.