United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation 2013, September 12

The 10th United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation .

The tenth United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation will be celebrated on 12 September 2013 highlighting the scaling up of South-South flows of trade, investment, technology, and know-how as an increasingly important dimension of development co-operation.

A series of events throughout the day will include an opening ceremony and inaugural addresses, a featured event on the India, Brazil and South-Africa (IBSA) Fund and two panel discussions. All the events will take place at CB Conference Room 3 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (TBC), and other UN and UNDP high-level representatives will participate in the opening ceremony at 10am. Following their remarks, the featured event “IBSA Fund: A Flagship Initiative in South-South Cooperation” will highlight the commitment of the IBSA Fund to poverty and hunger alleviation and how innovative South-South partnerships are positively impacting the development landscape” with remarks by the Permanent Representatives of IBSA Fund countries to the UN, and Permanent Representatives of IBSA Fund partner countries. IBSA Fund initiatives include efforts in Palestine, Laos, Viet Nam, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Cape Verde, and Burundi. The panel will be followed by the launch of an exhibition and the IBSA Fund Project Portfolio Overview.

The afternoon sessions will discuss experiences of the World Bank and the Republic of Korea in South-South collaboration followed by a panel on South-South sharing of Social Protection Floors, highlighting experiences led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), and facilitated by the People’s Republic of China and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).

"South-South cooperation has the potential to balance growth and equity on a global scale. Even in the midst of severe economic, social and political instabilities, South-South cooperation has continued to drive buoyant trade and financial flows in recent years,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a
 Message during the UN Day of South-South Cooperation in 2012.

“In these past ten years, we were able to develop policies that raised global awareness in support of South-South cooperation, enable Member States to set policies and principles, facilitate coordination and mainstreaming of South-South Cooperation within the UN system, enabled national governments to better manage their South-South Cooperation initiatives, and fostered intra regional networking”, said Yiping Zhou, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.

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LINKS:

• Overall Programme of Activities PDF
• UN Day for South-South Cooperation website

International Literacy Day 2013, September 8

" Literacies for the 21st century"  is the Theme for International Literacy Day 2013.

Literacy is at the heart of basic education for all, and essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy.

Resources :

- Literacy rates are rising, but women and girls continue to lag behind. 
-Message from Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Literacy Day 2013
-Working paper on the Definition of Fundamental Education

Infografics :

En savoir plus sur Tableau

That's why Sunday is International Literacy Day.

Milestones :

Starting from 2003, when UNESCO took the lead of the the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012), and going back to 1946, when UNESCO first established a committee to promote ‘Fundamental Education’, review the major milestones on the road to Literacy for All. More

More information from Unesco here: http://bit.ly/QaiBGA

International Day of Charity 2013, September 5th.

United Nations Secretary-General's Message for International Day of Charity 2013.

Charity plays an important role in upholding the values and advancing the work of the United Nations.  Donations of time or money; volunteer engagement in one’s own community or on the other side of the world; acts of caring and kindness with no thought of recompense; these and other expressions of global solidarity help us in our shared quest to live together in harmony and build a peaceful future for all.

I welcome this first observance of the International Day of Charity, which was proclaimed last year by the United Nations General Assembly and which coincides with the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, whose life and good works for some of the human family’s poorest and most vulnerable members inspired emulation across the world.

Strangely, charity sometimes gets dismissed, as if it is ineffective, inappropriate or even somehow demeaning to the recipient.  “This isn’t charity”, some donors take pains to claim, “this is an investment”.  Let us recognize charity for what it is at heart: a noble enterprise aimed at bettering the human condition.
At a time when we aim to accelerate our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and define a bold agenda for the period beyond 2015, the role of charity can and should grow.

UN bodies such as the UN Volunteers Programme and UNICEF offer venues for people across the world to get involved.  In establishing the Day, the General Assembly asked that charity be encouraged through education and awareness-raising activities; initiatives such as the United Nations Academic Impact's ASPIRE -- Action by Students to Promote Innovation and Reform through Education -- have encouraged young women and men to take on the responsibility of ensuring that their less fortunate peers have the financial opportunity to go to school.  The UN’s humanitarian agencies rely on charitable donations from the public as well as the generosity of governments to continue their lifesaving work in response to natural disasters, armed conflicts and other emergencies.

On this new International Day, I call on people everywhere, of all ages, to act on the charitable impulse that resides in every human being.

Ban Ki-moon

Día Internacional de la Beneficencia, 5 de septiembre.

Международный день благотворительности, 5 сентября.

 Journée internationale de la charité, 5 septembre.

国际慈善日, 9月5日

   أيلول/ سبتمبر 5

International Day of the Disappeared 2013, August 30

Navi Pillay’s visit and Day of the Disappeared

On 30 August 2013, the world will mark the International Day of the Disappeared.

In Sri Lanka, some 12,000 complaints of enforced disappearances have been submitted to the UN since the 1980s – making it second only to Iraq. But the actual number of disappeared is much higher, with at least 30,000 cases alleged up to 1994 and many thousands reported after that.
“The number of disappeared people in Sri Lanka is astounding. The government has to stop making empty promises and once and for all seriously investigate the tens of thousands of cases of enforced disappearances,” said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International’s Sri Lanka expert.
This year’s Day of the Disappeared coincides with the visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, to Sri Lanka (25-31 August). She is expected to meet family members of some of the disappeared.
More information
Amnesty International spokespeople as well as activists based in Sri Lanka are available for interviews on enforced disappearances and on Navi Pillay’s visit. To arrange, please contact:
Olof Blomqvist, Amnesty International Asia/Pacific press officer, + 44 (0) 20 7413 5871, olof.blomqvist@amnesty.org
In addition, Amnesty International has documented several new case studies of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka that have never been published before. Photo material and more information on these cases are available through the Amnesty International press office.
Background
On 26 July 2013, the Sri Lankan government announced that it will establish a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to look into enforced disappearances from the final years the conflict (1990-2009), but there are questions about the commission’s independence from the government.
Similar commissions appointed in the past have accomplished very little and some have had close ties to the authorities, undermining their independence. There have been ten commissions on disappearances since the early 1990s, but their recommendations have largely been ignored, and few of the many alleged perpetrators they identified have been brought to justice.
During the final bloody months of the armed conflict in 2009, thousands of people disappeared after their arrest or capture by the Sri Lankan security forces or abduction by the Tamil Tigers. Very few of those cases have been resolved. In addition there has been blatant intimidation reported against families and others seeking to take remedial action.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) gives the security forces wide powers to arrest suspected opponents of the government and detain them incommunicado and without charge or trial for long periods – conditions which provide a ready context for deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture.
Victims and their relatives have faced enormous difficulties in seeking redress. Hundreds of relatives have filed habeas corpus petitions in an attempt to trace ‘disappeared’ prisoners but the procedure has proved slow and ineffective.

International Day against Nuclear Tests, August 29

29 August 2013, International Day against Nuclear Tests

 

 Messages :

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

 


Secretary-General's message for the fourth observance of the International Day against Nuclear tests in 2013


As we approach 29 August, the International Day against Nuclear Tests, let us maintain our momentum to end nuclear weapons testing and promote the achievement of a world free of nuclear weapons.

The strong and unified response to the nuclear test announced in February by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea demonstrated the international community’s commitment to uphold the global norm against nuclear tests.

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty is a cornerstone of our work.  I once again urge all States to sign and ratify the CTBT – especially the eight remaining States whose ratifications are necessary for the Treaty to enter into force.  At the same time, all States should maintain or implement moratoria on nuclear explosions.
Civil society, academia and the mass media have a crucial advocacy role to play towards accomplishing these goals.  Let us work together to end nuclear weapons testing around the world and build a nuclear weapons-free world for our children.

The President of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

In resolution 64/35, the General Assembly declared 29 August as the International Day against Nuclear Tests, highlighting the importance of ending nuclear tests in order to avert their devastating and harmful effects on the lives and health of people and the environment.The Assembly devoted this important day to enhancing public awareness and education about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free-world. With this resolution, the General Assembly showed important leadership and responsibility in promoting peace and security, one of the main purpose and principle enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

As President of the General Assembly, I will mark this important international day by convening an informal meeting of the plenary of the General Assembly on 5 September 2013 under the overall theme “The Path to Zero”.

Nuclear tests and, ultimately, nuclear weapons, constitute a serious threat for all of us. Every effort should be undertaken to end nuclear tests. I invite you to be part of the celebration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests and to commemorate the day by renewing your commitment to strengthen public awareness and education about the negative effects of nuclear tests and to promote the ultimate goal of a nuclear weapons free world.

H.E. Mr. Vuk Jeremić, President of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 
UN Photo

2013 Events

INFORMAL MEETING OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO MARK THE OBSERVANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS

Programme : 
The Meeting is convened by His Excellency Mr. Vuk Jeremić, President of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, and organized in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Date: Thursday, 5 September 2013
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Venue: United Nations Headquarter, Trusteeship Council
Opening statements by:

• H.E. Mr. Vuk Jeremić, President of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly
• H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations (invited)
• Mr. Asset Issekeshev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan

High-Level Panel on the Path to Zero: The Role of the United Nations in Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

The official opening ceremony will be followed by a High-Level Panel on the above theme. The panelists are expected to cover some key issues, including necessary steps for further progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the establishment of further nuclear-weapon-free zones, confidence building and other relevant concerns.

Panel Details
Moderator
H.E. Ambassador Eduardo Ulibarri, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations in New York
Speakers

• Ms. Angela Kane, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (invited)
• H.E. Ambassador Martin Sajdik, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations in New York
• Mr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary, Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty
• Mr. Geoffrey Shaw, Representative of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency to the United Nations
• Andrew S. Kanter, MD, Immediate Past-President, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Co-Vice President for North America, International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War

Lead Discussant
H.E. Ambassador Enrique Roman-Morey, Permanent Representative of Peru to the United Nations in New York.The panel will be followed by observations, and questions and answers from Member States.

EXHIBITION – Peace Now: Abolish Nuclear Tests and Weapons

An exhibition entitled, Peace Now: Abolish Nuclear Tests and Weapons, organized by the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations in cooperation with the UN Department of Public Information, will be held on the occasion of the observance of the 2013 International Day against Nuclear Tests (29 August).
Dates: 4 -8 September 2013
Venue: Main Corridor, First Floor, Conference Building of the United Nations on First Avenue.

Inauguration:
Wednesday, 4 September 2013, 6 p.m. at exhibition site.    

About the exhibition:
It will portray the paintings of the world renowned Kazakh artist, Mr. Karipbek Kuyukov, who paints only with his feet, being a victim of the effects of nuclear radiation. His art depicts the triumph of the human spirit over the horrors of nuclear testing. He is the designated Ambassador of the ATOM Project and has received international acclaim for his committed and tireless advocacy to achieve total nuclear abolition. 

There will also be a display of the ATOM Project (Abolish Testing Our Mission), the official project of the Government of Kazakhstan, to end all nuclear weapons tests.

Entry to the UN:
The Informal Meeting and the Exhibition are open to all diplomats, think-tanks, the academic community, civil society and the media. Those without a UN Grounds Pass interested in these events should contact: itilegen@yahoo.com, or tel.: +1 (212) 230-1900, ext. 322.

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, August 23th

23 August: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave trade and of its Abolition The night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the Transatlantic slave trade.    Websites The Transatlantic Slave trade Database Voyages Places of memory of the slave route in the latin Caribbean Historun Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD) Respect Magazine Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE) The African Diaspora Heritage Trail Iziko Museums of Cape Town Anti-slavery international organisation African Passages The Shackles of memory Virtual Visit of the Gorée Island   The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World Centre for Research on the Societies of the Indian Ocean (CRESOI) The Harriet Tubman Institute EURESCL Slave Trade, Slavery Abolitions and their Legacies in European Histories and Identities Naval Archaeology Research Group (GRAN) International Slavery Museum Yale Slavery and Abolition Portal Museum of the African Diaspora Tadia Society Amistad America Virtual Exhibition: "Lest we forget" Breaking the silence: The Transatlantic Slave Trade Education Projet (TST)

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, 23 August 2013 Through their struggles, their desire for dignity and freedom, slaves contributed to the universality of human rights. We must teach the names of the heroes of this story, because they are the heroes of all humankind. In paying tribute, on 23 August each year, to the women and men who fought this oppression, UNESCO wishes to foster reflection and debate on a tragedy that has left its mark on the world as it is today. Under the Slave Route Project, UNESCO aims to reveal the extent and consequences of this human tragedy and to portray the wealth of the cultural traditions that African peoples have forged in the face of adversity – in art, music, dance and culture in its broader sense. This year, on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the Slave Route Project, I designated as a UNESCO Artist for Peace Mr Marcus Miller, who will undertake the mission of promoting the UNESCO Slave Route Project and conveying its message of respect through music. These endeavours will contribute to efforts for the Decade for People of African Descent (2013-2022), proclaimed by the United Nations in 2012. The slave trade is not merely a thing of the past: it is our history and it has shaped the face of many modern societies, creating indissoluble ties between peoples and continents, and irreversibly transforming the destiny, economy and culture of nations. Studying this history is tantamount to paying tribute to freedom fighters and to acknowledging their unique contributions to the affirmation of universal human rights. They have set an example for us to continue the struggle for freedom, against racial prejudice inherited from the past and against new forms of slavery that subsist to this day and affect some 21 million people. Today, I invite all governments, civil society organizations and public and private partners to redouble their efforts to transmit this history. May it be a source of respect and a universal call for freedom for future generations. On this Day of Commemoration, UNESCO invites people around the world to remember, to reflect on the consequences of the past on our present, on the new requirements of living together in our multicultural societies and on the fight against contemporary forms of slavery of which millions of human beings are still victims. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is intended to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples. In accordance with the goals of the intercultural project "The Slave Route", it should offer an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy, and for an analysis of the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean. The Director-General of UNESCO invites the Ministers of Culture of all Member States to organize events every year on that date, involving the entire population of their country and in particular young people, educators, artists and intellectuals. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was first celebrated in a number of countries, in particular in Haiti (23 August 1998) and Goree in Senegal (23 August 1999). Cultural events and debates too were organized. The year 2001 saw the participation of the Mulhouse Textile Museum in France in the form of a workshop for fabrics called "Indiennes de Traite" (a type of calico) which served as currency for the exchange of slaves in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Circular CL/3494 of 29 July 1998 from the Director-General to Ministers of Culture invites all the Member States to organize events to mark 23 August each year. Decision 8.2 of the 150th session of the UNESCO Executive Board The Executive Board, 1. Bearing in mind 20 C/Resolution 4/1.2/7 in which the General Conference invited the Director-General to provide moral and material assistance towards the organization, each year, of a Black Peoples’ Day, 2. Recalling 27 C/Resolution 3.13 in which the General Conference approved the implementation of the intercultural and interregional project entitled "The Slave Route", 3. Recalling also 28 C/Resolution 5.11 on the slave route and the proposal for the establishment at international level of remembrance of the slave-trade, 4. Further recalling that 23 August 1791 was the day on which the slaves of Saint-Domingue and Haiti rose up in rebellion, thus taking the first step towards the abolition of the slave-trade, 5. Noting with interest the support expressed for the UNESCO Slave Route project by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) at its twenty-eighth summit at Dakar in June 1992, 6. Endorses the general approach and conception proposed by the Director-General in document 150 EX/32 concerning the objectives and the programme for the establishment of the remembrance; Recommends that the General Conference: (a) proclaim 23 August of every year 'International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition'; and (b) submit to the United Nations General Assembly a request that all United Nations Member States take part in this remembrance

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: Message for World Humanitarian Day 19 August 2013

 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

Message For World Humanitarian Day

19 August 2013

  Every year on August 19th, we mark World Humanitarian Day in honour of aid workers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

We commemorate their sacrifice and reaffirm our commitment to the life-saving work that humanitarians carry out around the world, every day, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances where others cannot or do not want to go.

This year's commemoration marks the 10th anniversary of the attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad that killed Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other United Nations colleagues and partners.  That tragedy was among the inspirations for this Day.

Sergio was a vocal advocate of the values and mission of the United Nations.  He touched the lives of all who met him, and helped millions of poor and vulnerable people in a life of service on several continents.  His death was a great loss to the United Nations, but his legacy has motivated many people to pursue humanitarian work.

This year, our World Humanitarian Day campaign is calling on people to answer a question: What do you think the world needs more of?  I urge people everywhere to go to www.worldhumanitarianday.org and tell us, in one word, what you think.

My word is "teamwork."  In a time of global challenges, people and countries need to work together in common cause for peace, justice, dignity and development.  That is the humanitarian spirit.  That is the humanitarian imperative of the United Nations.

* *** *

The United Nations on Monday observed World Humanitarian Day to honour the memory of all staff who have made the ultimate sacrifice for peace.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad in which 22 staff members died.

Events have been held around the world to raise awareness about attacks on humanitarian workers who are helping people in need.

United Nations honours memory of staff who sacrificed for peace

 

This World Humanitarian Day- 19 August, Sponsor a world you think the world needs more of.

THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎PEACE‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎AID‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎FOOD‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎ACTION‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎SHELTER‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎COMMUNITY‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎GOOD‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎HUMANITY‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎IMMUNIZATION‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎LOVE‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE DRINKING ‪#‎WATER‬
THE WORLD NEEDS MORE ‪#‎HAPPINESS‬

Go to - http://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/