International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 2013, August 9th.

UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, 9 August 2013.

On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we highlight the importance of honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements between States, their citizens and indigenous peoples. Such consensual arrangements enable better understanding of their views and values and are essential for protecting and promoting rights and establishing the political vision and necessary frameworks for different cultures to coexist in harmony.

Indigenous peoples represent remarkable diversity – more than 5,000 distinct groups in some 90 countries. They make up more than 5 per cent of the world’s population, some 370 million people. It is important that we strive to strengthen partnerships that will help preserve cultural vigour while facilitating poverty reduction, social inclusion and sustainable development.We must ensure the participation of indigenous peoples – women and men –in decision-making at all levels. This includes discussions on accelerating action towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and defining the post-2015 development agenda. Indigenous peoples have made clear that they want development that takes into account culture and identity and the right to define their own priorities.

The post-2015 development agenda needs therefore to incorporate the rights, perspectives and needs of indigenous peoples.Next year’s World Conference on Indigenous Peoples offers an opportunity to advance the cause of indigenous peoples everywhere. I urge Member States to take concrete steps to address the challenges facing indigenous peoples, especially their marginalization and exclusion, by honouring all commitments and examining what more can be done. Let us work together to strengthen indigenous peoples’ rights and support their aspirations. Let us create a world that values the wealth of human diversity and nurtures the potential it offers.

Ban Ki-moon.

 News and Media

>>>Press Release : Treaties with Indigenous Peoples in Focus on International Day

 This year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (9 August) aims to highlight the importance of honouring agreements between States, their citizens and indigenous peoples, emphasizing the principles of friendship, cooperation and peace.“Indigenous peoples represent remarkable diversity – over 5,000 distinct groups comprising more than 5 per cent of the world’s population,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki3moon. “We must work to strengthen partnerships and ensure that policies and actions res pect the views and reflect the values of indigenous peoples.”Under the theme of “Indigenous peoples building alliances: honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements", a special event at United Nations Headquarters in New York will feature remarks by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Assistant Secretary-General Shamshad Akhtar, and Mr. Paul Kanyinke Sena, Chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, followed by an interactive dialogue with Ambassador Mary Morgan Moss, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations, Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, and Chief Oren Lyons from the Onondaga Nation.

Also on 9 August, more than 200 indigenous and non-indigenous paddlers are scheduled to arrive at Pier 96 at West 57th Street in Manhattan at 10:00 a.m., after having collectively travelled hundreds of miles on rivers and horseback to honour the first treaty – the Two Row Wampum – concluded between Dutch immigrants and the Haudenosaunee (a confederacy of six nations, with its seat in the Onondaga nation in New York State) in 1613. “Our ancestors made this great agreement on our behalf 400 years ago,” noted Hickory Edwards, the lead paddler for the Onondaga Nation. “Now is the time for us to think about the people living in the next 400 years.” “The Two Row is the oldest and is the grandfather of all subsequent treaties,” said Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation’s Turtle Clan who has represented the Haudenosaunee at the United Nations and elsewhere. “It set a relationship of equity and peace. This campaign is to remind people of the importance of the agreements.”

There are an estimated 370 million indigenous people in some 90 countries around the world .Practice in unique traditions, they retain social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live.The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, recognizes indigenous peoples’ right to self determination and their right to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development, and develop past, present and future manifestations of their culture in various forms.

About the International Day:

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is commemorated annually on 9 August, in recognition of the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982. The I nternational Day was first proclaimed by the General Assembly in December 1994.

>>>Webcast of the Secretary-General making remarks on the occasion of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
>>>Webcast of the observance at UN Headquarters

Panelists:
Mary Morgan Moss, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of Panama to the UN Ivan Šimonović, ASG (OHCHR) (TBC), Chief Oren Lyons (Onondaga, USA)


Messages of the Day
Message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations
AR - EN - ES- FR  - RU - ZH
Remarks by the Secretary-General of the United Nations 
Remarks by the Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs
Remarks by the Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights
Message from the Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Message from UNESCO
Message from the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights
Message from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Message from UN Women
Message from UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)
Message from WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
Message from Stop TB Partnership
Message from IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)
Message from ILO (International Labour Organization)
Message from the International Land Coalition
Message from PAHO (Pan American Health Organization)

 

 The theme aims to highlight the importance of honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements, between States, its citizens and indigenous peoples. Both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples have a pivotal role in making treaties “living documents” in their own communities, by establishing new ways to live together, respecting one another and cooperating in the pursuit of common goals. This contributes to building societies that guarantee the security of their communities, while preserving the environment in recognition of the unique spiritual, cultural and historic relationship between indigenous peoples and their lands and natural resources.

The theme is inspired by the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign, an educational advocacy campaign organized by the Haudenosaunee people (a confederacy of six nations living in New York State), to honour their first treaty concluded with Dutch immigrants in 1613. (For more information, visit http://honorthetworow.org). 

For media queries, including interviews with UN officials and indigenous representatives, please contact Martina Donlon, tel: +1 212 963 6816 or email: donlon@un.org – UN Department of Public Information.To contact the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, please contact Nilla Bernardi, tel: +1 212-963-8379 or email: bernardi@un.org – UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs For more information on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples,  please see www.un.org/en/events/indigenousday or follow #IndigenousDay on Twitter

World Humanitarian Da 2013, August 19.

"The World needs more..." is the the for World Humanitarian Day 2013

 World Humanitarian Day is also an opportunity to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the world. Each year, aid workers and their organizations support tens of millions of people who have been affected by war, disaster or the crises that flow from poverty, inequality and underdevelopment.

Join the Forum : World Humanitarian Day- 19 August
Watch Observance of the World Humanitarian Day 2013 around the World.

 

What are Humanitarian Principles?

 All OCHA activities are guided by The four humanitarian principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These principles provide the foundations for humanitarian action. They are central to establishing and maintaining access to affected people, whether in a natural disaster or a complex emergency, such as armed conflict. Promoting and ensuring compliance with the principles are essential elements of effective humanitarian coordination. The humanitarian principles are derived from the core principles, which have long guided the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the national Red Cross/RedCrescent Societies.The principles’ centrality to the work of OCHA and other humanitarian organizations is formally enshrined in two General Assembly resolutions. The first three principles (humanity,neutrality and impartiality) are endorsed in General Assembly resolution 46/182, which was adopted in 1991. This resolution also established the role of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC).General Assembly resolution 58/114 (2004) added independence as a fourth key principle underlying humanitarian action.


The General Assembly has repeatedly reaffirmed the importance of promoting and respecting these principles within the framework of humanitarian assistance.

Commitment to the principles has also been expressed at an institutional level by many humanitarian organizations. Of particular note is the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and non-governmental organizations in disaster relief. The code provides a set of common standards for organizations involved in humanitarian activities, including a commitment to adhere to the humanitarian principles. More than 492 organizations have signed The Code of Conduct. Also of note is the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response elaborated by the Sphere Project.The humanitarian principles have practical operational relevance. Humanitarian action almost always takes place in complex politicaland militarized environments. Adherence to the principles is therefore critical in order to distinguish humanitarian action from the activities and objectives of political, military and other actors. Promoting humanitarian principles and, importantly, ensuring that humanitarian organizations act in accordance with them are key to gaining acceptance by all relevant actors on the ground for humanitarian action to be carried out. This acceptance is critical to ensuring humanitarian personnel have safe and sustained access to affected people. Sustained access is, in turn, crucial for strengthening the implementation of the humanitarian principles. For example, it allows humanitarian actors to directly undertake and monitor the distribution of assistance to people, thus ensuring that aid is distributed impartially and reaches those most in need.

What is OCHA’s role?

 OCHA’s mission is to mobilize and coordinate principled humanitarian action. OCHA promotes the humanitarian community’s compliance with humanitarian principles in every humanitarian response. It does this by promoting practical compliance measures within a Humanitarian Country Team through its engagement with State and non-state actors at all levels,and by undertaking and contributing to policy development within the United Nations.

What does OCHA say?

1. Humanitarian principles govern humanitarian actors’conduct.

2. Humanitarian actors must engage in dialogue with all parties to conflict for strictly humanitarian purposes.This includes ongoing liaison and negotiation with non-state armed groups.

3.Our compliance with humanitarian principles affects our credibility, and therefore our ability to enter into negotiations with relevant actors and establish safe access to affected people. However, it is not enough to repeatedly recite humanitarian principles. Rhetoric must be matched by leadership and practice. In other words, humanitarian actors must “walk the talk”.

4. There are multiple pressures on humanitarian actors to compromise humanitarian principles, such as providing humanitarian aid as part of efforts to achieve political ends. Maintaining principled humanitarian action in the face of these pressures is an essential task, but not an easy one.

International Day of Youth 2013, August 12th

•    Día Internacional de la Juventud, 12 de Agusto

• Международного дня молодежи, 12 августа

•  Journée internationale de la jeunesse, 12 Août

• 国际青年日, 8月12日

• المغترب: تحريك عجلة التنمية موضوع الاحتفال لعام 2013—الشباب

 

International Youth Day 2013, United Nations Secretary-General's Message

This year’s observance of International Youth Day focuses on the issue of youth migration.  Of the annual total of some 214 million international migrants, young people constitute more than 10 per cent, yet too little is known about their struggles and experiences.

The reasons young people migrate are many.  Some are fleeing persecution, others are escaping economic hardship.  Some are alone, others part of a family – with parents, siblings and even children of their own.  Some have communities to go to, others must make new connections.  In transit and at their final destinations, many young migrants face equal or greater struggles, including racism, xenophobia, discrimination and human rights violations.  Young women, in particular, face the risk of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Poverty, crowded and unsanitary living conditions and the challenges of finding decent employment are regular features of the migrant experience.  These challenges are exacerbated by the current global economic and financial crisis.  Migrants are also often accused by communities and politicians of taking jobs from local people, exposing them to further risk of discrimination.  In other cases, young people left behind by migrating parents face psychological and social challenges and greater vulnerability.

It is important to emphasize the positive contribution young migrants make to societies of origin, transit and destination – economically and by enriching the social and cultural fabric.  Most work hard to earn a living and improve their circumstances. 

The remittances they send to support families in their home countries are a major contributor to economies worldwide.  When they return home, young migrants often enhance development by applying skills and ideas acquired abroad.  And, in many cases, women are empowered through migration as they gain financial and social independence.

In October, the United Nations General Assembly will host the second High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.  I urge Member States to consider youth migration.  Working with and for young people is one of my top priorities.  On this International Youth Day, I encourage Member States, youth-led organizations and other stakeholders to act to promote the rights of all young migrants and maximize the development potential of youth migration.

Ban Ki-moon

In 1985, the UN celebrated the first International Year of Youth. On its 10th anniversary, the General Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth, setting a policy framework and guidelines for national action and international support to improve the situation of young people.
15 Priority Areas adopted by the General Assembly:

• Education
• Employment
• Hunger and poverty
• Health
• Environment
• Drug abuse
• Juvenile delinquency
• Leisure-time activities
• Girls and young women
• Participation
• Globalization
• Information and communication technologies
• HIV/AIDS
• Youth and conflict
• Intergenerational relations

Today, the World Programme of Action for Youth plays a prominent role in youth development. It focuses on measures to strengthen national capacities in the field of youth and to increase the quality and quantity of opportunities available to young people for full, effective and constructive participation in society.
The United Nations Programme on Youth serves as the Focal Point on Youth at the UN. It undertakes a range of activities to promote youth development including supporting intergovernmental policy-making, conducting analytical research and increasing the effectiveness of the UN’s work in youth development by strengthening collaboration and exchange among UN entities through the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development.

International Day of Friendship 2013, July 30

• 国际友谊日,7月30日

• International Day of Friendship, 30 July

•  Día Internacional de la Amistad, 30 de julio

• Международный день дружбы, 30 июля

•  Journée internationale de l'amitié, 30 juillet

•  اليوم الدولي للصداقة

To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

The International Day of Friendship is an initiative that follows on the proposal made by UNESCO and taken up by the UN General Assembly in 1997 (A/RES/52/13), which defined the Culture of Peace as a set of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with a view to solving problems.
In its resolution of 1998, proclaiming the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001–2010) (A/RES/53/25), the General Assembly recognized that enormous harm and suffering are caused to children through different forms of violence. It emphasized that the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence should be instilled in children through education. If children learn to live together in peace and harmony that will contribute to the strengthening of international peace and cooperation.
The Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (A/RES/53/243) adopted in 1999 set 8 areas of action for nations, organizations and individuals to undertake in order for a culture of peace to prevail:

• foster a culture of peace through education;
• promote sustainable economic and social development;
• promote respect for all human rights;
• ensure equality between women and men;
• foster democratic participation;
• advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity;
• support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge;
• promote international peace and security.

The International Day of Friendship is also based on the recognition of the relevance and impor

Nelson Mandela International Day, July 18

Message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: "This year’s commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day comes at a moment of deep reflection on the life and work of Madiba, as the universally revered leader remains in the hospital."



Share this image to say you stand for freedom, justice and democracy.

Nelson Mandela’s achievements came at great personal cost to himself and his family. His sacrifice not only served the people of his own nation, South Africa, but made the world a better place for all people, everywhere… He showed the way. He changed the world.

- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Take Action!  Inspire Change

Can you spare 67 minutes of your time helping others?
Every year, on Mandela Day, people around the world are asked by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to do just that.
By devoting 67 minutes of their time – one minute for every year of Mr. Mandela’s public service – people can make a small gesture of solidarity with humanity and a step towards a global movement for good.
UN staff around the world have made a difference through a variety of activities in the past – from offering school supplies to children, to preparing meals for the elderly, helping out in an orphanage, cleaning up parks, and delivering computer literacy workshops.
In New York, UN staff will volunteer their time on 17 and 18 July 2013 to help rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy last fall.
Last year, staff from UN Headquarters in New York volunteered at the Bowery Mission, preparing and serving food to homeless men and women.
In New York, the previous year, visitors to the Nelson Mandela International Day interactive exhibit at UN Headquarters were invited to make their own pledge to devote 67 minutes of their time to public service.
If you would like to donate your own time to public service, here are some things you can do to take action and inspire change:

• Make a new friend. Get to know someone from a different cultural background. Only through mutual understanding can we rid our communities of intolerance and xenophobia.
• Read to someone who can’t. Visit a local home for the blind and open up a new world for someone else.
• Help out at the local animal shelter. Dogs without homes still need a walk and a bit of love.
• Help someone get a job. Put together and print a CV for them, or help them with their interview skills.
• Many terminally ill people have no one to speak to. Take a little time to have a chat and bring some sunshine into their lives.
• Get tested for HIV and encourage your partner to do so too.
• Take someone you know, who can’t afford it, to get their eyes tested or their teeth checked.
• Donate a wheelchair or guide dog, to someone in need.
• Buy a few blankets, or grab the ones you no longer need from home and give them to someone in need.

To see all 67 suggestions for action, visit the Nelson Mandela Foundation site.

International Criminal Justice Day 2013 : Statement from the ICC President

Statement from the ICC President: International Criminal Justice Day

 

 

The International Criminal Justice Day is commemorated on 17 July.

THE HAGUE, Netherland, July 16, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Statement from the ICC President: International Criminal Justice Day:

Fifteen years ago, on 17 July 1998, history was made. Gathered in Rome, Italy, the international community agreed on the creation of a permanent international court with a mandate to punish the perpetrators of the most inhumane crimes imaginable and to provide reparations to the victims of such acts.
By adopting the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the world embarked upon an audacious plan to create a global justice system based on international cooperation aimed at holding accountable those responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Many said that this was an impossible task, that the adversity could not be overcome. But the global justice project proved strong. The International Criminal Court (ICC) today is a vibrant, independent international organizationwith122 member states – and many more have expressed their intention to join.
With eight on-going investigations, eight preliminary examinations, and the issuance of 23 arrest warrants and nine summonses to appear, the ICC is undertaking more investigations and conducting more proceedings involving more suspects than ever before.
More than 12,000 applications for participation in proceedings as a victim and more than 9,000 applications for reparations were received. More than 5,000 victims are participating in ICC proceedings, giving them a voice in the courtroom. The Trust Fund for Victims is providing support to an estimated 80,000 victims of crimes under the ICC’s jurisdiction.
The story of the International Criminal Court gives us hope; it is proof that audacious goals can be achieved.
While we have come a long way, we cannot afford complacency. Make no mistake – the ICC faces threats today as real as ever before. There are those who seek to undermine the international justice movement, who politicise its action, who question its value, and who purport to speak for the victims it serves. There are those who refuse to cooperate, leaving more than ten ICC suspects still at large.
That is why on this day – 17 July – it is worth pausing to gather our resolve and to affirm why we must not waiver in pursuit of justice.
We do this because we recognise the power of justice to bring a measure of peace to the thousands of children, women and men who have been made victims by crimes we do not dare to imagine, who have borne suffering we cannot bear to comprehend.
We do this because we know that accountability deters crime, and that we have a duty to the future generations who deserve to live their lives free from fear.
We do this because we know that assertions of power through violence and brutality can be no way to a negotiating table, or a seat in the international community.
As expressed by many international personalities, the ICC’s presence is felt around the globe, encouraging domestic authorities to pursue accountability, pushing groups to renounce violence and embrace political solutions, and deterring leaders from the commission of grave atrocities.
Ensuring accountability is a process which we must pursue ceaselessly, and on this day, I am thankful to the people without whom justice would never persevere.
I am thankful to the victims for their endurance, support and participation. I am thankful to the witnesses who make tremendous sacrifices so that the truth can be revealed, and accountability brought to bear. I am thankful to civil society for their tireless efforts to build support and move us forward, and I am thankful to the leaders and diplomats who hear their voices, and translate their words into action.
International criminal justice is not owned by any one culture, nor driven by any one people. It is an ideal which is intensely human; it is why the International Criminal Court has been embraced across all the world’s continents.
We have travelled a long way down the path of accountability, but it is a journey which will never be complete. We see obstacles on our way, but know they will be overcome. We have always moved forward, and we take no backward steps, because our eyes are fixed on the cause, because we travel this path together, and because we do so with conviction.
I am honoured to have your company on the road.

SOURCE
International Criminal Court (ICC)

World Population Day 2013 focus on Adolescent Pregnancy.

World Population Day 2013 Focuses on Adolescent Pregnancy

UNFPA Executive Director: adolescent pregnancy is not just a health issue, it's a development issue

- See more at: http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/14426#sthash.JySdDME7.dpuf

The United Nations Population Fund is the lead agency in the UN system supporting national efforts to conduct censuses, particularly in developing countries. A census is among the most important and complex peace-time exercises a nation can undertake. Read more on data for development: http://bit.ly/GBDqWX

United Nations Secretary General --

MESSAGE ON WORLD POPULATION DAY

11 July 2013

            As a staunch advocate of the education, health and rights of girls and an enduring believer in the power of young women to transform our world, I welcome the focus of this year’s World Population Day on adolescent pregnancy. This sensitive topic demands global attention.

            Far too many of the estimated 16 million teenage girls who give birth each year never had the opportunity to plan their pregnancy. Complications from pregnancy and childbirth can cause grave disabilities, such as obstetric fistula, and are the leading cause of death for these vulnerable young women. Adolescent girls also face high levels of illness, injury and death due to unsafe abortion.

            To address these problems, we must get girls into primary school and enable them to receive a good education through their adolescence. When a young girl is educated, she is more likely to marry later, delay childbearing until she is ready, have healthier children, and earn a higher income.

            We must also provide all adolescents with age-appropriate, comprehensive education on sexuality. This is especially important to empowering young women to decide when and if they wish to become mothers. In addition, we must provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services that cover family planning and the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. And we must guarantee the maternal health services that women need.

When we devote attention and resources to the education, health and wellbeing of adolescent girls, they will become an even greater force for positive change in society that will have an impact for generations to come. On this World Population Day, let us pledge to support adolescent girls to realize their potential and contribute to our shared future.

Ban Ki-moon

Message from the Executive Director of UNFPA
English | Français | Español |  عربي


There are over 600 million girls in the world today, more than 500 million of them in developing countries. They are shaping humanity’s present and future. The opportunities and choices girls have during adolescence will enable them to begin adulthood as empowered, active citizens.

 With the right skills and opportunities, they can invest in themselves, in their families and their communities. However, pregnancy jeopardizes the rights, health, education and potential of far too many adolescent girls, robbing them of a better future.

About 16 million girls aged 15-19 give birth each year, and complications from pregnancy and child birth are the leading cause of death among girls in this age group, especially in developing countries.

 Adolescent pregnancy is not just a health issue, it is a development issue. It is deeply rooted in poverty, gender inequality, violence, child and forced marriage, power imbalances between adolescent girls and their male partners, lack of education, and the failure of systems and institutions to protect their rights. To bring these issues to global attention, this year’s World Population Day is focusing on adolescent pregnancy.

Breaking the cycle of adolescent pregnancy requires commitment from nations, communities and individuals in both developed and developing countries to invest in adolescent girls. Governments should enact and enforce national laws that raise the age of marriage to 18 and should promote community-based efforts that support girls’ rights and prevent child marriage and its consequences.

Adolescents and youth must be provided with age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to develop the knowledge and skills they need to protect their health throughout their lives. However, education and information are not enough. Good quality reproductive health services must also be readily available in order for adolescents to make informed choices and be healthy.

At the local level, communities should provide the infrastructure to deliver reproductive health care in a youth-friendly and sensitive way.

Underlying all these efforts is the understanding that the dignity and human rights of adolescent girls must be respected, protected and fulfilled. Today, we call on governments, the international community and all stakeholders involved to take measures that enable adolescent girls to make responsible life choices and to provide the necessary support for them in cases when their rights are threatened. Every young girl, regardless of where she lives, or her economic circumstances, has the right to fulfil her human potential. Today, too many girls are denied that right. We can change that, and we must.

Meeting the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Adolescent Girls
English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي    

Videos : World Population Day 2013