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Outsider’s Look Inside
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Outsider’s Look Inside
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Table of Contents
The International Division of the New York Rotary Club is delighted to present this in order to demonstrate the commitment and continuing support of Rotary to the United Nations and its Millennium Development Goals. It will also serve as a platform for information and dialogue between all Rotarians who are interested in the programs of the United Nations and in contributing towards achieving its goals. We invite you to share your experiences from collaboration in projects between Rotary and the United Nations. Please forward any examples and comments regarding recent projects to nyrotaryun@aol.com.Also, all Rotarians are invited to attend the NY Rotary International Breakfast Meetings which are scheduled on the third Wednesday of every month and held at the German House located at 871 United Nations Plaza (49th St. and First Ave). These meeting provide an opportunity for Rotarians to stay informed regarding United Nation programs and to exchange views on related topics with UN officials and representatives of its member states. Reservations for attending the meetings can be made at ny.rotary@verizon.net and copy to GBRotary@aol.com.
Giorgio Balestrieri - International
Division Chairman,
John German Co-Director, Josef Klee -
Coordinator,
Sylvan Barnet - Rotary International. Alt Representative to the UN,
Tom McConnon - Newsletter Editor
Sylvan Barnet - Rotary International. Alt Representative to the UN,
Tom McConnon - Newsletter Editor
Contents
Introduction.
Being born and raised in Post-World New York City we all had a
love /hate relationship with the united nation. Here was that beautiful ultra-modern
building across the East River from Queens that gave the final approval of New
York as the World’s Capital. But time and time again we would here that the U.
S is in arrears in pay its assessments hundreds of diplomats are assigned the best parting spots in Manhattan yet at the same time thousands of tickets for parking illegally and then receive diplomatic immunity.
S is in arrears in pay its assessments hundreds of diplomats are assigned the best parting spots in Manhattan yet at the same time thousands of tickets for parking illegally and then receive diplomatic immunity.
Every year in September dictators like kriuscheve and casto will
clog the streets to address the General assembly but I can still never forget
when I was in the 4th grade and my entire grammar school Christ the
King Grammar School as well as all the other catholic schools in the metro
Politian region to l waited on a freezing cold morning for hours waiting for glimpse
of Pope Paul 26th arrival on the Van Wick expressway to get a 2
second of our holy father the first visit of a pope to the United states so he
could address the UN.
Year’s later waiting for Pope John-Paul’s visit in 1978 and the current
Holy Farther in 2008 millions lined the streets on his way to and now every
pope will get the opportunity to a full house to address the general assembly.
Even from a selfish economic view the it is estimated that the UN budget
in New York City is approximately 4 Billion dollars a year with 20 percent paid
for by our federal government and nearly 20 percent paid for by japan, 8 percent
by Germany, 7 percent by England and even 0 .3 paid for by China.
It started for me when I was elected president of the
Hicksville-Jericho Rotary club as resident and I was invited to attend Rotary
Day at the UN in the first weekend of November in 1989 and I met Sylvan Barnet
aka Barney from the rotary club of New York who was the Rotary Internationals
representative to the United Nations. At
that time about 50 Rotarians from around the New York City Area attended the
conference. Well Barney grew that annual
event to sellout crowd of over 1600. And the UN and the World are grateful.
As the years went by my company began doing more and more
contracts for New York City management companies and I was invited to join the legendary
Rotary Club of New York which was the oldest and largest Rotary club in the New
York Area. It was the 6th
Club established out of the current total of 33,000.in 2002 It was there I recognized Barney and he
invited me to the International Service division of the New York Club to the monthly
breakfast meetings that were currently held at eh German Mission on 1st
Ave and 49th ST across the street from the UN. I volunteer to start a blog of the meetings
and this allowed me to start thinking more about the UN and 10 years later I
was still writing about 12 articles a year for 10 years.
This book is a compilation of those reports. AT the meetings we would meet with the all
levels of UN personnel from low level event coordinators, med level beatracrats
to the Ambassador of China and the Secretariat General. While I had to wake up at 4:00am on the 3rd
Wednesday of every month tin order to fulfill my responsibilities of my company
on my home computer, drive and drop of the day’s paper work at my warehouse in
Garden City Park in Nassau County, and still make it to Turtle Bay by 8:30 am
was never easy and maybe not even rational, it was always a done with
excitement to learn more about what goes on in that shining green modern
building known as the UN that all New Yorkers have loved to hate.
All of us who have spent the last ten years getting up early to
make the meetings have to Tank Barney and Joe and Uda Klee. Joe and Uda lived across the Street from the
UN. Get also had to be sure the guest
were booked and that the venue was prepared, The German house café did serve
the best cresuants this side of the pond,
but it was always a labor of love.
This book is divided by groups rather than in the chronological
order of the month meeting. It includes
History of the UN and Rotary
The NGO’s
The bearcats
The Ambassadors
UN Ambassador of Poland and WMD's
UN Ambassador of Poland and WMD's
In May of 2011, in New York, the Permanent Missions of Japan,
Poland and Turkey, in co-operation with the Washington-based think-tank
"The Stimson Center" organized a seminar on promotion of WMD-related
non-proliferation measures in the context of relevant activities undertaken
within United Nations and following commitments resulting from the relevant
Security Council resolutions. The UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon,
addressed the seminar.
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The Ambassadors of the Permanent Missions of
Japan, Poland, and Turkey at the seminar. |
Below is the statement delivered by Ambassador Witold Sobków: Promoting the Global Instruments of
Nonproliferation and Disarmament: The United Nations and the Nuclear
ChallengeNew York, 31 May 2011 Ambassador Witold Sobków, Permanent
Representative of Poland to the UN
Opening remarks:
Why New York?
The UN Headquarters in New York is a unique place. It gathers all
representatives of the international community. Together with Geneva and Vienna
it constitutes a unique chain of international cooperation in the sphere of
non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful use of nuclear energy. Last year in
New York we managed to reach an important agreement at the NPT Review
Conference. Each year we gather in this city to participate in the General
Assembly's First Committee and in the UN Disarmament Commission. The issues
related to SCR 1540 are also discussed in New York. We remember and fully
support the five point proposal of the SG on nuclear disarmament.
In his latest statements, the UN Secretary-General encourages us
to look at disarmament in a broader political context of maintaining global
security. We wish to promote that call from Mr. Ban Ki-Moon and to highlight
multilateralism as the main concept in the sphere of international peace and
security. We also wish to support consensus as the main instrument to promote
effective disarmament and non-proliferation. Without consensus, the
international community will not be able to achieve its final objective: a
world free of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Unanimity is not a gift. It is a
result of hard work conducted as broadly as possible. A true consensus requires
multilateral participation.
The recent developments clearly show the existence of global
understanding that WMD proliferation and WMD terrorism pose a serious threat to
international security.
The United Nations shall therefore become a global, multilateral
platform for facilitating, coordinating and enhancing cooperation against WMD
proliferation and WMD terrorism. The United Nations should aim at building a
new quality of co-operation and creating synergies between a wide range of
different stakeholders including governments, NGOs and relevant industries. By
incorporating the wide range of actors operating on subregional, regional and
international levels the United Nations could provide a holistic approach to
disarmament and non-proliferation of WMD.
I hope that this seminar will be a kind of kick-off for discussion
on the role of UN in that regard.
Why our countries?
Let me draw your attention to the fact that from the UN Member
States it is Japan, Turkey and Poland that are organizers of this event. The
historical, friendly ties between our countries have become even stronger in
recent years. The co-operation has increased and it covers also strategic
issues, including the topic of our gathering today. Our countries share the
views on the current status of affairs in the sphere of non-proliferation and
disarmament. We co-operate at various international fora, both formal (like the
UN or the OPCW) and informal (the NPDI - Non-proliferation and Disarmament
Initiative), to implement the vision of a WMD-free world.
Why Poland?
Poland attaches utmost importance to the non-proliferation and
disarmament. We believe that only by taking steps in both these areas the
international community will eventually realise an idea of WMD-free world.
Today's seminar is a natural consequence of this attitude.
Poland actively supports actions aimed at decreasing the danger
posed by nuclear weapons and creating conditions for a world free of these
weapons. We are a strong advocate of raising the issue of tactical nuclear
weapons on the European continent. We cannot avoid addressing this problem, if
we want to get closer to achieving the goal of "Global Zero". In the
post-Cold War world it is hard to find justification for maintaining large
arsenals of tactical nuclear weapons. Therefore, we support the inclusion of
these kinds of weapons into general arms control processes.
Non-proliferation and promotion of relevant instruments in this
sphere is one of the key priorities of my country. We understand that for many
states the need for implementation of different international commitments, like
the 1540 Resolution, does not seem to be the most pressing issue. Having been
involved in the implementation of the 1540 provisions from the outset in 2004,
Poland has found out that no special funds and structures are needed. The
necessary tools are already there - in respective national agencies, like the
Customs or the Border Guards. There is only a need to identify them and broaden
their scope so they can address non-proliferation challenges for each country.
I am particularly glad that during today's seminar we will be discussing the
most efficient ways to implement relevant non-proliferation mechanisms.
The UN faces ups and downs in the sphere of non-proliferation and
disarmament. The success of the NPT Review Conference is confronted with the
impasse in the Conference on Disarmament. More efforts are needed to create
conditions for breaking through the non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. I
hope that today's event will add a positive spirit to the ongoing discussions
related to the goal of "Global Zero".
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Rwanda’s
Permanent Representative to the UN, Eugène-Richard Gasana Named to Head
Peace-building Commision
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Permanent
Representative to the UN, Eugène-Richard
Gasana(left) being congratulated as Chairperson of the Peace-building Commission for 2011 |
Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Eugène-Richard
Gasana, was elected Chairperson of the Peace-building Commission (PBC), for the
year 2011 was our guest speaker at our breakfast meeting.2011 is Africa’s turn
to hold the rotational PBC presidency. On the occasion of his election, the
Rwandan envoy expressed “deep gratitude” for being elected and vowed to meet or
surpass the expectations of the body.
“My ambition as chair was to give a new impetus to the Peace-building Commission, building on the commendable progress achieved by my predecessors and on relevant recommendations proposed by the coacilitatoof the review of the UN peace-building architecture,” Gasana told a UN assembly.
He replaces Peter Wittig, Germany’s permanent representative at the UN.
The PBC was created in 2005 by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.
Its mandate is to bring together relevant actors to marshal resources and to advise on and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict peace-building and recovery.
The Rwandan envoy told the gathering that after five years of existence, PBC is now entering a new phase, where it is called upon to be more efficient, more ambitious and more visible.“My vision as Chair is to ensure that the Commission achieves a real impact for populations in a larger number of post-conflict countries, helping women and men rebuild their societies.” To achieve this goal, he proposed four key priorities: effective national ownership; innovation in resource mobilization; encouraging broader engagement by more post-conflict countries; and coordinated regional and international partnerships on the ground. The PBC Organizational Committee comprises 31 Member States selected under five categories: seven from Security Council, seven from the Economic and Social Council, five top providers to UN budgets, five UN troops contributing countries and seven from the UN General Assembly.
A Peace-building Fund (PBF), financed by voluntary contributions, was established, to fund projects from countries on the agenda of the PBC as well as countries in post-conflict reconstruction.
It is currently supporting more than 100 projects in 15 countries.
Gasana noted that regional organizations play an increasing role in resolving conflicts and peace-building, and gave an example of the African Union which, he said, has established, over the past five years, a Policy Framework for Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD). The PCRD serves as a framework for the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) to carry out its mission of peace building and post-conflict reconstruction.
Upcoming events
16 March 2011
Speaker: James Sniffen, Program Officer United Nations Environment Programme Topic: “The Work of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) including Climate Change”
13 April 2011
Speaker: Ambassador Jorge Flores Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations Francis Dubois, Former UN Representative in Iraq, Palestine, Algeria, TunisiaTopic: “Protection of Christian Minorities in the Middle East”
18 May 2011
Speaker: Ms. Angela Kane Under-Secretary-General
United NationsTopic: “Present Management Challenges faced by the United Nations”
15 June 2011
Speaker: Michael Adlerstein Assistant Secretary-General United Nations Executive Director of the UN Capital Master PlanTopic: “Making the UN Headquarters a better place for delegates, staff, visitors and works of art” -
20 July 2011
Speakers: Haider Hamza, Iraqi Journalist and Benny Avni, Columnist, New York PostTopic: “The Situation in the Middle-East”
14 September 2011
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador Jean Wesley Cazeau Mission of Haiti to the United NationsTopic: “The Situation in Haiti”19
Topic: “The International Federation of Red Cross, its work in humanitarian crisis.”
16 November 2011
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador Miguel Berger Mission of Germany to the United NationsTopic: “Germany’s Priorities at the United Nations”
14 December 2011
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador W. Sobkow Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United NationsTopic: “Poland’s Priorities at the United Nations”
“My ambition as chair was to give a new impetus to the Peace-building Commission, building on the commendable progress achieved by my predecessors and on relevant recommendations proposed by the coacilitatoof the review of the UN peace-building architecture,” Gasana told a UN assembly.
He replaces Peter Wittig, Germany’s permanent representative at the UN.
The PBC was created in 2005 by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.
Its mandate is to bring together relevant actors to marshal resources and to advise on and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict peace-building and recovery.
The Rwandan envoy told the gathering that after five years of existence, PBC is now entering a new phase, where it is called upon to be more efficient, more ambitious and more visible.“My vision as Chair is to ensure that the Commission achieves a real impact for populations in a larger number of post-conflict countries, helping women and men rebuild their societies.” To achieve this goal, he proposed four key priorities: effective national ownership; innovation in resource mobilization; encouraging broader engagement by more post-conflict countries; and coordinated regional and international partnerships on the ground. The PBC Organizational Committee comprises 31 Member States selected under five categories: seven from Security Council, seven from the Economic and Social Council, five top providers to UN budgets, five UN troops contributing countries and seven from the UN General Assembly.
A Peace-building Fund (PBF), financed by voluntary contributions, was established, to fund projects from countries on the agenda of the PBC as well as countries in post-conflict reconstruction.
It is currently supporting more than 100 projects in 15 countries.
Gasana noted that regional organizations play an increasing role in resolving conflicts and peace-building, and gave an example of the African Union which, he said, has established, over the past five years, a Policy Framework for Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD). The PCRD serves as a framework for the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) to carry out its mission of peace building and post-conflict reconstruction.
Upcoming events
16 March 2011
Speaker: James Sniffen, Program Officer United Nations Environment Programme Topic: “The Work of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) including Climate Change”
13 April 2011
Speaker: Ambassador Jorge Flores Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations Francis Dubois, Former UN Representative in Iraq, Palestine, Algeria, TunisiaTopic: “Protection of Christian Minorities in the Middle East”
18 May 2011
Speaker: Ms. Angela Kane Under-Secretary-General
United NationsTopic: “Present Management Challenges faced by the United Nations”
15 June 2011
Speaker: Michael Adlerstein Assistant Secretary-General United Nations Executive Director of the UN Capital Master PlanTopic: “Making the UN Headquarters a better place for delegates, staff, visitors and works of art” -
20 July 2011
Speakers: Haider Hamza, Iraqi Journalist and Benny Avni, Columnist, New York PostTopic: “The Situation in the Middle-East”
14 September 2011
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador Jean Wesley Cazeau Mission of Haiti to the United NationsTopic: “The Situation in Haiti”19
Topic: “The International Federation of Red Cross, its work in humanitarian crisis.”
16 November 2011
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador Miguel Berger Mission of Germany to the United NationsTopic: “Germany’s Priorities at the United Nations”
14 December 2011
Speaker: H.E. Ambassador W. Sobkow Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United NationsTopic: “Poland’s Priorities at the United Nations”
Knights
of Malta Mission at the UN
At the October 2012 meeting, Robert Shafer, the UN Ambassador of
The Knights of Malta, provided an informative and inspiring exchange of projectds
with the local New York business community. The Knights of Malta is the
religious organization that provides humanitarian and medical assistance
worldwide.( It no longer has any connection to the modern state of Malta or its
government.)
Ambassador Shafer received his B.A. degree from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota and his J.D. from the College of Law, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Shafer received his B.A. degree from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota and his J.D. from the College of Law, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Shafer was a Corporate Vice President and an elected
officer of the Pfizer Corporation (the world’s largest pharmaceutical company).
He was a member of the Law Department and later Vice President of Public
Affairs and Government Relations. Ambassador Shafer retired from the Pfizer
Corporation in 1996 after 30 years of service.
Ambassador Shafer, while at Pfizer, assisted key members of management in identifying and influencing issues affecting the operation of Pfizer and its international subsidiaries. Ambassador Shafer developed and maintained contact with political, academic and business influential. He chaired a number of internal committees and represented Pfizer on a number of external organizations, boards and committees. Ambassador Shafer represented the Company at the highest levels of government. Early in his career he was the Administrative Assistant and Counsel to the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Shafer has been a member of the Federal Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar, and the State Bar of Wisconsin. He was for eighteen years a member of the Board of Regents of St. John’s University. He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT. Ambassador Shafer was a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Executive Committee of USLIFE Corporation.
Ambassador Shafer is the Permanent Observer of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the United Nations. He is also a Director of the Tri-Continental Corporation (world’s largest closed- end mutual fund), and Director of the Seligman Family of Funds, some sixty-six mutual funds.
Ambassador and Mrs. Shafer were Chairmen of the 1997 Lourdes Pilgrimage of the American Association of the Order of Malta. Mrs. Ellen Shafer is a Dame of Malta, Area Chairman of Westchester, and past President of the International Catholic Organizations Information Center, Inc. at the United Nations.
The knights of Molta has held Permanent Observer status at the United Nations since 1994.
The Knights of Malta was founded in the late 11th century when it established a hospital in Jerusalem. Eventually, Jerusalem was recaptured by the Muslims and the Knights of Malta left Jerusalem and spent time in various places, especially the island of Cyprus. They were given Malta in 1530 and built the capital city of Valletta. Despite the neutrality of the Knights of Malta, Napoleon conquered Malta in 1798 and the SMOM fled once again. Finally, in 1834 the Knights of Malta found a home in Rome, where they still reside.
Ambassador Shafer, while at Pfizer, assisted key members of management in identifying and influencing issues affecting the operation of Pfizer and its international subsidiaries. Ambassador Shafer developed and maintained contact with political, academic and business influential. He chaired a number of internal committees and represented Pfizer on a number of external organizations, boards and committees. Ambassador Shafer represented the Company at the highest levels of government. Early in his career he was the Administrative Assistant and Counsel to the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Shafer has been a member of the Federal Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar, and the State Bar of Wisconsin. He was for eighteen years a member of the Board of Regents of St. John’s University. He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT. Ambassador Shafer was a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Executive Committee of USLIFE Corporation.
Ambassador Shafer is the Permanent Observer of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the United Nations. He is also a Director of the Tri-Continental Corporation (world’s largest closed- end mutual fund), and Director of the Seligman Family of Funds, some sixty-six mutual funds.
Ambassador and Mrs. Shafer were Chairmen of the 1997 Lourdes Pilgrimage of the American Association of the Order of Malta. Mrs. Ellen Shafer is a Dame of Malta, Area Chairman of Westchester, and past President of the International Catholic Organizations Information Center, Inc. at the United Nations.
The knights of Molta has held Permanent Observer status at the United Nations since 1994.
The Knights of Malta was founded in the late 11th century when it established a hospital in Jerusalem. Eventually, Jerusalem was recaptured by the Muslims and the Knights of Malta left Jerusalem and spent time in various places, especially the island of Cyprus. They were given Malta in 1530 and built the capital city of Valletta. Despite the neutrality of the Knights of Malta, Napoleon conquered Malta in 1798 and the SMOM fled once again. Finally, in 1834 the Knights of Malta found a home in Rome, where they still reside.
European
Union at the United Nations
Our speaker at the September 2012 meeting was H.E. Ambassador
Mayr-Harting,Head of the EU Delegation to the UN in New York since October 2011. He
previously served from December 2008 as the Permanent Representative of Austria
to the United Nations in New York.
From 2009 to 2010 he represented Austria on the UN Security Council and was President of the Security Council for the month of November 2009. In his former capacity as the Austrian Ambassador to the UN, he also served as Vice-President of the 66th General Assembly.
Between 2003 and 2008.
Mr. Mayr-Harting joined the Austrian diplomatic service in 1979. In the course of his career he served with the Austrian Mission to the European Communities in Brussels (1982-1986), the Austrian Embassy in Moscow (1986-1990), the Private Office of the Austrian Foreign Minister (1991-1995) and as Deputy Political Director and Director for Security Policy and Policy Planning (1995-1999). From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Mayr-Harting also acted as Special Representative of the Austrian Foreign Minister for the Western Balkans.
Mr. Mayr-Harting received his law degree at the University of Vienna in 1977. From 1977 to 1978, he studied European law at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. In 1978.
The European Union (EU) has been an observer member at the United Nations (UN) since 1974 and has had enhanced participation rights since 2011. The EU itself does not have voting rights but it is represented alongside its 27 members which do, two of which are permanent members of the Security Council, those being France and the United Kingdom.
The EU and its member states are the UN's largest financial contributors, providing 38.9% of the UN budget in 2007 (followed by the US at 22% and Japan at 16.6%). The EU also provides 55.6% of global development aid (followed by the US at 23.4% and Japan at 11.1%), 40.6% of the funding for UN peacekeeping missions and around half of the budgets for UN funds and programmes. Almost a third of the European Commission's aid budget goes to the UN.
The EU provides 40% of the funds for UN peacekeeping and 13.5% of peacekeeping personnel (11,140 men and women) in 2006. It also operates its own missions to support the UN, such as the EU mission in the Congo to support the UN peacekeepers there. The EU also established and funds the African Peace Facility.
The EU supports the UN's values of freedom, democracy and human rights. The preamble to the EU's treaty cites the UN Charter's human rights articles and is very active on the UN Human Rights Council. The EU was also instrumental in setting up the system of UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights issues.
From 2009 to 2010 he represented Austria on the UN Security Council and was President of the Security Council for the month of November 2009. In his former capacity as the Austrian Ambassador to the UN, he also served as Vice-President of the 66th General Assembly.
Between 2003 and 2008.
Mr. Mayr-Harting joined the Austrian diplomatic service in 1979. In the course of his career he served with the Austrian Mission to the European Communities in Brussels (1982-1986), the Austrian Embassy in Moscow (1986-1990), the Private Office of the Austrian Foreign Minister (1991-1995) and as Deputy Political Director and Director for Security Policy and Policy Planning (1995-1999). From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Mayr-Harting also acted as Special Representative of the Austrian Foreign Minister for the Western Balkans.
Mr. Mayr-Harting received his law degree at the University of Vienna in 1977. From 1977 to 1978, he studied European law at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. In 1978.
The European Union (EU) has been an observer member at the United Nations (UN) since 1974 and has had enhanced participation rights since 2011. The EU itself does not have voting rights but it is represented alongside its 27 members which do, two of which are permanent members of the Security Council, those being France and the United Kingdom.
The EU and its member states are the UN's largest financial contributors, providing 38.9% of the UN budget in 2007 (followed by the US at 22% and Japan at 16.6%). The EU also provides 55.6% of global development aid (followed by the US at 23.4% and Japan at 11.1%), 40.6% of the funding for UN peacekeeping missions and around half of the budgets for UN funds and programmes. Almost a third of the European Commission's aid budget goes to the UN.
The EU provides 40% of the funds for UN peacekeeping and 13.5% of peacekeeping personnel (11,140 men and women) in 2006. It also operates its own missions to support the UN, such as the EU mission in the Congo to support the UN peacekeepers there. The EU also established and funds the African Peace Facility.
The EU supports the UN's values of freedom, democracy and human rights. The preamble to the EU's treaty cites the UN Charter's human rights articles and is very active on the UN Human Rights Council. The EU was also instrumental in setting up the system of UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights issues.
Ambasador
of Kazakhstan, Ms.Byrganym Aitimova
In the 1940's the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear weapon at a test facility of northeast Kazakhstan known as the Semipalatinsk Polygon. There were more than 400 atomic explosions over until the 1990's. Residents were exposed to the effects of the testing and devastated three generations of people in the area the total number affected with health problems ranging from thyroid diseases, cancer, birth defects, deformities, premature aging, and cardiovascular diseases.
From the countries website, Kazakhstan, geographically the largest of the former Soviet republics, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals, such as uranium, copper, and zinc. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. In 2002 Kazakhstan became the first country in the former Soviet Union to receive an investment-grade credit rating, and from 2000 through 2007, Kazakhstan economy grew more than 9% per year. Extractive industries, particularly hydrocarbons and mining, have been the engines of this growth. However, geographic limitations and decaying infrastructure present serious obstacles. Landlocked, with restricted access to the high seas, Kazakhstan relies on its neighbors to export its products, especially oil and gas. Although its Caspian Sea ports and rail lines carrying oil have been upgraded, civil aviation has been neglected. Telecoms are improving, but require considerable investment, as does the information technology base. Supply and distribution of electricity can be erratic. At the end of 2007, global financial markets froze up and the loss of capital inflows to Kazakhstani banks caused a credit crunch. The subsequent and sharp fall of oil and commodity prices in 2008 aggravated the economic situation, and Kazakhstan plunged into recession. While the global financial crisis took a significant toll on Kazakhstan's economy, it has rebounded well. In response to the crisis, Kazakhstan's government devalued the tenge (Kazakhstan's currency) to stabilize market pressures and injected $19 billion in economic stimulus. Rising commodity prices have helped revive Kazakhstan's economy, which registered 7% growth in 2010. Barring a dramatic decline in oil prices, strong growth is expected to continue in 2011. Despite solid macroeconomic indicators, the government realizes that its economy suffers from an over reliance on oil and extractive industries, the so-called "Dutch disease." In response, Kazakhstan has embarked on an ambitious diversification program, aimed at developing targeted sectors like transport, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, petrochemicals and food processing.
The May 13th concert, entitled "FROM MAO TO MOZART TO STERN: Commemorating Isaac Stern’s 1979 China Visit”, will feature pianist Tian Jiang, and will be wonderful for students in particular. Tian Jiang was one of the young Chinese musicians chosen by Isaac Stern when Stern traveled to China in 1979, to open China to participation with Western Classical music. During the Mao Cultural Revolution, such music was banned. Tian Jiang is now returning the favor to the West, offering his concerts through our Foundation to young Americans.
This concert is dedicated to the memory of the fruitful project of Isaac Stern: Western classical music is now greatly championed in China. This is why this concert is entitled “From Mao to Mozart to Stern”, named after Mr. Stern’s documentary, “From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China”, which won the 1981 Academy Award for best Documentary. They have linked the movie, which is on YouTube, to the top left hand of our webpage: http://www.fftrocc.org/carnegie.htm.
They are inviting our fellow Rotarians to attend this wonderful concert.
THE
PLIGHT of RELIGIOUS MINORITIES in the MIDDLE EAST by Josef Klee
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As we can hear and read in the media every day, the Middle East
region is currently undergoing a historic and dramatic transformation in terms
of political and constitutional structures. In this process, religious
minorities such as Christians, Jews and the Baha’is are severely restricted in
practicing their
religion, and often are persecuted under threat of physical harm, forcing them
to leave their homelands.
The magazine Newsweek published, last month, an article about the persecution of Christians and concluded that terrorist attacks on Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia increased 309 % from 2003-2010. The article states: “Christians are being killed in the Islamic world
because of their religion. It is a rising genocide that ought to provoke global
alarm.”
We all know that the Middle East is the cradle of three world religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam; and that Christian minorities have co-existed in the Arab region for centuries. In spite of this
historic fact, Christians in particular have been under attack and have been the object of escalating violence over the past several years.
As a consequence, the Arab world is being drained of its Christian residents; and the rate of Christian emigration from Lebanon,Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, the Sudan and Syriahas reached unprecedented proportions. For instance, in the early 1990s, Iraq had approximately 1.5 million
Christians out of a population of 18 million, then comprising more than 5 percent of the population. It is estimated that, at present, the Christian population is as low as 500,000. Christians in the Palestinian territories have dropped from 15 percent of the Arab population in 1950 to just 2 percent today. Both Bethlehem and Nazareth, which had been overwhelmingly Christian towns, now have strong Muslim majorities. Today, three-fourths of previously Bethlehem Christians live abroad, and more Christians from Jerusalem live in Sydney, Australia, than in their place of birth.
In Lebanon, Christians once constituted a solid majority of the country’s population. Today,
they number less than one million people and this number continues to shrink. In Egypt, Copts – the oldest religious community with about 11 % of the population- have long felt the brunt of violent physical attacks from both the State radicals and Islamic fundamentalists. In the last months the persecution of Copts has escalated.
religion, and often are persecuted under threat of physical harm, forcing them
to leave their homelands.
The magazine Newsweek published, last month, an article about the persecution of Christians and concluded that terrorist attacks on Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia increased 309 % from 2003-2010. The article states: “Christians are being killed in the Islamic world
because of their religion. It is a rising genocide that ought to provoke global
alarm.”
We all know that the Middle East is the cradle of three world religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam; and that Christian minorities have co-existed in the Arab region for centuries. In spite of this
historic fact, Christians in particular have been under attack and have been the object of escalating violence over the past several years.
As a consequence, the Arab world is being drained of its Christian residents; and the rate of Christian emigration from Lebanon,Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, the Sudan and Syriahas reached unprecedented proportions. For instance, in the early 1990s, Iraq had approximately 1.5 million
Christians out of a population of 18 million, then comprising more than 5 percent of the population. It is estimated that, at present, the Christian population is as low as 500,000. Christians in the Palestinian territories have dropped from 15 percent of the Arab population in 1950 to just 2 percent today. Both Bethlehem and Nazareth, which had been overwhelmingly Christian towns, now have strong Muslim majorities. Today, three-fourths of previously Bethlehem Christians live abroad, and more Christians from Jerusalem live in Sydney, Australia, than in their place of birth.
In Lebanon, Christians once constituted a solid majority of the country’s population. Today,
they number less than one million people and this number continues to shrink. In Egypt, Copts – the oldest religious community with about 11 % of the population- have long felt the brunt of violent physical attacks from both the State radicals and Islamic fundamentalists. In the last months the persecution of Copts has escalated.
In several other
Islamic countries, conditions are fundamentally as worse. For example in
Nigeria,
with the largest Christian minority [40 percent] Muslims and Christians havelived on the edge of civil war and Christians have suffered of various formsof violence. Similarly, Christians in Sudan have been severely persecuted. In Saudi Arabia,Islam is the state religion and all citizens must constitutionally be Muslims. Accordingly,in Saudi Arabia,it is illegal to import, print or own Christian or non-Muslim religious materials.
with the largest Christian minority [40 percent] Muslims and Christians havelived on the edge of civil war and Christians have suffered of various formsof violence. Similarly, Christians in Sudan have been severely persecuted. In Saudi Arabia,Islam is the state religion and all citizens must constitutionally be Muslims. Accordingly,in Saudi Arabia,it is illegal to import, print or own Christian or non-Muslim religious materials.
Now, let now discuss what the outside world has done to alleviate the
plight of religious minorities in the Middle East.
What has the United
Nations done? Very early, in 1948, the United
Nations has established the principle of protection of religious freedoms with
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In general, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights proclaims in its Article 2 that “Everyone is
entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without
distinctions of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status.” With its Article 18, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates in more detail, that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
Over the years, the United Nations has developed a number of additional human rights instruments and institutional mechanisms geared toward thepromotion and observance of human rights protection worldwide, including the promotion of religious freedom and protection from discrimination and persecution based on religion. In this respect, the United Nations Human Rights Body, in 1968 ,established the position Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. The Special Rapporteur acts as an independent expert with the mandate tomonitor and identify obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom ofreligion or belief and to recommend ways and means to overcome the obstacles.He transmits letters of allegation and urgent appeals to states with regard to
cases of infringements or impediments to the exercise of the right to freedom of religion or belief; he conducts fact-finding visits to countries in question; and he submits an annual report to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly on his activities and findings.
property, birth or other status.” With its Article 18, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates in more detail, that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
Over the years, the United Nations has developed a number of additional human rights instruments and institutional mechanisms geared toward thepromotion and observance of human rights protection worldwide, including the promotion of religious freedom and protection from discrimination and persecution based on religion. In this respect, the United Nations Human Rights Body, in 1968 ,established the position Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. The Special Rapporteur acts as an independent expert with the mandate tomonitor and identify obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom ofreligion or belief and to recommend ways and means to overcome the obstacles.He transmits letters of allegation and urgent appeals to states with regard to
cases of infringements or impediments to the exercise of the right to freedom of religion or belief; he conducts fact-finding visits to countries in question; and he submits an annual report to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly on his activities and findings.
However, the effectiveness of the Special Rapporteur is rather
limitedsince the office holder performs his/her functions only part time and
the funds for his office are very small; and because many countries under
review are not prepared to fully co-operate with the visits and appeals of the
Special Rapporteur. In 2010, the General Assembly took another major step
towards fightingpersecution of religious minorities by adopting a very strongly
wordedresolution. This resolution condemns all forms of religious intolerance
and discrimination as well as violations of freedom of religion or belief and
emphasizes the obligation of states to investigate and punish acts of violence against persons belonging to religious minorities.
What has the United States done? The US is perhaps the most active country in monitoring worldwide the status ofreligious freedoms and the occurrence of religious persecutions. The United States has established the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which is an independent, bipartisan U.S.federal government commission. Its principal
responsibilities are to monitor and review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedoms internationally, and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and to the Congress. The work of this US Commission on International Religious Freedom is
based on international human rights standards, such as those established in theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Commission proposes countries to be closely monitored according to anestablished watch list, and it issues an annual report on the current situation regarding the protection of religious freedoms
in those countries. It recommends which countries the Secretary of State should officially designate as “Countries of Particular Concern” because of engaging in or tolerating “systematic,ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”. Once a country is designated a “Country of Particular Concern”, the President is required by law to take action, including economic sanctions, or a decision to waiver of action.As of 2011, the Commission has recommended that the following 13countries be designated as countries of particular concern: Burma, China,Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
What have European countries done? The European Countries are also concerned with the issues of religious freedom and protection of religious minorities. Among the European countries, Italy is a very strong advocate for the protection of religious minorities.In 2011, the European Parliament adopted a widely-backed resolution requesting sanctions against countries which do not protect religiousminorities. Leaders from all political parties called for a review of current foreign policy instruments of the European Union (EU) to make them more suited to protecting Christian communities in third countries more effectively. The resolution lists proposed measures against states that knowingly fail to protect religious denominations. In particular, the EU stresses that silence and
inaction are no options. However, the 27 Foreign Ministers were unable to adopt the resolution of the
European Parliament because of political correctness. They could not agree in drafting their text that Christians were victims of religious persecution. Here I should mention that after the meeting the “brave” Italian Foreign Ministerexpressed his disappointment and stated that the over-emphasis of the prevailing secularculture would harm the credibility of Europe.
emphasizes the obligation of states to investigate and punish acts of violence against persons belonging to religious minorities.
What has the United States done? The US is perhaps the most active country in monitoring worldwide the status ofreligious freedoms and the occurrence of religious persecutions. The United States has established the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which is an independent, bipartisan U.S.federal government commission. Its principal
responsibilities are to monitor and review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedoms internationally, and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and to the Congress. The work of this US Commission on International Religious Freedom is
based on international human rights standards, such as those established in theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Commission proposes countries to be closely monitored according to anestablished watch list, and it issues an annual report on the current situation regarding the protection of religious freedoms
in those countries. It recommends which countries the Secretary of State should officially designate as “Countries of Particular Concern” because of engaging in or tolerating “systematic,ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”. Once a country is designated a “Country of Particular Concern”, the President is required by law to take action, including economic sanctions, or a decision to waiver of action.As of 2011, the Commission has recommended that the following 13countries be designated as countries of particular concern: Burma, China,Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
What have European countries done? The European Countries are also concerned with the issues of religious freedom and protection of religious minorities. Among the European countries, Italy is a very strong advocate for the protection of religious minorities.In 2011, the European Parliament adopted a widely-backed resolution requesting sanctions against countries which do not protect religiousminorities. Leaders from all political parties called for a review of current foreign policy instruments of the European Union (EU) to make them more suited to protecting Christian communities in third countries more effectively. The resolution lists proposed measures against states that knowingly fail to protect religious denominations. In particular, the EU stresses that silence and
inaction are no options. However, the 27 Foreign Ministers were unable to adopt the resolution of the
European Parliament because of political correctness. They could not agree in drafting their text that Christians were victims of religious persecution. Here I should mention that after the meeting the “brave” Italian Foreign Ministerexpressed his disappointment and stated that the over-emphasis of the prevailing secularculture would harm the credibility of Europe.
In 2010, after the
initial attacks against Christian minorities in Iraq, Italy strongly supported
an “EU Action Plan” which contains concrete measures to protect religious
freedom in the world. The plan covers four areas, namely: bilateral actions,
multilateral initiatives, financial support through the European Fund for
Democracy and Human Rights, and training and capacity building. At the United
Nations, Italyalong with other EU partners, promotes each year at the General Assembly
the above mentioned UN resolution regarding the elimination of all forms of
religious intolerance.
What has the Vatican done? The Holy See has been very vocal in
defending religious freedom and condemning religious persecution. Since his
election, Pope Benedict has often spoken out
in defense of religious freedom and against persecution of Christians. In his message for the 2011 World Day of Peace, the Pope made a very strong case for religious freedom. In the introduction of his letter the Holy Father referred to the killings of two priests and more than 50 worshipers in the Baghdad Cathedral and stated: ”At present, Christians are the religious group which suffers most from the persecution on account of its faith.”One of the Pope’s suggestions is that all religious communities must defend the rights and freedoms of religious minorities. And the leaders of the
great world religions and the leaders of nations should renew their commitment to promoting and protecting religious freedom, and in particular religious minorities.
Also, this year in his New Year Address to the Ambassadors at the Vatican, thePope strongly defended religious freedom and called for an end to thepersecution of Christians.Pope Benedict hasrepeatedly expressed his concern regarding the precarious situation of Christians in the Middle East and has called for action against the persecution of Christians in this region.The pontiff has also repeatedly expressed his solidarity with the Copts and called on world leaders to protect them.In December of last year, at a meeting of the Organization for Securityand Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the “Foreign Minister” of the Vatican suggested that the OSCE should designatean annual international day against persecution and discrimination ofChristians.
What have countries in the Middle East done? In general, the countries in the Middle East
have shown very little interest and concern regarding the protection and
promotion of religious freedom.Among the states in the Middle East, Jordan, a predominantly Muslim country, is a strong supporter of overall Christian-Muslim relations; and the members of
the royal family have led the way in promoting inter-religious dialogue.In an open letter launching the Common World initiative in 2007, Jordanian Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal stated that all Jordanian citizens - Christians and Muslims - are equal citizens under Jordan’s law and "all share in creating our country's future." During Pope Benedict’s visit to Jordan in 2009, King Abdullah, in his
address to the pope, stated that Muslims, Christians and Jews - as "believers in the one God" - have
an obligation to love God and to love one another, as uniform commandments found in the holy books of all three faiths. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of dialogue to promote respect among believers and peace in the world.
Other voices in the Middle East exist who are advocates for religious freedom; but these are not strong enough to have an impact on the policy positions of their countriesWhat has the Civil Society done ? One can find the strongest support for religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities in the civil society. In the last decade, dozens of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) have been established to advocate on behalf of the protection of religious minorities. Many of these organizations are affiliated with religious denominations. Here, I can only mention a few examples which are not necessarily representative: The organization “Aid to the Church in Need” with seat in the UK monitors worldwide religious freedom issues and publishes a yearly report on the situation of religious minorities under the title: ”Areport on Christians Oppressed for their Faith”.Its 2011 edition covers more than 30 countries, providing pertinentstatistics and describing in detail incidents of discrimination and violence against religious minorities.
Another active watchdog organization is the International Christian Concern (ICC) headquartered in Washington.This group has a strong advocacy function and provides practical support for persecuted Christian churches. It works through US government leaders (from US Congress, State Department, and the White House) to change legislation, bring pressure on persecuting countries, or to secure
the release of the imprisoned Christians. It also provides practical help and financial assistance to persecuted communities and their underground pastors, as well as to the families of hunted, imprisoned, or murdered pastors. In addition, the Christian Concern group has a strong public awareness program through the distribution of reports and its daily news bulletins and pressreleases on religious violence, persecution and discrimination.Also, the Christian Concern publishes an Annual Hall of Shame List of countries
that have the worst record regarding the persecution of Christian minorities.In 2011, this list contained eleven countries.
Coptic Solidarity is a newly founded NGO to protect the human rights of Coptic communities, and to empower the Copts in Egypt so that they attain full and inalienable citizenship rights and equality, under Egypt’s secular constitution and laws, - in compliance with current international standards set by Human Rights conventions.
Specific activities of Coptic Solidarity include, among others: promoting political awareness and Human Rights Campaigns; lobbying for support at the international level; and providing legal assistance in Egypt as needed to prosecute violations and criminals and to defend the religious rights of victims.
The Baha’is are a religious minority which suffers grave persecution invarious countries, especially in Iran. Hundreds of their members havebeen killed in Iran and thousands have been imprisoned. An organization named Iran Press Watch (IPW) closely monitors all incidents of persecution and discrimination against Baha’is; and it issues reports and press releases which are widely
distributed.
Finally, let me mention Pax Romana, which is an international Catholic student and professional organization. I am a member of Pax Romana and together with a few friends we have established a tiny office in New York with the objective to advocate within the UN community the protection of religious minorities in the Middle East and raise awareness of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.We meet with diplomats and UN staffers to lobby for our cause, we organize
seminars and events at universities, conduct briefings for visiting students groups and compile information on the topic.
Closing Remark So many initiatives exist, both at the international and at the local evel, to promote religious freedom and to protect religious minorities.But so far, all these efforts have not shown real results. In the last year,the number of cases of violence particularly against Christians in the Middle East and also in the Far East, has increased.
We need a much stronger campaign at the international level to stop persecution and discrimination of religious minorities. Many countries are reluctant to address this issue in meetings at international organizations.In other words, the struggle will be a very difficult and long one.It is up to each and every one of us to participate in this great human rights cause. We can join and support advocate organizations. Personally, I wish Rotarians would get involved in this struggle and help to put an end to the persecution and suffering of religious minorities.In these unfortunate circumstances, silence and inaction are certainly no options.
The Newsweek article expresses this sentiment with the following conclusion:“The conspiracy of silence surrounding this violent expression of religious intolerance has to stop. Nothing less than the
fate of Christianity - and ultimately of all religious minorities - in the Islamic world is at sake. ”Similarly, as Martin Luther King stated: “In the end, we will remember
not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends”
in defense of religious freedom and against persecution of Christians. In his message for the 2011 World Day of Peace, the Pope made a very strong case for religious freedom. In the introduction of his letter the Holy Father referred to the killings of two priests and more than 50 worshipers in the Baghdad Cathedral and stated: ”At present, Christians are the religious group which suffers most from the persecution on account of its faith.”One of the Pope’s suggestions is that all religious communities must defend the rights and freedoms of religious minorities. And the leaders of the
great world religions and the leaders of nations should renew their commitment to promoting and protecting religious freedom, and in particular religious minorities.
Also, this year in his New Year Address to the Ambassadors at the Vatican, thePope strongly defended religious freedom and called for an end to thepersecution of Christians.Pope Benedict hasrepeatedly expressed his concern regarding the precarious situation of Christians in the Middle East and has called for action against the persecution of Christians in this region.The pontiff has also repeatedly expressed his solidarity with the Copts and called on world leaders to protect them.In December of last year, at a meeting of the Organization for Securityand Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the “Foreign Minister” of the Vatican suggested that the OSCE should designatean annual international day against persecution and discrimination ofChristians.
What have countries in the Middle East done? In general, the countries in the Middle East
have shown very little interest and concern regarding the protection and
promotion of religious freedom.Among the states in the Middle East, Jordan, a predominantly Muslim country, is a strong supporter of overall Christian-Muslim relations; and the members of
the royal family have led the way in promoting inter-religious dialogue.In an open letter launching the Common World initiative in 2007, Jordanian Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal stated that all Jordanian citizens - Christians and Muslims - are equal citizens under Jordan’s law and "all share in creating our country's future." During Pope Benedict’s visit to Jordan in 2009, King Abdullah, in his
address to the pope, stated that Muslims, Christians and Jews - as "believers in the one God" - have
an obligation to love God and to love one another, as uniform commandments found in the holy books of all three faiths. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of dialogue to promote respect among believers and peace in the world.
Other voices in the Middle East exist who are advocates for religious freedom; but these are not strong enough to have an impact on the policy positions of their countriesWhat has the Civil Society done ? One can find the strongest support for religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities in the civil society. In the last decade, dozens of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) have been established to advocate on behalf of the protection of religious minorities. Many of these organizations are affiliated with religious denominations. Here, I can only mention a few examples which are not necessarily representative: The organization “Aid to the Church in Need” with seat in the UK monitors worldwide religious freedom issues and publishes a yearly report on the situation of religious minorities under the title: ”Areport on Christians Oppressed for their Faith”.Its 2011 edition covers more than 30 countries, providing pertinentstatistics and describing in detail incidents of discrimination and violence against religious minorities.
Another active watchdog organization is the International Christian Concern (ICC) headquartered in Washington.This group has a strong advocacy function and provides practical support for persecuted Christian churches. It works through US government leaders (from US Congress, State Department, and the White House) to change legislation, bring pressure on persecuting countries, or to secure
the release of the imprisoned Christians. It also provides practical help and financial assistance to persecuted communities and their underground pastors, as well as to the families of hunted, imprisoned, or murdered pastors. In addition, the Christian Concern group has a strong public awareness program through the distribution of reports and its daily news bulletins and pressreleases on religious violence, persecution and discrimination.Also, the Christian Concern publishes an Annual Hall of Shame List of countries
that have the worst record regarding the persecution of Christian minorities.In 2011, this list contained eleven countries.
Coptic Solidarity is a newly founded NGO to protect the human rights of Coptic communities, and to empower the Copts in Egypt so that they attain full and inalienable citizenship rights and equality, under Egypt’s secular constitution and laws, - in compliance with current international standards set by Human Rights conventions.
Specific activities of Coptic Solidarity include, among others: promoting political awareness and Human Rights Campaigns; lobbying for support at the international level; and providing legal assistance in Egypt as needed to prosecute violations and criminals and to defend the religious rights of victims.
The Baha’is are a religious minority which suffers grave persecution invarious countries, especially in Iran. Hundreds of their members havebeen killed in Iran and thousands have been imprisoned. An organization named Iran Press Watch (IPW) closely monitors all incidents of persecution and discrimination against Baha’is; and it issues reports and press releases which are widely
distributed.
Finally, let me mention Pax Romana, which is an international Catholic student and professional organization. I am a member of Pax Romana and together with a few friends we have established a tiny office in New York with the objective to advocate within the UN community the protection of religious minorities in the Middle East and raise awareness of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.We meet with diplomats and UN staffers to lobby for our cause, we organize
seminars and events at universities, conduct briefings for visiting students groups and compile information on the topic.
Closing Remark So many initiatives exist, both at the international and at the local evel, to promote religious freedom and to protect religious minorities.But so far, all these efforts have not shown real results. In the last year,the number of cases of violence particularly against Christians in the Middle East and also in the Far East, has increased.
We need a much stronger campaign at the international level to stop persecution and discrimination of religious minorities. Many countries are reluctant to address this issue in meetings at international organizations.In other words, the struggle will be a very difficult and long one.It is up to each and every one of us to participate in this great human rights cause. We can join and support advocate organizations. Personally, I wish Rotarians would get involved in this struggle and help to put an end to the persecution and suffering of religious minorities.In these unfortunate circumstances, silence and inaction are certainly no options.
The Newsweek article expresses this sentiment with the following conclusion:“The conspiracy of silence surrounding this violent expression of religious intolerance has to stop. Nothing less than the
fate of Christianity - and ultimately of all religious minorities - in the Islamic world is at sake. ”Similarly, as Martin Luther King stated: “In the end, we will remember
not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends”
Presentation
by George A. Garland, DBA
Presentation by George A.
Garland, DBA
January 18, 2012
For a video of George Garland and David Stillman of the Public Private Partnership Alliance at the Rotary Club of New York's Energy Meeting held on Monday evening March 19th, 2012 go to http://www.youtube.com/ppafoundation and http://www.flickr.com/photos/ppaf
January 18, 2012
For a video of George Garland and David Stillman of the Public Private Partnership Alliance at the Rotary Club of New York's Energy Meeting held on Monday evening March 19th, 2012 go to http://www.youtube.com/ppafoundation and http://www.flickr.com/photos/ppaf
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David Stillman at the
Janauary UN Breakfast meeting
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Opportunities for progress for the U.S.
and the global community, as you may agree, are
real and increasingly on the agenda. Years ago as a member of the Office of Solid Waste in
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency I was meeting with the Utilities Solid Waste
Advisory Group, executives from the power industry, to discuss possible use of solid waste in
coal fired utilities. One participant from Indiana gave a factoid that sticks with me today. He
suggested that if one tore down all the buildings and tore up all the roads in the State of
Indiana and planted the entire State in switch grass (a promising bio-fuel), the electric utility
that his company had just opened in the southwest corner of the State of Indiana could run
for one day on the switch grass grown in a whole year. No one said replacing coal with
renewables would be easy.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates at the World Future Energy Summit in
Dubai this last Sunday that he wants to see the world double its share of renewable energy,
which typically includes wind, solar and hydropower, by 2030. He also called for providing
universal access to energy services by that date and doubling the rate of energy efficiency as
part of what he is calling the “Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.”
Ban said, “It is neither just nor sustainable that one in five lacks access to modern
electricity. It is not acceptable that 3 billion people have to rely on wood, coal or charcoal for
cooking and heating,” he continued. “We need to turn on the lights for all households. To do
that, we need to scale up success examples of clean energy and energy efficient technology.
We need innovation that can spread throughout the developing world where energy demand
is growing fastest.”
With support from the United Nations Foundation, the UN system in 2007 formed an
umbrella agency called United Nations Energy with membership of 21 UN Agencies. In June
2009 the United Nations Secretary-General established the Advisory Group on Energy and
Climate Change (AGECC) to advise on energy-related dimensions of the climate change
negotiations. Their April 2010 report, “Energy for a Sustainable Future,” highlights two goals:
•ensure universal access to modern energy services by 2030; and
•reduce global energy intensity 40 percent by 2030.
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2
The International Energy Association World Energy Outlook for 2011 released an excerpt
calling for universal access to electricity by 2030 entitled Energy Access for All: Financing
Access for the Poor http://www.iea.org/Papers/2011/weo2011_energy_for_all.pdf.
The facts are:
•1.3 billion people are without access to electricity
•2.7 billion people are without access to clean cooking facilities
•more than 95 percent of these people are in sub-Saharan Africa or developing Asia
•84 percent are in rural areas
At a projected level of investment of $14 billion a year from now to 2030, a billion people
will be without access to electricity and there will still be 2.7 billion people without access to
clean cooking facilities because of population growth.
Universal modern energy access by 2030 would require annual investment of $48 billion.
Five actions (you judge their likelihood of success) toward achieving this goal include:
1. A clear and consistent statement that modern energy access is a political priority and
policies and funding will be reoriented accordingly. National governments need to
adopt a specific energy access target, allocate funds for its achievement and define
their strategy for delivering it.
2. Mobilize an additional investment of $34 billion above the base case estimate of $14
billion each year. $34 billion is equivalent to 3 percent of global investment in energy
infrastructure.
3. National governments need to adopt strong governance and regulatory frameworks
and invest in internal capacity building. The public sector, including multilateral and
bilateral institutions, need to leverage greater private sector investment where the
commercial case is marginal and encourage the development of replicable business
models. When used, public subsidies must be targeted to reach the poorest.
4. Concentrate an important part of direct public funding on those areas of access that
do not initially offer an adequate commercial return. End user finance is necessary to
justify initial capital investment. Operating through local banks and microfinance
arrangements can support the creation of local networks and necessary energy
sector capacity.
5. Make provision for the collection of robust, regular, and comprehensive data to
quantify the outstanding challenge and monitor progress toward its elimination.
We in the US have benefited from the past 125 years of investment in over a million
megawatts of yearly capacity to generate electricity in a context of rules to protect both the
environment and the consumer and assure utility companies a fair rate of return.
By contrast, there are 1.6 million people on the planet with no access to electricity. Wash
clothes? Provide food? Provide water and sanitation? Educate your children? All tasks
handled without electricity for about 20 percent of the earth’s 7 billion people.
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3
People in the U.S. produce about 19 tons of carbon emissions per person, about twice
what European countries produce and ten times what developing countries emit per person.
Yet China, which has both rapid development and the largest population, produces 6.5 billion
metric tons while the U.S. produces 5.8 billion.
What can the United States do? McKinsey and Company’s report, “Unlocking Energy
Efficiency in the U.S. Economy,” estimates a savings of about ten percent of the energy used
in the U.S. in one year from efficiency improvements which all pay for themselves.
This estimate assumes no life style changes; no changes in the mix of energy provided;
no improvements in technology; no efficiency improvements in the conversion, transmission,
distribution and transport of energy; and no increase in the price of carbon. Only efficiency
improvements whose costs are more than covered by the stream of actual savings,
discounted at a rate of 7 percent. Overall, the cost of improvements in energy efficiency
would require an outlay of $520 billion and return $1.2 trillion in savings.
What’s the catch?
Residential savings are spread across 129 million households running dozens of
appliances and devices and any heating air conditioning in each household. Half of the
industrial sector savings is in 10,000 facilities while the rest is spread over 320,000 small and
medium sized enterprises. Commercial sector savings are spread over 87 billion square feet
of floor space supporting functions as diverse as retail, education, and warehousing. The
existence of these potential but as yet untapped energy savings suggests that energy
efficiency does not yet represent the best investment opportunity for many in the commercial
sector.
The report also notes that some targets are richer than others. Community infrastructure
could save 290 quadrillion BTUs for an investment of $4 billion and return a savings of $5
billion every year!
With former President Clinton at his side, President Obama in December announced a $4
billion effort to improve the energy efficiency of government and private-sector buildings
aimed at boosting the economy and creating jobs.
“Making our buildings more energy-efficient is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest
ways for us to create jobs, save money and cut down on harmful pollution,” Obama said of
the initiative, which is part of his continuing “We Can’t Wait” executive action campaign. “This
is an idea whose time has come.”
“It’s the nearest thing we’ve got to a free lunch in a tough economy,” Clinton remarked
after the two presidents toured a downtown D.C. construction site.
The commitment includes $2 billion, made through the issuance of a Presidential
Memorandum, to upgrade federal buildings “using long term energy savings to pay for upfront
costs, at no cost to taxpayers,” according to the White House. In addition, the private
sector is also making a $2 billion commitment to upgrade the energy performance in 1.6
billion square feet of office, industrial and municipal property.
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The commitments are part of the president’s Better Buildings Initiative launched in
February and spearheaded by Clinton and the president’s Council on Jobs and
Competitiveness.
Bottom line is this :The richest source of energy for the U.S. is energy efficiency that also reduces the U.S. carbon footprint! To reach the huge number of potential winners from energy efficiency, theprice system is the best means.Washington State (D.) Senator Maria Cantwell’s bill, (the CLEAR Act), co-sponsored byMaine’s (R.) Senator Susan Collins calls for auctioning permits to producers and importers offossil fuels. This auction would raise about 75 billion dollars that would in turn raise prices forfossil fuels. Everything that requires fossil fuels to make or distribute would cost more. Inturn, every American would receive an equal share of the auction proceeds or about 1,000dollars for a family of four.About 80 percent of Americans would receive back more than they paid in higher energyand product costs while the richest 20 percent of Americans (who use the most energy)would receive less than the increased prices they paid as the impact of payments for permits
by fossil fuel producers and importers worked its way through the economic system.
Renewable energy providers would now be competing with higher priced fossil fuels.
Higher energy costs would signal the value of more attention to energy efficiency to millions
of energy users. The price system will also reward fossil fuel users for reducing their carbon
emissions if new technologies such as coal gasification or carbon capture and sequestration
are implemented.
I’ve saved the best for last.The 2.7 billion people using animal manure, crop waste, wood, and charcoal may beserved by bio-ethanol stoves that free women and girls from gathering wood, almosteliminate indoor air pollution and associated deaths, eliminate deforestation, and produceagricultural jobs growing sweet sorghum or sugar cane. Haiti, for example, uses charcoalfrom its dwindling forests. About 2 percent of Haiti’s original forests remain. Building a market
for bio-ethanol stoves can reduce deforestation, create a business for the stoves, and create
employment for land and labor in producing ethanol. Talk about win-win!
real and increasingly on the agenda. Years ago as a member of the Office of Solid Waste in
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency I was meeting with the Utilities Solid Waste
Advisory Group, executives from the power industry, to discuss possible use of solid waste in
coal fired utilities. One participant from Indiana gave a factoid that sticks with me today. He
suggested that if one tore down all the buildings and tore up all the roads in the State of
Indiana and planted the entire State in switch grass (a promising bio-fuel), the electric utility
that his company had just opened in the southwest corner of the State of Indiana could run
for one day on the switch grass grown in a whole year. No one said replacing coal with
renewables would be easy.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates at the World Future Energy Summit in
Dubai this last Sunday that he wants to see the world double its share of renewable energy,
which typically includes wind, solar and hydropower, by 2030. He also called for providing
universal access to energy services by that date and doubling the rate of energy efficiency as
part of what he is calling the “Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.”
Ban said, “It is neither just nor sustainable that one in five lacks access to modern
electricity. It is not acceptable that 3 billion people have to rely on wood, coal or charcoal for
cooking and heating,” he continued. “We need to turn on the lights for all households. To do
that, we need to scale up success examples of clean energy and energy efficient technology.
We need innovation that can spread throughout the developing world where energy demand
is growing fastest.”
With support from the United Nations Foundation, the UN system in 2007 formed an
umbrella agency called United Nations Energy with membership of 21 UN Agencies. In June
2009 the United Nations Secretary-General established the Advisory Group on Energy and
Climate Change (AGECC) to advise on energy-related dimensions of the climate change
negotiations. Their April 2010 report, “Energy for a Sustainable Future,” highlights two goals:
•ensure universal access to modern energy services by 2030; and
•reduce global energy intensity 40 percent by 2030.
ppafoundation@gmail.com 1-914-478-3450 www.ppafoundation.org
2
The International Energy Association World Energy Outlook for 2011 released an excerpt
calling for universal access to electricity by 2030 entitled Energy Access for All: Financing
Access for the Poor http://www.iea.org/Papers/2011/weo2011_energy_for_all.pdf.
The facts are:
•1.3 billion people are without access to electricity
•2.7 billion people are without access to clean cooking facilities
•more than 95 percent of these people are in sub-Saharan Africa or developing Asia
•84 percent are in rural areas
At a projected level of investment of $14 billion a year from now to 2030, a billion people
will be without access to electricity and there will still be 2.7 billion people without access to
clean cooking facilities because of population growth.
Universal modern energy access by 2030 would require annual investment of $48 billion.
Five actions (you judge their likelihood of success) toward achieving this goal include:
1. A clear and consistent statement that modern energy access is a political priority and
policies and funding will be reoriented accordingly. National governments need to
adopt a specific energy access target, allocate funds for its achievement and define
their strategy for delivering it.
2. Mobilize an additional investment of $34 billion above the base case estimate of $14
billion each year. $34 billion is equivalent to 3 percent of global investment in energy
infrastructure.
3. National governments need to adopt strong governance and regulatory frameworks
and invest in internal capacity building. The public sector, including multilateral and
bilateral institutions, need to leverage greater private sector investment where the
commercial case is marginal and encourage the development of replicable business
models. When used, public subsidies must be targeted to reach the poorest.
4. Concentrate an important part of direct public funding on those areas of access that
do not initially offer an adequate commercial return. End user finance is necessary to
justify initial capital investment. Operating through local banks and microfinance
arrangements can support the creation of local networks and necessary energy
sector capacity.
5. Make provision for the collection of robust, regular, and comprehensive data to
quantify the outstanding challenge and monitor progress toward its elimination.
We in the US have benefited from the past 125 years of investment in over a million
megawatts of yearly capacity to generate electricity in a context of rules to protect both the
environment and the consumer and assure utility companies a fair rate of return.
By contrast, there are 1.6 million people on the planet with no access to electricity. Wash
clothes? Provide food? Provide water and sanitation? Educate your children? All tasks
handled without electricity for about 20 percent of the earth’s 7 billion people.
ppafoundation@gmail.com 1-914-478-3450 www.ppafoundation.org
3
People in the U.S. produce about 19 tons of carbon emissions per person, about twice
what European countries produce and ten times what developing countries emit per person.
Yet China, which has both rapid development and the largest population, produces 6.5 billion
metric tons while the U.S. produces 5.8 billion.
What can the United States do? McKinsey and Company’s report, “Unlocking Energy
Efficiency in the U.S. Economy,” estimates a savings of about ten percent of the energy used
in the U.S. in one year from efficiency improvements which all pay for themselves.
This estimate assumes no life style changes; no changes in the mix of energy provided;
no improvements in technology; no efficiency improvements in the conversion, transmission,
distribution and transport of energy; and no increase in the price of carbon. Only efficiency
improvements whose costs are more than covered by the stream of actual savings,
discounted at a rate of 7 percent. Overall, the cost of improvements in energy efficiency
would require an outlay of $520 billion and return $1.2 trillion in savings.
What’s the catch?
Residential savings are spread across 129 million households running dozens of
appliances and devices and any heating air conditioning in each household. Half of the
industrial sector savings is in 10,000 facilities while the rest is spread over 320,000 small and
medium sized enterprises. Commercial sector savings are spread over 87 billion square feet
of floor space supporting functions as diverse as retail, education, and warehousing. The
existence of these potential but as yet untapped energy savings suggests that energy
efficiency does not yet represent the best investment opportunity for many in the commercial
sector.
The report also notes that some targets are richer than others. Community infrastructure
could save 290 quadrillion BTUs for an investment of $4 billion and return a savings of $5
billion every year!
With former President Clinton at his side, President Obama in December announced a $4
billion effort to improve the energy efficiency of government and private-sector buildings
aimed at boosting the economy and creating jobs.
“Making our buildings more energy-efficient is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest
ways for us to create jobs, save money and cut down on harmful pollution,” Obama said of
the initiative, which is part of his continuing “We Can’t Wait” executive action campaign. “This
is an idea whose time has come.”
“It’s the nearest thing we’ve got to a free lunch in a tough economy,” Clinton remarked
after the two presidents toured a downtown D.C. construction site.
The commitment includes $2 billion, made through the issuance of a Presidential
Memorandum, to upgrade federal buildings “using long term energy savings to pay for upfront
costs, at no cost to taxpayers,” according to the White House. In addition, the private
sector is also making a $2 billion commitment to upgrade the energy performance in 1.6
billion square feet of office, industrial and municipal property.
ppafoundation@gmail.com 1-914-478-3450 www.ppafoundation.org
The commitments are part of the president’s Better Buildings Initiative launched in
February and spearheaded by Clinton and the president’s Council on Jobs and
Competitiveness.
Bottom line is this :The richest source of energy for the U.S. is energy efficiency that also reduces the U.S. carbon footprint! To reach the huge number of potential winners from energy efficiency, theprice system is the best means.Washington State (D.) Senator Maria Cantwell’s bill, (the CLEAR Act), co-sponsored byMaine’s (R.) Senator Susan Collins calls for auctioning permits to producers and importers offossil fuels. This auction would raise about 75 billion dollars that would in turn raise prices forfossil fuels. Everything that requires fossil fuels to make or distribute would cost more. Inturn, every American would receive an equal share of the auction proceeds or about 1,000dollars for a family of four.About 80 percent of Americans would receive back more than they paid in higher energyand product costs while the richest 20 percent of Americans (who use the most energy)would receive less than the increased prices they paid as the impact of payments for permits
by fossil fuel producers and importers worked its way through the economic system.
Renewable energy providers would now be competing with higher priced fossil fuels.
Higher energy costs would signal the value of more attention to energy efficiency to millions
of energy users. The price system will also reward fossil fuel users for reducing their carbon
emissions if new technologies such as coal gasification or carbon capture and sequestration
are implemented.
I’ve saved the best for last.The 2.7 billion people using animal manure, crop waste, wood, and charcoal may beserved by bio-ethanol stoves that free women and girls from gathering wood, almosteliminate indoor air pollution and associated deaths, eliminate deforestation, and produceagricultural jobs growing sweet sorghum or sugar cane. Haiti, for example, uses charcoalfrom its dwindling forests. About 2 percent of Haiti’s original forests remain. Building a market
for bio-ethanol stoves can reduce deforestation, create a business for the stoves, and create
employment for land and labor in producing ethanol. Talk about win-win!
The
Work of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) including climate change
The 16 March 2011 speaker was James Sniffen, Program Officer
United Nations Environment Programme Topic: “The Work of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) including Climate Change”
The April 13 2011 Speaker was Ambassador Jorge Flores Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations Francis Dubois, Former UN Representative in Iraq, Palestine, Algeria, TunisiaTopic: “Protection of Christian Minorities in the Middle East”
The April 13 2011 Speaker was Ambassador Jorge Flores Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations Francis Dubois, Former UN Representative in Iraq, Palestine, Algeria, TunisiaTopic: “Protection of Christian Minorities in the Middle East”
Rotary
Day at the UN November 2011
On a cool and sunny autumn Saturday morning on November 5, 2011
hundreds of Rotarians were lining up at the front gates of the United Nations
on 1st Ave in New York City. Rotarians, in their usual fashion introduced
themselves to each other, discussed some of their club projects as they watched
the thousands of marathoners across the street preparing for a 5K warm-up race.
This was the day before the New York City marathon.
For more than twenty years, Rotary International has been welcomed to the United Nations Headquarters to review their progress of the partnership with the United Nations in reducing global poverty in the areas of health, clean water, disaster relief and literacy.
As is customary, more than two dozen or so of the current or past officers, directors and trustees of RI from around the world attended. This year, there were 1,176 attendees from thirty-three countries and twenty eight states. One third were not from the United States, with seventy-five from Canada and twenty visitors from Italy. There were eighty-five Rotaractors, and 532 Interactors for their own customized program.
After the required security announcements, Past District Governor, Brad H. Bradley Jenkins - RI Representative to the United Nations, from the Berkley Heights Rotary Club in New Jersey introduced Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information for the United Nations, Kiyotaka Akasaka. A national of Japan and a former senior negotiator in the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change, as well as member of the Secretariat of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, welcomed the Rotarians to the UN’s world headquarters. He thanked the assembly for the “sterling record” of Rotary’s contribution in economic as well as environmental contribution to alleviating many of the world’s problems. Rotary assistance was especially helpful this year with so many events such as the creation of South Sudan, and the Arab Spring.
Sustainable development is currently the top priority of governments, the UN, and Civil Society, and this is where Rotary can help provide some solutions. While health, disaster relief, agriculture, ethnic tolerance, and literacy have improved since 1992 because of partnerships with civic-minded organizations such as Rotary, he concluded, yet more needs to be done. He called attention to the fact that two billon of the world’s seven billion people are less than twenty years old. Around the world, many young people are voicing disapproval because of the lack of opportunity available to them.
Rotary International President–elect Sakuji Tanaka welcoming one of the Rotaractors.Immediately following was a welcoming statement from Rotary International President-elect Sakuji Tanaka. Also a national of Japan, President-elect Sakuji, a former trustee of the Rotary Foundation, a past director of Rotary Intentional, Chairman of the Daika Company, and president of the National Household Papers Distributers Association of Japan has been a member of the Rotary Club of Yashio since its charter in 1975. "Since I joined Rotary, I have embraced every new challenge of Rotary service. To me, challenge is a very important word. It inspires us. It also helps us to be and to do our best. It allows us to bring out our fullest potential." President-elect Tanaka encouraged all to help Rotary reach its potential by finishing the job of polio-eradication and using the organization's strengths to enhance its ability to "do good in the world."
The President of the United Nations Foundation, the Honorable Timothy E. Wirth also addressed the audience. Mr. Wirth was the first president of the United Nations Foundation that was founded by Ted Turner more than fifteen years ago. When Mr. Worth first joined the UNF, Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended that his first trip should be to meet with Rotary officials in Evanston Ill. Mr. Wirth chronicled how Ted Turner loved the tie designed for the Rotary Centennial with all the flags of the world. Ted Tuner would wear that tie often.
Helen Reisler PDG (Center) and the Rotaractors from the Youth Panel were Amna Bhatti (left) and Arooj Javaid (right).Mr. Wirht also informed the gathering that current Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was recently reappointed for his second five-year term, and strengthening UN partnerships is the main theme for his second termxxxxx. Rotary’s commitment to partnerships is cited often and is considered the paradigm of public –private partnerships, he said.
The Health Panel was moderated by New York Rotarian Sylvan M. Barnet (aka Barney) and he pointed out that there is an emergent shift of emphasis from communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Barney introduced Dr. Jacob Kumaresan, the Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) who detailed that it was Rotary’s energy and commitment and the one billion dollars raised by Rotary that motivated other NGO’s and governments partners to join Rotary’s efforts. Rotary has mobilized twenty million volunteers, and as a result two billion children were vaccinated and eight million people have been saved from contracting the dreaded polio virus. This is probably the largest health undertaking in history, the doctor stated.
He outlined several essential strategies to enhance polio immunization including full coverage, surveillance and follow up. “While we are at the last mile to rid the world of polio, it still will take courage because it is dangerous on the Pakistan boarders. We need to support the volunteers, and the local leaders must provide safe-passage to the volunteersxxxxxxxxxx. Rotary expects to have raised a total of $1.4 billion dollars for the Polio-plus program by 2015.
Moderator Barney introduced Dr. Zulfiquar A. Bhutta a professor at AGA-Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. His research interest including newborn and child survival and micronutrient deficiencies. The doctor personally thanked Rotary because forty-five years ago, he received a Rotary scholarship and it had a significant impact on his life’s work and goals. His university is working to transform the customary medical educational system with broad refinement and more coordination between education and health sector to ensure that the type of health professionals trained matches the health needs in every country.
The Water Panel was moderated by PGS Edwin H. Futa. He introduced the New York based Senior Advisor of Water Sanitation, and Hygiene Section (WASH) of UNICEF Andrew Trevet. Mr.Trevet was a lecturer at the Water and Sanitation at Cranfield University in the UK before joining the World Health Organization in 2006.
Mr.Trevet emphasized the importance of creating an “improved drinking water source”. The improved water source should be clean and within one mile from your home and simple latrines need to be built. The real problem is that many diseases, including polio are water borne. Yet, almost fifty-percent of the developing world’s population lack improved sanitation facilities, and over 880 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources. Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kills and sickens thousands of children every day, and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more, he remarked.
The second guest speaker was fellow Rotarian Ron Denham, the chairman of The Water And Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG). Rotarian Ron received his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering in England and has consulted in several continents and is involved in many water projects. With currently 4,000 individual Rotary WASH programs going on this year alone, WASRAG was created in 2007 to provide the know-how, consistency and credibility essential to achieve success over the long term. Ron emphasized that sustainability is critical to a successful water project which requires not only securing local support for a water project but also making sure the community can keep it going.
There are too many number of non-functioning wells. Too often, Rotary clubs start with the idea of putting in a well or delivering filters in one year. Rather, it should be considered as a long term- three to five years - project. More importantly, the development of “software” (local community commitment) is more important than “hardware” (the donation of the well) that is the key to a sustainable well.
Members of the Rotaract of the United Nations acted as Sergeant at Arms with Leon Horwitz PDG of the White Plains N.Y. Rotary Club(right).The AM Closing Panel was launched with John Hewko, the new Rotary International General-Secretary. Three months ago, Rotary International hired John to be its new top executive. In this position, John will manage more than 600 employees at RI headquarters in Evanston, Ill., and its regional offices in seven countries. From 2004 to 2009 John was vice-president of operations for the Millennium Challenge Corporation that delivered foreign assistance to the world's poorest countries. In the early 1990’s, he also assisted in the working-group that prepared the initial draft of the Ukrainian Post-Soviet constitution. Having just completed his first one hundred days in office, John reviewed the role of Rotary in the early years of the United Nations and pointed out that five of the UN’s General Assembly presidents were Rotarians.
The next speaker in the AM Closing Panel was Rotarian Barry Rassin (PRID) from District 7020 in the Bahamas. He outlined Rotary's Haiti Earthquake Relief program. His district established the Haiti Task Force as the conduit for all Rotary Foundation-related projects to review the initiatives, advise clubs, and to help designate the appropriate club projects. First created in 2007, this task force was very helpful and knowable during the 2010 Haitian earthquake relief.
Rotary clubs worldwide have contributed to a special Haitian Relief Fund with an emphasis on projects that address the issues of education, sustainable housing, and the need for prosthetic limbs. More than fifty projects have been approved for funding, a majority of them education-related.
Rotary clubs have provided more than $18 million to Haiti by leveraging their donations with District Matching Funds and The Rotary Foundation Matching grants. One of the projects was the earthquake-proof reconstruction of six classrooms.
Also included in this panel were Past RI President William B. Boyd and currently Chairman of the Rotary Foundation.
Chairman Bill stated that we support peace because we are Rotarians, we dream for those who themselves who have no hope. The world is a better place because of Rotary. In concluding Chairman Bill sang out the title song of a Sesame Street “Why Are There So Many Songs About Rainbows”?
President of the Rotary Club of New York Giorgio Belistrane welcomes visiting Rotarins form Italy
The next speaker in the panel was Dickson Despommier PhD and a professor at Columbia University. As the author of The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century he outlined the benefits of the experimental “Vertical” (hi-tech indoor) farming. These farms are particularly useful in Korea and Japan where there is a shortage of productive farmland. Just like the cell phone, the professor anticipates that with a learning curve Vertical Farming will become more economical and productive over time.
We face the challenges of rapid population growth, climate change, and dwindling resources. As such we need to find alternative sources of food, water, and energy and Vertical Farming will allow us to: Grow food 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, protect crops from unpredictable and harmful weather, re-use water collected from the indoor environment, provide jobs for local residents and utilize abandoned factory buildings, eliminate use of pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides, drastically reduce dependence on fossil fuels, prevent crop loss due to disease or pests, and stop agricultural runoff.
The next speaker was Ginny Wolfe who is the Senior Director of U.S. the “One” campaign which was co-founded by rock star, Bono. It currently has close to three million signed-up members and this organization asks for their advocacy and voice for many of the same issues that RI has been working toward, including extreme poverty, preventable diseases, raising public awareness, and persuading political leaders to support smart and effective policies and programs that save lives.
After lunch, The RI Representatives Panel was moderated by Brad Jenkins to review some of the United Nations and other Global Organizations in other parts of the world that RI observes. These include Rotarians working with African Union, Council of Europe, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia ,Economic Commission for Africa, World Bank World Food Program Economic Commission for Europe , Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Fund for Agricultural Development ,Organization International de la Francophonie, Organization of American States, UNESCO and United Nations Environmental Program.
RI Representatives are asked to establish relationships and contact their XXXXXXX assigned organization and to inform their assigned organizations about Rotary’s humanitarian programs and projects and discuss potential opportunities for collaboration with Rotary.
The first speaker was Dr. Michael P Jazzar, RI Representative to United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, (UN-ESCWA). Rotarian Michael, a dental surgeon who lives in Beirut, Lebanon informed the audience that ESCWA was established in 1973 and headquarter in Beirut with the objective to support economic and social development to promote cooperation between the countries of the region. Dr. Michael was instrumental to have Rotary International’s forms and brochures are translated into Arabic, for example.
The final speaker of this panel was Richard S. Carson, a computer consultant and owner of Carson Industries. Richard is RI’s Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) headquarter in Washington DC. The OAS four main pillars are democracy, human rights, security, and development. He outlined the work of the OAS and applied for Rotary to be accepted as a credentialed NGO of the organization. In 2008, sixty participants from Rotary International attended an OAS briefing and hosted an evening reception. The OAS is asking Rotary for assistance in teacher training programs throughout the Americas.
The Youth Panel was moderated by New York Rotarian Helen B. Reisler PDG. Helen asked the winner of her district’s The Four Way Test Essay Contest to read her essay. XXXXAmna Bhatti, born in Pakistan and moved to New York as a child, read her award winning essay about the relevance of “The Four Way Test In Today’s World.”
The next panelist was Arooj Javid from the Rotaract Club of Mississauga, Ontario. Arooj is a sales operations representative at Hewlett Packer and lead the program that raised $9,500 for Pakistan Flood Relief Drive through her Rotaract club. More than 300,000 sq. miles and twenty million people were affected by these floods. Arooj’s club collected boxes of supplies and send approximately 750 boxes of supplies to the flood victims.
The last panel was the Literacy Panel that was moderated by Joseph xxxxxxxx of the Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Laurie Noe, a professor at HousatonicXXXXXX Community College in Early Childhood Education, and Barbara Welles-Nystrom of Fairfield University spoke about their South African Literacy Project. This project was to bring Bridgeport, Connecticut teachers to several South African communities looking for qualified early education preschool teachers. Many of the classrooms in South African communities they attended were in poor condition and lacking furniture and books.
Afterwards, South African teachers were invited to Bridgeport Ct. preschools for three weeks to interact with Bridgeport teachers and students. Dr. Noe and Professor Welles-Nystrom concluded that teachers from both countries learned from each other with long lasting consequences and dividends.
President Wayne Chales of the Rotray Club of Harlem New with Marlend a RI Ambasaadorial Scholar who will be stdying in Hong Kong
Lise Monty, the PP of the Rotary Club of Wilmington outlined her club’s Pakistan Project which is a multi-faceted program promoting international understanding and good will. The project featured distinguished speakers from the Embassy of Pakistan, hosted in the homes of Wilmington Rotary members. who will serve as host and moderator and featuring a discussion leader from the Pakistan-American community, and the development of a long term relationship with the Lahore Mozang Club in Pakistan. It aims to build understanding and relationships between the two countries while promoting education and literacy among Pakistani girls.
The most recent initiative under the project involves supporting the Ghazali School, founded in 2001 Lahore Mozang club, renamed the Unity School to mark the club’s partnership with the Wilmington Rotary Club. The club had raised $23,000 to cover schooling costs for nearly 30 girls for five years. The club raised an additional $5,000 to add a girls’ sixth-grade class.
Twelve delegates from the Wilmington club recently completed a 10-day trip to Lahore to meet with members of the Lahore Mozang Rotary Club and observe their work in promoting education and literacy across Pakistan.
Only twenty-percent of school-age girls in Pakistan attend school. Yet one visit from the Wilmington delegates not only had a remarkable effect on motivating more children to get enrolled in the school but also brought a fresh wave of understanding between the people of America and Pakistan.”
For more than twenty years, Rotary International has been welcomed to the United Nations Headquarters to review their progress of the partnership with the United Nations in reducing global poverty in the areas of health, clean water, disaster relief and literacy.
As is customary, more than two dozen or so of the current or past officers, directors and trustees of RI from around the world attended. This year, there were 1,176 attendees from thirty-three countries and twenty eight states. One third were not from the United States, with seventy-five from Canada and twenty visitors from Italy. There were eighty-five Rotaractors, and 532 Interactors for their own customized program.
After the required security announcements, Past District Governor, Brad H. Bradley Jenkins - RI Representative to the United Nations, from the Berkley Heights Rotary Club in New Jersey introduced Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information for the United Nations, Kiyotaka Akasaka. A national of Japan and a former senior negotiator in the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change, as well as member of the Secretariat of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, welcomed the Rotarians to the UN’s world headquarters. He thanked the assembly for the “sterling record” of Rotary’s contribution in economic as well as environmental contribution to alleviating many of the world’s problems. Rotary assistance was especially helpful this year with so many events such as the creation of South Sudan, and the Arab Spring.
Sustainable development is currently the top priority of governments, the UN, and Civil Society, and this is where Rotary can help provide some solutions. While health, disaster relief, agriculture, ethnic tolerance, and literacy have improved since 1992 because of partnerships with civic-minded organizations such as Rotary, he concluded, yet more needs to be done. He called attention to the fact that two billon of the world’s seven billion people are less than twenty years old. Around the world, many young people are voicing disapproval because of the lack of opportunity available to them.
Rotary International President–elect Sakuji Tanaka welcoming one of the Rotaractors.Immediately following was a welcoming statement from Rotary International President-elect Sakuji Tanaka. Also a national of Japan, President-elect Sakuji, a former trustee of the Rotary Foundation, a past director of Rotary Intentional, Chairman of the Daika Company, and president of the National Household Papers Distributers Association of Japan has been a member of the Rotary Club of Yashio since its charter in 1975. "Since I joined Rotary, I have embraced every new challenge of Rotary service. To me, challenge is a very important word. It inspires us. It also helps us to be and to do our best. It allows us to bring out our fullest potential." President-elect Tanaka encouraged all to help Rotary reach its potential by finishing the job of polio-eradication and using the organization's strengths to enhance its ability to "do good in the world."
The President of the United Nations Foundation, the Honorable Timothy E. Wirth also addressed the audience. Mr. Wirth was the first president of the United Nations Foundation that was founded by Ted Turner more than fifteen years ago. When Mr. Worth first joined the UNF, Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended that his first trip should be to meet with Rotary officials in Evanston Ill. Mr. Wirth chronicled how Ted Turner loved the tie designed for the Rotary Centennial with all the flags of the world. Ted Tuner would wear that tie often.
Helen Reisler PDG (Center) and the Rotaractors from the Youth Panel were Amna Bhatti (left) and Arooj Javaid (right).Mr. Wirht also informed the gathering that current Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was recently reappointed for his second five-year term, and strengthening UN partnerships is the main theme for his second termxxxxx. Rotary’s commitment to partnerships is cited often and is considered the paradigm of public –private partnerships, he said.
The Health Panel was moderated by New York Rotarian Sylvan M. Barnet (aka Barney) and he pointed out that there is an emergent shift of emphasis from communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Barney introduced Dr. Jacob Kumaresan, the Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) who detailed that it was Rotary’s energy and commitment and the one billion dollars raised by Rotary that motivated other NGO’s and governments partners to join Rotary’s efforts. Rotary has mobilized twenty million volunteers, and as a result two billion children were vaccinated and eight million people have been saved from contracting the dreaded polio virus. This is probably the largest health undertaking in history, the doctor stated.
He outlined several essential strategies to enhance polio immunization including full coverage, surveillance and follow up. “While we are at the last mile to rid the world of polio, it still will take courage because it is dangerous on the Pakistan boarders. We need to support the volunteers, and the local leaders must provide safe-passage to the volunteersxxxxxxxxxx. Rotary expects to have raised a total of $1.4 billion dollars for the Polio-plus program by 2015.
Moderator Barney introduced Dr. Zulfiquar A. Bhutta a professor at AGA-Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. His research interest including newborn and child survival and micronutrient deficiencies. The doctor personally thanked Rotary because forty-five years ago, he received a Rotary scholarship and it had a significant impact on his life’s work and goals. His university is working to transform the customary medical educational system with broad refinement and more coordination between education and health sector to ensure that the type of health professionals trained matches the health needs in every country.
The Water Panel was moderated by PGS Edwin H. Futa. He introduced the New York based Senior Advisor of Water Sanitation, and Hygiene Section (WASH) of UNICEF Andrew Trevet. Mr.Trevet was a lecturer at the Water and Sanitation at Cranfield University in the UK before joining the World Health Organization in 2006.
Mr.Trevet emphasized the importance of creating an “improved drinking water source”. The improved water source should be clean and within one mile from your home and simple latrines need to be built. The real problem is that many diseases, including polio are water borne. Yet, almost fifty-percent of the developing world’s population lack improved sanitation facilities, and over 880 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources. Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kills and sickens thousands of children every day, and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more, he remarked.
The second guest speaker was fellow Rotarian Ron Denham, the chairman of The Water And Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG). Rotarian Ron received his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering in England and has consulted in several continents and is involved in many water projects. With currently 4,000 individual Rotary WASH programs going on this year alone, WASRAG was created in 2007 to provide the know-how, consistency and credibility essential to achieve success over the long term. Ron emphasized that sustainability is critical to a successful water project which requires not only securing local support for a water project but also making sure the community can keep it going.
There are too many number of non-functioning wells. Too often, Rotary clubs start with the idea of putting in a well or delivering filters in one year. Rather, it should be considered as a long term- three to five years - project. More importantly, the development of “software” (local community commitment) is more important than “hardware” (the donation of the well) that is the key to a sustainable well.
Members of the Rotaract of the United Nations acted as Sergeant at Arms with Leon Horwitz PDG of the White Plains N.Y. Rotary Club(right).The AM Closing Panel was launched with John Hewko, the new Rotary International General-Secretary. Three months ago, Rotary International hired John to be its new top executive. In this position, John will manage more than 600 employees at RI headquarters in Evanston, Ill., and its regional offices in seven countries. From 2004 to 2009 John was vice-president of operations for the Millennium Challenge Corporation that delivered foreign assistance to the world's poorest countries. In the early 1990’s, he also assisted in the working-group that prepared the initial draft of the Ukrainian Post-Soviet constitution. Having just completed his first one hundred days in office, John reviewed the role of Rotary in the early years of the United Nations and pointed out that five of the UN’s General Assembly presidents were Rotarians.
The next speaker in the AM Closing Panel was Rotarian Barry Rassin (PRID) from District 7020 in the Bahamas. He outlined Rotary's Haiti Earthquake Relief program. His district established the Haiti Task Force as the conduit for all Rotary Foundation-related projects to review the initiatives, advise clubs, and to help designate the appropriate club projects. First created in 2007, this task force was very helpful and knowable during the 2010 Haitian earthquake relief.
Rotary clubs worldwide have contributed to a special Haitian Relief Fund with an emphasis on projects that address the issues of education, sustainable housing, and the need for prosthetic limbs. More than fifty projects have been approved for funding, a majority of them education-related.
Rotary clubs have provided more than $18 million to Haiti by leveraging their donations with District Matching Funds and The Rotary Foundation Matching grants. One of the projects was the earthquake-proof reconstruction of six classrooms.
Also included in this panel were Past RI President William B. Boyd and currently Chairman of the Rotary Foundation.
Chairman Bill stated that we support peace because we are Rotarians, we dream for those who themselves who have no hope. The world is a better place because of Rotary. In concluding Chairman Bill sang out the title song of a Sesame Street “Why Are There So Many Songs About Rainbows”?
President of the Rotary Club of New York Giorgio Belistrane welcomes visiting Rotarins form Italy
The next speaker in the panel was Dickson Despommier PhD and a professor at Columbia University. As the author of The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century he outlined the benefits of the experimental “Vertical” (hi-tech indoor) farming. These farms are particularly useful in Korea and Japan where there is a shortage of productive farmland. Just like the cell phone, the professor anticipates that with a learning curve Vertical Farming will become more economical and productive over time.
We face the challenges of rapid population growth, climate change, and dwindling resources. As such we need to find alternative sources of food, water, and energy and Vertical Farming will allow us to: Grow food 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, protect crops from unpredictable and harmful weather, re-use water collected from the indoor environment, provide jobs for local residents and utilize abandoned factory buildings, eliminate use of pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides, drastically reduce dependence on fossil fuels, prevent crop loss due to disease or pests, and stop agricultural runoff.
The next speaker was Ginny Wolfe who is the Senior Director of U.S. the “One” campaign which was co-founded by rock star, Bono. It currently has close to three million signed-up members and this organization asks for their advocacy and voice for many of the same issues that RI has been working toward, including extreme poverty, preventable diseases, raising public awareness, and persuading political leaders to support smart and effective policies and programs that save lives.
After lunch, The RI Representatives Panel was moderated by Brad Jenkins to review some of the United Nations and other Global Organizations in other parts of the world that RI observes. These include Rotarians working with African Union, Council of Europe, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia ,Economic Commission for Africa, World Bank World Food Program Economic Commission for Europe , Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Fund for Agricultural Development ,Organization International de la Francophonie, Organization of American States, UNESCO and United Nations Environmental Program.
RI Representatives are asked to establish relationships and contact their XXXXXXX assigned organization and to inform their assigned organizations about Rotary’s humanitarian programs and projects and discuss potential opportunities for collaboration with Rotary.
The first speaker was Dr. Michael P Jazzar, RI Representative to United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, (UN-ESCWA). Rotarian Michael, a dental surgeon who lives in Beirut, Lebanon informed the audience that ESCWA was established in 1973 and headquarter in Beirut with the objective to support economic and social development to promote cooperation between the countries of the region. Dr. Michael was instrumental to have Rotary International’s forms and brochures are translated into Arabic, for example.
The final speaker of this panel was Richard S. Carson, a computer consultant and owner of Carson Industries. Richard is RI’s Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) headquarter in Washington DC. The OAS four main pillars are democracy, human rights, security, and development. He outlined the work of the OAS and applied for Rotary to be accepted as a credentialed NGO of the organization. In 2008, sixty participants from Rotary International attended an OAS briefing and hosted an evening reception. The OAS is asking Rotary for assistance in teacher training programs throughout the Americas.
The Youth Panel was moderated by New York Rotarian Helen B. Reisler PDG. Helen asked the winner of her district’s The Four Way Test Essay Contest to read her essay. XXXXAmna Bhatti, born in Pakistan and moved to New York as a child, read her award winning essay about the relevance of “The Four Way Test In Today’s World.”
The next panelist was Arooj Javid from the Rotaract Club of Mississauga, Ontario. Arooj is a sales operations representative at Hewlett Packer and lead the program that raised $9,500 for Pakistan Flood Relief Drive through her Rotaract club. More than 300,000 sq. miles and twenty million people were affected by these floods. Arooj’s club collected boxes of supplies and send approximately 750 boxes of supplies to the flood victims.
The last panel was the Literacy Panel that was moderated by Joseph xxxxxxxx of the Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Laurie Noe, a professor at HousatonicXXXXXX Community College in Early Childhood Education, and Barbara Welles-Nystrom of Fairfield University spoke about their South African Literacy Project. This project was to bring Bridgeport, Connecticut teachers to several South African communities looking for qualified early education preschool teachers. Many of the classrooms in South African communities they attended were in poor condition and lacking furniture and books.
Afterwards, South African teachers were invited to Bridgeport Ct. preschools for three weeks to interact with Bridgeport teachers and students. Dr. Noe and Professor Welles-Nystrom concluded that teachers from both countries learned from each other with long lasting consequences and dividends.
President Wayne Chales of the Rotray Club of Harlem New with Marlend a RI Ambasaadorial Scholar who will be stdying in Hong Kong
Lise Monty, the PP of the Rotary Club of Wilmington outlined her club’s Pakistan Project which is a multi-faceted program promoting international understanding and good will. The project featured distinguished speakers from the Embassy of Pakistan, hosted in the homes of Wilmington Rotary members. who will serve as host and moderator and featuring a discussion leader from the Pakistan-American community, and the development of a long term relationship with the Lahore Mozang Club in Pakistan. It aims to build understanding and relationships between the two countries while promoting education and literacy among Pakistani girls.
The most recent initiative under the project involves supporting the Ghazali School, founded in 2001 Lahore Mozang club, renamed the Unity School to mark the club’s partnership with the Wilmington Rotary Club. The club had raised $23,000 to cover schooling costs for nearly 30 girls for five years. The club raised an additional $5,000 to add a girls’ sixth-grade class.
Twelve delegates from the Wilmington club recently completed a 10-day trip to Lahore to meet with members of the Lahore Mozang Rotary Club and observe their work in promoting education and literacy across Pakistan.
Only twenty-percent of school-age girls in Pakistan attend school. Yet one visit from the Wilmington delegates not only had a remarkable effect on motivating more children to get enrolled in the school but also brought a fresh wave of understanding between the people of America and Pakistan.”
Ambassador
Jean Wesley Cazeau Charge d' Affaires of Haiti
The September 2011 guest speakers at the Breakfast meeting was
Ambassador Jean Wesley
Cazeau who is the Charge d'Affaires of Haiti
to the United Nations, since August 2011. He was appointed in February 2003 as
Counselor at te
Permanent Mission and was later promoted first to Minister Counselor then
Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative. Ambassador Cazeau holds a Bachelors Degree in
political Science and International
Relations from the State University of Haiti Institute (INAGHEI) and A Masters Degree from
Howard University in Washington DC.
18
May 2011 Present Mangememtn Challenges faced by the United Nations.
Dr
David Stillman, director of Public-Private Alliance Foundation
Dr. David Stillman serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation.
As a UN staff member, Dr. Stillman worked with intergovernmental bodies and UN
agencies on development, relief and reconstruction. Posted to Pakistan with the
UN Development Program, he previously worked in Togo, Ghana and Kenya. He holds
an MA and PhD (Political Science) from Duke University
The Public-Private Alliance Foundation has held three Partners Against Poverty meetings at the United Nations (2007, 2008, 2009), focusing on its program areas and the Millennium Development Goals. Foundation activities are covered in the 2009 report to the UN Economic and Social Council[1].
The Public-Private Alliance Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 donor-supported corporation headquartered in New York. It is associated with the United Nations and the United Nations Global Compact. It aims to reduce poverty by networking with business, government, academia, the financial community, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), UN entities and others. The Foundation helps stimulate entrepreneurship and investment for sustainable development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It works in several program areas including agribusiness, renewable energy, health and microfinance. Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Madagascar are focus countries.
The Public-Private Alliance Foundation has held three Partners Against Poverty meetings at the United Nations (2007, 2008, 2009), focusing on its program areas and the Millennium Development Goals. Foundation activities are covered in the 2009 report to the UN Economic and Social Council[1].
The Public-Private Alliance Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 donor-supported corporation headquartered in New York. It is associated with the United Nations and the United Nations Global Compact. It aims to reduce poverty by networking with business, government, academia, the financial community, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), UN entities and others. The Foundation helps stimulate entrepreneurship and investment for sustainable development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It works in several program areas including agribusiness, renewable energy, health and microfinance. Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Madagascar are focus countries.
Holy
See Permanent Observer
The Vatican was granted the status of non-voting permanent
observer state at the UN in 1964 under Pope Paul VI by an invitation from
Secretary General U Thant. Archbishop Chullikatt
is the first non-Italian to head the Holy See’s Mission in New York. In
addition to his native language, Malayalam, the archbishop is fluent in
English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin. Since 2006 he was assigned to the
Middle East as the apostolic nuncio to war torn Iraq and also Jordan. He has also
served as a Vatican diplomat in Honduras, in southern Africa and the
Philippines at the Vatican Secretariat for Relations with the States - the Holy
See’s equivalent of a Foreign Ministry. From 2000 to 2004, he served as
Counselor for the Holy See Mission to the UN in New York.
He was ordained a priest in 1978 and holds a doctorate in canon
law and joined the Vatican’s diplomatic service in 1988.
He is known for his outspoken defense of the persecuted Christian
and other religious minorities in Iraq there, his work on inter-religious
cooperation and good relations with Muslim leaders. Terrorists frequently
targeted Christians and churches in Iraq, as well as his residence on several
several times.
Uzbekistan
Ambassador
The Guest speaker at the November 2010 breakfast meetings was H.E.
Murad Askarov, Ambassador, Mission of Uzbekistan to the United Nations.
(center) He spoke about Uzbekistan's Political and Economic Situation and the
Activities of the Mission of Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country. Its 28 million
people, concentrated in the south and east of the country, are nearly half the
region's total population. Uzbekistan had been one of the least developed
republics of the Soviet Union; much of its population was engaged in cotton
farming in small rural communities. The population continues to be heavily
rural and dependent on farming for its livelihood.
The economy is based primarily on agriculture and natural resource
extraction. Uzbekistan is a major producer and exporter of cotton, but natural
gas has replaced it as the dominant source of foreign currency earnings. It
also is a major exporter of gold, uranium, and strategic minerals. (Uranium is
Uzbekistan’s largest export to the U.S.) Manufacturing has become increasingly
important, particularly in the automotive sector, which is aimed primarily at
export to the Russian market. Since independence, the government has followed a
policy of gradual transition to a free market economy but most large
enterprises are still state owned or controlled. Copied from the U.S. State Department
Rotarians
Attend UN Prayer Service
With an ostensible reference to the Tower of Babel, the Archbishop noted that the international community would be better served if it used as an official language "a voice, a tongue, common to all of us, and one that does not demand the use of a dictionary or grammar. This tongue speaks of help and hope, mercy and tenderness, of fatigue over war, of longing for simple decency and dignity."
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also addressed the attendees and stated: "I am deeply honored to join with you once again for this service. I look forward to it every year. For the United Nations, September is the season of renewal. And we begin right here. By giving thanks, gathering strength, and looking forward in faith: Faith in our universal values, faith in our common humanity, and faith in our shared future."
A reception immediately followed the service at Holy Family's Community Center. (Photos)
Religions
For Peace
Mr. Villunstad has contributed a number of articles including: "Social Reconstruction on Africa: Perspectives from Within and Without." (Action Publishers, Nairobi, 2005)
From their website: Religions for Peace is the largest representative inter-religious collaboration in the United States. RFP-USA, that seeks to translate deeply held and widely shared values into concrete multi-religious action through programming initiatives with three foci:
- Championing diversity
- Building community
- Mentoring emerging leaders
For RFP-USA, peace and justice are the motivation, process, and outcome of their efforts. As an educational, information-gathering organization, RFP-USA brings leaders together, facilitating the development of new relationships between communities while strengthening the connections that already exist. RFP-USA is trusted advisor: a collaborative organization with a body of knowledge it is eager to share—ready to serve as a consultant and guide for corporations, agencies, and civic organizations working on matters of diversity and inclusion.
Nizhny Novgorod Rotary Club in Russia to participate in the breakfast meeting discussion.
Three Instruments to Foster Global Business Ethics
The Rotary Four-Way Test, the UN Global Compact,
& the Global Economic Ethic Manifesto
By Josef Klee, Ph.D.
Doctor Klee is a former UN Deputy-Director and adviser to the Holy See Mission to the UN. He has published 4 books and more than 60 articles about management topics. Presently, he is Adjunct-Professor at the St, Thomas University in Miami.
The Need for Global Business Ethics
The latest global financial and economic crisis has intensified discussions about business ethics which have become a topic of widespread interest. Today, politicians, business leaders, clergy, scholars, etc. all participate in the debate about ethical issues related to the economy and the conduct of business operations.
Business ethics are not a new or recent matter of concern. Throughout history, there have always been merchants and business owners who, in their business dealings, have applied certain values or virtues and moral principles often rooted in their religious beliefs.
At the beginning of the last century, however, business leaders and scholars recognized the need for a common ethical framework for operating a business and began to address business ethics in a more systemic fashion.
Rotary International, founded in 1905, was among the first global organizations to adopt a set of ethical principles to be observed by its members with respect to their professional and business responsibilities. From the outset, practicing high ethical standards in business and professions is one of Rotary’s guiding principles for its membership.
In the academic world, Catholic universities took the lead in establishing chairs for business ethics.
Since the Second World War and in particular after the corporate scandals
in the 1980’s, the interest in the issue of business ethics exploded; and most of the leading business schools invested heavily in business ethics programs.
Considering these efforts to promote and to teach business ethics, one must ask the question, how to explain the many scandals and serious ethical management offenses in recent years. Serious doubts remain whether one can successfully teach values, virtues and good ethical behavior with the objective to ensure proper, just and fair business operations.
This also raises the question concerning the wisdom of constructively teaching ethics in business schools. How can a graduate of a business school reconcile the dilemma to be expected to act as an aggressive and smart manager geared towards maximizing profits or shareholder value as taught in classes of marketing or finance, and at the same time, to practice social responsibility as taught in the ethics course?
Since the fall of the Soviet Empire, we have witnessed a rapid pace of economic globalization. Both political and business leaders have recognized that the world needs a new approach to dealing with the challenges of globalization, in particular regarding its negative effects in developing countries as well as concerning the state of business in industrialized nations. There is a consensus in the international community that the global economy can only function effectively if it operates within a framework of ground rules for a fair and sustainable commercial exchange and for cooperation. Such a framework must include ethical principles which are accepted in all cultures and traditions.
In my understanding, there are three important public examples of ethical principles which enjoy universal acceptance and can serve as guidance for participants in the global economy. These three instruments are:
the Rotary Four-Way Test
the United Nations Global Compact
the Global Economic Ethic Manifesto
These three instruments share similar values and ideals and pursue the same objective, namely to encourage and foster the application of high ethical standards in business. All three instruments rely on voluntary observance and are not legally binding. They serve as a moral/ethical code or guide for proper attitudes and behavior in conducting business decisions and operations.
At some level, these instruments are connected and complement each other. For example, Rotary International and the United Nations Global Compact Office have specifically recognized and acknowledged that they share the same values implied in their work. They have established a formal agreement of cooperation in a joint letter “to encourage a set of joint activities to advance the shared ideals of high ethical business practices, sustainable humanitarian action, and world peace and understanding”.
In a similar way, the Global Economic Ethic Manifesto and the United Nations Global Compact are linked by mutual understanding and support. Both instruments share core values which are universally accepted; and Hans Kung, the initiator of the Manifesto, has expressly stated that the Manifesto intends to support the Global Compact from the angle of ethics.(1)
The Rotary Four-Way Test
Rotary International, the world’s first service-club organization, is truly a universal and global organization. More than 1.2 million members live and serve in 200 countries. Rotary enjoys all over the world a unique reputation for its high ideals of service and its
hands-on approach to assist people in need. The former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has described Rotary’s highly successful signature program to eradicate polio “a shining example of private/public partnership”.
From its inception, Rotary’s mission, besides the ideal of service, included the obligation of its members to achieve high ethical standards in business and profession. Thus, as mentioned above, Rotary is considered as one of the pioneers in fostering business ethics.
In 1932, Herbert J. Taylor, a successful businessman and prominent Rotarian who also served as President of Rotary International, developed the Rotary Four-Way Test. In designing the test as an instrument to encourage and foster ethical behavior in business, Taylor had studied existing ethics codes and concluded that they were too long and difficult to memorize, rendering them impractical. His aim was to develop a simple guide in form of a checklist because he believed one should not tell a person what he/she can or cannot do. Instead, a person should ask questions concerning his/her behavior, decisions and actions in conducting business.
Finally, he formulated the so-called Four-Way Test consisting of four questions which now constitutes the hallmark of Rotary International. The four questions of the Test are:
1. Is it the Truth? 2. Is it Fair to All Concerned? 3. Will it Build Goodwill and Better Friendships? 4. Will it Be Beneficial to All Concerned?Taylor and his managers themselves tested the new guide and applied it in their daily business dealings. With the application of the Four-Way Test, Taylor was able to make his company profitable and very successful.
In 1943, Rotary International officially adopted the Four-Way Test as an ethical guide for its members. The Test has been translated in more than hundred languages, and in many Rotary Clubs worldwide, the Test is recited and reconfirmed regularly at the meetings.
In addition, many Rotary Clubs and Rotary Districts have developed special projects, such as essay and speech competitions regarding the meaning of the Test, as well as awards for outstanding applications of the Test to promote its dissemination.
The Rotary Four-Way Test as an instrument for business ethics has the distinctions that it is simple to apply and has proven its acceptance in all cultures; thus the Test has made a unique difference in the lives of Rotary members and the people they serve.
The United Nations Global Compact
The former United Nations Secretary-General , Kofi Annan, initiated the Global Compact. At the 1999 World Economic Forum in Davos, the Secretary-General had
expressed his concern that the growing opposition to globalization in many parts of the world could impede free trade and free flow of investment, hinder sustainable economic growth and ultimately threaten social, economic and political stability worldwide.
He asked the business leaders not to wait for governments to impose new laws but to demonstrate responsibility and take the initiative for constructive change by embracing a set of nine principles for the practice of their global operations. These principles are derived from universally accepted international agreements on human rights, labor standards and environment protection, and they relate to the following issues:
In the area of human rights, business enterprises should:
1. Support and respect the protection of human rights; and
2. Ensure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.Regarding labor standards, business enterprises should:
3. Uphold the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining;
4. Eliminate all forms of forced and compulsory labor;
5. Abolish child labor; and
6. Eliminate discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Concerning the protection of the environment, business enterprises should:
7. Support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
8. Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility;
9. Encourage the development and the diffusion of environmentally friendly technology.
In 2004, a tenth principle, derived from the United Nations Convention against Corruption, was included in the Global Compact. This principle against corruption reads as follows:
10. Business should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Companies wishing to engage in the Global Compact have to declare in writing to the United Nations Secretary-General that they support the principles of the Global Compact and are committed to take concrete actions such as:
Issuance of a statement of support for the Global Compact addressed to the company’s stakeholders, employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders;
Application of the ten principles of the Global Compact in all corporate activities, submission to the Office of Global Compact of reports on concrete examples of progress made or lessons learned from implementing the principles; and
Partnering with United Nations organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to assist in solving global problems.
The Global Compact is a voluntary instrument. It is not a legally binding and enforceable code of conduct. Rather, the Global Compact is meant to foster constructive cooperation among the participants in dealing with the impact of globalization, and it is designed as a forum to share information and expertise for finding global solutions to remedy negative effects from globalization.
In July 2000, the Global Compact was formally launched at a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York attended by about fifty leaders from business, labor and civil society. Today, more than 7700 corporate participants and stakeholders from different industries and from every continent have joined the Global Compact.
Governments, trade associations, universities and other institutions have organized events and meetings to present and to promote the Global Compact. Participating companies have organized national and regional networks to share their experience in applying the principles in their business strategies and operations. Also, companies cooperate with United Nations agencies and NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance or development aid in various parts of the world. In addition, universities have started to teach and conduct research on the Global Compact and related global issues.
However, the Global Compact has its critics. They claim that participating in the Global Compact allows companies to embellish their reputation, or that participating companies use the Global Compact for public relations purposes only without intending to ever change questionable corporate behavior
In addition, some critics believe that the Global Compact is not effective because it functions on a voluntary basis and therefore lacks monitoring and enforcement authority.
The Global Compact is still evolving. Its success will ultimately be measured by how effectively its member corporations will cope with the challenges of globalization and how they will contribute to improving human rights, alleviating poverty, improving working conditions, protecting the environment and to eradicate corruption.
The Global Economic Ethic Manifesto
The Global Economic Ethic Manifesto was composed by a committee of German and Swiss scholars and senior business executives; and it was launched last year at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York in the presence of ambassadors and United Nations officials.
The Manifesto provides an ethical framework guiding the actions of the global economic and business community. In the words of Hans Kung: ”It provides to everybody in these stormy seas an orientation as a chart to steer by, a map with clear ethical coordinates, … an ethical guideline for the difficult decisions that need to be taken in the harsh reality of everyday life”. (2)
The Manifesto is built on the values and principles expressed in the “Declaration toward a Global Ethic,” issued by the Parliament of World Religions in 1993.
As indicated above, the Manifesto aims at supporting the United Nations Global Compact. Josef Wieland, one of the drafters of the Manifesto, states that “one of the intentions of the authors is for the Manifesto to provide individual and virtue-based ethical foundations to the management principles of the United Nations Global Compact”. (3)
The Manifesto is a rather elaborately worded document. Its text consists of a preamble and two chapters with 13 articles. Its preamble outlines the vision and core-values and principles of the Manifesto.
The first chapter defines the principle of humanity as “Being human must be the ethical yardstick of all economic action” (4), and it consists of four articles:
Article 1: Economic action must fulfill human being’s basic needs so that they can live in dignity.
Article 2: The dignity and self-esteem of all human beings are inviolable.
Article 3: To promote good and to avoid evil is the duty of all human beings.
Article 4: What you do not wish done to yourself do not do to others.
The second Chapter defines different basic values of global economic activity and consists of nine more articles linked to four general headings
Basic Values of Non-Violence and Respect for Human Life
Article 5: All human beings have the duty to respect the right to life and its development.
Article 6: Sustainable treatment of the natural environment is an uppermost value-norm for economic activity.
Basic Values of Justice and Solidarity
Article 7: Justice and the rule of law are fundamental values of economic life.
Article 8: The pursued of profit is necessary for the survival of a business. The prevention of corruption is the duty of all stakeholders.
Article 9: Equal opportunity, distributive justice and solidarity ensure sound economic development.
Basic Values of Honesty and Tolerance
Article 10: Truthfulness, honesty and reliability are essential values to promote general human well-being.
Article 11: Diversity is a source of prosperity and discrimination of human beings violates the principles of ethics.
Basic Values of Mutual Esteem and Partnership
Article 12: Mutual respect, understanding and fairness are indispensable for economic success.
Article 13: Partnership finds its expression in the ability to participate in economic life.
The authors of the Manifesto claim that its ethical principles prescripts and stipulations are universal. It remains to be seen if the Manifesto will find worldwide acceptance. Due to its rather complex structure and particular stylistics concerning the wording of its text, the Manifesto is not an easy guide for daily use in corporations and government offices. However, the Manifesto is an excellent document to study and to teach global values and ethical principles both at universities and in the business world.
Conclusion
The three instruments discussed share the overall objective to foster ethical behavior in business and to provide principles and guidelines for achieving this goal. However, they differ widely concerning the focus and priority of specific targets of ethical behavior and of methods of implementation.
A company or organization interested in promoting ethics could choose one of the instruments and, if necessary, to make modifications to tailor it to its specific needs and corporate culture. It would be most important that the leadership of such a company or organization make a serious commitment to adoption and implementation, and do simply not pay lip-service for image and public relations purposes.
Reference:
Manifesto Global Economic Ethic, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag ,2010
(1) page 170
(2) page 175
(3) page 144
(4) page 155
Author: Dr. Josef Klee, New York , is former UN Deputy-Director and adviser to the Holy See Mission to the UN. He has published 4 books and more than 60 articles about management topics. Presently, he is Adjunct-Professor at the St, Thomas University in Miami.
Autor: Dr. Josef Klee, New York, ist ehemaliger Deputy-Director der Vereinten Nationen und Berater der Vertretung des Heiligen Stuhls bei den Vereinten Nationen. Er hat 4 Buecher und mehr als 60 Aufsaetze ueber Managementfragen veroeffentlicht. Zur Zeit ist er Adjunct-Professor an der St. Thomas University in Miami.
The Rotary Four-Way Test, the UN Global Compact,
& the Global Economic Ethic Manifesto
By Josef Klee, Ph.D.
Doctor Klee is a former UN Deputy-Director and adviser to the Holy See Mission to the UN. He has published 4 books and more than 60 articles about management topics. Presently, he is Adjunct-Professor at the St, Thomas University in Miami.
The Need for Global Business Ethics
The latest global financial and economic crisis has intensified discussions about business ethics which have become a topic of widespread interest. Today, politicians, business leaders, clergy, scholars, etc. all participate in the debate about ethical issues related to the economy and the conduct of business operations.
Business ethics are not a new or recent matter of concern. Throughout history, there have always been merchants and business owners who, in their business dealings, have applied certain values or virtues and moral principles often rooted in their religious beliefs.
At the beginning of the last century, however, business leaders and scholars recognized the need for a common ethical framework for operating a business and began to address business ethics in a more systemic fashion.
Rotary International, founded in 1905, was among the first global organizations to adopt a set of ethical principles to be observed by its members with respect to their professional and business responsibilities. From the outset, practicing high ethical standards in business and professions is one of Rotary’s guiding principles for its membership.
In the academic world, Catholic universities took the lead in establishing chairs for business ethics.
Since the Second World War and in particular after the corporate scandals
in the 1980’s, the interest in the issue of business ethics exploded; and most of the leading business schools invested heavily in business ethics programs.
Considering these efforts to promote and to teach business ethics, one must ask the question, how to explain the many scandals and serious ethical management offenses in recent years. Serious doubts remain whether one can successfully teach values, virtues and good ethical behavior with the objective to ensure proper, just and fair business operations.
This also raises the question concerning the wisdom of constructively teaching ethics in business schools. How can a graduate of a business school reconcile the dilemma to be expected to act as an aggressive and smart manager geared towards maximizing profits or shareholder value as taught in classes of marketing or finance, and at the same time, to practice social responsibility as taught in the ethics course?
Since the fall of the Soviet Empire, we have witnessed a rapid pace of economic globalization. Both political and business leaders have recognized that the world needs a new approach to dealing with the challenges of globalization, in particular regarding its negative effects in developing countries as well as concerning the state of business in industrialized nations. There is a consensus in the international community that the global economy can only function effectively if it operates within a framework of ground rules for a fair and sustainable commercial exchange and for cooperation. Such a framework must include ethical principles which are accepted in all cultures and traditions.
In my understanding, there are three important public examples of ethical principles which enjoy universal acceptance and can serve as guidance for participants in the global economy. These three instruments are:
the Rotary Four-Way Test
the United Nations Global Compact
the Global Economic Ethic Manifesto
These three instruments share similar values and ideals and pursue the same objective, namely to encourage and foster the application of high ethical standards in business. All three instruments rely on voluntary observance and are not legally binding. They serve as a moral/ethical code or guide for proper attitudes and behavior in conducting business decisions and operations.
At some level, these instruments are connected and complement each other. For example, Rotary International and the United Nations Global Compact Office have specifically recognized and acknowledged that they share the same values implied in their work. They have established a formal agreement of cooperation in a joint letter “to encourage a set of joint activities to advance the shared ideals of high ethical business practices, sustainable humanitarian action, and world peace and understanding”.
In a similar way, the Global Economic Ethic Manifesto and the United Nations Global Compact are linked by mutual understanding and support. Both instruments share core values which are universally accepted; and Hans Kung, the initiator of the Manifesto, has expressly stated that the Manifesto intends to support the Global Compact from the angle of ethics.(1)
The Rotary Four-Way Test
Rotary International, the world’s first service-club organization, is truly a universal and global organization. More than 1.2 million members live and serve in 200 countries. Rotary enjoys all over the world a unique reputation for its high ideals of service and its
hands-on approach to assist people in need. The former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has described Rotary’s highly successful signature program to eradicate polio “a shining example of private/public partnership”.
From its inception, Rotary’s mission, besides the ideal of service, included the obligation of its members to achieve high ethical standards in business and profession. Thus, as mentioned above, Rotary is considered as one of the pioneers in fostering business ethics.
In 1932, Herbert J. Taylor, a successful businessman and prominent Rotarian who also served as President of Rotary International, developed the Rotary Four-Way Test. In designing the test as an instrument to encourage and foster ethical behavior in business, Taylor had studied existing ethics codes and concluded that they were too long and difficult to memorize, rendering them impractical. His aim was to develop a simple guide in form of a checklist because he believed one should not tell a person what he/she can or cannot do. Instead, a person should ask questions concerning his/her behavior, decisions and actions in conducting business.
Finally, he formulated the so-called Four-Way Test consisting of four questions which now constitutes the hallmark of Rotary International. The four questions of the Test are:
1. Is it the Truth? 2. Is it Fair to All Concerned? 3. Will it Build Goodwill and Better Friendships? 4. Will it Be Beneficial to All Concerned?Taylor and his managers themselves tested the new guide and applied it in their daily business dealings. With the application of the Four-Way Test, Taylor was able to make his company profitable and very successful.
In 1943, Rotary International officially adopted the Four-Way Test as an ethical guide for its members. The Test has been translated in more than hundred languages, and in many Rotary Clubs worldwide, the Test is recited and reconfirmed regularly at the meetings.
In addition, many Rotary Clubs and Rotary Districts have developed special projects, such as essay and speech competitions regarding the meaning of the Test, as well as awards for outstanding applications of the Test to promote its dissemination.
The Rotary Four-Way Test as an instrument for business ethics has the distinctions that it is simple to apply and has proven its acceptance in all cultures; thus the Test has made a unique difference in the lives of Rotary members and the people they serve.
The United Nations Global Compact
The former United Nations Secretary-General , Kofi Annan, initiated the Global Compact. At the 1999 World Economic Forum in Davos, the Secretary-General had
expressed his concern that the growing opposition to globalization in many parts of the world could impede free trade and free flow of investment, hinder sustainable economic growth and ultimately threaten social, economic and political stability worldwide.
He asked the business leaders not to wait for governments to impose new laws but to demonstrate responsibility and take the initiative for constructive change by embracing a set of nine principles for the practice of their global operations. These principles are derived from universally accepted international agreements on human rights, labor standards and environment protection, and they relate to the following issues:
In the area of human rights, business enterprises should:
1. Support and respect the protection of human rights; and
2. Ensure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.Regarding labor standards, business enterprises should:
3. Uphold the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining;
4. Eliminate all forms of forced and compulsory labor;
5. Abolish child labor; and
6. Eliminate discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Concerning the protection of the environment, business enterprises should:
7. Support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
8. Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility;
9. Encourage the development and the diffusion of environmentally friendly technology.
In 2004, a tenth principle, derived from the United Nations Convention against Corruption, was included in the Global Compact. This principle against corruption reads as follows:
10. Business should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Companies wishing to engage in the Global Compact have to declare in writing to the United Nations Secretary-General that they support the principles of the Global Compact and are committed to take concrete actions such as:
Issuance of a statement of support for the Global Compact addressed to the company’s stakeholders, employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders;
Application of the ten principles of the Global Compact in all corporate activities, submission to the Office of Global Compact of reports on concrete examples of progress made or lessons learned from implementing the principles; and
Partnering with United Nations organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to assist in solving global problems.
The Global Compact is a voluntary instrument. It is not a legally binding and enforceable code of conduct. Rather, the Global Compact is meant to foster constructive cooperation among the participants in dealing with the impact of globalization, and it is designed as a forum to share information and expertise for finding global solutions to remedy negative effects from globalization.
In July 2000, the Global Compact was formally launched at a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York attended by about fifty leaders from business, labor and civil society. Today, more than 7700 corporate participants and stakeholders from different industries and from every continent have joined the Global Compact.
Governments, trade associations, universities and other institutions have organized events and meetings to present and to promote the Global Compact. Participating companies have organized national and regional networks to share their experience in applying the principles in their business strategies and operations. Also, companies cooperate with United Nations agencies and NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance or development aid in various parts of the world. In addition, universities have started to teach and conduct research on the Global Compact and related global issues.
However, the Global Compact has its critics. They claim that participating in the Global Compact allows companies to embellish their reputation, or that participating companies use the Global Compact for public relations purposes only without intending to ever change questionable corporate behavior
In addition, some critics believe that the Global Compact is not effective because it functions on a voluntary basis and therefore lacks monitoring and enforcement authority.
The Global Compact is still evolving. Its success will ultimately be measured by how effectively its member corporations will cope with the challenges of globalization and how they will contribute to improving human rights, alleviating poverty, improving working conditions, protecting the environment and to eradicate corruption.
The Global Economic Ethic Manifesto
The Global Economic Ethic Manifesto was composed by a committee of German and Swiss scholars and senior business executives; and it was launched last year at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York in the presence of ambassadors and United Nations officials.
The Manifesto provides an ethical framework guiding the actions of the global economic and business community. In the words of Hans Kung: ”It provides to everybody in these stormy seas an orientation as a chart to steer by, a map with clear ethical coordinates, … an ethical guideline for the difficult decisions that need to be taken in the harsh reality of everyday life”. (2)
The Manifesto is built on the values and principles expressed in the “Declaration toward a Global Ethic,” issued by the Parliament of World Religions in 1993.
As indicated above, the Manifesto aims at supporting the United Nations Global Compact. Josef Wieland, one of the drafters of the Manifesto, states that “one of the intentions of the authors is for the Manifesto to provide individual and virtue-based ethical foundations to the management principles of the United Nations Global Compact”. (3)
The Manifesto is a rather elaborately worded document. Its text consists of a preamble and two chapters with 13 articles. Its preamble outlines the vision and core-values and principles of the Manifesto.
The first chapter defines the principle of humanity as “Being human must be the ethical yardstick of all economic action” (4), and it consists of four articles:
Article 1: Economic action must fulfill human being’s basic needs so that they can live in dignity.
Article 2: The dignity and self-esteem of all human beings are inviolable.
Article 3: To promote good and to avoid evil is the duty of all human beings.
Article 4: What you do not wish done to yourself do not do to others.
The second Chapter defines different basic values of global economic activity and consists of nine more articles linked to four general headings
Basic Values of Non-Violence and Respect for Human Life
Article 5: All human beings have the duty to respect the right to life and its development.
Article 6: Sustainable treatment of the natural environment is an uppermost value-norm for economic activity.
Basic Values of Justice and Solidarity
Article 7: Justice and the rule of law are fundamental values of economic life.
Article 8: The pursued of profit is necessary for the survival of a business. The prevention of corruption is the duty of all stakeholders.
Article 9: Equal opportunity, distributive justice and solidarity ensure sound economic development.
Basic Values of Honesty and Tolerance
Article 10: Truthfulness, honesty and reliability are essential values to promote general human well-being.
Article 11: Diversity is a source of prosperity and discrimination of human beings violates the principles of ethics.
Basic Values of Mutual Esteem and Partnership
Article 12: Mutual respect, understanding and fairness are indispensable for economic success.
Article 13: Partnership finds its expression in the ability to participate in economic life.
The authors of the Manifesto claim that its ethical principles prescripts and stipulations are universal. It remains to be seen if the Manifesto will find worldwide acceptance. Due to its rather complex structure and particular stylistics concerning the wording of its text, the Manifesto is not an easy guide for daily use in corporations and government offices. However, the Manifesto is an excellent document to study and to teach global values and ethical principles both at universities and in the business world.
Conclusion
The three instruments discussed share the overall objective to foster ethical behavior in business and to provide principles and guidelines for achieving this goal. However, they differ widely concerning the focus and priority of specific targets of ethical behavior and of methods of implementation.
A company or organization interested in promoting ethics could choose one of the instruments and, if necessary, to make modifications to tailor it to its specific needs and corporate culture. It would be most important that the leadership of such a company or organization make a serious commitment to adoption and implementation, and do simply not pay lip-service for image and public relations purposes.
Reference:
Manifesto Global Economic Ethic, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag ,2010
(1) page 170
(2) page 175
(3) page 144
(4) page 155
Author: Dr. Josef Klee, New York , is former UN Deputy-Director and adviser to the Holy See Mission to the UN. He has published 4 books and more than 60 articles about management topics. Presently, he is Adjunct-Professor at the St, Thomas University in Miami.
Autor: Dr. Josef Klee, New York, ist ehemaliger Deputy-Director der Vereinten Nationen und Berater der Vertretung des Heiligen Stuhls bei den Vereinten Nationen. Er hat 4 Buecher und mehr als 60 Aufsaetze ueber Managementfragen veroeffentlicht. Zur Zeit ist er Adjunct-Professor an der St. Thomas University in Miami.
Application for Recognition as a
Global Networking Group
I. Proposed Group Name: Rotary Action Group for Corporate Social Responsibility.
RAGCSR
II. Proposed Group Category (check one): __ Rotary Fellowship x Rotarian Action
Group
III. Statement of Purpose: For Rotarians around the world to encourage and
promote the principles and strategies of the UN Global Compact. By doing so,
business, as a primary agent driving globalization, can help ensure that
markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that benefit
economies and societies everywhere.
The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are
committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally
accepted principles concerned with human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.
IV
· Proposed Bylaws are attached at end of document
· Background of Founding Officers:
Josef Klee PhD, Rotary Club of New York , is a former director of an
international consulting firm and a former UN Deputy Director. He has served as
an adviser to the UN Global Compact Office and the Holy See Mission to the
United Nations. He has published books and articles on international management
topics including business ethics. He has hosted the monthly Rotary Club of New
York breakfast meetings at the German Mission to the United Nations for the
last six years.
Sylvan Barnet of Rotary Club of New York has maintained the position to the
Rotary International Representation to the United Nations for many years and
has been instrumentation in organizing the Rotary International Day at the
United Nations for more than 20 years.
Thomas McConnon of the Rotary Club of New York has been the Editor of the
Rotary Club of New York at the United Nations Newsletter and the “Findings
Editor” for the Annual Rotary International at the United Nations Day since
2004.
Shelia Washington Management Consultant, Rotary Club of New York Please fill in
Kama Klink, Rotary Club of New York,
Dieter Lohneis, Rotary Club Munich International, Germany
Klaus Schreiter, Rotary Club Munich International, Germany
· List of proposed officers (a minimum of three) including names, addresses, phone
numbers, classifications and responsibilities:
Josef Klee, Senior Active - Rotary Club of New York - Chair Sylvan Barnet,
Senior Active - Rotary Club of New York - Vice Chair -Tom McConnon, Senior
Active - Rotary Club of New York - Vice Chair -Sheial Washington Management
Consultatn Rotary Club of New York
List of willing members from at least three different countries.
Annamaria Andretta Fragiacome Rotary Club Munich International, Germany
Sandra Roberts Rotary Club Miami Shores, USA
Angelo Santagostino Rotary Club Brescia Ovest Italy
Gabriela Wahl-Multerer Rotary Club Munich International, Germany
· Why is the promotion of the UN Global Compact Relevant to Rotary?
The Objects of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a
basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster high
ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the
worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's
occupation as an opportunity to serve society. Rotarians are committed to apply
high ethical standards in their business actives and professional lives.
Recently Rotary International and the UN Global Compact Office exchanged a
letter of cooperation to promote the ten principles and strategies of the
Global Compact and to seek stronger alignment through joint activities and
programs between the Global Compact Local Networks and the more 33,000 local
Rotary Clubs.
Rotary International has played an essential role in building support during
the formative years of The United Nations. As such, more than 60 years later,
Rotary International still maintains the highest consultative status with the
United Nations as an non-governmental organization. In this capacity, Rotary
International and the United Nations has built a strong and productive
partnership in achieving the Millennium Development Goals of 2000, in the areas
of global eradication of Polio, literacy, education, water/sanitation and
promotion of peace conferences around the world.
Plan of Action:
Rotarians are committed to apply high ethical standards in their business
actives and professional lives.
As stated above, Rotary International and the UN Global Compact Office have a
collaborative agreement to promote the implementation of the ten principles of
the Global Compact through practical measures. Our Action Group will support
this goal through the following initiatives:
Build upon current website to motivate Rotarians worldwide and the public at
large to support the Global Compact.
Development of training modules about the Global Compact for Rotary Clubs and
universities.
Planning and organizing an annual Rotary Conference on global corporate social
responsibilities.
Design of a Rotary award program for outstanding examples of corporate social
responsibilities at the local level as well at the global level.
Establishing a strong working relationships with UN offices, universities and
NGO’s
Assist and advise Rotary Clubs to promote sound social corporate social
responsibility.
Example of Projects would include:
Our group will continue to organize monthly Rotary breakfast meetings at the UN
headquarters in New York with speakers from UN Missions and UN Offices.
Our group will continue to publish and maintain a website providing summaries
of Rotary and UN activities concerning the promotion of corporate social
responsibilities.
Our group will continue to invite and mentor Rotaract and university students
who serve as interns in UN offices or in missions and encourage them study
topics of global corporate ethics.
IMPORTANT: Before agreeing to the following terms, please be sure that you have
familiarized yourself with the Rotary Code of Policies excerpts pertaining to
your proposed Global Networking Group category. Proposed groups are reminded
that if denied recognition by the RI Board, they may not reapply for a period
of two years from the date of such denial. Any preliminary questions may be
addressed to RI Staff at: rotaryfellowships@rotary.org.
V. Please acknowledge the following terms of recognition, as found in the
Rotary Code of Policies.
All Global Networking Groups are expected to assume the following
time-sensitive responsibilities:
v Respond to communications from the general secretary in a timely manner.
v Publish a newsletter (which may be distributed electronically) for members of
the group in good standing at least once during each Rotary year, and to file a
copy of this and other important communications with the general secretary.
v Hold an annual forum by way of a newsletter, annual meeting, or other
activity appropriate to the group, through which members in good standing can
interact.
v Respond to inquiries from members, potential members, and the general
secretary.
v Submit to the general secretary proposed articles of incorporation in advance
of such action. Articles of incorporation must include a statement to the
effect that the group is not an activity or agency of RI.
v Notify the general secretary of plans to approach other organizations for
funds in excess of $25,000 or other cooperative relationships in advance of
such action.
v Obtain the approval of the appropriate district governor or governors in
advance of any effort to request the cooperation of districts, clubs or
Rotarians outside of the group’s own membership for any purpose whatsoever.
v Submit an annual report of activities, including cost of membership dues and
a financial statement showing revenues and expenditures during the past Rotary
year, and a statement of funds on hand at the time of the report, to its
members with a copy to the general secretary by 1 October of each year.
v Rotarian Action Groups must also include a summary of service projects
completed with their annual report. Rotarian Action Groups with annual gross
receipts or expenditures of more than US$25,000 or equivalent are required to
provide an annual financial statement and report that has been independently
reviewed by a qualified accountant, to their members, and supply a copy to the
general secretary by 1 October in each year.
The Global Networking Group hereby agrees to comply with the criteria for
recognition as set forth by the RI Board of Directors. The Global Networking
Group understands and accepts that recognition of the existence of the group by
Rotary International in no way implies legal, financial or other obligation or
responsibility on the part of RI, or any RI district or Rotary club. The Global
Networking Group agrees not to act on behalf of RI, or represent or imply that
it has authority to act on behalf of RI. The Global Networking Group also
agrees to comply with RI policy on use of the Rotary Marks. The Global
Networking Group agrees to add the following clause to its bylaws or
constitution:
The Global Networking Group acknowledges that it is not covered by RI insurance
and will assess its own risk and secure coverage as appropriate.
Name of Proposed Chair (please print) Josef Klee
Address 870 UN Plaza Apt 20C New York N.Y. 10017
Telephone 212 752 0959 Fax E-mail j.u. klee@att.net
Signature of Proposed Chair Date
Send to: Rotary International, Service Support & Awards Department (PD210),
One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201-3698, USA, Fax:
(847) 866-6116, E-mail: rotaryfellowships@rotary.org.
ROTARIAN ACTION GROUP STANDARD BYLAWS
ARTICLE I - NAME
Section 1.1. The name of this Rotarian Action Group shall be ______________
(action group).
Section 1.2. The office of the action group shall be located at ______________.
The email address of the action group shall be ______________.
ARTICLE II - PURPOSE
Section 2.1. The purpose of this action group shall be...
This action group shall operate in compliance with the requirements for
recognition of Rotarian Action Groups as set forth from time to time by Rotary
International (RI), but it shall not be an agency of, or controlled by, Rotary
International.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERS
Section 3.1. Membership in the action group shall be open to all active members
of Rotary Clubs (Rotarians) in good standing, spouses of Rotarians, and members
of Rotaract Clubs (Rotaractors). The action group shall assume no liability for
services rendered by its members.
Section 3.2. Membership shall be on a/an (annual/multiannual/lifetime
membership) basis. Annual memberships shall expire on 30 June of each year
unless renewed. A Certificate of Membership shall be issued to each member of
the action group as directed by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 4.1. The governing body of the action group shall be the Board of
Directors. The number of Directors shall be determined by the Board of
Directors and shall be increased or decreased in a manner approved by the Board
of Directors, but in no event shall there be fewer than three Directors. At
least one member of the Board of Directors shall be a past district governor of
RI. All directors shall be active Rotarians.
Section 4.2. A simple majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of the Board of Directors.
Attendance by conference call or via Internet shall be considered the same as
attendance in person to the extent permitted by law.
Section 4.3. Directors shall serve until their successors are chosen and
qualified.
Section 4.4. Terms for Directors shall be either two or three years as
determined by the Board, except that the terms of the members of the initial
Board of Directors shall be set to allow the terms to be on a staggered
scheduled. For terms of two years, one half of the Board of Directors shall be
elected each year; and for terms of three years, one third of the Board of
Directors shall be elected each year, in order to promote continuity. No Director
shall serve for more than two consecutive terms. Terms shall commence on July 1
of the calendar year elected.
ARTICLE V - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section 5.1. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Board of
Directors and so indicated in a notice to the members. Notice sent by mail or
transmitted via email or Internet to the last known address of the members
shall be considered good and sufficient notice to the extent permitted by law.
The Nominating Committee shall receive nominations for the Board of Director’s
positions until a specified deadline, whereupon nominations shall be closed.
The Nominating Committee may also offer its own nominees for election. All
nominees must have indicated their willingness to serve by a specified deadline
to be considered valid nominees for election.
Section 5.2. The names of the nominees for Director shall be mailed to the
members in good standing at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting. Such
mailing shall include a ballot for election. Ballots sent by mail or
transmitted via email or Internet to the last known address of the members
shall be considered a valid mailing. Ballots shall indicate that they must be
returned to the Nominating Committee seven days prior to the annual meeting.
Section 5.3. The Nominating Committee shall tally the votes cast and announce
the newly elected Directors (Board of Directors-elect).
Section 5.4. Following the annual meeting of the members, the Board of
Directors-elect shall meet and elect from its members the officers of the
action group, including the following Officers, who shall take office on the
first day of July following their election: A President, Vice-President, a
Secretary, and a Treasurer.
At least one of the action group’s Officers shall be a past district governor.
All Officers and Directors shall be Rotarians.
Section 5.5. A vacancy in the Board of Directors, or any office, shall be
filled by action of the Board of Directors. A vacancy in the position of an
Officer-elect, or Board of Directors-elect, shall be filled by action of the
members of the Board of Directors-elect.
Section 5.6. A Director or Officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds
vote of the Board of Directors, or, by a two-thirds vote of the membership.
ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS
Section 6.1. The Officers of the action group shall include a President,
Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer, and other such officers as may be
deemed necessary by the Board of Directors. The terms of Officers shall be one
year and shall coincide with the Rotary year. The Board shall establish an
“executive committee,” composed of the President, Vice-President, and at least
two other members of the Board to act on behalf of the Board when necessary and
convenient to do so.
Section 6.2. The Officers shall perform the duties and functions usually
attached to the title of their respective offices, together with those fixed by
law, and such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board
of Directors.
ARTICLE VII - MEETINGS
Section 7.1. An annual meeting of the members may take place at the RI
Convention each year at which time the installation of Officers and other
business shall take place. The exact date, time, and location of the annual
meeting of the members shall be announced to the members at least 60 days prior
to the meeting, and such date, time and location shall be set by the Board of
Directors.
Section 7.2. The annual meeting of the Board of Directors shall take place
immediately subsequent to the annual meeting of the members and shall be open
to any member.
Section 7.3. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any
time by the President, by any three members of the Board of Directors, or by
one-third of the membership.
Section 7.4. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the Board of
Directors under any provision of law, or otherwise, may be taken without a
meeting if all of the members of the Board shall individually or collectively
consent in writing to such action.
ARTICLE VIII - FISCAL MATTERS
Section 8.1. The fiscal year (Rotary year) of the action group shall be 1 July
through 30 June following.
Section 8.2. The action group’s dues shall be set by the Board of Directors and
shall be due on 1 July of each year. The action group’s dues shall be of a
reasonable amount and limited to that necessary to cover administrative costs.
Section 8.3. Binding contracts shall be signed by any two of the President,
Vice-President, and the Secretary.
Section 8.4. Funds shall be deposited in a financial institution approved by
the Board of Directors.
Section 8.5. Unless otherwise ordered by the Board of Directors, disbursements
of the action group’s funds shall be by check, signed by the Treasurer or the
President for amounts not exceeding US$1500.00, and shall be signed by both the
Treasurer and the President for disbursements of US $1500.00 or more.
ARTICLE IX - COMPLIANCE WITH REQUIREMENTS FOR RECOGNITION BY ROTARY
INTERNATIONAL
Section 9.1. The action group shall comply with the requirements for recognition
of Rotarian Action Groups, as set forth from time to time by RI, including, but
not limited to:
1) Publishing a newsletter (which may be distributed solely by electronic
means) for members at least once during each Rotary year, and file the newsletter
and other important communications and documents with the general secretary of
RI.
2) Holding an annual forum by way of a newsletter, annual meeting, or other
activity appropriate to the action group, through which members can interact.
3) Responding to inquiries from members, potential members, and the general
secretary of RI.
4) Submitting an annual report of activities, including a summary of service
projects completed, cost of membership dues and a financial statement showing
revenues and expenditures during the previous Rotary year, and a statement of
funds on hand at the time of the report, to its members with a copy to the
general secretary of RI by 1 October in each year.
5) Providing an annual financial statement and report, that has been
independently reviewed by a qualified accountant or audit committee, to the
members, and supply a copy to the general secretary of RI by 1 October in each
year, if its annual gross receipts or expenditures amount to more than
US$25,000 or equivalent.
If an audit committee approach is selected, then it must:
(a) be composed of at least three members;
(b) have all the members be active Rotarians;
(c) have at least one member who is a past governor;
(d) have at least one member with accounting and audit experience;
(e) not allow current officers to serve on the audit committee; and
(f) have the members selected by the action group at its annual meeting in
accordance with the procedures established by the Rotarian Action Group.
6) Submitting a copy of any grant applications for funds in excess of US$25,000
or memoranda of agreements or partnerships with third parties to the general
secretary of RI.
7) Maintaining minimum membership requirements for Rotarian Action Groups as
may be set forth by RI.
8) Regularly undertaking service projects that fulfill the purposes of the
action group, as set forth in Article 2.1 above.
The action group understands and accepts that recognition of the existence of
the group by RI in no way implies legal, financial or other obligation or
responsibility on the part of RI, or any RI district or Rotary club. The action
group, and its members, directors and officers shall not act on behalf of RI,
or represent or imply that they have authority to act on behalf of RI and agree
to comply with RI policies on the use of the Rotary Marks by Rotary Entities,
as set forth by RI from time to time.
ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS
Section 10.1. These bylaws may be amended at any duly called regular or special
meeting of the Board of Directors by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of
Directors. Written notice of such proposed amendment(s) shall be given to the
Board of Directors and to the membership at least thirty days prior to the
meeting. Such meeting shall be open to any member then in good standing.
Section 10.2. These bylaws may also be amended at any duly called regular or
special meeting of the members of the action group by a majority vote of all
members. Written notice of such proposed amendment(s) shall be given to the
Board and to the membership at least thirty days prior to such meeting. Such
meeting shall be open to any member then in good standing.
Section 10.3. Notwithstanding the above provisions, these bylaws may not be
amended so that they conflict or are in any manner inconsistent with the
standard bylaws for Rotarian Action Groups as promulgated by RI from time to
time.
United
Nations University
(UNU) is a United Nations agency that was established in Tokyo in 1973 to "research into the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations and its agencies". Its was created by the Secretary-General U Thant in 1969, with the motto of "Advancing knowledge for human security, peace, and development."
The United Nations University provides educational opportunities to researchers mainly at the graduate and post-graduate level through an extensive range of fellowships. It operates through a number of research centres around the world, where research fellows or Ph.D. students from other universities can come to do research. It especially targets researchers and students from developing countries. UNU is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
It does not receive any funding from the regular UN budget and relies upon voluntary contributions from member states with an annual budget of approximately US$37 million.
Honduras
Ambassador: Focus on Central America
The guest speaker a the March 2010 Breakfast meeting was
Ambassador Jorge Flores from Honduras. He has a long career in the service of
his government at home an with its foreign service. He served at the UN Mission
of Honduras as an economic counselor and as the Deputy Ambassador. In this
capacity he has participated in some of the major global UN conferences such as
the World Summit for Social Development, the World Conference on Women and the
International Conference on Population and Development. Since 2005, Ambassador
Flores is a member of the essential United Nations Advisory Committee on
Administration and Budget. Ambassador Flores is also familiar with the private
sector as he is also the vice Charmian of a company in Honduras.
stationed in Uganda , then in New York City before being assigned to the Palestinian Territories, where he served as Deputy Coordinator of the Secretary General. Mr. Dubois was then posted to Iraq as the Head of the UN Office ( with the rank of Ambassador ) , and subsequently in Algeria , and Tunisia in the same capacity.
Mr. Dubois is an active member of several inter-religious non-governmental organizations and serves on numerous boards.He lives in New York City. The meeting was moderated by Wall Street Rotarian Sheila Washington.
Rotary
Joins UN Global Compact
The UN Global Compact and Rotary International have agreed to
deepen their collaboration and encourage Global Compact Local Networks and the
more than 33,000 clubs local Rotary Clubs in 200 countries to seek stronger
alignment through joint activities and programs.
The announcement was made on the occasion of Rotary International UN Day, hosted at UN Headquarters on November 6 2009. The event, held annually to celebrate Rotary’s longstanding relationship with the United Nations, brought together more than 1,600 Rotary members from around the world, as well as representatives of various UN organizations and departments.
In a joint letter to be sent to Rotary District Governors and Global Compact Local Network focal points, Rotary International General Secretary Edwin H. Futa and UN Global Compact Executive Director Georg Kell encourage a set of joint activities to advance the shared ideals of “high ethical business practices, sustainable humanitarian action, and world peace and understanding”.
More specifically, the letters ask Global Compact networks and Rotary clubs and districts to engage in education and information sharing; local project implementation or collaboration (particularly those addressing the Millennium Development Goals); and coordinating a joint, collaborative effort promoting the best of corporate social responsibility practices and volunteer leadership and action at the local, district or national level.
“Through discussion, collaboration and joint cooperation, Rotary clubs and the United Nations Global Compact can foster high ethical standards, universal principles, and tangible humanitarian successes,” said Futa. “Together, we can work for the benefit of all.”
In addition, Rotary members are encouraged to facilitate further business participation in the Global Compact, and invite Global Compact Network participants to join local Rotary clubs.
“Both Rotary International and the Global Compact are rooted in a shared vision of responsible leadership to address global challenges,” said Georg Kell. “Seeking stronger collaboration between our local networks and Rotary clubs makes much sense, and I am confident that working together will make a significant contribution to the advancement of sustainable development in the spirit of universal values.”
About the United Nations Global Compact
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is a both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. As a multi-stakeholder leadership initiative, it seeks to align business operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With over 5,200 corporate signatories in more than 130 countries, it is the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. For more information, visit http://www.unglobalcompact.org/.
The announcement was made on the occasion of Rotary International UN Day, hosted at UN Headquarters on November 6 2009. The event, held annually to celebrate Rotary’s longstanding relationship with the United Nations, brought together more than 1,600 Rotary members from around the world, as well as representatives of various UN organizations and departments.
In a joint letter to be sent to Rotary District Governors and Global Compact Local Network focal points, Rotary International General Secretary Edwin H. Futa and UN Global Compact Executive Director Georg Kell encourage a set of joint activities to advance the shared ideals of “high ethical business practices, sustainable humanitarian action, and world peace and understanding”.
More specifically, the letters ask Global Compact networks and Rotary clubs and districts to engage in education and information sharing; local project implementation or collaboration (particularly those addressing the Millennium Development Goals); and coordinating a joint, collaborative effort promoting the best of corporate social responsibility practices and volunteer leadership and action at the local, district or national level.
“Through discussion, collaboration and joint cooperation, Rotary clubs and the United Nations Global Compact can foster high ethical standards, universal principles, and tangible humanitarian successes,” said Futa. “Together, we can work for the benefit of all.”
In addition, Rotary members are encouraged to facilitate further business participation in the Global Compact, and invite Global Compact Network participants to join local Rotary clubs.
“Both Rotary International and the Global Compact are rooted in a shared vision of responsible leadership to address global challenges,” said Georg Kell. “Seeking stronger collaboration between our local networks and Rotary clubs makes much sense, and I am confident that working together will make a significant contribution to the advancement of sustainable development in the spirit of universal values.”
About the United Nations Global Compact
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is a both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. As a multi-stakeholder leadership initiative, it seeks to align business operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With over 5,200 corporate signatories in more than 130 countries, it is the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. For more information, visit http://www.unglobalcompact.org/.
Concert
to End Polio
Itzhak Perlman (the violin
virtuoso and a polio victim) and the New York Philharmonic joined with Rotary
to "End Polio Now Concert". The December 2 concert at New York's
Lincoln Center was performed to a full theatre. In 1988, the World Health
Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF
joined Rotary International Polio eradication program and launched the Global
Polio Eradication Initiative. Since then Rotary club members have contributed
$800 million, and countless volunteer hours to help immunize two billion
children worldwid
e.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Urbina was a Program Coordinator at the International Centre for Human Development, San José, Costa Rica (1998 to 2006).
Before he served as a permanent consultant at the Program for Democratic Governance in Central America, United Nations Development (1993 to 1998), and held the post of Associate Researcher at Centro de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales in Montes de Oca, Costa Rica (1990 to 1993). During that same three-year period, he was also a professor at the International Affairs School of Universidad Nacional in Heredia, Costa Rica. He received a master in law degree from the University of Costa Rica in 1973, and obtained a doctorate in law from the Université de Bordeaux, France, in 1977.
Next month, the world will converge in Copenhagen for the United Nation Climate Change Conference and Costa Rica is proposing a similar carbon capture program that was originally brought up in Kyoto 12 years ago.
Costa Rica was one of the first countries to propose a mechanism to capture CO2 produced in developed nations through the forests and national parks.
When the Kyoto Protocol was agreed upon, the challenges of climate change were a distant problem, but today the problem is real. Countries that share their borders with any of the world's oceans are worried that they might lose territory because of the rising sea levels. There is also the increase of violent storms like hurricanes. It's not only the disasters by themselves that have increased, the production cycles of food are changing dramatically with the change of weather.
Costa Rica is also hoping to change the current classification of countries' incomes. Middle-income countries have been "punished" because of this classification. Costa Rica abolished their military 50 years ago and uses that money towards social development programs such as education and health services. Costa rico is not emitting CO2, instead we are absorbing CO2. Middle-income countries like Costa Rica, Uruguay and Panama, which has also abolished their army recently, can receive benefits from international aid.
The Costa Rican National Institute for Biodiversity is developing new pharmaceutical medication and materials. The Institute uses the jungles and forests of Costa Rica as a giant lab.
"We are conducting research to find new drugs for the future, new fuels for the future and also learning the way the animals in the forest have survived, so learning from nature is an opportunity."
On November 6, 2009, more than 250 New York area Rotarians, and their guests from around the world, had just spent the night celebrating the 100th Birthday black-tie bash of the legendary Rotary Club of New York #6. The festivities continued way into the early- morning hours. Nevertheless, many of the celebrants including some of the panelists were still able to arrive at the United Nations bright-eyed to celebrate Rotary International’s sixty-five year collaboration with the United Nations.
By 8:00 am, the line of enthusiastic Rotarians, Ambassadorial Scholars, Rotary Peace Scholars, Rotaractors, and Interactors already stretched more than a city-block. There were more than 1,600 attendees in all, and many had traveled overnight, for this standing room only, sold out, annual symposium. In fact, participants came from more than thirty-six states, and forty-six countries. Two hundred and fifty attendees came from Canada, twenty-five from Nigeria, twenty-six from Taiwan, twenty-seven from Mexico, twenty-one from Germany, ten from France, and hundreds of others from more than forty other countries.
During the morning, in Rotary fashion, the comparatively newly established Metro-New York Rotary Club(established in 2002) was able to accumulate a truck-load of food items, and pockets-full of cash donations from the generous visiting Rotarians as they sauntered through the quick-moving security line. There are four new Rotary clubs that have been established in Manhattan since 2001, including the Inwood Rotary Club (2003), the Rotary Club of Wall Street (2009), and the soon to be established Rotary Club of Harlem. All these 21th century clubs have 90 percent of the membership under the age of 40, and already have earned an exemplary reputation of community service and contributions to The Rotary Foundation.
The main theme of the day that developed clearly encouraged and accentuated the significance of partnering with other like-minded organizations. The global problems that Rotarians endeavor to alleviate around the world cannot be solved by any one government, or any one foundation, or any one service organization. In fact, the track record of dozens, even hundreds of organizations working together at what they do best, was clearly evident during the conference.
Moderator Brad explained that this will be the last meeting in our usual large conference room for several years. The UN buildings are being thoroughly renovated, and the conference room that Rotary International has used for the last decade or so will be used as the temporary meeting-room for the UN’s Security Council. All the buildings at the UN are being restored with modern infrastructure, yet will maintain their original architectural design which is considered by many as an iconic example of the 1950’s architecture. The renovations are estimated to cost $1.9 billion and will be completed by 2013.
At the start of the conference, Rotary International Treasurer, Michael Colasurdo, introduced the directors and officers of Rotary International and also the past-President of Kiwanis International, Tony Kaiser.
“The Welcome to the United Nations Panel”
Moderated by H. Bradley Jenkins PDG
The Sergeants at Arms from the Smithtown N.Y. ClubThe first panelist was Maria-Luisa Chavez who is the Chief ,NGO Relations Officer at the UN Department of Public Information and a national of Mexico. Having worked for the United Nations since 1981, she welcomed the Rotarians to the United Nations headquarters, and pointed out that Rotary was one of first non-government organizations of the UN. Ms. Chavez reminded all that in 1942, Rotarians from 21 nations help to create what was to become UNESCO, and that 49 Rotarians were at the conference to sign the UN Charter in San Francisco. Ms. Chavez also thanked Rotarians for the two billion children vaccinated against polio. She highlighted that Rotary’s greatness is the partnerships it has developed with other organizations, and that Rotary is a very valuable partner to the United Nations, and to the world.
“The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands.”
As many already know, President John Kenny is from the Grangemouth, Scotland Rotary Club and is a past-dean of his local law faculty, a judge, and a notary. During his keynote address, President John outlined that for more than one hundred years, Rotarians have been working for peace, understanding, and good-will around the world. He emphasized that Rotary and the UN share a similar vision to bring about peace. He warned that poverty is the worst form of violence, because those that have nothing, have nothing to lose. While Rotarians conduct thousands of projects to promote literacy which breaks the cycle of poverty, bring health care where it is most lacking, provide fresh water and sanitation facilities to villages that lack basic sanitation, “the one thing we cannot do is nothing”.
President John also went on to say that International partnerships, with government and non-government organizations can give the tools for people to help themselves. For example, twenty years ago, Rotary made a promise to eradicate polio from the planet, and shortly afterwards the World Health Organization (WHO) joined our efforts. While we have come very close, with only a few small pockets in four countries still with polio, coming close is not enough. So we still need to finish the job. “And we will.” President John emphatically stated.
President John also reiterated that no single organization can achieve the Millennium Development Goals alone. But together we could bring about a greater and safer world. Rotarians cannot stand ideally by, and “a better future is in our reached, and the future of Rotary is in your hands”. He also invited Rotarians to support the upcoming “Concert to End Polio” at New York’s Lincoln Center on December 2, 2009.
“Climate Change Is the Most Formidable Challenge Of Our Time”
Mr. Jonos Pasztor, who is the director of the Secretary General’s Climate Change Support Team, made clear that climate change is a huge global threat. In fact, he stated that it is the most formidable challenge of our time, and it is at the top of the international agenda. Furthermore, he stated that climate change is not just an environmental issue. It is also the key economic issue of our time, and as such, the world must be determined to develop clean-energy alternatives for the world. In the upcoming The United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark between December 7 and December 18, 2009. The member states need to reach agreement on:
· Reduced emissions.
· Financial support for the vulnerable communities.
· Provide market incentives to develop clean-energy alternatives.
The Water Panel
Moderated by Sylvan M. Barnet, Jr.
Dr. Nicholas Alipui, Director of Programs UNICEF, a physician and a native of Ghana, received his medical training in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the University of Clug-Napoca, Romania. The doctor started his presentation stating that that conditions are getting better for the world’s poor, but warned that national averages do not tell the whole story. Many times there are pockets where progress in not being met.
According to the UNICEF website: “Almost fifty per cent of the developing world’s population – 2.5 billion people – lack improved sanitation facilities, and over 884 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources. Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kills and sickens thousands of children every day, and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more.
Poor sanitation, water and hygiene have many other serious repercussions. Children – and particularly girls – are denied their right to education because their schools lack private and decent sanitation facilities. Women are forced to spend large parts of their day fetching water. Poor farmers and wage earners are less productive due to illness, health systems are overwhelmed and national economies suffer. Without W.A.S.H. (water, sanitation and hygiene), sustainable development is impossible.”
Some of the diseases caused by lack of sanitation are:
· Pneumonia,
· Diarrhea , 80% caused by unsafe drinking water
· Malaria,
· Measles
· HIV/AIDs
Bringing Clean Water to Honduras
New York Rotarian Takako Johnson hosts a visiting Rotarian from Japan
One Rotary partnership that is helping to bring clean and safe water to local communities is the collaboration of the Rotaract of the United Nations, Engineers Without Borders, and the Peace Corps. Joanna Bonfiglio and Svetiana Fisher of the Rotaract Club at the United Nations, who are also mechanical engineering students at the City College of New York explained their Rotaract financed water project.
The project was constructed in the Omoa region of Honduras and consisted of the Engineers Without Borders reinforcing a water tank in the center of the village. Locals were able to draw water from several spigots, and a half-mile pipeline connecting the stream’s water to the tank.
Sylvan Barnet, the moderator of the Water Panel, reiterated that water is about “War and Peace”. One billion people have no safe water, and two billion people have no sanitation facilities.
The Literacy Panel
Moderated by Robert A. Coultas, PRID
Ms. Caryl M. Stern, the President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF affirmed that many lives have been saved over the last twenty years because of partnerships with UNICEF. In 1985, over thirty million children were dying before age five from preventable diseases, and today it is now below nine million. But nine million are still dying from preventable diseases, and therefore too many, she illuminated.
Ms. Stern also confirmed that tetanus, a disease we rarely think about in the developed world, is a very serious one in poorer countries, primarily because of illiteracy. Mothers have to learn to read and learn how to prevent diseases that could harm their children. When a child cannot read, they only know the village, and there is less hope and less opportunity.
“Progress in global literacy has been made. “
In 2002 more than 115 million did not attend primary school, yet by 2007 this number has been reduced to 101 million. Consequently, global adult illiteracy has decline from twenty-five percent to twenty percent. Ms. Stern concluded her address with a quotation from Thomas Jefferson: “If we solve all the problems of the world, but fail to solve the problem of education, our children will destroy what we bequeathed them. But if we solve only the problem of education, our children will solve their own problems.”
Mr. Roger J. Hayward, PDG of District 7070 in Canada, who earned advanced degrees from both Canada and the U.K. affirmed that ninety-seven percent of adults in developed world are literate, but in Africa it is less than fifty-percent. There are 9oo million adults in Africa who cannot read or write. He counseled that there are two key instructional technologies that can increase literacy. The first is Computer Assisted Learning Solutions (CALS) which is a computer based reading system that has benefited more than 1,800 students in California. The other program that he recommends is the Concentrated Language Encounter (CLE). This program does not require any equipment, and it is being successfully used in the northern part of Egypt.
He also recommend that “Reach Out to Rotary Membership in Africa” is an important project because there are only 23,000 Rotarians on the continent of Africa. The African clubs are primarily located in only four countries: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Uganda with only sixteen clubs in Tanzania. More Rotarians in Africa could help to promote more literacy programs.
The A.M. Closing Panel
Moderated by H. Bradley Jenkins
RI President-elect Ray KlinginsmithRay Klinginsmith,
President–elect of Rotary International is from the Kirksville, Missouri Rotary
Club and is an attorney who works primarily in commercial and corporate law. He
comes from “cattle country” in Missouri, and made it known that the core
Rotary-values of Service Above Self, and to make Rotary membership more
attractive for younger members will be important issues for his upcoming year.
In fact, he specified that if we could put the same effort that we did for the
Polio-Plus Program to attract younger Rotarians, “our greatest days are still
ahead.”
The second panelist was the Vice President of the National Basketball Association, Mr. Todd Jacobson. Mr. Jacobson is responsible for community relations for the NBA, and launched “The NBA Cares” program in 2000. He is a native Long Islander and a retired professional soccer player. He asked Rotarians to support sports as a way to achieve development, peace, education, family development, and health. Also, he mentioned that sports can help break down political borders and barriers.
The four main components of the “NBA Cares” program are:
· Philanthropy: $115 million donated.
· Service: Players and former players are promoting community service.
· Legacy: How we give back to the community such as computer center and libraries.
· Buildings: NBA Cares built eighty-one centers with partners where kids could work and play in nineteen countries.
· Basketball Without Borders: There are four camps around the world, and over 150 current and past NBA players who participate to break down political barriers, in partnerships with the United Methodist Church.
Mr. Jacobson also stressed the importance to measure a program’s success by implementing a five year plan, and then conduct an honest evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
“Rotary brings hope with every local and district project”.
Glenn Estess,, Chairman of The Rotary Foundation The Chairman of The Rotary Foundation (TRF), Glenn Estess is originally from Pike County, Mississippi and earned a degree in chemistry and physics from Tulane University. Glenn conveyed to the conference that Rotarians know that war will never be alleviated by military action. Poverty, inequality, deprivation, and lack of hope, are the causes of war. Furthermore, since we have eliminated polio by 99.9 percent through steady progress, we have earned the trust of many.
The second panelist was the Vice President of the National Basketball Association, Mr. Todd Jacobson. Mr. Jacobson is responsible for community relations for the NBA, and launched “The NBA Cares” program in 2000. He is a native Long Islander and a retired professional soccer player. He asked Rotarians to support sports as a way to achieve development, peace, education, family development, and health. Also, he mentioned that sports can help break down political borders and barriers.
The four main components of the “NBA Cares” program are:
· Philanthropy: $115 million donated.
· Service: Players and former players are promoting community service.
· Legacy: How we give back to the community such as computer center and libraries.
· Buildings: NBA Cares built eighty-one centers with partners where kids could work and play in nineteen countries.
· Basketball Without Borders: There are four camps around the world, and over 150 current and past NBA players who participate to break down political barriers, in partnerships with the United Methodist Church.
Mr. Jacobson also stressed the importance to measure a program’s success by implementing a five year plan, and then conduct an honest evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
“Rotary brings hope with every local and district project”.
Glenn Estess,, Chairman of The Rotary Foundation The Chairman of The Rotary Foundation (TRF), Glenn Estess is originally from Pike County, Mississippi and earned a degree in chemistry and physics from Tulane University. Glenn conveyed to the conference that Rotarians know that war will never be alleviated by military action. Poverty, inequality, deprivation, and lack of hope, are the causes of war. Furthermore, since we have eliminated polio by 99.9 percent through steady progress, we have earned the trust of many.
The last panelist was Gavin Powers, Deputy Executive of the UN
Global Compact. Mr. Powers has the responsibility to recruit private companies
to embrace a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labor standards,
the environment, and anti-corruption practices.
The ten principles are:
· Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
· Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
· Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
· Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor;
· Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labor.
· Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
· Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
· Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
·
Twenty-five participants were from NigeriaPrinciple 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
· Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
The Health Panel
Moderated by William A. Miller, PDG
Mr. Tom Grant, a graduate of the NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and the producer of the “The Final Inch” was the first Health panelist. A 2008 Academy Award nominee, The Final Inch is a 38 minute snapshot of the grassroots mobilization for polio eradication in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and was aired on HBO last year. It can also be viewed on YOU-TUBE.
Mr. Grant made clear that there are two essential items to make a documentary: access and funding. Google.com provided the funding of the documentary, but it was difficult to get access to many parts of Afghanistan due to the war.
“Banishing the horrific iron-lung in to the proverbial trash bin of history is ninety-nine percent completed.”
The panelist often accepted questions from the audience
The Health Panel also summarized the 2001 Measles Initiative. This is a partnership led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. It has helped reduce measles deaths by 74% globally and 89% in Africa (compared to 2000). Working closely with national governments and local communities, the partnership has supported the vaccination of more than 600 million children in more than 60 countries.
The ten principles are:
· Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
· Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
· Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
· Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor;
· Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labor.
· Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
· Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
· Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
·
Twenty-five participants were from NigeriaPrinciple 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
· Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
The Health Panel
Moderated by William A. Miller, PDG
Mr. Tom Grant, a graduate of the NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and the producer of the “The Final Inch” was the first Health panelist. A 2008 Academy Award nominee, The Final Inch is a 38 minute snapshot of the grassroots mobilization for polio eradication in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and was aired on HBO last year. It can also be viewed on YOU-TUBE.
Mr. Grant made clear that there are two essential items to make a documentary: access and funding. Google.com provided the funding of the documentary, but it was difficult to get access to many parts of Afghanistan due to the war.
“Banishing the horrific iron-lung in to the proverbial trash bin of history is ninety-nine percent completed.”
The panelist often accepted questions from the audience
The Health Panel also summarized the 2001 Measles Initiative. This is a partnership led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. It has helped reduce measles deaths by 74% globally and 89% in Africa (compared to 2000). Working closely with national governments and local communities, the partnership has supported the vaccination of more than 600 million children in more than 60 countries.
oooooooooooo
The third panelist was Dr. Robert Ziner PDG, is the only European recipient of Nigeria’s Shahon of Zarrau award, in recognition of his fifteen years of humanitarian service to the poor of northern of the country. The doctor outlined the “Save the Mothers and the Children Program”, a joint Nigerian-Austrian-German Rotary project to treat and prevent obstetric fistula, a painful birth injury that often results in a stillborn child and leaves the woman with chronic incontinence.
Dr. Ziner emphasized that the treatment of fistula patients is a humanitarian commitment to help the weakest in Nigeria’s society. But this can only be the first step. “What we actually pursue is a comprehensive approach to raise awareness for medical care for women and THUS prevent obstetric fistula in the first place. “
The Youth Panel
Moderated by Helen B. Reisler
Sohia Hameed was a student at Miami High School Interact Club and is currently studying at New York University. She spoke about her former high school’s Interact program. Sohia was born in India, but raise in the United States. When she returned to India as a high-school student she observed with how little supplies the school children had. Her club decided to raise funds to send backpacks filled with school supplies. Her Interact Club sold 1,000 paper heart necklaces and a Walk- A- Thon for the Project “B4US” and raised $3,000. The Rotary Club of Miami matched the funds up to $2,500. The Interact club was them able to sent 400 backpacks to the students of an Indian School. Sohia’s most significant lesson was the critical importance of youth involvement, and she states that the “Future of the world is in our hand” Sohia received an extended standing ovation.
The Youth PanelThe other impressive panelist was Anne-Charlotte Perrin, a member of the Rotaract of Paris and a former Rotary exchange-student in the United States. Her Rotaract club started a “Microcredit Project” in Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world and one of the poorest countries. .Anne-Charlotte’s Rotaract club raised funds to purchase zebus, sometimes known as humped cattle, to the poorer families in Madagascar. An investor purchases the zebu and rents it to Madagascar farmer, and the farmer sends a small repayment.
The conference ended at 4:00 pm sharp and many Rotarians attended
either the cocktail reception hosted by the Rotaract Club of the United Nations
or The Rotary Foundation Alumni reception on Madison Ave. ( End.)
Arab
Human Development Report 2009
As stated on RBAs website: Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS)
launched the Programme on Governance in the Arab Region (POGAR) in early 2000.
Recognizing the strong link between good governance and sustainable human
development, POGAR aims to assist government actors, civil society, and the
private sector to improve governance processes in the Arab states, always with
a view to achieving sustainability. POGAR assists in a governance-augmentation
process that is owned and managed by the countries themselves by offering an
array of options, rather than blanket prescriptions, and working in partnership
with actors in the region to identify needs and solutions.
POGAR's program activities relate to Rule of Law, Participation, and Transparency and Accountability. These activities include providing policy advice, engaging in institutional capacity building, and testing policy options through pilot projects. Since its inception, POGAR has launched projects to promote dialog about judicial reform; build the capacities of parliaments, and educate governance actors about methods for combating corruption.
POGAR's program activities relate to Rule of Law, Participation, and Transparency and Accountability. These activities include providing policy advice, engaging in institutional capacity building, and testing policy options through pilot projects. Since its inception, POGAR has launched projects to promote dialog about judicial reform; build the capacities of parliaments, and educate governance actors about methods for combating corruption.
Incoming President of the Rotary Club of New York, David Del
Monte, welcomed visiting Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Moscow, Elena
Grigoreva, an attorney with the Legal Business Consulting Company of Moscow
(left), and the newest member of the Rotary Club of Wall Street, Joanne Lam, a
financial planning executive with Smith Barney (right) at the October 14, 2009
breakfast meeting.
New York Rotarian, Kaan Soyak, co-chairman of the Turkish-Armenian
Business Development Council, emailed New York Rotarian's on a minute-by-minute
update of the historic accords signed between neighboring Turkey and Armenia on
Saturday, October 9th. Kaan who has worked for nearly a decade in promoting
more commercial activity as a bridge toward peace between the two countries
noted that the accord opened a brand-new chapter in the two countries’
relations, which have been troubled by genocide allegations for more than one
hundred years ago. The signing ceremony took place at the University of Zurich.
“There has been a lack of confidence between the two countries and nations and the protocols will draw the two peoples closer to each other. The region does not have the luxury of waiting another 15 or 16 years for the normalization of the ties is crucial for stability in the Caucasus,” said Soyak.
As reported by The New York Times, The United States, along with France and Russia, played a key role in prodding the two sides to come to terms. President Obama placed an encouraging call last week to the president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, while Mrs. Clinton was in regular touch with leaders of both countries.
The first protocol, which will establish diplomatic ties, and the second, on the further development of relations, are accompanied by an appendix that sets a clear timetable for the implementation of both. The agreements envision the opening of the border within two months after the second protocol goes into force, although this step requires approval from the parliaments of both countries and their presidents.
“There has been a lack of confidence between the two countries and nations and the protocols will draw the two peoples closer to each other. The region does not have the luxury of waiting another 15 or 16 years for the normalization of the ties is crucial for stability in the Caucasus,” said Soyak.
As reported by The New York Times, The United States, along with France and Russia, played a key role in prodding the two sides to come to terms. President Obama placed an encouraging call last week to the president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, while Mrs. Clinton was in regular touch with leaders of both countries.
The first protocol, which will establish diplomatic ties, and the second, on the further development of relations, are accompanied by an appendix that sets a clear timetable for the implementation of both. The agreements envision the opening of the border within two months after the second protocol goes into force, although this step requires approval from the parliaments of both countries and their presidents.
Peace
and Development Conference in Mexico
One of the youth events held as part of the annual UN DPI/NGO
conference that focused on Disarmament: for Peace & Development that was
held in Mexico City on September 9-11. Kelly Roberts (third from left) was the
New York Youth Co-Chair for the Conference Planning Committee is also the
presdient of the Rotaract of the United Nations here in New York. Kelly
welcomed the Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Ban Ki Moon (right) on behalf of
the NY and Mexico Youth Committees.
The Secretary General attend two special youth events in Mexico City during the conference. To see more photos from these youth events in Mexico go to: http://www.unmultimedia.org/photo/
The Secretary General attend two special youth events in Mexico City during the conference. To see more photos from these youth events in Mexico go to: http://www.unmultimedia.org/photo/
Welcome!
All Rotarians are invited to attend the NY Rotary International
Breakfast Meetings which are normally scheduled on the third Wednesday of every
month and held at the German House located at 871 United Nations Plaza (49th
St. and First Ave). These meeting provide an opportunity for Rotarians to stay
informed regarding United Nation programs and to exchange views on related
topics with UN officials and representatives of its member states. There are
usually no meetings in July and August. Reservations for attending the meetings
can be made at: ny.rotary@verizon.net and copy to GBRotary@aol.com
. The monthly meetings are coordinated and moderated by N.Y. Rotarian Josef
Klee, Deputy-Director of the United Nations (Retired) and Sylvan Barnet,
Alternate Rotary International Liaison to the UN. Our newsletter editor is
Assistant District Governor Thomas V. McConnon.
A history
of Rotary and the Formation of the United Nations, click : http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/05/test.html
A summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2008", click:
http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/05/rotary-international-day-at-united.html
. . A summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2007" click:
http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/12/type-company-name-welcome-to-united.html
A Summary of the "Rotary Day at The United Nations 2006" click.
http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/11/rotary-international-day-at-united.html
..A summary of A summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2005" click nations 2005" .http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/rotary-international-day-at-united.html
A summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2008", click:
http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/05/rotary-international-day-at-united.html
. . A summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2007" click:
http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/12/type-company-name-welcome-to-united.html
A Summary of the "Rotary Day at The United Nations 2006" click.
http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/11/rotary-international-day-at-united.html
..A summary of A summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2005" click nations 2005" .http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/rotary-international-day-at-united.html
"Caritas
In Veritate"
He clarified the Pope's Encyclical Letter CARITAS IN VERITATE (Truth in Charity). This letter is the third encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI and was published on July 7, 2009. The letter addresses the global economic and social issues of our time and has received great acclaim in the international community. It clarifies the role of charity and truth in life and gives insight on the current economic conditions of the world today. The United States Conference of Catholic bishops stated, "The encyclical offers sound reflections on the vocation of human development as well as on the moral principles on which a global economy must be based. It challenges business enterprises, governments, unions and individuals to re-examine their economic responsibilities in the light of charity, governed by truth. The Pope points out the responsibilities and limitations of government and the private market, challenges traditional ideologies of right and left, and calls all men and women to think and act anew."
The charity aspect of the document calls upon individuals to include charity in their everyday life and calls upon people to answer the challenge proposed to them by the document. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that charity, along with truth, is at the heart of Catholic social teaching. However. Pope Benedict cautions readers not to perform charity for selfish reasons but to think of others.
The encyclical also deals with the role of the human family in society.
The Ambassador outlined that the July 2009 North Korean nuclear
test is the most pressing issue facing the Security Council and the passage of
Resolution 1874 of the Security Council expressing its gravest concern that the
nuclear test and missile activities carried out by the Democratic Peoples
Republic of Korea have further generated increased tension in the region and
beyond, and determining that there continues to exist a clear threat to
international peace and security. encourages UN member states to search North
Korean cargo, in the aftermath of an underground nuclear test conducted on 25
May 2009.
While there are approximately 50 million in south Korea and 23
mission in North Korea Ambassador Kim emphasised that to understand the Korean
peninsular there is an important elements must be understood. First and formost
the the Korean people are a Confusion based society for more than 800 years. As
such, a Confusion Society there is instilled in all Koreans a strong loyalty to
country, respect for elders, and faithful and obediance to family.
The Ambassador also emphasised that South Korea with an economy
the size of Brazil or India is the world's leader in ship building and a
leading country of computer production and automobile production.and ranks
about thirty ith in contributing to the
support of the United States. While it contributes about 1 Billion to the MDG it plans to increase its donations to 2
billion in 2012, and 3 billion in assistance by 2015.
North Korea on the other hand is reliant on food aid and earns most of its
hard currency from selling military
and weapon systems to Iraq and Syria.
The other issues for the future are that Kin's oldest son is
living outside of North Korea, and Kim is grooming his third son to replace him in light of his poor health.
Reports that Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke in mid-August heightened speculation
about a successor.
Kim will hand leadership over to his third son, Swiss-educated Kim Jong Un, who is in his mid-20s, Passing power to a third son is not customary and may not be considered ligament to the NK citizens.. However, the possibly of a collopsed state is also a huge concern of China where they would have to curtail a huge number of refuges cross over the China Boarder.
Kim will hand leadership over to his third son, Swiss-educated Kim Jong Un, who is in his mid-20s, Passing power to a third son is not customary and may not be considered ligament to the NK citizens.. However, the possibly of a collopsed state is also a huge concern of China where they would have to curtail a huge number of refuges cross over the China Boarder.
China and Russia as neighbors of North Korea were very affected by
the possible pollution of this testing and both have joined in the resolution.
There are still 30,000 United States Troops station on the border.
Welcome
to the Rotary Club of New York at the United Nations Newsletter
(
Photo: This photo, which is taken from
our meeting venue on 23rd floor of the German Mission, clearly shows the
progress of UN 's major construction project.)
"UNited
to End Violence Against Women", UN Secreatry-General's campaign
Our guest speaker for the June 2009 breakfast meeting was Mr. Enzo di Taranto who was appointed as manager of the Secretary-General's UNite Campaign to End Violence against Women program in May of this year. With vast international experience in a wide range of management and leadership roles with the United Nations, European Union, and NGO's, Mr. Di Taranto also holds a Master degree in international relations from the Oriental University Institute in Italy. He has also received training at Harvard University and Ecole Nationale d'Administration in Paris. He is the author of several videos, websites, essays, and books on international affairs.
From the UN Website In February 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched his campaign, “UNite to End Violence against Women,” a multi-year effort aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.
In November 2008, Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron was designated a UN Messenger of Peace with a focus on ending violence against women.
Violence against women not only constitutes a gross violation of human rights but also has enormous social and economic costs, and undercuts the contribution of women to development, peace and security. It poses a serious threat to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.
Stretching from 2008 to 2015, the campaign calls on governments, civil society, women’s organizations, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to join forces in addressing the global pandemic of violence against women and girls. It builds on existing Women and Men United to End Violence against Women and Girls international legal and policy frameworks and harnesses the strong momentum around the issue, reflected in a growing number of initiatives by UN system partners, Governments and NGOs.“There is no blanket approach to fighting violence against women. What works in one country may not lead to desired results in another. Each nation must devise its own strategy,” said the Secretary-General at the launch of the campaign. “But there is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable.”
Rotary
Publications Translated into Arabic - RI Representative to the United Nations
to Western Asia - ESCWA - Translates Rotary Publications
By Michel P. Jazzar
Dr. Michel P. Jazzar (left) is the RI Representative to The United Nations Economic and Social Commision to Western Asia and is a dental surgeon from the Kesrouan Rotary Club - Lebanon)
Rotary International took a wise and historical decision to support the printing and distribution of 12 essential Rotary publications into Arabic language.PP Michel P. Jazzar, a Lebanese Rotarian, was appointed to perform this challenge.
Introduction:
On November 1999, the RI Board of Directors recognized the importance of providing Rotary Clubs with the information they need in readable and understandable languages. Meanwhile, a list of essential publications was established.
On February 2000, the Board agreed that a district or group of districts (who speak other than English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, Italian and Swedish) may, on a voluntary basis, translate, print and distribute essential club information to the clubs in their district(s).
They further approved a volunteer’s publications translation plan. First, districts in Finland, The Netherlands, Taiwan and Thailand were selected to participate in this project. Other interested districts were considered to participate. As for District 2450, they were invited to assign a committee or a group and to participate in this project on behalf of the RI Board of Directors. As for the costs of printing and distributing these publications, RI will reimburse district governors the fees.
On November 2007, the RI Board of Directors took the decision to have Rotary International produce in-house a very limited of publications into Arabic. The RI Board included Arabic as one of ten additional languages into which RI will translate and produce documents deemed necessary to the introduction of Rotary into new countries or to support membership development and growth.
What are the RI policies regarding the official languages and translation of publications?
RI Official Language
English is the only official language of RI and all official documents, including club charters, shall be issued in English. A non-English charter issued in a non-English-speaking country was acceptable if accompanied by its translation. Such translation shall not bear the seal of RI or the signature of its Officials.
Study of Languages
Rotary endorses efforts to enhancing the global community and enriching the world’s culture. All Rotarians are encouraged to study languages other than their own for further international understanding, goodwill and peace and to assist in fulfilling the Object of Rotary.
Translation of Rotary Literature
RI policies:
1. RI will provide translated versions of essential club and district information in Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, Italian and Swedish.
2. All RI publications shall be revised in English and other languages on a staggered, triennial basis, with those publications affected most by the Council on Legislation. The General Secretary will be authorized to make exceptions to this policy, as necessary.
3. A district or group of districts in which the Rotarians speak a language(s) other than those listed above, may on a voluntary basis, translate, print and distribute essential club information to the clubs in their district(s). Publications translated by volunteers shall not be considered as official.
Role of General Secretary in Translations of Rotary Literature
The translation and printing of Rotary literature shall be under the direct supervision of the General Secretary, who is authorized to approve translations on behalf of the Board and, to modify the text of translations where it appears necessary or advisable in order to make publications more useful to the clubs. The distribution of Rotary literature to clubs shall be made by the Secretariat Office.
Use of Rotarian Volunteers in Translating
The General Secretary shall prepare a database of Rotarians who are able to interpret and translate documents into many languages. By selecting Rotarians to interpret /translate, the General Secretary shall ensure that they will provide a sample of their work.
Translation of Constitutional Documents of Rotary International
A note shall be included in all editions of the Manual of Procedure in languages other than English preceding the section that includes the constitutional documents, to indicate that:
if any question arises regarding the meaning or interpretation of any submitted constitutional documents, the English-language text of these documents remains the official text;
each Governor has a copy of the English-language edition of the Manual of Procedure, including the constitutional documents;
a copy of the constitutional documents in English may be ordered.
Publications Priority List
The General Secretary shall remove and/or add publications to the priority list in order to keep the list updated and in harmony with RI programs.
Translation Early years:
Individual efforts were done in Egypt, in Lebanon and in other Rotary Arab countries to translate Rotary publications into Arabic language, to print and to distribute them on hard copies and on CD as well.
We recognize all these volunteer efforts which have lightened the road. We thank every Rotarian who showed us the way which will be followed by others.
These publications were translated, printed and distributed without RI support. Only the District 2450 has covered the expenses. In the past, Eugene Barakat [Lebanese] a member of RI staff in Zurich office has translated some documents with the support of RI. But all publications were “officially “stopped when Eugene has left the office.
The Story:
It started during the Rotary International Representatives meeting at Evanston on October 2006. At the opening session and after the RI President 2006-07 Bill Boyd welcome’s address a dialogue was opened between the RIP Boyd and the 17 participants. The Rotary extension and image was discussed frankly. RI Representative to UN-ESCWA Michel P. Jazzar, coming from Lebanon [RI D.2450], has asked a question on Rotary development in the Arab and Islamic countries. He captured the attention of all attendees on the following: “How RI could plan for extension and communicate with a foreign language while more then 300 millions of persons spoke Arabic and almost one billion of Muslims consider the Arabic as a holy language!?”
This debate was reported by Doris Margolis, RI Representative to United Nations and member of RC Washington DC, to her fellow Rotarian Theodore [Ted] Hamady who sends his wishes to RI Staff to support within Rotary clubs, Districts, Rotarians and other organizations the project of translation of essential Rotary publications to Arabic language.
This commitment pushed the RI Staff to get in contact with RIR to UN-ESCWA Michel P. Jazzar who accepted the charge to be the RI Contact for Arabic Rotary Publications – ARP - project.
Enthusiastic to this project, District Governor 2007-2008 Farid Gebran appointed then a District 2450 Committee to fulfill the project, this committee was re-appointed into its mission for 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Rotary International support:
Coincidentally, additional support in this area recently came from the RI Board of Directors who took the decision in November 2007 to have Rotary International produce in-house a very limited of publications into Arabic.
The RI Board included Arabic as one of ten additional languages into which RI will translate and produce documents deemed necessary to the introduction of Rotary into new countries or to support membership development and growth.
The Arabic language is now one of the languages which have the support of RI but It is not yet an official language of the Rotary International.
Since 2007, RI has appointed Michel P. Jazzar as contact for the project of 12 essential Rotary publications to be translated, printed and distributed. These publications will be updated regularly according to the English language.
The project:
The facts:Some of the communities in the Arab world are against Rotary for misunderstanding and lack of communication. Our philosophy:The Rotary respects the human cultures. Our vision:Is to promote Rotary with a great tool: The Arab publications. [We leave to Clubs and District to promote their projects within RI and TRF Programs by direct support and/or by International co-sponsors support.] Our Strategy:Is to develop a big range of yearly publications with the support of RI, Districts, Arab speaking Rotarians and Clubs, International Districts, and Clubs and Rotarians as well. The direct link with the RI Staff is the key of success. A District committee will supervise the project under the leadership of the District Governor. The RI will appoint once a year an RI member who will be responsible of the expenses sheet’s signature which will be covered by RI and to follow the RI policies regarding similar projects. Our Goals:Translation, publication and distribution of the Essential Rotary Publications in full commitment and respect of the RI Policies.
We have divided the publications into two parts:1-Publications for Rotary Administration:
It will be all internal publications needed as material for clubs' administration. The number of copies will be limited for Rotary Officers elected for two consecutive years. The PEs for the coming year and the year after should be very well prepared. So the number will multiply by 3 times the number for Rotary Clubs Presidents [e.g. President Kit].2-Publications for Rotarians and the large public of Non-Rotarians:All publications with general information on RI and TRF Programs that would be interesting to be known by all Rotarians and Non-Rotarians. The number of copies will be 5000 or 10000 to help in promoting Rotary in the Arab Region. We are very interested to let current and new members, as well as Club's guests and weekly speakers be informed on our International Organization.
What are the Essential Rotary Publications?
Rotary Year 2007-2008 publications
001 This is Rotary
035 Manual of Procedure 2007
159 Foundation Fact Card
219 TRF Quick Reference Guide
225 Club Officers Kit
242 District Membership Seminar Leaders' Guide
243 PETS Leaders Guide
244 Assistant Governors Training Manual
254 How to Propose a New Member
414 New Member Orientation
595 Rotary Basics
828 District Assembly Leaders' Guide
900 President's Theme Message
900A President's Citation Program
900B Application form for the President's Citation Program
Other Rotary publications will be translated, printed and distributed by the District 2450 Committee:
Glossary [English-Arabic]
770_RCC Handbook [The Rotary Community Corps – RCC - is a Rotary Club’s project for non-Rotarians]
769_Organization form RCC
788_Brochure RCC
RCC_Guide
RCC_Photo_form
RCC_Update_form
RCC_Presentation
RCC_Presentation _ppt
808- Organizing New Clubs
Organizing a new Clubs: Instructions and Forms
New Publications authorized 2008-2009:
084 (1007) - Rotary Centers brochure
611 Peace Fellowship poster.
Media project for Arabic and Islamic countries:
Project which is now under design , will be explained on time.
The District 2450 Committee 2007-2008:
The District 2450 Governor 2007-2008 Farid Gebran has appointed for this purpose the 1st District Committee. DGE 2008-09 and DGN 2009-2010 are also members of this committee as to secure the work for the two years to come. Also two Rotarians are appointed as "International support" because we are aware that this project will cost money and we should cover all expenses. Here are the names:1. DG 2008-2009 Zakaria el Shafei.
2. PDG 2007-08 Farid Gebran3. DG 2009- 2010 Nijad Al Atassi
4. Michel Jazzar - RI contact for translation and publications
5. International Support: Rotarian Theodore [Ted] Hamady – USA.6. International Support: PDG Najib Zakka – France [Europe].Budget:
The budget will cover: Translation, printing, distribution, miscellaneous expenses. This is Rotary [10000 copies] Rotary 2007-2008 Theme [5000 copies] Rotary 2007-2008 Presidential Citation [5000 copies] Rotary Citation form [5000 copies] Rotary Basics [10000 copies]. Other publications’ copies will depend on the Rotary Officers number.
Bank account:
Favor: Bank Of Beirut S.A.L
Dora Branch, Beirut-Lebanon
Beneficiary: Rotary Association-Lebanon, District 2450
Account Number: (11.401.676118.00)
Swift Code: BABELBBE
Correspondent Bank: Bank Of New York-NY
Rotary Association-Lebanon
GEDCO Center
7th Floor
Sin El-Fil
LEBANON
PO Box 5531 Beirut Lebanon
Communication:
-DG Farid Gebran has introduced this project in the Governor's Monthly Letter. -A blog was launched to introduce the ARP project. http://arpub.hautetfort.com/
You may download the 12 essential publications: Club’s Kit, Assistant Governor manual, logos, RIP Theme and Citation and more on both pages:
http://arpub.wikispaces.com/Rotary+Essential+Publications
http://arpub.wikispaces.com/Other+Arabic+Rotary+Publications
What are the feedbacks?
When we debate on the image of Rotary and Membership Development, we have to be practical. Once a project is launched and got such a support, local, district support and International support, that means we have reached our objectives and fulfill our vision.
We have the support of RI – part for the budget
We got the approval of the DG – part of the budget.
We got the support of the International sponsors:
USA: RC Washington DC and Basra, Iraq Prosthetics Project, RI District #7620 International project.
Conclusion:
More then 300 millions of Arabs and almost one billion of Muslims have in common this language, Arabic is a holy language for almost one billion of human beings!
Rotary International who respects the human diverse cultures took this wise decision [late but better then never!] to give its support [with some restrictions] and to promote the publications in Arabic language.
This project needs now all Rotarians’ continuous support in District 2450 and District 9010 as well because when RI supports our language it means that we are now on the right direction to increase the Membership Development and enhance Rotary image in the Arab countries.
How many of us are happy when a foreign approach is "Salam Aleykoum". These two words are the best ice-breaker. Also it is the same to others when we approach them with their language!
Communication within the Arabic language is still the best way to promote Rotary in the Arab world communities.
This project is expected to cover all clubs of District 2450 and District 9010 [North Africa].
Twelve essential publications and more on RCC are under translation and will be printed and distributed between December 2007 and May 2008. Some will be sent to clubs later on according to the updated publications received from RI.
We have already a financial support confirmation from RI, District 2450, Clubs from District 2450, International sponsors from USA and from individual Rotarians.
We have reached our expectations.
Now we can say: It is done..! Congratulations…
I would like to thank hearty:
-RI Representative to UN Doris Margolis, Rotarians Ted Hamady and Linda Smythe as well who pushed together this project forward to be implemented during year 2007-2008.
-The RI Staff: Hollie Horn [Manager], Cherise Thurman [Coordinator], Jane DeMoss, Jackie Granat and Michele Moiron and unknown RI staff.
-PDG 07-08 Farid Gebran, DG 08-09 Zakaria El Shafei, DG 09-10 Nijad Al Atassi whom gave their full support.
-Members of the Arabic Publications Committee.
-Translators.
-All Clubs and All Rotarians from District 2450, District 9010 and other RI Districts who support this millennium challenging, visionary and ambitious project.
Thanks to All of You, Rotarians and friends of Rotary!
You have made me proud of my Rotary pin and of each of you.
For further information on financial support or project’s inquiries:
Michel P. JAZZAR
RI Contact – ARP - Arabic Rotary Publications
PO Box 1951 – Jounieh – Lebanon.
jazzar@dm.net.lb
Rotary Year 2007-2008 publications
001 This is Rotary
035 Manual of Procedure 2007
159 Foundation Fact Card
219 TRF Quick Reference Guide
225 Club Officers Kit
242 District Membership Seminar Leaders' Guide
243 PETS Leaders Guide
244 Assistant Governors Training Manual
254 How to Propose a New Member
414 New Member Orientation
595 Rotary Basics
828 District Assembly Leaders' Guide
900 President's Theme Message
900A President's Citation Program
900B Application form for the President's Citation Program
Other Rotary publications will be translated, printed and distributed by the District 2450 Committee:
Glossary [English-Arabic]
770_RCC Handbook [The Rotary Community Corps – RCC - is a Rotary Club’s project for non-Rotarians]
769_Organization form RCC
788_Brochure RCC
RCC_Guide
RCC_Photo_form
RCC_Update_form
RCC_Presentation
RCC_Presentation _ppt
808- Organizing New Clubs
Organizing a new Clubs: Instructions and Forms
New Publications authorized 2008-2009:
084 (1007) - Rotary Centers brochure
611 Peace Fellowship poster.
Media project for Arabic and Islamic countries:
Project which is now under design , will be explained on time.
The District 2450 Committee 2007-2008:
The District 2450 Governor 2007-2008 Farid Gebran has appointed for this purpose the 1st District Committee. DGE 2008-09 and DGN 2009-2010 are also members of this committee as to secure the work for the two years to come. Also two Rotarians are appointed as "International support" because we are aware that this project will cost money and we should cover all expenses. Here are the names:1. DG 2008-2009 Zakaria el Shafei.
2. PDG 2007-08 Farid Gebran3. DG 2009- 2010 Nijad Al Atassi
4. Michel Jazzar - RI contact for translation and publications
5. International Support: Rotarian Theodore [Ted] Hamady – USA.6. International Support: PDG Najib Zakka – France [Europe].Budget:
The budget will cover: Translation, printing, distribution, miscellaneous expenses. This is Rotary [10000 copies] Rotary 2007-2008 Theme [5000 copies] Rotary 2007-2008 Presidential Citation [5000 copies] Rotary Citation form [5000 copies] Rotary Basics [10000 copies]. Other publications’ copies will depend on the Rotary Officers number.
Bank account:
Favor: Bank Of Beirut S.A.L
Dora Branch, Beirut-Lebanon
Beneficiary: Rotary Association-Lebanon, District 2450
Account Number: (11.401.676118.00)
Swift Code: BABELBBE
Correspondent Bank: Bank Of New York-NY
Rotary Association-Lebanon
GEDCO Center
7th Floor
Sin El-Fil
LEBANON
PO Box 5531 Beirut Lebanon
Communication:
-DG Farid Gebran has introduced this project in the Governor's Monthly Letter. -A blog was launched to introduce the ARP project. http://arpub.hautetfort.com/
You may download the 12 essential publications: Club’s Kit, Assistant Governor manual, logos, RIP Theme and Citation and more on both pages:
http://arpub.wikispaces.com/Rotary+Essential+Publications
http://arpub.wikispaces.com/Other+Arabic+Rotary+Publications
What are the feedbacks?
When we debate on the image of Rotary and Membership Development, we have to be practical. Once a project is launched and got such a support, local, district support and International support, that means we have reached our objectives and fulfill our vision.
We have the support of RI – part for the budget
We got the approval of the DG – part of the budget.
We got the support of the International sponsors:
USA: RC Washington DC and Basra, Iraq Prosthetics Project, RI District #7620 International project.
Conclusion:
More then 300 millions of Arabs and almost one billion of Muslims have in common this language, Arabic is a holy language for almost one billion of human beings!
Rotary International who respects the human diverse cultures took this wise decision [late but better then never!] to give its support [with some restrictions] and to promote the publications in Arabic language.
This project needs now all Rotarians’ continuous support in District 2450 and District 9010 as well because when RI supports our language it means that we are now on the right direction to increase the Membership Development and enhance Rotary image in the Arab countries.
How many of us are happy when a foreign approach is "Salam Aleykoum". These two words are the best ice-breaker. Also it is the same to others when we approach them with their language!
Communication within the Arabic language is still the best way to promote Rotary in the Arab world communities.
This project is expected to cover all clubs of District 2450 and District 9010 [North Africa].
Twelve essential publications and more on RCC are under translation and will be printed and distributed between December 2007 and May 2008. Some will be sent to clubs later on according to the updated publications received from RI.
We have already a financial support confirmation from RI, District 2450, Clubs from District 2450, International sponsors from USA and from individual Rotarians.
We have reached our expectations.
Now we can say: It is done..! Congratulations…
I would like to thank hearty:
-RI Representative to UN Doris Margolis, Rotarians Ted Hamady and Linda Smythe as well who pushed together this project forward to be implemented during year 2007-2008.
-The RI Staff: Hollie Horn [Manager], Cherise Thurman [Coordinator], Jane DeMoss, Jackie Granat and Michele Moiron and unknown RI staff.
-PDG 07-08 Farid Gebran, DG 08-09 Zakaria El Shafei, DG 09-10 Nijad Al Atassi whom gave their full support.
-Members of the Arabic Publications Committee.
-Translators.
-All Clubs and All Rotarians from District 2450, District 9010 and other RI Districts who support this millennium challenging, visionary and ambitious project.
Thanks to All of You, Rotarians and friends of Rotary!
You have made me proud of my Rotary pin and of each of you.
For further information on financial support or project’s inquiries:
Michel P. JAZZAR
RI Contact – ARP - Arabic Rotary Publications
PO Box 1951 – Jounieh – Lebanon.
jazzar@dm.net.lb
President
Obama's Election and the United States Mission At the United Nations
Mr. McBride noted that the foreign policy that United States does not change very much with different Presidential administrations. Perhaps, the only minor difference may include some additional funding for birth control methods, for example. However, he said, it should be noted that the world has celebrated President Obama's election, particularly in African countries where the citizenry was so elected that one would think that President Obama was elected as President of the African Union.
Similarly, President Obama's administration elevated the new US Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, to a Cabinet-level position. While this has been the case in some other administrations, it is indicative of the level of importance that the new administration places on diplomacy, and the complexed issues facing the United Nations.
The New York
Times biography of the new ambassador stated that Ms. Rice was born
in 1964, and is the daughter of a former governor on the Federal Reserve Board.
She grew up in Washington, where she was a star basketball player, and
valedictorian at the National Cathedral School. In college, she earned an
undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and both a master’s degree and a
doctorate in International
Relations from New College at Oxford University, where she was a
Rhodes Scholar. After graduation, she worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company before joining the
Clinton administration. ambassador rice later became a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and is married to Ian
Cameron, the Canadian-born, executive producer, of ABC News’s “This Week with
George Stephanopoulos” They have two
children.
Our guest speaker stated that his position is dealing with the issues of the Security Council where some of the the major concerns are Peacekeeping operations, Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and Accelerating global climate change.
Our guest speaker stated that his position is dealing with the issues of the Security Council where some of the the major concerns are Peacekeeping operations, Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and Accelerating global climate change.
Regarding United Nations Peacekeeping missions there are eighteen ad-hoc missions now being supported with over 92,000 troops serving around the world. He explained that before the Bosnia peace keeping missions of the 1990's, the troops maintained an "established peace". However, since Bosnia, many of the peacekeeping forces have been involved in situations with significantly more combat.
The United States funds about twenty-six percent of all the peacekeeping missions and there is a $7 billion in the budget. However, the United States and the European Union supply less than five percent of the solders, with the largest percentage of solders coming from Pakistan and India. The United Nations reimburses the local governments that supply the troops at $1,040 per month, per soldier. In addition, the troops also receive significant training and additional funding for uniforms and equipment. Many developing countries find that they benefit financially from providing the troops.
The most difficult areas for the United Nations were the United Nations Operation in Somalia, (UNOSIM) Congo, and the Sudan. As such, the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) had recently been established.
It is important to recall that Chapter 8 of the UN Charter states that regional organizations should handle regional problems, but the African Union has not been successful.
As such, the AU and UN has formed an umbrella relationship to establish peace in these troubled regions.
Regarding the Sudan all outside parties are on the same side but the
technical operation is hard to get right, our guest speaker noted. However,
without doubt, the United States has been very supportive in assisting in the
financing of $60 million toward the support of the efforts. However the US
government has criticized the AU because it has not been able to provide
transparent and documented accounting of the the funding. The EU is not as
strict in requiring accurate accounting of the funds they have provided to the
region.
The United States funds about 26 percent of all the Peace Keeping
missions and there is about $7 billion in the budget.
Rotary's
Youth Program at the United Nations - November 2008
Photo: More than 600 high school students
left their home towns in the middle of the night to arrive at the United
Nations by 8:30am
The 2008 Youth Program, at the United Nations, on "Rotary/UN Day" was an outstanding success. PDG Helen Reisler, Rotary International Alt. Representative to the UN, a Past President of the Rotary Club of New York, and a Zone Director of the Rotary Global History Fellowship, was chosen to organize and coordinate this important event. She took on this responsibility with a passionate belief that this generation of youngsters, our future parents, professionals, business and community leaders, are the hope for ensuring Rotary's future.and our "tools" for greater peace and understanding.
The purpose of this Youth Program was to show the High School audience how Rotary works with young people such as themselves, and guides them in doing United Nations work in communities around the world, while enriching their own lives in the process.
To reach this goal, Helen's first step was to choose a planning team of Rotarians from various clubs, each possessing an individual skill. Along with Andrew Morzello and Omar Herrera who were co-moderators, the team was composed of John Porco,a graphics designer who kept the audience mesmerized with informational "Hip Hop" videos, Roger Risko who set up a "Radio Rotary Tent" to interview the youngsters, Matts Ingemanson who imparted his expertise on "The Young Paul Harris", Susanne Wetzel who challenged the students with "The 4-Way Test", Roger Swanson, our Student Exchange coordinator, Sue Donnelly, Interact/Rotaract expert, David DelMonte, scheduling master, Scarlett Pildes who utilized her various connections., and Kelly Roberts President of Rotaract at the UN.
Effective Publicity resulted in twice the audience of last year's event, drawing 650 people, and featured more than 20 presenters on 4 panels. The topics were varied and presenters travelled in from many locations. The presentations, which kept the attention of the audience for three hours, included:
"Overview of the UN", "Model United Nations," Shelterbox;Global Response to Humanitarian Needs," "Ending Child Trafficking," "Elderact;Enhancing the Lives of Seniors," "Making an Impact in Your Community," "Gift of Life," "Fighting Aids in Africa/Spreading Happiness in Harlem," "Water Projects in Honduras with Engineers Without Borders," "Community Based Rotaract," "Spring Break;a Time for Fun or Service?," "Safe Childhood;Emergency Medicine for Uganda Children," "Building Leaders Locally," "Expanding to International Leadership," "Exploring a New Culture in France," "How My Life Changed in Chile." the panels covered Interact, Rotaract, RYLA and Exchange Student projects.
RI President Dong Kurn Lee concluded the program with inspiring words meant to encourage the students to begin to make service a part of their lives.Followup analysis showed that many students took this seriously by adopting projects into existing Interact Clubs, or starting new clubs in their High Schools. Interestingly, "Ending Child Trafficking" was one of the favorites.
Listing
of Articles
Uzbekistan Ambassador
Religions for Peace
Global Business Ethitcs
United Nations University
Honduras Ambassador
Rotary Joins Global Compact
Concert to End Polio
Costa Rican Ambassador on the Environment
Arab Human Development Report
Turkish Armenian Protocol Agreement
Peace and Development Conference in Mexico
Caritas In Veritate
North Korea and the United Nations
UNited to End Violence Against Women
Rotary Publications Translated into Aribic
President Obama's Election and the United States Mission
Rotary's Youth Program at te United Nations
Rotary's Man at the United Nations - Sylvan Barnet
Public-Private Alliance
Rotary Day 2006 http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/11/rotarians-and-rotaract-fill-united.html
2008 Elections http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/04/united-nations-electorial-assisantce.html
UNESCO http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/04/unesco.html
Norway http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/01/norways-ambassador-encouraging-more-ngo.html
Ban Ki Moon http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=7575825020085378873
Alliance of Civilization http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=116203217733751697
Siera Leone http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-post_19.html
Rotary Unilevel and Cirque du Soli Honored At UN http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post.html
June 2006 china Ambassador http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/06/china-and-united-nations-june-2006.html#comments
Mia Farrow http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/04/unicef-goodwill-ambassador-and-actress.html
Gender http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/01/ambassador-eva-tomic-deputy.html
Bolton http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/12/united-states-ambassador-john-bolton.html
military http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/12/secretary-generals-un-military-advisor.html
Singapore http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/04/singapores-ambassador-meets-new-york.html
Iraqi Ambassador http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=113623752690889379
Kenya http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/kenyan-ambassador-promotes-african.html
German Analysis of 2005 Summit http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=113623918752848443
Russian http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/deputy-ambassador-of-russian.html
Holy See http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/holy-see-in-international-arena-june.html
Rotary's
Man at the United Nations: Sylvan Barnet
"Sylvan Barnet: Rotary's Man at the UN" from the July
2009 Rotarian Magazine.
For more than 20 years, Sylvan M. Barnet Jr. has been one of RI's representatives to the United Nations. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he worked in Paris at the International Herald Tribune, becoming its publisher in 1954. In 1959, he cofounded Barnet & Reef Associates, a pioneer in international public relations, and he later worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Barnet, known to his friends as "Barney," is a member of the Rotary Club of New York.
The Rotarian: Rotary was one of the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that contributed to the UN charter in 1945. What's Rotary's role at the UN today?
Sylvan Barnet: We're a consultative NGO, so we've got a lot more clout than the information-only NGOs. There are some 3,000 NGOs at the UN, but only about 150 of us in the UN's General category -- for that, you have to be worldwide and work on a number of issues, not just one.
TR: How important is Rotary's role?
Barnet: Think of Rotary as being representative of 1.7 million people, if you include Rotaractors and Interactors. The rep from Grenada, he represents 90,000 people. So why shouldn't they listen to us? Take polio eradication. Rotary's real legacy there is social mobilization. That takes planning, manpower, networking, monitoring, and surveillance. That's experience we've had at the global level, in 121 countries where we've eradicated polio. Governments don't have that kind of manpower.
TR: What changes have you seen in your years at the UN?
Barnet: For starters, there are 89 new democracies in the world and not as many mad dictators. In that sense, the world has gotten better.
TR: Is there a sense in which it's not better?
Barnet: They all have one vote. Tiny countries have the same vote as big ones. So you've got a nondemocratic Security Council and a much-too-democratic General Assembly. But there are also new parts to the UN system, like the office for the least developed countries and small island developing states, which helps them greatly.
TR: How has financing for development evolved?
Barnet: The private sector is now welcome, with foreign direct investment. There's an old saying, goes back to the Depression years, that you can't do business in a poor house. Private investment and capital flows are now much bigger than government flows of aid.
TR: Why do we need the UN?
Barnet: With all its faults, the UN is the only place in the world where it all comes together. Newspapers mainly report on the Security Council, so people don't realize that 80 percent of the UN's work is humanitarian. No other place has [so much] information and resources, and all these people coming together, including civil society (NGOs). That's got to be worth something.
For more than 20 years, Sylvan M. Barnet Jr. has been one of RI's representatives to the United Nations. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he worked in Paris at the International Herald Tribune, becoming its publisher in 1954. In 1959, he cofounded Barnet & Reef Associates, a pioneer in international public relations, and he later worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Barnet, known to his friends as "Barney," is a member of the Rotary Club of New York.
The Rotarian: Rotary was one of the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that contributed to the UN charter in 1945. What's Rotary's role at the UN today?
Sylvan Barnet: We're a consultative NGO, so we've got a lot more clout than the information-only NGOs. There are some 3,000 NGOs at the UN, but only about 150 of us in the UN's General category -- for that, you have to be worldwide and work on a number of issues, not just one.
TR: How important is Rotary's role?
Barnet: Think of Rotary as being representative of 1.7 million people, if you include Rotaractors and Interactors. The rep from Grenada, he represents 90,000 people. So why shouldn't they listen to us? Take polio eradication. Rotary's real legacy there is social mobilization. That takes planning, manpower, networking, monitoring, and surveillance. That's experience we've had at the global level, in 121 countries where we've eradicated polio. Governments don't have that kind of manpower.
TR: What changes have you seen in your years at the UN?
Barnet: For starters, there are 89 new democracies in the world and not as many mad dictators. In that sense, the world has gotten better.
TR: Is there a sense in which it's not better?
Barnet: They all have one vote. Tiny countries have the same vote as big ones. So you've got a nondemocratic Security Council and a much-too-democratic General Assembly. But there are also new parts to the UN system, like the office for the least developed countries and small island developing states, which helps them greatly.
TR: How has financing for development evolved?
Barnet: The private sector is now welcome, with foreign direct investment. There's an old saying, goes back to the Depression years, that you can't do business in a poor house. Private investment and capital flows are now much bigger than government flows of aid.
TR: Why do we need the UN?
Barnet: With all its faults, the UN is the only place in the world where it all comes together. Newspapers mainly report on the Security Council, so people don't realize that 80 percent of the UN's work is humanitarian. No other place has [so much] information and resources, and all these people coming together, including civil society (NGOs). That's got to be worth something.
Rotary
Day 2006 http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/11/rotarians-and-rotaract-fill-united.html
2008 Elections http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/04/united-nations-electorial-assisantce.html
UNESCO http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/04/unesco.html
Norway http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/01/norways-ambassador-encouraging-more-ngo.html
Ban Ki Moon http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=7575825020085378873
Alliance of Civilization http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=116203217733751697
Siera Leone http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-post_19.html
Rotary Unilevel and Cirque du Soli Honored At UN http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post.html
June 2006 china Ambassador http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/06/china-and-united-nations-june-2006.html#comments
Mia Farrow http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/04/unicef-goodwill-ambassador-and-actress.html
Gender http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/01/ambassador-eva-tomic-deputy.html
Bolton http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/12/united-states-ambassador-john-bolton.html
military http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/12/secretary-generals-un-military-advisor.html
Singapore http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/04/singapores-ambassador-meets-new-york.html
Iraqi Ambassador http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=113623752690889379
Kenya http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/kenyan-ambassador-promotes-african.html
German Analysis of 2005 Summit http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=113623918752848443
Russian http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/deputy-ambassador-of-russian.html
Holy See http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/holy-see-in-international-arena-june.html
2008 Elections http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/04/united-nations-electorial-assisantce.html
UNESCO http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/04/unesco.html
Norway http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/01/norways-ambassador-encouraging-more-ngo.html
Ban Ki Moon http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=7575825020085378873
Alliance of Civilization http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=116203217733751697
Siera Leone http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-post_19.html
Rotary Unilevel and Cirque du Soli Honored At UN http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post.html
June 2006 china Ambassador http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/06/china-and-united-nations-june-2006.html#comments
Mia Farrow http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/04/unicef-goodwill-ambassador-and-actress.html
Gender http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2007/01/ambassador-eva-tomic-deputy.html
Bolton http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/12/united-states-ambassador-john-bolton.html
military http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/12/secretary-generals-un-military-advisor.html
Singapore http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/04/singapores-ambassador-meets-new-york.html
Iraqi Ambassador http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=113623752690889379
Kenya http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/kenyan-ambassador-promotes-african.html
German Analysis of 2005 Summit http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=20440208&postID=113623918752848443
Russian http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/deputy-ambassador-of-russian.html
Holy See http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com/2006/01/holy-see-in-international-arena-june.html
World
Health Organization
Also at the meeting and in the photo is Dr. Giorgio Giovannoni (middle) and the Benin Minister Counselor to the United Nation (second from the right) to announce the establishment of the new hospital in Benin that Dr. Giovannoni was instrumental in building and financing.
The World Health Organization has partnered with several of Rotary International's world-wide action groups including diabetes, malaria reduction, and treated bed nets distribution. In addition to the recent grant of $255 million from the Bill Gates Foundation, Rotarians have already raised $700 million and is expected to have spent about $1 billion in the Polio-plus campaign within the next future.
Our guest speaker pointed out that The World Health Organization was established on April 7 1948 and was a continuation of the Health Organization of the League of Nations. As a result, it has retained its headquarters at the former League of Nations compound in Geneva, Switzerland. It is funded by the 193 member states with offices in 147 countries within six regional centers.
Unlike most other UN agencies, WHO still uses the regions based system based on the League of Nation delineation rather than that of most of the post-1948 organizations of the United Nations.
Labeling medicine and establishing a world wide standards The New York Office is to work with UN headquarters and works closes with the UN economic and Security council. The Secretary General has made health one of his three top priorities for his first term. Global health and foreign policy-Secretary general to adapt resolution global and heath security
Label medicines and establishing a world-wide standard on medicines and doses is one of the long established responsibilities of WHO. It is essential that health practitioners can be assured that drugs and drug names are consistent throughout the world. A second responsibility is that with more than two billion air travel passenger a year, WHO has established health containment standards for governments to inform other governments health containment of acute transmittable diseases on a cross-boarder level
Future challenges of WHO include:
- Complete
eradication of polio with the support of Rotary. While there are less than
two thousand cases of Polio worldwide some educational and organization
work still needs to be continued
- Curtail Diabetes increase due to
increased economic development and improved life style changes an unintended
consequence is such less exercise and changing diets and diabetes is on an
upward curve in many countries.
- Climate-change has already had a
negative impact on disease and food production. For example malaria is on
the increase in South America when it was primarily an African and Asian
disease. Agricultural production may be affected.
- Malnutrition causes one-quarter
of the worlds children' death, and 240 million are undernourished at any
given time. Climate patterns change China Gobi desert is encroaching on
agricultural lands in southern China need to feed more than 1 billion
people Global warming is affecting weather patterns creating dryer
conditions. If the warming continues, deserts which make up 25 per cent of
China’s land will expand to 40 per cent.
- Finical crisis - governments are
retooling their $2.3 billion budget and WHO sees no increase in their
budget. WHO will have to do more with much less during the current fiscal
crisis. Historically, education and health budgets are the first to be
reduced when governments are under pressure
- Partnerships with private sector
Ambivalent relation with pharmaceutical. WHO is partnering with Pfizer and
help distribute drugs and also on research.Pfizer announced collaboration
that gives access to its library of medicinal compounds – the world’s
largest – and also brings scientists from developing countries into
Pfizer’s laboratories for training in drug discovery techniques.
Public-Private
Alliance Foundation to Reduce Global Poverty
(Photo: Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy (left) and David
Stillman.)
Also participating in the the discussion was
Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy, the Permanent Representative of
Madagascar to the United Nations. Previously he was also Ambassador to the
United States, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
As stated on the PPAF website: The Public Private Alliance
Foundation (PPAF) is a non-profit
organization dedicated to reducing poverty in the world by bringing together
business, governmental, community, academic, United Nations and other
interests. Through collaboration, we help stimulate entrepreneurship and
commerce-related activities and encourage investment for sustainable
development. Focusing initially on the Dominican Republic and Madagascar, our
vision is to make a difference for human betterment.PPAF works in program areas including
agribusiness, education, microfinance,
health, information technology, remittances, renewable energy, and water and
sanitation. It works closely with the United Nations for policies that advance
public-private alliances.
Enhancing
The Pharmaceutical Infrastucture in Africa
Dr. Rolande received the 2009
Astellas USA Foundation humanitarian
award for her work as founder and president of AIDSfreeAFRICA,
a non-profit organization based in New York. http://www.aidsfreeafrica.org/
Born in German, Rolande is a US citizen
and a legal resident of Cameroon. She has worked for companies such as BASF/Germany, Nanocrystals
Technolopgy/NY, Pharmaceutical Discovery
Corporation/NY (today Mannkind/CT) and Emisphere Technologies/NY. Education: She
received her Masters of Science in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of
Kansas in 1995 and her Ph D in Organic
Chemistry from the City University of New York, Queens College in 2005.
American Chemical Society (ACS).
Activities: Member since 1991; Director at large NY Section 2010 asked to run
and 2004 served; Westchester Chemical
Society, Director 1995-1997 and treasurer since 1998 to present. ACS Committee on International Activities,
appointed Associate 2009. National Tour Speaker for ACS speaker’s bureau speaking on “Drug Production
in Africa”. Other activities: Serves on the board of directors of Chemists
Without Borders. Represents Servas, an
international peace organization at the United Nations. She is active in
Rotary.
It was very appropriate that since our breakfast meeting is held at the German Mission Dr. Rhonde sent the quote "The humanity of our world will be measured against the fate of Africa," from Horst Koehler, German President and former managing director of the Washington, DC-based International Monetary Fund, in his inauguration address in 2004.
It was very appropriate that since our breakfast meeting is held at the German Mission Dr. Rhonde sent the quote "The humanity of our world will be measured against the fate of Africa," from Horst Koehler, German President and former managing director of the Washington, DC-based International Monetary Fund, in his inauguration address in 2004.
AIDSfreeAFRICA, a
501-c-3 non-profit organization, recently advanced into the semifinals of the Buckminster Fuller Design Challenge: An annual distinguished award of
$100,000 prize to support the development and implementation of a strategy that
has significant potential to solve humanity’s most pressing problems.
The goal is the emergence of a pharmaceutical infrastructure that provides
Africans with access to affordable drugs, diagnostics and tests. AIDSfreeAFRICA gives technical advice and
management expertise, arranges for training, provides donated equipment and
makes capital available. AIDSfreeAFRICA
facilitates the utilization of donor money in projects that have an immediate
and profound impact on the lives of the recipients, their families and
communities on a local level through microfinance
programs.
.
.
Also at the breakfast meeting was Melissa Kushner of the Goods for Good organization. As stated on
their web site: Through partnerships with companies in the United States and
local organizations in Africa, they are able to provide much needed school
supplies, clothing and health and hygiene products to orphans and vulnerable
children, while at the same time reducing waste at home.
Goods for Good rely on donations of surplus goods from a wide range of companies. Their volunteers help to sort the items and donors fund the shipment. In Africa, they build on the success of local schools and community centers by supplying them with the tools they need to care for and educate children.
Many of the items we ship to children were gathering dust in warehouses or were slated to be destroyed. On the other side of the world, these same products have an immeasurable worth to disadvantaged children.
Goods for Good rely on donations of surplus goods from a wide range of companies. Their volunteers help to sort the items and donors fund the shipment. In Africa, they build on the success of local schools and community centers by supplying them with the tools they need to care for and educate children.
Many of the items we ship to children were gathering dust in warehouses or were slated to be destroyed. On the other side of the world, these same products have an immeasurable worth to disadvantaged children.
Italian
Rotary Delegation Welcomed at United Nations
They visited the United Nations on Dec. 5, 2008 and attended a conference mainly on the governance and the legal side of the United Nations. After the conference, they enjoyed a fellowship lunch at the German Mission to the United Nations. On Dec. 6 an Inter-club Gala Dinner was attended, and on Dec. 8 they attended the weekly lunch of the Rotary Cub of New York at the Harvard Club on West. 44th Street in Midtown New York.
At the conference, it was pointed out that Rotary has RI presidential-appointed representatives to every part of the United Nations system: There are five Rotarians assigned to New York, two in each Rome, Geneva, Paris, Vienna, and Nairobi, respectively. There are also Rotary representatives to the World Bank, the African Union, and the Organization for American States (OAS), and to the regional commissions of the Economic & Social Council.
Sylvan Barnet, the Alternate Representative to the United Nations, noted that in Rome, Rotary representatives work with the Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program. He also explained that Rotarians also helped to write the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945, with 49 Rotarians in 29 delegations active in the process. With this long and productive partnership, Rotary shares the highest status among NGOs at the UN with about one hundred and fifty other NGO's. Rotary contributes to over twenty social/humanitarian issues
particularly those dealing with the UN Millennium Development goals to:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger.
- Achieve universal primary
education.
- Promote gender equality and
empower women.
- Reduce child mortality.
- Improve maternal health.
- Combat HIV/AIDS,
malaria and other diseases,
- Ensure
environmental sustainability
- Develop global
partnerships for development
A delegation of
more than
forty Rotarians from Italy's Viterbo and Rome Clubs visited the United Nations
during the first week of December 2008. Included in the delegation from the
Viterbo Club was President Stefano Marini and from the Roma Appia Antica club
was President Enrico Bruschini and
Bolsena Ducato Di Castro.
In addition, the former INNERWHEEL Governor, Mrs. Maria Teresa Battistelli Lecchini also attended. New York Rotarian, Giovanni Cicero, was their host, who is a frequent friend and visitor to their clubs, when he is Italy.
They visited the United Nations on Dec. 5, 2008 and attended a conference mainly on the governance and the legal side of the United Nations. After the conference, they enjoyed a fellowship lunch at the German Mission to the United Nations. On Dec. 6 an Inter-club Gala Dinner was attended, and on Dec. 8 they attended the weekly lunch of the Rotary Cub of New York at the Harvard Club on West. 44th Street in Midtown New York.
At the conference, it was pointed out that Rotary has RI presidential-appointed representatives to every part of the United Nations system: There are five Rotarians assigned to New York, two in each Rome, Geneva, Paris, Vienna, and Nairobi, respectively. There are also Rotary representatives to the World Bank, the African Union, and the Organization for American States (OAS), and to the regional commissions of the Economic & Social Council.
Sylvan Barnet, the Alternate Representative to the United Nations, noted that in Rome, Rotary representatives work with the Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program. He also expained that Rotarians also helped to write the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945, with 49 Rotarians in 29 delegations active in the process. With this long and productive partnership, Rotary shares the highest status among NGOs at the UN with about one hundred and fifty other NGO's. Rotary contributes to over twenty social/humanitarian issues
particularly those dealing with the UN Millennium Development goals to:
Bolsena Ducato Di Castro.
In addition, the former INNERWHEEL Governor, Mrs. Maria Teresa Battistelli Lecchini also attended. New York Rotarian, Giovanni Cicero, was their host, who is a frequent friend and visitor to their clubs, when he is Italy.
They visited the United Nations on Dec. 5, 2008 and attended a conference mainly on the governance and the legal side of the United Nations. After the conference, they enjoyed a fellowship lunch at the German Mission to the United Nations. On Dec. 6 an Inter-club Gala Dinner was attended, and on Dec. 8 they attended the weekly lunch of the Rotary Cub of New York at the Harvard Club on West. 44th Street in Midtown New York.
At the conference, it was pointed out that Rotary has RI presidential-appointed representatives to every part of the United Nations system: There are five Rotarians assigned to New York, two in each Rome, Geneva, Paris, Vienna, and Nairobi, respectively. There are also Rotary representatives to the World Bank, the African Union, and the Organization for American States (OAS), and to the regional commissions of the Economic & Social Council.
Sylvan Barnet, the Alternate Representative to the United Nations, noted that in Rome, Rotary representatives work with the Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program. He also expained that Rotarians also helped to write the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945, with 49 Rotarians in 29 delegations active in the process. With this long and productive partnership, Rotary shares the highest status among NGOs at the UN with about one hundred and fifty other NGO's. Rotary contributes to over twenty social/humanitarian issues
particularly those dealing with the UN Millennium Development goals to:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger.
- Achieve universal primary
education.
- Promote gender equality and
empower women.
- Reduce child mortality.
- Improve maternal health.
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases,
- Ensure environmental
sustainability
- Develop global
partnerships for development.
New
York Rotarian Meets With Pope Benedict XVI at United Nations
New York
Rotarian Josef Klee welcomes Pope Benedict XVI during his April visit to United
Nations Headquarters. Mr. Klee is a volunteer adviser to the Holy See at the
United Nations headquarters in New York.
.
On April 18, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization at the organization’s headquarters in New York. He is the third Pope to address the United Nations, following Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. (Pope John Paul II addressed the United Nations twice, in 1979 and in 1995.)
.
Upon arriving at the United Nations, Pope Benedict XVI was welcomed by the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Srgjan Kerim. Before addressing the General Assembly, Pope Benedict met privately with the Secretary-General.
.
He noted that the founding principles of the United Nations – the desire for peace, a sense of justice, respect for the dignity of the human person, and cooperation and humanitarian assistance — are just aspirations of the human spirit. The Holy See shares an interest in these principles.
.
Questions of security, development, reducing inequality, and care of the environment require collective action in good faith for the common good. While scientific and technological advances can be of great help, some can rob the human person and the family of their identity. He called on the international community to act with juridical means when needed to safeguard human rights.
The Holy Father spoke of the critical importance of protecting human rights, noting the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Promoting human rights is the most effective strategy for reducing inequality and increasing security. Human rights are not simply a matter of law, but of justice, based in the natural law written on the human heart.
Once again, the Holy Father spoke of the importance of dialogue between religions as a way of building consensus in service of the common good. He emphasized the importance of freedom of religion in its public as well as its private dimension.
Pope Benedict said that the Catholic Church wishes to offer her proper contribution to international relations, making available her centuries of experience. He concluded his address by greeting the assembly in all the official languages of the United Nations, wishing them peace and prosperity with God’s help.
The assembly responded to his address with a standing ovation.
.
.
.
.....................German Mission Economic Director
The Guest
Speaker at the April Breakfast meeting was the
Minister Plenipotentiary and Head
of the Economic Department
of the German Mission to the United Nations
Victoria Zimmerman Von Siefart. She has
worked with the German Foreign Service
since 1985 and has an impressive backgroung of heading Foreign Service
Departs in London, Philippines, Switzerland and New York. Ms. Zimmerman Von Siefart was born in Bombay, India and
was educated in The Netherlands and Germany, and studied in Paris, Freiburg im Breisgau, and
Bonn.
.
On April 18, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization at the organization’s headquarters in New York. He is the third Pope to address the United Nations, following Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. (Pope John Paul II addressed the United Nations twice, in 1979 and in 1995.)
.
Upon arriving at the United Nations, Pope Benedict XVI was welcomed by the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Srgjan Kerim. Before addressing the General Assembly, Pope Benedict met privately with the Secretary-General.
.
He noted that the founding principles of the United Nations – the desire for peace, a sense of justice, respect for the dignity of the human person, and cooperation and humanitarian assistance — are just aspirations of the human spirit. The Holy See shares an interest in these principles.
.
Questions of security, development, reducing inequality, and care of the environment require collective action in good faith for the common good. While scientific and technological advances can be of great help, some can rob the human person and the family of their identity. He called on the international community to act with juridical means when needed to safeguard human rights.
The Holy Father spoke of the critical importance of protecting human rights, noting the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Promoting human rights is the most effective strategy for reducing inequality and increasing security. Human rights are not simply a matter of law, but of justice, based in the natural law written on the human heart.
Once again, the Holy Father spoke of the importance of dialogue between religions as a way of building consensus in service of the common good. He emphasized the importance of freedom of religion in its public as well as its private dimension.
Pope Benedict said that the Catholic Church wishes to offer her proper contribution to international relations, making available her centuries of experience. He concluded his address by greeting the assembly in all the official languages of the United Nations, wishing them peace and prosperity with God’s help.
The assembly responded to his address with a standing ovation.
.
.
.
.....................German Mission Economic Director
.
.
According to the Economic and Sustainable Development Commision,
efforts to reduce poverty and improve food security in developing countries are
hampered by declining support for strong agricultural growth, long considered a
hallmark of successful poverty reduction strategies, according to the 2008
Trends in Sustainable Development report published by the Department of
Economic and Social Affairs.
.
The report highlights recent trends in agriculture, rural
development, land, desertification and drought – five of the six themes being
considered by the Commission on Sustainable Development at its 16th and 17th
sessions (2008-2009).
.
Strong agricultural growth is four times more effective than
growth in other sectors in benefiting the poorest half of the population, the
report finds. However, while many developing countries have posted gains in
agricultural production, distribution and exports, people living in areas of
high inequality and in isolation from the broader economy typically benefit
little from them.
Recent Food Crisis and Price Increase
The United Nations Secretary-General established a Task Force on
the Global Food Security Crisis under his chairmanship and composed of the
heads of the United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes, Bretton
Woods institutions and relevant parts of the UN Secretariat. The primary aim of
the Task Force is to promote a unified response to the global food price
challenge, including by facilitating the creation of a prioritized plan of
action and coordinating its implementation. The Secretary-General appointed UN
Under-Secretary-General John Holmes as Task Force Coordinator and Assistant
Secretary-General David Nabarro as Deputy Coordinator
More Support for Africa
The second meeting of the MDGs Africa Steering Group was held at
UN Headquarters in New York on 10 March 2008 reviewed a first set of draft recommendations
from the MDG Africa Working Group, and proposed that African Governments work,
with support from the international community, to:
launch an African Green Revolution to accelerate economic growth and combat hunger;
implement comprehensive school feeding programmes using locally produced food and ensuring coverage of micronutrients;
achieve the Education for All Goals by 2015, including gender parity at all levels, and implementing the Action Plan for the Second Decade on Education;
control infectious diseases;
ensure access to emergency obstetric care for all women by 2015;
provide family planning services for all by 2015;
meet the water supply and sanitation MDG targets;
make critical infrastructure investments in power, transportation, water and sanitation to raise productivity, ensure low-cost service delivery, and integrate Africa into the global economy; and
implement the Marrakesh Action Plan for Statistics.
launch an African Green Revolution to accelerate economic growth and combat hunger;
implement comprehensive school feeding programmes using locally produced food and ensuring coverage of micronutrients;
achieve the Education for All Goals by 2015, including gender parity at all levels, and implementing the Action Plan for the Second Decade on Education;
control infectious diseases;
ensure access to emergency obstetric care for all women by 2015;
provide family planning services for all by 2015;
meet the water supply and sanitation MDG targets;
make critical infrastructure investments in power, transportation, water and sanitation to raise productivity, ensure low-cost service delivery, and integrate Africa into the global economy; and
implement the Marrakesh Action Plan for Statistics.
United
Nations Electorial Assistance Department
Historically this department of the UN included advancing the principle of self-determination of peoples through the development of self-government and decolonization. In the modern period, it has entailed establishing and advancing the principle of democracy and political rights.
Today, the United Nations system is engaged in a wide range of development assistance activities which are intended to support the efforts of governments to promote democratic election processes. Since 1989, the United Nations has received over 140 requests for electoral assistance from Member States. Member States most often seek advice and assistance on the legal, technical, administrative, and human rights aspects of organizing and conducting democratic elections or seek the Organization's assistance in supporting the international observation of an electoral process.
In practice, the objectives of United Nations electoral assistance are essentially two-fold:
(1) to assist Member States in their efforts to hold credible and legitimate democratic elections in accordance with internationally recognized criteria established in universal and regional human rights instruments;
(2) to contribute to building the recipient country's institutional capacity to organize democratic elections that are genuine and periodic and have the full confidence of the contending parties and the electorate.
It was pointed out that the United Nations recognizes that there is no single political system or electoral method equally suited to all nations. While comparative experience and examples provide useful guidance for the construction of democratic institutions, assistance strategies should ultimately be shaped by the particular needs and circumstances of the country seeking assistance, taken within the framework of international standards. United Nations activities in the field of electoral assistance are conducted in conformity with the basic principles of the sovereign equality of States and respect for their territorial integrity and political independence, as enunciated in the UN Charter. Assistance activities are carried out only where requested by national authorities of Member States and broadly supported by the people of the country concerned.
UNESCO
Director Outlines Goals and Objectives
(Photo: From left to right are New York Rotarians Kamu Kilinc, Sylvan Barnet and our guest speaker Ms. Gosselin)
The March speaker at the Rotary Club of New York International
Service meeting was the director of the UNESCO's
Liaison Office of the New York Office Hélène-Marie
Gosselin. Prior to her current position,
she was Director of the UNESCO Caribbean Cluster Office in Kingston, Jamaica,
covering 20 English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries.
Ms. Gosselin joined UNESCO in 1993 as Director of the Office of Public Information at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris, France. In 1997, the Secretary-General appointed her as Commissioner General for the United Nations at the World Exposition Expo 1998 on the Oceans in Lisbon, Portugal. Ms Gosselin was once again appointed by the UN Secretary-General and by UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura, in 2002 as the Commissioner General of the United Nations for Expo 2005, Aichi, Japan on the theme of Nature’s Wisdom.
Ms. Gosselin joined the United Nations in 1979. She held several posts at UNICEF in the Information and External Relations Division at the Organization’s Headquarters in New York, as well as, in the Geneva Office for Europe in Switzerland. She returned to New York as Assistant to the Director of the Information Division in 1985.
From 1987 to 1991, she headed the Regional Communication, Information and External Relations programme of the UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. In 1991 she was appointed Director-General of the Communications Branch at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Ottawa, Canada.
A History graduate, Ms Gosselin pursued post-graduate studies in Political Science, History and Business Administration at the University of Montreal in Canada. As Editor-in-Chief of a business monthly magazine, published by Southam Business Publications, Ms Gosselin received several national journalism awards. She was appointed at the European Union Canadian Delegation in 1976 as Deputy Head in the Press and Information Service.
As outlined on its website UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 193* Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. *As of October 2007 UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture. This role is critical, particularly in the face of terrorism, which constitutes an attack against humanity. The world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.
Through its strategies and activities, UNESCO is actively pursuing the Millennium Development Goals, especially those aiming to:
• halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries by 2015
• achieve universal primary education in all countries by 2015
• eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005
• help countries implement a national strategy for sustainable development by 2005 to reverse current trends in the loss of environmental resources by 2015.
• UNESCO and the United Nations Millennium Goals
UNESCO AND NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
Since its inception, UNESCO has recognized that non-governmental organizations and foundations which have concerns close to its own play an important role in international cooperation in the service of peoples.
For more than a half-century, UNESCO has woven a valuable tapestry of cooperative relations with a number of such organizations in its fields of competence, thereby enabling it to work with civil society in achieving its objectives and to disseminate through them its democratic and ethical ideals. Currently, UNESCO is enjoying official relations with 310 international NGOs and 19 foundations and similar institutions which are working in the fields of competence of the Organization. In addition to this formal framework, the Organization has been carrying out a range of activities hand in hand with NGOs, not only at international and regional levels, but also at national level.
Ms. Gosselin joined UNESCO in 1993 as Director of the Office of Public Information at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris, France. In 1997, the Secretary-General appointed her as Commissioner General for the United Nations at the World Exposition Expo 1998 on the Oceans in Lisbon, Portugal. Ms Gosselin was once again appointed by the UN Secretary-General and by UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura, in 2002 as the Commissioner General of the United Nations for Expo 2005, Aichi, Japan on the theme of Nature’s Wisdom.
Ms. Gosselin joined the United Nations in 1979. She held several posts at UNICEF in the Information and External Relations Division at the Organization’s Headquarters in New York, as well as, in the Geneva Office for Europe in Switzerland. She returned to New York as Assistant to the Director of the Information Division in 1985.
From 1987 to 1991, she headed the Regional Communication, Information and External Relations programme of the UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. In 1991 she was appointed Director-General of the Communications Branch at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Ottawa, Canada.
A History graduate, Ms Gosselin pursued post-graduate studies in Political Science, History and Business Administration at the University of Montreal in Canada. As Editor-in-Chief of a business monthly magazine, published by Southam Business Publications, Ms Gosselin received several national journalism awards. She was appointed at the European Union Canadian Delegation in 1976 as Deputy Head in the Press and Information Service.
As outlined on its website UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 193* Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. *As of October 2007 UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture. This role is critical, particularly in the face of terrorism, which constitutes an attack against humanity. The world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.
Through its strategies and activities, UNESCO is actively pursuing the Millennium Development Goals, especially those aiming to:
• halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries by 2015
• achieve universal primary education in all countries by 2015
• eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005
• help countries implement a national strategy for sustainable development by 2005 to reverse current trends in the loss of environmental resources by 2015.
• UNESCO and the United Nations Millennium Goals
UNESCO AND NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
Since its inception, UNESCO has recognized that non-governmental organizations and foundations which have concerns close to its own play an important role in international cooperation in the service of peoples.
For more than a half-century, UNESCO has woven a valuable tapestry of cooperative relations with a number of such organizations in its fields of competence, thereby enabling it to work with civil society in achieving its objectives and to disseminate through them its democratic and ethical ideals. Currently, UNESCO is enjoying official relations with 310 international NGOs and 19 foundations and similar institutions which are working in the fields of competence of the Organization. In addition to this formal framework, the Organization has been carrying out a range of activities hand in hand with NGOs, not only at international and regional levels, but also at national level.
In the photo the Consul General is introduced by the president of The Rotary Club of New York, Dr. Camilo Uy (right).
Ms. Neelam Deo was appointed the Consul General of India, New York in October, 2005. She has a Masters degree in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics and had taught in Kamala Nehru College, Delhi University. As a career diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service with over three decades in the Indian Diplomatic Corps, Ms. Deo has been India’s Ambassador to Denmark and Ivory Coast, with concurrent accreditation to Sierra Leone, Niger & Guinea. Prior to her assignment in New York, she was Head of the Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar Division in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, dealing with India's overall relations with these countries. Ms. Deo has also worked in India’s Diplomatic Missions in Washington DC, Bangkok, and Rome.
The relationship between the world's largest democracy and the USA is strong with some of the examples including:
- The largest number of
international university students in the US is from India.
- 10% of the CEOs of the top 250 U.S. companies are
Indian.
- 50% of start-ups entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are
from India.
- The $2,500 car in India will
change the way cars are manufactured.
- Indian film and media writers,
many who have studied in American universities, are very successful in the
US.
Some of the earliest Indian classic works of literature such as
the Hindu epics Ramayana
and Mahabharata,
treatises such as Vaastu Shastra in architecture and town
planning, and Arthashastra in
political science are becoming
increasing know in Western countries.
It was also mentioned that there are more than 2,100 Rotary Clubs in India, the third largest number of clubs after the US and Japan.
It was also mentioned that there are more than 2,100 Rotary Clubs in India, the third largest number of clubs after the US and Japan.
Sierra
Leone's Ambassador to the UN Meets with Rotarians
Also included in the photo are (left) Sister Marie Adele of the the Fraternities -Notre Dame, AG - Thomas McConnon, Club Service Chairperson - Shelia Washington, GSE Liaison - Professor Eva Corredor, PDG Paul Caruso and Doctor
From 1999 until his current appointment, Ambassador Pemagbi was Chairman of the National Commission for Democracy and Human Rights in Sierra Leone, and a member of the Commission since 1994, where his duties included formulating and raising awareness about democracy, civic rights and responsibilities, and human rights. He received his master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Leeds (1976) and his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Sierra Leone in 1972.
Sierra Leone became an independent nation from Britain on April 27, 1961. A military coup overthrew the civilian government in 1967, which was in turn replaced by civilian rule a year later. The country declared itself a republic on April 19, 1971.
The Sierra Leone Civil War began in 1991, initiated by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Tens of thousands died and more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) were displaced because of the 9-year conflict. Neighbouring countries became host to significant numbers of refugees attempting to escape the civil war. It was officially declared over on 18 January 2002.
Considered one of the world's poorest countries, Sierra Leone has been ranked last by The United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI) for 2007-08.
The HDI is a
comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of
living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being,
especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a
developed, a developing, or an under-developed country and also to measure the
impact of economic policies on quality of life.
About two-thirds of the population engages in subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 52% of national income. The government is trying to increase food and cash crop production and upgrade small farmer skills. Also, the government works with several foreign donors to operate integrated rural development and agricultural projects.
According to the U.S. State Department, Sierra Leone is rich in minerals and has relied on the mining sector in general, and diamonds in particular, for its economic base. By the 1990s economic activity was declining and economic infrastructure had become seriously degraded. Over the next decade much of Sierra Leone’s formal economy was destroyed in the country’s civil war. Since the cessation of hostilities in January 2002, massive infusions of outside assistance have helped Sierra Leone begin to recover. Full recovery to pre-war economic levels will require hundreds of millions of additional dollars and many more years of serious effort by the Government of Sierra Leone and donor governments.
About two-thirds of the population engages in subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 52% of national income. The government is trying to increase food and cash crop production and upgrade small farmer skills. Also, the government works with several foreign donors to operate integrated rural development and agricultural projects.
According to the U.S. State Department, Sierra Leone is rich in minerals and has relied on the mining sector in general, and diamonds in particular, for its economic base. By the 1990s economic activity was declining and economic infrastructure had become seriously degraded. Over the next decade much of Sierra Leone’s formal economy was destroyed in the country’s civil war. Since the cessation of hostilities in January 2002, massive infusions of outside assistance have helped Sierra Leone begin to recover. Full recovery to pre-war economic levels will require hundreds of millions of additional dollars and many more years of serious effort by the Government of Sierra Leone and donor governments.
20080112
COSTRUCTION
OF THE SAINT BAKHITA DISPENSARY IN BENIN
Photo: Andrey V. Pirogov, Assistant Director-General - Executive
Director of the WHO Office at the UN (third from left) is presented with the
report of Dr. Giorgio Giovannoni, Chair of the
Health Educational Programs Committee of the International Service Division of
the Rotary Club of New York. The report outlines the need for the construction
of the Saint Bakhita Dispensery in Atacora, Benin. Also in the photo are (from
left) John German, Giorgio Balestrieri, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Celine
H.L. Tsai from the Taipei Millenium Rotaract Club in Tiawan, Rotarian Bill
Delong and Sister Marie Adele of the Fraternite Notredame.
Editor's Notes:
This report was originall written in Italian and traslatted into English. Some minor changes have been made by the Newsletter Editor.
Editor's Notes:
This report was originall written in Italian and traslatted into English. Some minor changes have been made by the Newsletter Editor.
Saint Bakhita is The Catholic Saint of Africa. She was born to a wealthy Sudanese family, and was kidnapped by slave-traders at age 9, and given the name Bakhita by them. Sold and resold in the markets at El Obeid and Khartoum, finally purchased in 1883 by Callisto Legnani, Italian consul who planned to free her. She accompanied Legnani to Italy in 1885 and worked for the family of Augusto Michieli as nanny. She was treated well in Italy, and grew to love the country. An adult convert, joining the Church on 9 January 1890, she took the name of Josephine as a symbol of her new life. She entered the Institute of Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice, Italyin 1893 taking her vows on 8 December 1896 in Verona, and serving as a Canossian Sister for the next fifty years. Her gentle presence, her warm, amiable voice, and her willingness to help with any menial task were a comfort to the poor and suffering people who came to the door of the Institute. After a biography of her was published in 1930, she became a noted and sought after speaker, raising funds to support missions.
Tom McConnon provided Doctor Giovannoni, that is the project cooordinator (www.puntomedico.it/benin), the contacts with the District Governor in Benin for this important project that besides the NY Rotary and other rotarians in Italy and Benin has as supporting members the Veneto Region, the Health Unit No. 15 of Padova District, Guerrato Spa of Rovigo, the Savings Bank of Padova and Rovigo, the C.I.S.L. of Padova, the Association of the Rural Families of the Piave and Giuseppe Olivotti s.c.s. a non-for profit organization.
GENERAL SITUATION OF THE
REGION
Economy:
Natitingou Diocese is situated in Atacora, the only region in the whole Benin characterized
by the presence of mountains. Seasons sequence is marked by a rainy period, which lasts
from May to October, and by a dry one dominated by Harmattan, with dry winds coming
from the Sahara.
Inhabitants mainly live in houses made up of mud and straw, although in few cases it’s
possible to have building with iron-plated roofs, which are often further less unfit than the
straw one, because of the high temperatures. Jobs mainly consists on cultivations and animals breeding. The instruments used to work the fields are very rudimentary such as the hatchet, while oxen are rarely used. The main products are: millet, beans, potatoes and yams.
All of them are produced for a subsistence economy, and are often damaged by acts of
nature, like: drought, overflows, and parasitical epidemics.
Only growing cotton, although limited in some areas, permits a very modest income from
abroad.
Agriculture is obfuscated by the presence of uneven ground, rains which are often
insufficient and concentrated in short periods of the year. Another negative factor for
economy of this area is the complete absence of other industries, apart from agriculture,
such as handicraft.
Population:
The population of Natitingou diocese counts up over 40.000 inhabitants who chiefly live in
rural areas and it is divided in more than 20 different ethnic groups; however, only 5 of
these are acknowledged on the cultural side and officially recognized and they are: the
Ditamari, who live in the Tatas Somba; the Wamas, who occupy the middle area of the
region; the Baribas at the east; the Berbas in the north-west; while the Gourmantchés are
nomadic.
These ethnic groups, although maintaining their ethic and traditions, are able to keep a
relation of agreement among them; share the same difficulty in every sort of communication,
even if the population feels to be isolated and left alone, both by local politics and by
international organizations.
School-attendance index:
School attendance is limited, less than the 30% of young boys and girls being in school
age attends it regularly. This phenomenon is further more diffused among young females.
School is often interrupted because of the pressing necessity of job for the families.
Children’s labor is often required for fields growing.
Another difficulty consists on the poverty of the families who haven’t got sufficient money
neither to permit their children to enter school nor to buy goods of bare necessities.
In addition to poverty, there’s a lack of sensibility towards the importance of school
education.
In many cases, relatives themselves have never attended school, and, so, they hardly
understand the importance of giving a school education to their sons.
Health:
Having a bad nutrition affects especially children and young persons, and, among young
people, almost the 50% suffers from it and haven’t got sufficient food, and often this is due
to ignorance and taboos; as consequences of this, we have sickness and damages which
obstructs the children’s natural growth. The principal sicknesses affecting this area are:
malarial fever, anemia, diarrhea due to the use of undrinkable water.
Other sicknesses, although less frequent than the formers, are diffused in spite of
vaccination campaigns carried out, and they are: meningitis, cholera and jungle fever.
There are still many big villages which can’t take advantage of a Health Center to take
care of themselves and this because of various reasons.
Land and economy characteristics in the area of the intervention:
The area interested by their project comprehends 23 villages, which are Natitingou diocese
parishes and is situated in a mountain region of Benin.
The ground is poor, although, with appropriated techniques, it is possible to improve the
production with new growing techniques, fertilizing, irrigation, although this last one has to
be limited to the richest horticultural crops because of the lack of water, especially
during the drought.
The area is crossed by a river with a flow that may change during the year worth a
maximum reached in the rains period, that is to say from May to October, and a minimum
in the dryness from November to April.
To increase water availability for human uses, for animals and crops and making the
period of utilization last for longer, it is possible to project the creation of some
along the course of the brook, and some wells thanks to the presence of a deep stratum
rich of water.
These resources would make water available to the population during the whole year and
to all the components of the family, furthermore even to those sites where will take place
the attendances expected by the actuation of the project.
It is known that water is a strategic factor for a productive, economic and social
development of a community and, without it, it is hard to accomplish an improvement on
the present situation of poverty. Other positive aspects in this area concern the presence of a road to Natitingou, which is only 22km far away are the availability of 30 hectares of already settled and good quality ground;
The possibility of having other adjacent 30 hectares of ground at disposal and the
prospective of a market place where to collocate agriculture and animal-breeding products.
Population’s attitude towards this project is another considerable factor, thanks to
the activity of the dioceses development committee. In fact, expectations on this project are a factor essential for the promotion and the participation of the community in the realization of any development initiative.
SITUATIONS OF MEDICAL STRUCTURES PRESENT IN NATITINGOU DIOCESES
After being invited by Natitingou bishop, Pascal N’koue, who had previously
been our guest in Italy, we went to Benin and visited the dioceses in order to rate the social
and hygienic conditions and check the level both of medical structures and organization of
the region. We examined two clinics, one situated in Nattitingou city and another one which are about 100 kilometers distant among them, I’d like to remember that there are only 7 clinics in the dioceses and that they are many kilometers far away one from another.
Natitingou clinic appeared absolutely insufficient for what concerns the structure, the
spaces reserved to the medical assistance, the equipment and, furthermore, for the small
number of the equipped members. We were impresses especially by the delivery room,
which was insufficient for dimensions, equipment and hygiene.
Spaces set for recovering and visiting the patients( the obstetric room is furnished with 5
beds; while general cases are managed in a room furnished with 6 beds) seemed
unavailable to receive people both because of the bad ambient conditions and the
hygienic ones.
There’s even a surgery applied for check up and a lab where any microbiological and
parasitical exam could be done; however they are very hampered by a bad equipment.
In this medical structure work a doctor, an obstetric assistant and a lab expert.
The doctor appeared very motivated and well-prepared; he and his colleagues complained
about the situation in which they have to operate in the hospital delivery room.
We visited even the clinic 100 km far away from Natitingou. This structure was in better
condition than the former. The delivery room, the spaces used for recovering women who
have just given birth to a baby and the ward (2 rooms with 5 beds each) looked clean
enough and quiet comfortable; however, it was shocking to discover that this clinic suffers
from the absence of a doctor who is neither available. This clinic is managed by a nun who
operates there as a nurse, with the help of an assistant who had experience of obstetric.
Patients attending this clinic are managed both for the diagnosis and the cures by the
equipment previously described, but in case of necessity and not without troubles, they are
moved to clinics more furnished (don’t forget that the only hospital is many kilometers
distant from the clinic). As a consequence, patients may run into serious risks, especially those women whose labor and childbirth present complications.
In spite of all these aspects, what impressed me in a greatly positive way, is the motivation
and the strength of these persons who daily give themselves to the assistance of poor and
needy people 100 km far away from Natitingou.
Furthermore, we visited a clinic in the north of Tanguieta, close to Porga, which has not
been operative yet, but will soon start working. This clinic is applied with an ambulatory for
check-up, a lab, an obstetric ward, a pediatric one and one for first aid, although offering
few beds, it looked very functional and clean.
Very close to this clinic, it has been built a hostel for hosting the religious members of the
equipped who will handle the clinic. This type of building should be taken as a model for the
reorganization of Natitingou clinics.
Clinic of Porga
Finally we went to Tanguieta’s hospital in the north of Natitingou dioceses.
For what concerns the medical equipped, the hospital counts up: a medical director, who
manages every aspect relating to surgery (from general surgery to orthopedic surgery);
furthermore, the medical equipped is formed by 7 doctors, while there are about 100 people
joining the paramedical personnel as nurses.
The hospital has a well furnished surgery room where can take place any kind of
emergency operations and specialized ones. There are even 3 beds used for intensive
therapy, in addiction to the surgery one, a ward which is very important and worthwhile for the
hospital is the pediatrics one with 120 beds, although is some period of the year there
might be recovered more than 180 children.
It’s obviously present an obstetric ward and one where are recovered even many patients
dying for AIDS virus.
This hospital is remarkably managed by the FATEBENEFRATELLI foundation, which
operates in a very wide territory going from Benin up to Togo and Burkina Faso. In fact,
there are many patients coming to this hospital even from 1000 kilometers of distance.
URGENT SANITARY NEEDS AND PROPOSAL FOR THE FUTURE
After the on-the-spot investigation and after the exchange of opinions we had with the
doctors and the religious members who work in the clinics previously described, and in
particular with the doctor at the head of Natitingou’s clinic and the medical director of
Tanguieta’s hospital, it has been brought out the exigence of pursuing the following tasks:
1. Finding a doctor to be responsible for all the clinics in Natitingou dioceses (at the
moment, there’s only one doctor who operates in Natitingou city), who will
periodically visit all the clinics in order to control the work of the paramedical
personnel; check the furniture and visit those patients considered in need of a more
specialized visit by the paramedical personnel and that only the doctor can carry
out. The presence of a doctor might be important even because the doctor could
become a reference for the population in those places and so create a relationship
based on faith towards the medical clinics and the cures practiced.
2. Join all the clinics among them by the mean of a radio network in order to make it
possible to them to communicate in case of collaboration and advice. It might be very useful even the availability of a motor ambulance to connect the clinics.
3. Reorganize the clinics for what concerns the necessary furniture and the equipped
members. In particular, Natitingou clinic urges to be reorganized, while waiting for a
new building, and to be improved. In case it would be impossible or inconvenient to
make it wider, it would be better to optimize the use of the spaces available (such
as the delivery room); to apply it with the minimum furniture and the instruments
necessary for medical activity.
4. The building of a new clinic in Natitingou results fundamental first of all because the
present one is absolutely insufficient for the medical cures required by Natitingou
population; furthermore it could be an important reference for Tanguieta’s hospital.
At the moment the hospital of Tanguieta hosts many patients who might be
recovered in other local buildings at the same fine way as in Tanguieta’s hospital. If
only there were local clinics well functioning, the hospital of Tanguieta could
become a reference only for cases of extreme emergency, so saving means and
cures to patients who really need them.
5. To spread among the population a sentiment of sensibility towards the use of the
medical buildings of their area, making them comprehend the usefulness and the
benefits they can obtain for their health in those structures, without revolutionizing
their beliefs and habits.
6. To activate a clinic at the farm of Pam Pam in order to give medical assistance to
people who work there and to all the population living in the surroundings. Such an
employment and the sanitary buildings might help, as time passes by, the formation
and development of a village close to the farm.
7. Promote collaborations among the clinics.
Submitted by Dr. Giorgio Giovannoni
Rotary Club of New York
Economy:
Natitingou Diocese is situated in Atacora, the only region in the whole Benin characterized
by the presence of mountains. Seasons sequence is marked by a rainy period, which lasts
from May to October, and by a dry one dominated by Harmattan, with dry winds coming
from the Sahara.
Inhabitants mainly live in houses made up of mud and straw, although in few cases it’s
possible to have building with iron-plated roofs, which are often further less unfit than the
straw one, because of the high temperatures. Jobs mainly consists on cultivations and animals breeding. The instruments used to work the fields are very rudimentary such as the hatchet, while oxen are rarely used. The main products are: millet, beans, potatoes and yams.
All of them are produced for a subsistence economy, and are often damaged by acts of
nature, like: drought, overflows, and parasitical epidemics.
Only growing cotton, although limited in some areas, permits a very modest income from
abroad.
Agriculture is obfuscated by the presence of uneven ground, rains which are often
insufficient and concentrated in short periods of the year. Another negative factor for
economy of this area is the complete absence of other industries, apart from agriculture,
such as handicraft.
Population:
The population of Natitingou diocese counts up over 40.000 inhabitants who chiefly live in
rural areas and it is divided in more than 20 different ethnic groups; however, only 5 of
these are acknowledged on the cultural side and officially recognized and they are: the
Ditamari, who live in the Tatas Somba; the Wamas, who occupy the middle area of the
region; the Baribas at the east; the Berbas in the north-west; while the Gourmantchés are
nomadic.
These ethnic groups, although maintaining their ethic and traditions, are able to keep a
relation of agreement among them; share the same difficulty in every sort of communication,
even if the population feels to be isolated and left alone, both by local politics and by
international organizations.
School-attendance index:
School attendance is limited, less than the 30% of young boys and girls being in school
age attends it regularly. This phenomenon is further more diffused among young females.
School is often interrupted because of the pressing necessity of job for the families.
Children’s labor is often required for fields growing.
Another difficulty consists on the poverty of the families who haven’t got sufficient money
neither to permit their children to enter school nor to buy goods of bare necessities.
In addition to poverty, there’s a lack of sensibility towards the importance of school
education.
In many cases, relatives themselves have never attended school, and, so, they hardly
understand the importance of giving a school education to their sons.
Health:
Having a bad nutrition affects especially children and young persons, and, among young
people, almost the 50% suffers from it and haven’t got sufficient food, and often this is due
to ignorance and taboos; as consequences of this, we have sickness and damages which
obstructs the children’s natural growth. The principal sicknesses affecting this area are:
malarial fever, anemia, diarrhea due to the use of undrinkable water.
Other sicknesses, although less frequent than the formers, are diffused in spite of
vaccination campaigns carried out, and they are: meningitis, cholera and jungle fever.
There are still many big villages which can’t take advantage of a Health Center to take
care of themselves and this because of various reasons.
Land and economy characteristics in the area of the intervention:
The area interested by their project comprehends 23 villages, which are Natitingou diocese
parishes and is situated in a mountain region of Benin.
The ground is poor, although, with appropriated techniques, it is possible to improve the
production with new growing techniques, fertilizing, irrigation, although this last one has to
be limited to the richest horticultural crops because of the lack of water, especially
during the drought.
The area is crossed by a river with a flow that may change during the year worth a
maximum reached in the rains period, that is to say from May to October, and a minimum
in the dryness from November to April.
To increase water availability for human uses, for animals and crops and making the
period of utilization last for longer, it is possible to project the creation of some
along the course of the brook, and some wells thanks to the presence of a deep stratum
rich of water.
These resources would make water available to the population during the whole year and
to all the components of the family, furthermore even to those sites where will take place
the attendances expected by the actuation of the project.
It is known that water is a strategic factor for a productive, economic and social
development of a community and, without it, it is hard to accomplish an improvement on
the present situation of poverty. Other positive aspects in this area concern the presence of a road to Natitingou, which is only 22km far away are the availability of 30 hectares of already settled and good quality ground;
The possibility of having other adjacent 30 hectares of ground at disposal and the
prospective of a market place where to collocate agriculture and animal-breeding products.
Population’s attitude towards this project is another considerable factor, thanks to
the activity of the dioceses development committee. In fact, expectations on this project are a factor essential for the promotion and the participation of the community in the realization of any development initiative.
SITUATIONS OF MEDICAL STRUCTURES PRESENT IN NATITINGOU DIOCESES
After being invited by Natitingou bishop, Pascal N’koue, who had previously
been our guest in Italy, we went to Benin and visited the dioceses in order to rate the social
and hygienic conditions and check the level both of medical structures and organization of
the region. We examined two clinics, one situated in Nattitingou city and another one which are about 100 kilometers distant among them, I’d like to remember that there are only 7 clinics in the dioceses and that they are many kilometers far away one from another.
Natitingou clinic appeared absolutely insufficient for what concerns the structure, the
spaces reserved to the medical assistance, the equipment and, furthermore, for the small
number of the equipped members. We were impresses especially by the delivery room,
which was insufficient for dimensions, equipment and hygiene.
Spaces set for recovering and visiting the patients( the obstetric room is furnished with 5
beds; while general cases are managed in a room furnished with 6 beds) seemed
unavailable to receive people both because of the bad ambient conditions and the
hygienic ones.
There’s even a surgery applied for check up and a lab where any microbiological and
parasitical exam could be done; however they are very hampered by a bad equipment.
In this medical structure work a doctor, an obstetric assistant and a lab expert.
The doctor appeared very motivated and well-prepared; he and his colleagues complained
about the situation in which they have to operate in the hospital delivery room.
We visited even the clinic 100 km far away from Natitingou. This structure was in better
condition than the former. The delivery room, the spaces used for recovering women who
have just given birth to a baby and the ward (2 rooms with 5 beds each) looked clean
enough and quiet comfortable; however, it was shocking to discover that this clinic suffers
from the absence of a doctor who is neither available. This clinic is managed by a nun who
operates there as a nurse, with the help of an assistant who had experience of obstetric.
Patients attending this clinic are managed both for the diagnosis and the cures by the
equipment previously described, but in case of necessity and not without troubles, they are
moved to clinics more furnished (don’t forget that the only hospital is many kilometers
distant from the clinic). As a consequence, patients may run into serious risks, especially those women whose labor and childbirth present complications.
In spite of all these aspects, what impressed me in a greatly positive way, is the motivation
and the strength of these persons who daily give themselves to the assistance of poor and
needy people 100 km far away from Natitingou.
Furthermore, we visited a clinic in the north of Tanguieta, close to Porga, which has not
been operative yet, but will soon start working. This clinic is applied with an ambulatory for
check-up, a lab, an obstetric ward, a pediatric one and one for first aid, although offering
few beds, it looked very functional and clean.
Very close to this clinic, it has been built a hostel for hosting the religious members of the
equipped who will handle the clinic. This type of building should be taken as a model for the
reorganization of Natitingou clinics.
Clinic of Porga
Finally we went to Tanguieta’s hospital in the north of Natitingou dioceses.
For what concerns the medical equipped, the hospital counts up: a medical director, who
manages every aspect relating to surgery (from general surgery to orthopedic surgery);
furthermore, the medical equipped is formed by 7 doctors, while there are about 100 people
joining the paramedical personnel as nurses.
The hospital has a well furnished surgery room where can take place any kind of
emergency operations and specialized ones. There are even 3 beds used for intensive
therapy, in addiction to the surgery one, a ward which is very important and worthwhile for the
hospital is the pediatrics one with 120 beds, although is some period of the year there
might be recovered more than 180 children.
It’s obviously present an obstetric ward and one where are recovered even many patients
dying for AIDS virus.
This hospital is remarkably managed by the FATEBENEFRATELLI foundation, which
operates in a very wide territory going from Benin up to Togo and Burkina Faso. In fact,
there are many patients coming to this hospital even from 1000 kilometers of distance.
URGENT SANITARY NEEDS AND PROPOSAL FOR THE FUTURE
After the on-the-spot investigation and after the exchange of opinions we had with the
doctors and the religious members who work in the clinics previously described, and in
particular with the doctor at the head of Natitingou’s clinic and the medical director of
Tanguieta’s hospital, it has been brought out the exigence of pursuing the following tasks:
1. Finding a doctor to be responsible for all the clinics in Natitingou dioceses (at the
moment, there’s only one doctor who operates in Natitingou city), who will
periodically visit all the clinics in order to control the work of the paramedical
personnel; check the furniture and visit those patients considered in need of a more
specialized visit by the paramedical personnel and that only the doctor can carry
out. The presence of a doctor might be important even because the doctor could
become a reference for the population in those places and so create a relationship
based on faith towards the medical clinics and the cures practiced.
2. Join all the clinics among them by the mean of a radio network in order to make it
possible to them to communicate in case of collaboration and advice. It might be very useful even the availability of a motor ambulance to connect the clinics.
3. Reorganize the clinics for what concerns the necessary furniture and the equipped
members. In particular, Natitingou clinic urges to be reorganized, while waiting for a
new building, and to be improved. In case it would be impossible or inconvenient to
make it wider, it would be better to optimize the use of the spaces available (such
as the delivery room); to apply it with the minimum furniture and the instruments
necessary for medical activity.
4. The building of a new clinic in Natitingou results fundamental first of all because the
present one is absolutely insufficient for the medical cures required by Natitingou
population; furthermore it could be an important reference for Tanguieta’s hospital.
At the moment the hospital of Tanguieta hosts many patients who might be
recovered in other local buildings at the same fine way as in Tanguieta’s hospital. If
only there were local clinics well functioning, the hospital of Tanguieta could
become a reference only for cases of extreme emergency, so saving means and
cures to patients who really need them.
5. To spread among the population a sentiment of sensibility towards the use of the
medical buildings of their area, making them comprehend the usefulness and the
benefits they can obtain for their health in those structures, without revolutionizing
their beliefs and habits.
6. To activate a clinic at the farm of Pam Pam in order to give medical assistance to
people who work there and to all the population living in the surroundings. Such an
employment and the sanitary buildings might help, as time passes by, the formation
and development of a village close to the farm.
7. Promote collaborations among the clinics.
Submitted by Dr. Giorgio Giovannoni
Rotary Club of New York
Executive
Director of World Health Organization in New York Reviews Global Fight Against
Polio and Other Health Projects.
He joined WHO in 2006 as Executive Director of the WHO Office at the United Nations in New York. Prior to that, he was Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia in Geneva and in this capacity served as the principal counterpart to WHO and other multilateral health institutions. He has been involved in UN affairs for more than 20 years. Mr Pirogov graduated from the Moscow Institute of International Relations in 1977. He joined the diplomatic service of his country the same year and has since held a wide range of diplomatic posts in the Foreign Ministry of the USSR and Russia.
Mr Pirogov professional appointments include positions with the USSR Embassy to Cameroon, the Russian Mission to the European Communities in Brussels and participation in numerous international conferences. During his diplomatic career, Mr Pirogov gained wide experience with the organizations of the UN system and in such areas as European security, relations between Russia and the EU, disarmament, international security and the external economic relations of Russia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
1. Promoting development
2. Fostering health security
3. Strengthening health systems
4. Harnessing research, information and evidence
5. Enhancing partnerships
Mr. Pirogov as does the WHO web site recognized Rotary International’s Polio Plus program that was established in 1985. Rotary was the first to have the vision of a polio-free world, and continues to play a crucial role in global efforts to eradicate polio. More than one million Rotary members have volunteered their time and personal resources to protect more than 2 billion children in 122 countries from polio. Rotary provides urgently needed funds - to date, the organization has contributed more than US$ 500 million, and raised an additional US$119 million in 2003. In addition, Rotary's Polio Eradication Advocacy Task Force has played a major role in decisions by donor governments to contribute over US$ 1.5 billion to the effort. That amount, combined with direct funds from Rotary, is more than half the money needed for the entire global polio eradication program. Rotary members also provide valuable field support during National Immunization Days through social mobilization and by administering the oral polio vaccine to children.
20071202
Rotary Day at the United Nations
November
3, 2007
On November 3, 2007, Rotary International’s Representatives to the
United Nations, headed by Brad Jenkins from the Bernardsville, N.J. Rotary Club
welcomed more than 950 Rotarians, 150 Rotaractors and Interactors, and 350 High
School students from forty-eight countries and twenty five states to the Annual
Rotary Day at the United Nations in New York. Speakers at this sold-out
conference included Rotary International’s President, Wilfred Wilkinson; RI
President–elect Dong-Kurn Lee; Chairman of The Rotary Foundation, Robert J.
Scott; UN directors; and Rotarains to outline successful global poverty
reduction Rotary Projects. Most of RI's Directors and dozens of Rotary Ambassadorial
Scholars, Peace and Conflict Scholars, and Rotary World Peace Fellows also
attended.
This annual Rotary program over the last 20 years has become so
popular that over 300 Rotarian attendance requests had to be turned away from
this year's event.
The focus of this informative day was to strengthen the increasingly
important partnership between Rotary International and the United Nations in
achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals include
halving extreme poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, ensuring environmental
stability, and providing universal primary education by the target date of
2015. ∞∞
The President of Rotary International, Wilfred Wilkinson, gave an inspiring examination of how, with the efforts of Rotary, Peace is Possible. President Wilfred had been in New York on October 25, 2007 to accept an award on RI's behave from the United Nations Association of New York in recognition of Rotary’s contribution in providing access to clean water to villages around the world and work on the global water crisis.
He emphasized that if we are to teach real peace in the world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we will have to start with the children. Anger and hatred are not inherited, they are learned, and children who see hate learn hate. But people in conflict can achieve peace, and Rotarians can help because “Rotary is a long standing, non-religious, non-political organization, and we are not beholden to any prime minister or government” he noted.
The President of Rotary International, Wilfred Wilkinson, gave an inspiring examination of how, with the efforts of Rotary, Peace is Possible. President Wilfred had been in New York on October 25, 2007 to accept an award on RI's behave from the United Nations Association of New York in recognition of Rotary’s contribution in providing access to clean water to villages around the world and work on the global water crisis.
He emphasized that if we are to teach real peace in the world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we will have to start with the children. Anger and hatred are not inherited, they are learned, and children who see hate learn hate. But people in conflict can achieve peace, and Rotarians can help because “Rotary is a long standing, non-religious, non-political organization, and we are not beholden to any prime minister or government” he noted.
From left to right are RI Representative to the United Nations, Brad Jenkins; President of RI, Wilfred Wilkinson; Undersecretary for Communications and Public Information at the United Nations, Kiyotaka Akasaka; and RI Vice President, Michael K. McGovern.
He also wanted his fellow Rotarians to keep in mind that a “person becomes great to the degree for which he works for his fellow man”. Each of us has the opportunity to build peace and create bridges by collaborating with the United Nations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Building bridges, even small ones, is something that many Rotarians have done very well, he added.
He noted that this year Rotarians and guests from dozens of countries gathered recently for three Rotary Presidential Peace Forums.
They were:
- Boyana, Bulgaria, in August that
invited participants to discuss the possibilities of peace with a focus on
the Balkans.
- Istanbul, Turkey on September 1
which coincided with the UN World Peace Day, initiative with a focus on
peace in the Middle-East.
- Nairobi, Kenya, on September 20,
that outlined Rotary's role in building peace in Africa.
∞∞
Kiyotaka Akasaka, the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Communications and Public Information, also welcomed the Rotarians. Mr. Akasaka joined the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 1971 after graduating from Kyoto University. He held senior positions in the World Health Organization and was a member of the Secretariat of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT – the precursor of the World Trade Organization) up until April 2007. He also held the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) where he was responsible for sustainable development, the environment, and partnership with other international organizations. He also chaired the Kyoto Protocol.
He recalled his mind-set when in 1996 he participated in one of Rotary's vaccination campaigns in Africa, and he realized that the children he had just dispensed the vaccine to will never get polio! It was a profound and inspiring feeling, and he was grateful to participate in such a noble program. He also invited Rotarians to support the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 2008 in Paris, France where the original document was signed.
LITERACY PANEL
- From left to
right are Mr. Cream Wright, Chief, Education Cluster of UNICEF; Bill
Miller, Alternate RI Representative to the United Nations; and Barbara
Walters of the Kalamazoo, Michigan, Rotary Club
Mr. Cream Wright, Chief of the Education Cluster at UNICEF welcomed the Rotarians and clarified that every child deserves an education, and that school is about more than just learning.He pointed out that UNICEF supports education programs serving children from pre-school age through adolescence. Since the majority of children not in school are girls, we make a special effort to give girls a learning opportunity which transforms lives, and yields spectacular benefits in social and economic development. However, Mr. Wright also pointed out that the quality of education is very important. It is essential to determine when children stay and complete school that they learning.
∞∞
Rotarian Barbara Walters of the RC of Kalamazoo, Michigan is a reporter and columnist with the Kalamazoo Michigan Gazette and she first became involved in Rotary when she was assigned by her newspaper to report on a Rotary 11-day Caravan drive to Belize. Barbara arranged for her club to provide a full time certified teacher for Casa Amparo ala Mujer (House of Mercy for Women) that served as a shelter for abandoned girls in Reynosa, Mexico which is across the border from Texas. The shelter is managed by Catholic nuns who provide physical, spiritual, emotional and educational needs of these children who have nowhere to turn. Today, the shelter serves close to one hundred girls from age 6 to 17.
Barbara recognized that many of the girls needed additional assistance to learn to read and write. Poor reading and writing skills made employment opportunities difficult for these girls when they entered adulthood and could send them back into the cycle of poverty. In response to this, in the mid 1990s, with used desks from public schools, the Rotary Club of Kalamazoo provided funding for a full time, certified teacher for the home. In 1993, there were no children from the orphanage that entered high school and now, with the hired teacher, there have already been two girls that graduated from college. Recognizing success, the club is now funding a second teacher. Barbara also pointed out that 35 years ago she and her husband served as teachers for three years in Malawi. Hearing about her participation at this conference, one of Barbara’s former students, Steven Mackenzie, who is now the Ambassador to the United Nations for Malawi, has arranged to meet with Barbara and her husband during her visit to New York. Insightfully, Barbara noted that, at times, teachers may forget some of their students, but seldom do students forget their teachers.
WATER PANEL
The moderator of the Water Panel, RI Alternate Representative to the UN, Sylvan Barnet pointed out that clean water is a local problem and solutions are at the local level. He also pointed out that about two percent of the world's water is used for human consumption, and seventy percent for agriculture. Project sustainability and longevity were discussed as the most critical variables. Sustainability can best be insured by having those who are the recipients of the effort involved on all levels of development. Dr. Ron Denham, Rotary’s General Coordinator of Water and Sanitation Resource Action Group (WASRAG) also participated in the panel.
∞∞
Clarissa Brockelhurst, Chief of UNICEF’s Water, Environment and Sanitation Section, spoke about the need for clean water and sanitation, although she remarked that she felt that she is speaking to the converted. UNICEF has a $245 million budget and is currently working in 90 countries with a staff of 300. Needless to say, with such a colossal task, it needs the support and assistance of organizations like Rotary. In addition, UNICEF works with the World Bank and the African Development Bank for funding major sanitation projects such as pipe lines and treatment plants.
More and more, NGO’s are looking at the linkages of clean water and its impact on the other Millennium Development Goals. It is now apparent that health and nutrition are related to access to clean water. Clarissa pointed out that in a recent medical journal it was asserted that proper sanitation is the greatest medical milestone since1948, even more important that most medicines. For example, people with AIDS cannot successfully adhere to their treatments and remain healthy without clean water. Sanitation also affects education. Schools have to be girl-friendly, and separate bathrooms are needed for girls or many parents would not send their girls to school. Also, time saved not carrying water from a distant well allows more time for classroom time and studying.While many wells and pump are being installed and storage tanks for rain water are being built, thanks to Rotary and other NGO's, promotion of through hand-washing is an important step to stop the spread of infection. Social marketing is very effective when executed properly. Therefore, a major campaign is on-going to encourage more hand washing. WASH partnerships with Unilever, Procter and Gamble, The Gates Foundation, and others have promoted through hand-washing habit at the community level. When an educational campaign is effective, then the family and villages will build their own sanitation facilities, UNICEF has ascertained.She also announced that while it is still somewhat of a taboo subject in many societies, next year (2008) is the International Year For Sanitation and she proudly promoted UNICEF’s ”Sanitation is Beautiful” flyer. She also noted that storage of clean water is also important.
∞∞
Rotarian John Boot of the RC of Summerland, British Columbia, Canada outlined the Nakuru (Kenya) Rain Water Harvesting Program, a proven model for gathering rain water into a tank that costs about $400 and lasts for 30 years. Nakuru is the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in Kenya.
He emphasized that given Rotary's incredible reach of 32,000 clubs in 172 countries many tanks can be built. There is a need for 3,500 tanks to be built in the Nakuru area of Kenya alone. The tanks are financed by a combination of club- level fund raisers, RI matching grants, and Canadian government matching grants. The families that receive the tank are required to pay fifty dollars, or contribute labor to help build other tanks in the community. The program has built over 1,200 tanks.
John outlined a number of points to remember when building these tanks:
· Search for new partners with sponsoring with African clubs.
· Talk to the people involved.
· Let the recipients of the tanks do most of the work.
· Appropriate scale is vital - small projects work best.
· Plant 100 trees around the tank
∞∞
President-elect Dong-Kurn Lee, from Seoul, Korea also addressed the Rotarians. D.K. Lee is president of Yonsei Company, Ltd. and Bubang Techron Co. and has been a Rotarian since 1971.
He pointed out that the United Nations and other NGO's had a significant effect on the restoration of Korea when it was devastated by its civil war in the 1950's. The United Nations responded to the bleak situation by providing humanitarian aid. As a result, Korea was able to rise from the ruins of war and is now ranked third in Rotary Foundations contribution and fourth in Rotary membership. That is because Korean Rotarians as well as all Rotarians believe that there a time to help, and a time to act, President-elect Lee noted.
∞∞
Rotary Foundation Panel
Robert Scott, Chairman of the Rotary Foundation is a member of the Cobourg, Ontario, Rotary Club. He was born in Scotland, and a graduate of the Edinburgh University School of Medicine. Bob reaffirmed that the the mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.
The foundation supports thousands of water, health, and hunger programs and they will bring about peace, but the world also needs peace makers. He recommends that Rotarians also focus on the “Rotary Peace Makers” network the thousands of Ambassadorial Scholars, Peace and Conflict Scholars, and Rotary World Peace Fellows that our foundation has sponsored and the six Rotary Centers in partnership with seven leading universities:
- Duke University
and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA (joint Rotary Center)
- International
Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
- Universidad del
Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- University of
Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
- University of
California, Berkeley, USA
- University of
Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
∞∞
Dr. Stephen Nicholas, a Rotarian from the Yonkers, New York, Rotary Club is Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Clinical Population and Family Health at Columbia University and has pioneered care for children and families with HIV/AIDS since 1983 and narrated a very encouraging presentation regarding the treatment and spread of pediatric HIV/ AID's. He has also directed clinical research in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, South Africa and St. Petersburg, Russia.
While forty million people have HIV/AIDs and four million people still get it every year, and tragically three million will die this year, it is a serious and grave crisis. However, Dr. Nicholas clearly noted that there is progress and hope for the eradication of global pediatrics HIV/AID’s (mother-to-child) and he described the major advances in HIV/AIDS treatment.
Back in the 1980’s the fight against HIV/AIDS seemed to be hopeless when infected children rarely lived beyond three years old even in the developed countries. However doctors soon learned that mothers only occasionally transmitted HIV/AIDS to their children in utero. Most HIV/AIDs is spread the day of birth and by breast feeding. As such, the first step in fighting global pediatric HIV /AID’s was to instruct, and make it possible for AIDs infected mothers not to breast feed their babies, and to only have caesarian delivery.
A second major development in fighting AIDs was in 1989 a new medication changed HIV/AID’s from being lethal, and then in 1996 the “AIDs Cocktail" was develop and this significantly helped in the treatment. As a result, the treatment of AID’s infected mothers has been refined and has virtually stops HIV from being passed to the child and this significantly stop the pediatric HIV in the US and Europe. However, in the developing countries, “hopelessness, and not funding”, is the cause for the lack of political will to eradicate pediatric HIV transmission. 40 percent of infants will get HIV/AIDs if their mothers do not stop breast feeding. However, if we treat the HIV infected mother and use bottle feeding formula rather than breast feeding, the rate of pediatric HIV is zero percent! Needless to say, the mothers need to be treated or all the babies saved will become AIDs orphans. In the mid 1990’s it cost about $10,000 for the drugs to treat this infection. Happily, in 2004, infected parents can be treated for about $300 year. In addition, drugs are usually available free of charge in many countries from the Global Fund for AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The doctor outlined the Rotary World Community Service Project in La Romana, Dominican Republic to prevent mother-to child HIV transmission and to reduce the number of orphans. The Dominican Republic and Haiti has the highest rate of AID’s outside of Sub-Sahara Africa. This Family Aids Center was created by the RI Foundation and is supported by many local Rotary Clubs in New York.
∞∞
Richelieu Marcel Allison in 2006 completed the RI Peace and Conflict Studies Program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. He also received a degree in Business Management form Zion University in Liberia and is a founding member and regional program director of the West African Youth Network.
He pointed out that Rotary’s Peace and Conflict Studies Program is a unique short-term certificate program aims to inspire people to work for a “culture of peace and tolerance”. It selects candidates who are already working in the area of conflict resolution and concerned with on-going and emergent regional conflicts.
Richelieu Marcel Allison from Liberia is a Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Recipient
Mr. Allison expressed his gratitude to The Rotary Foundation because it is recognized around the world has a “bringer of hope”. He outlined how Liberia, that was founded by freed American slaves, and named its capital Monrovia after President Monroe, was engulfed in a brutal civil war in the early 1990’s. As a young boy then, Mr. Allison witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of civil war and a countless number of dead bodies. Also, he expressed how frightening it was to know that you and your family could be killed by anyone with a gun.
Thankfully, Liberia has come a long way since then and is now an exemplary democracy and is actively rebuilding its civil-society infrastructure. In 2006 Richelieu was selected to attend the Rotary International Peace and Conflict Studies program at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. He was initially denied a visa but the Ambassador was an alumnus of Chulolangkorn University and a visa was ultimately granted and Mr. Allison studied a three month intensive program.
The program reinforced a “culture of peace” to be brought to West Africa including Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Mr. Allision hopes to starta "Peace Caravan" in West Africa. Together these countries share border areas and local people can discuss peaceful solutions for their differences. “Everywhere there are conflicts, and therefore we need to invest in peace, and to invest in more peace-ambassadors for a better peace.” Mr. Allison also said that he wished every individual could inculcate the “Four Way Test” into all their actions to make a better world. He concluded his talk by quoting Martin Luther King “that “we make peace by talking not to our friends, but by talking to our to enemies.”
∞∞
From left to right are Past President of RI-Britain/Ireland, Brain Stoyel; Moderator Sylvan Barnet of the Rotary Club of New York; and Senior Health Advisor for Malaria at UNICEF, Melanie Renshaw; with the malaria reducing Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITN) on display.
Moderator Sylvan Barnet introduced the subject by referencing Jeffery Sach's (Earth Institute) remarks that malaria can be eliminated economically and is a do-able project. Further, Rotary clubs, through their Polio-plus experience, could also help in monitoring and surveillance of bed-net use.
Melanie Renshaw, the Health Advisor at UNICEF's Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa outlined how malaria kills a child somewhere in the world every 30 seconds. It infects 350-500 million people each year, killing 1 million, mostly children. In addition, ninety percent of malaria deaths occur in Africa, and that malaria accounts for about one fifth of all childhood deaths. Malaria also has serious economic impacts by slowing economic growth and development, and perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty.
The good news is that malaria is both preventable and treatable, and effective preventive practices have been implemented in many parts of the malaria infected regions of the world. She noted that sleeping under insecticide treated nets (ITNs) can reduce overall child mortality by twenty-percent. There are studies that show ITNs, when consistently and correctly used, can save six child lives per year for every one thousand children sleeping under them. ∞∞
Brian Stoyel is the Past President of Rotary - Britain and Ireland, and received the Service Above Self Award in 1999. In 2003, he started the Rotarians Eliminating Malaria in Tanzania and is chairman of Rotarians Eliminating Malaria Action Group. Brian pointed out that this Rotary action group raises funds to provide ITNs, insecticides and medicines as well as providing HaemaCue machines to monitor individuals for malaria. Funding is also provided for education and awareness programs by training local workers to go into villages to educate the local people to recognize symptoms, provide treatments, and to take steps for prevention.
The project is based on getting the local clubs to take responsibility for the project and then supplying the technical expertise and equipment required. The two Rotary clubs of Arusha, Tanzania are local partners for this program. Brian pointed out that one insecticide treated net (ITN) cost less than $5.00, and four people can sleep under it. The recipients are asked to pay 1,000 Tanzanian shillings or about $1.50. The nets have the Rotary logo and are manufactured locally to save shipping costs and to help the local economy. The nets have to be retreated every twelve months, but even if not treated the bed nets are still effective but the mosquitoes are not destroyed.
HUNGER PANEL
Deborah Saidy, the New York Director of the World Food Program, is a graduate of American University in Washington D.C. and earned an Undergraduate degree from Smith College. She joined the UN in 1992 and previously served as the Emergency Coordinator for World Food Program in Johannesburg.
She noted that the WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the need for food-aid itself. Yet in any given day, the WFP has twenty planes in the air and 5,000 trucks on the ground. She emphasized that the development of agriculture in key troublesome regions is the long term solution to alleviate global hunger. File 2 1 hour 00
The core strategies behind WFP activities, according to its mission statement, are to provide food aid to:
· Save lives in refugee and other emergency situations.
· Improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people at critical times in their lives.
· Help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through labor-intensive works programs.
· 25,000 people die every day and many are susceptible to malaria and tuberculosis. These are the chronic poor.
∞∞
Gary Parrish, Past President of the RC of Little Rock and a second generation Rotarian since 1989, outlined the Farmers Feed the Children Program. Gary visited farming families in Romania where he noticed that many children had no energy because of lack of nutrients in their diet, and many families were impoverished. To help with this, his Club partnered with Heifer International, a non-profit, charitable organization that is based in Little Rock, Arkansas and dedicated to relieving global hunger and poverty. It donates livestock and plants, as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially-disadvantaged families around the world. The animals are chosen to be large milk producers and appropriate for the Romanian farms.
In partnership with Heifer International, Gary sketched out how
the Rotary Club of Little Rock delivered two dairy cows to a farming family in
the Transylvania area of Romania. In three months, the two heifers became four.
Under this program, the first calf is donated back to another farmer, and 600
liters of milk per year are given to community centers such as schools and
hospitals. The famer can then sell the remaining milk on the open market.
When several months passed, Gary noticed that he saw that once poor farmers were now feeding poor children of other farmers. He also noticed that the children were happier and healthier looking, and repairs were completed around their houses. Previously there was little protein in their diet, but thanks to this program, 20,000 children have benefited from a better diet.
A very important aspect of this program, Gary pointed out, is that this program is a hand-up, not a hand-out, and it is sustainable. He emphasized that Rotary also brought credibility, as well as providing a 3H grant, to the project in view of the fact that Heifer International needed outside partners to keep this program going. The end result is that once again we have seen Rotary Change Lives, and we have built better friendships and goodwill, Gary clearly illustrated.
When several months passed, Gary noticed that he saw that once poor farmers were now feeding poor children of other farmers. He also noticed that the children were happier and healthier looking, and repairs were completed around their houses. Previously there was little protein in their diet, but thanks to this program, 20,000 children have benefited from a better diet.
A very important aspect of this program, Gary pointed out, is that this program is a hand-up, not a hand-out, and it is sustainable. He emphasized that Rotary also brought credibility, as well as providing a 3H grant, to the project in view of the fact that Heifer International needed outside partners to keep this program going. The end result is that once again we have seen Rotary Change Lives, and we have built better friendships and goodwill, Gary clearly illustrated.
20071030
Rotary
International Receives United Nations Association Humanitarian Award
The United Nations Association of New York honored Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation with its 2007 Humanitarian Award on October 25 at United Nations in New York. Other honorees included Antony Burgmans, former chairman and CEO of Unilever, and Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil's One Drop Foundation. All three organizations were honored in recognition of their significant efforts regarding the global water crisis and their on-going commitment to sustainable development worldwide. The UNA awards are presented annually in observance of United Nations Day (24 October) with this year's award ceremony focused on the global water crisis.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, warmly welcomed the honorees and guests at the Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner Reception. From left to right are Wilfred J. Wilkinson, President of Rotary International; Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil and the One Drop Foundation; and Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed the Master of Ceremonies. Antony Burgmans, former chairman of Unilever, the third honoree is not in this photo.
The Secretary-General commented that while it may be hard to believe when living in New York with plenty of rain, and rivers surrounding the city, the world's waters remain fragile. The need for a sound and sustainable approach to water resource management is pressing and water reserves continue to be wasted and degraded throughout the world. He wanted to make a point to congratulate tonight's honorees for their contributions because each of them deserves not only tonight's award, but also our collective gratitude and support.
At the evening’s Gala dinner the attendees were welcomed by Peter Rajsingh, President of the UNA-NY and the Master of Ceremonies was Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, the former Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Morocco and U.S. Representative of the United States to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
ekiqfohe
Rotary International
Rotary received an elegant Tiffany Crystal with the inscription:
To Rotary International: “For its leadership for bringing clean water to poor communities around the world”.
President Wilfred noted that in the years since Rotary International has started focusing on water as one of its annual service projects, we have learned just how much can be accomplished with relatively little, how a single small water project, perhaps a pump or a filter, can change the life of a community. Clean water has a great impact on nutrition, education, health, family interaction. We also learned that beneficiaries of water projects must be active participants in the project. A successful water project enables children to be healthier, and then can go to school, and can bring a community together.
In his concluding remarks, our president also clarified that for Rotarians there is no excuse not to help with the global water effort because as Past RI President, Bill Boyd said, we need to continue to try, and even though we may not succeed, we will have not failed.
The One Drop Foundation
The second honoree was Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, and the newly created One Drop Foundation. One of the foundation's main starting objectives is to fund and provide safe drinking water to selected communities in the developing world. One Drop also aims to support a public awareness regarding the global water crisis in developed countries, starting with Canada, the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia.
While the Cirque du Soleil started from very humble beginnings in 1980, it now employs more than 3000 people in three continents with over 30 millions attendees around the world. Many of the company’s employees are also contributing and are in full support of One Drop Foundation. The Tiffany crystal that was presented states: To Mr. Laliberte' for his creative vision and energy to help with the global water crisis.
At the Gala Dinner, Mr. Laliberté presented thoughtful insight to the reasons for creating a humanitarian foundation. He mentioned that his parents taught him that sharing what you have with others is very important. So, when he left home and went on the road at 14 years old to entertain people, he realized that our planet can be made better. At this early age he then committed to continue the “circle of life” and to give back what life gave him when he had the resources to do so. As a result, for his company’s 25th anniversary they have created the One Drop Foundation. Water is the “Source of Life” and sadly, one person is dying every eight seconds from the lack of clean safe water. The One Drop Foundation plans to spend the next 25 years to lend a hand to curtail the global water crisis, Mr. Laliberté elucidated.
Unilever
The third honoree, Antony Burgmans, the former chairman of Unilever was born in the Netherlands and joined Unilever in 1972 as a marketing assistant. After excelling in several international divisions of the company, in 1994 he advanced to Chairman of the Europe Committee, which coordinated Unilever's European activities. In May of 2005, he became Chairman of Unilever. Among his many civic-minded contributions, he chaired the CEO panel at the World Water Forum in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 2000 and again in Osaka, Japan, in 2003. Mr. Burgmans connected with the attendees when he outlined his commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. But before he made his comments, he pointed out that the “perception of time is different when you speak, or if you listen”. So he made certain that his comments were brief.
Mr. Burgmans understood at an early age that earning money and behaving responsibly are “completely compatible”. He gave an example when his company faced a dilemma when a number of NGO’s, including the World Wildlife Federation, were rightfully concerned about the over-fishing of Scandinavian waters. However, they unjustifiably saw Unilever as one of the main culprits of harming ocean life. As a result, Unilever, under Mr. Burgmans guidance, met with the WWF and offered to fund the monitoring the commercial activities of Unilever. As such, the WWF could certify that Unilever was acting environmentally responsible. The partnership worked perfectly, but Mr. Burgmans noted that several Scandinavian governments criticized the program because they believed that this was not the traditional role of business. The honoree clarified that governments should not be against business, and industry should not be against government. “Business is not the problem, it is part of the solution”, he emphasized, and firms should be proud of their contributions because it is the “decent thing to do”.
The Tiffany crystal that was presented to Mr. Burgmans stated: "To Mr. Burgmans for his lifetime commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and the promotion of sustainable economic development."
The evening’s Gala was motivating, even inspirational. The related philosophies of Guy Laliberté to complete the “Circle of Life", and that of Antony Burgmans that “ Business and Social Responsibility Are Fully Compatible”, are visions that Rotarians certainly espouse. All three of the recipients of the UNA Humanitarian award started from humble beginnings, excelled in their respective professions, and found it necessary to contribute to help solve some of the world’s persistent problems in their own way, and one village at a time.
Last year, the United Nations Association honorees were Robert L. Corcoran, president of the General Electric Foundation and Ann M. Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, for their significant work in global education.
The United Nations Association of New York honored Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation with its 2007 Humanitarian Award on October 25 at United Nations in New York. Other honorees included Antony Burgmans, former chairman and CEO of Unilever, and Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil's One Drop Foundation. All three organizations were honored in recognition of their significant efforts regarding the global water crisis and their on-going commitment to sustainable development worldwide. The UNA awards are presented annually in observance of United Nations Day (24 October) with this year's award ceremony focused on the global water crisis.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, warmly welcomed the honorees and guests at the Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner Reception. From left to right are Wilfred J. Wilkinson, President of Rotary International; Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil and the One Drop Foundation; and Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed the Master of Ceremonies. Antony Burgmans, former chairman of Unilever, the third honoree is not in this photo.
The Secretary-General commented that while it may be hard to believe when living in New York with plenty of rain, and rivers surrounding the city, the world's waters remain fragile. The need for a sound and sustainable approach to water resource management is pressing and water reserves continue to be wasted and degraded throughout the world. He wanted to make a point to congratulate tonight's honorees for their contributions because each of them deserves not only tonight's award, but also our collective gratitude and support.
At the evening’s Gala dinner the attendees were welcomed by Peter Rajsingh, President of the UNA-NY and the Master of Ceremonies was Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, the former Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Morocco and U.S. Representative of the United States to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
ekiqfohe
Rotary International
Rotary received an elegant Tiffany Crystal with the inscription:
To Rotary International: “For its leadership for bringing clean water to poor communities around the world”.
President Wilfred noted that in the years since Rotary International has started focusing on water as one of its annual service projects, we have learned just how much can be accomplished with relatively little, how a single small water project, perhaps a pump or a filter, can change the life of a community. Clean water has a great impact on nutrition, education, health, family interaction. We also learned that beneficiaries of water projects must be active participants in the project. A successful water project enables children to be healthier, and then can go to school, and can bring a community together.
In his concluding remarks, our president also clarified that for Rotarians there is no excuse not to help with the global water effort because as Past RI President, Bill Boyd said, we need to continue to try, and even though we may not succeed, we will have not failed.
The One Drop Foundation
The second honoree was Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, and the newly created One Drop Foundation. One of the foundation's main starting objectives is to fund and provide safe drinking water to selected communities in the developing world. One Drop also aims to support a public awareness regarding the global water crisis in developed countries, starting with Canada, the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia.
While the Cirque du Soleil started from very humble beginnings in 1980, it now employs more than 3000 people in three continents with over 30 millions attendees around the world. Many of the company’s employees are also contributing and are in full support of One Drop Foundation. The Tiffany crystal that was presented states: To Mr. Laliberte' for his creative vision and energy to help with the global water crisis.
At the Gala Dinner, Mr. Laliberté presented thoughtful insight to the reasons for creating a humanitarian foundation. He mentioned that his parents taught him that sharing what you have with others is very important. So, when he left home and went on the road at 14 years old to entertain people, he realized that our planet can be made better. At this early age he then committed to continue the “circle of life” and to give back what life gave him when he had the resources to do so. As a result, for his company’s 25th anniversary they have created the One Drop Foundation. Water is the “Source of Life” and sadly, one person is dying every eight seconds from the lack of clean safe water. The One Drop Foundation plans to spend the next 25 years to lend a hand to curtail the global water crisis, Mr. Laliberté elucidated.
Unilever
The third honoree, Antony Burgmans, the former chairman of Unilever was born in the Netherlands and joined Unilever in 1972 as a marketing assistant. After excelling in several international divisions of the company, in 1994 he advanced to Chairman of the Europe Committee, which coordinated Unilever's European activities. In May of 2005, he became Chairman of Unilever. Among his many civic-minded contributions, he chaired the CEO panel at the World Water Forum in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 2000 and again in Osaka, Japan, in 2003. Mr. Burgmans connected with the attendees when he outlined his commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. But before he made his comments, he pointed out that the “perception of time is different when you speak, or if you listen”. So he made certain that his comments were brief.
Mr. Burgmans understood at an early age that earning money and behaving responsibly are “completely compatible”. He gave an example when his company faced a dilemma when a number of NGO’s, including the World Wildlife Federation, were rightfully concerned about the over-fishing of Scandinavian waters. However, they unjustifiably saw Unilever as one of the main culprits of harming ocean life. As a result, Unilever, under Mr. Burgmans guidance, met with the WWF and offered to fund the monitoring the commercial activities of Unilever. As such, the WWF could certify that Unilever was acting environmentally responsible. The partnership worked perfectly, but Mr. Burgmans noted that several Scandinavian governments criticized the program because they believed that this was not the traditional role of business. The honoree clarified that governments should not be against business, and industry should not be against government. “Business is not the problem, it is part of the solution”, he emphasized, and firms should be proud of their contributions because it is the “decent thing to do”.
The Tiffany crystal that was presented to Mr. Burgmans stated: "To Mr. Burgmans for his lifetime commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and the promotion of sustainable economic development."
The evening’s Gala was motivating, even inspirational. The related philosophies of Guy Laliberté to complete the “Circle of Life", and that of Antony Burgmans that “ Business and Social Responsibility Are Fully Compatible”, are visions that Rotarians certainly espouse. All three of the recipients of the UNA Humanitarian award started from humble beginnings, excelled in their respective professions, and found it necessary to contribute to help solve some of the world’s persistent problems in their own way, and one village at a time.
Last year, the United Nations Association honorees were Robert L. Corcoran, president of the General Electric Foundation and Ann M. Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, for their significant work in global education.
Uzbekistan Ambassador Religions for Peace Global Business Ethitcs
United Nations University Honduras Ambassador Rotary Joins...
The Rotary Club of New York, as many other Rotary clubs, played an
essential role in building support during the formative years of The United
Nations, and in selecting New York City for the Permanent Headquarters of the
United Nations. As such, more than 60 years later, Rotary International still
maintains the highest consultative status with the United Nations of any
non-governmental organization. In this capacity, Rotary International and the United
Nations has built a strong and productive partnership in achieving the
Millennium Development Goals of 2000, including the global eradication of
Polio, cultural exchanges, literacy, education, water/sanitation projects, and
promotion of peace conferences around the world
All Rotarians and like-minded individuals are invited to attend the NY Rotary International Breakfast Meetings which are normally scheduled on the third Wednesday of every month and held at the Church Center, opposite the UN at 777 UN Plaza - Tenth Floor Entrance on 44th St. and First Ave. Previously we met at the German House located at 871 United Nations Plaza (49th St. and First Ave). These meeting provide an opportunity for Rotarians to stay informed regarding United Nation programs and to exchange views on related topics with UN officials and representatives of its member states. There are usually no meetings in July and August. Reservations are required to attend the meetings and can be made at: . The monthly meetings are coordinated and moderated by N.Y. Rotarian Josef Klee, Deputy-Director of the United Nations (Retired) and Sylvan Barnet, Alternate Rotary International Liaison to the UN. Our newsletter editor is Past Assistant District Governor Thomas V. McConnon.For a listing of the past guest speakers and issues click:
Ms. France
Chrétien Desmarais, Vice-Chair of the One Drop Board of Directors; behind her
is her husband, André Desmarais, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of
Power Corporation; Guy Laliberté with his wife Claudia Barilla Laliberté,
(center and center right), and Michel Lamoureux, (right) Executive Director of
the One Drop Corporation at the UNA reception.
At the Gala attendees review information about the Global Water Crisis.
Mr. Antony Burgmans, former Chairman and CEO of Unilever, at the reception before addressing the attendees.
President Wilfred talking with Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Madagascar to the United Nations.
The Rotary Club of New York's President Camilo Uy, M.D. , his wife Dr. Mary Lynn, and Rotarian John German attended the UNA Gala Dinner to honor Rotary International.
An artist from the Cirque du Soleil provided spellbinding and spine-tingling acrobatics for the Gala.
Wilfred J. Wilkinson, President of Rotary International (right) and Thomas McConnon, Assistant Governor of District 7230, which includes the Rotary Clubs of Manhattan.
All Rotarians and like-minded individuals are invited to attend the NY Rotary International Breakfast Meetings which are normally scheduled on the third Wednesday of every month and held at the Church Center, opposite the UN at 777 UN Plaza - Tenth Floor Entrance on 44th St. and First Ave. Previously we met at the German House located at 871 United Nations Plaza (49th St. and First Ave). These meeting provide an opportunity for Rotarians to stay informed regarding United Nation programs and to exchange views on related topics with UN officials and representatives of its member states. There are usually no meetings in July and August. Reservations are required to attend the meetings and can be made at: . The monthly meetings are coordinated and moderated by N.Y. Rotarian Josef Klee, Deputy-Director of the United Nations (Retired) and Sylvan Barnet, Alternate Rotary International Liaison to the UN. Our newsletter editor is Past Assistant District Governor Thomas V. McConnon.For a listing of the past guest speakers and issues click:
At the Gala attendees review information about the Global Water Crisis.
Mr. Antony Burgmans, former Chairman and CEO of Unilever, at the reception before addressing the attendees.
President Wilfred talking with Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Madagascar to the United Nations.
The Rotary Club of New York's President Camilo Uy, M.D. , his wife Dr. Mary Lynn, and Rotarian John German attended the UNA Gala Dinner to honor Rotary International.
An artist from the Cirque du Soleil provided spellbinding and spine-tingling acrobatics for the Gala.
Wilfred J. Wilkinson, President of Rotary International (right) and Thomas McConnon, Assistant Governor of District 7230, which includes the Rotary Clubs of Manhattan.
Ambassador
Joseph Verner Reed preparing for the award presentation.
New York Rotarian David Del Monte and his wife Deirdre.
Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed preparing for the award presentation.
Music was enjoyed at the reception, performed by the Caribbean steal drum band "C&C Sounds"
Welcome!
By 1940 Rotary international was
one of the largest international organizations in the world. There were more
that 10,000 club in more than 30 countries. Furthermore, the organization was
devoted to promoting peace around the world.
As such, rotary was very helpful in promoting the object of the United Nations. And the Rotary Club of New York was one of most international Rotary Clubs. More than 45 delegates attended the Conferences that created the modern UN. In addition, many Retrains and Rotary Clubs played vital roles in the formative years of The United Nations and in making New York city the Permanent Headquarters of the United Nations.
Early Timeline of the Formation of the United Nations
January 1 1942 - The United Nations Declaration is signed at the White House pledging the twenty-six governments to cooperate to win the war.
October 1943 Moscow Conference where the necessity of establishing a general organization for the maintenance of international peace and security was recognized
September 1944 Dumbarten Oaks the major allied powers agreed upon definite proposals for a general international organization to maintain peace and security and to promote the general welfare
Feb 1945 the Yalta Conference the proposals of the Dombarton Oaks conference proposals were agreed upon by the United State, the United Kingdom the soviet Union and subsequently China lead by .
April25 1945 the San Fransisco Conference for a nine week conference where the Charter for the United nations Organization was agreed upon
Summer of 1945 the Preparatory Commission translated the terms of the charter into detailed recommendations for the various organs of the organization
October 24 1945 the Charter was ratified by all fifty-one members
Jan 10 1946 the first General Assembly was called to order to bring the organization into being.
As such, rotary was very helpful in promoting the object of the United Nations. And the Rotary Club of New York was one of most international Rotary Clubs. More than 45 delegates attended the Conferences that created the modern UN. In addition, many Retrains and Rotary Clubs played vital roles in the formative years of The United Nations and in making New York city the Permanent Headquarters of the United Nations.
Early Timeline of the Formation of the United Nations
January 1 1942 - The United Nations Declaration is signed at the White House pledging the twenty-six governments to cooperate to win the war.
October 1943 Moscow Conference where the necessity of establishing a general organization for the maintenance of international peace and security was recognized
September 1944 Dumbarten Oaks the major allied powers agreed upon definite proposals for a general international organization to maintain peace and security and to promote the general welfare
Feb 1945 the Yalta Conference the proposals of the Dombarton Oaks conference proposals were agreed upon by the United State, the United Kingdom the soviet Union and subsequently China lead by .
April25 1945 the San Fransisco Conference for a nine week conference where the Charter for the United nations Organization was agreed upon
Summer of 1945 the Preparatory Commission translated the terms of the charter into detailed recommendations for the various organs of the organization
October 24 1945 the Charter was ratified by all fifty-one members
Jan 10 1946 the first General Assembly was called to order to bring the organization into being.
Climate Change
It has made clear that allowing climate change to continue
unabated would have grave consequences for the environment, for our economies.
The international media press was helpful to boost public support and now
political leaders are involved.Until recently, the EU was isolated on its
position in the UN regarding reducing greenhouse gases; however after the results
of the very influential ICFCC, International Center for Climate Change report
that now confirms that climate change is highly likely to be caused by human
activity. Therefore, it has to be human action to significantly curtail the
continuation of climate change. To avoid a dangerous climate change, the report
states that global emissions must be halved by 2050 relative to 1990 levels.The
reports shows that eleven out of the last twelve years have averaged as the
years with the highest temperatures since 1850 since records were first
recorded. Without mitigating climate change it is expected that the average
temperature of the earth will increase by end of 21th century by 2 to 4 degrees
centigrade and as result, there will be major impact as the sea level rises by
the end of this century due to the melted ice in the Arctic region.For the year
2007, Germany is coincidently is at the helm of two of the most powerful
international bodies in Europe. Chancellor Merkel is Chair of the G8, as well
as the President of the EU council of the same year. In addition, Chancellor
Merkel is a former environment minister, and also holds a doctorate in physics.
This dual role gives Chancellor Merkel an exceptional opportunity to mount
international efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and put global warming
back on the agenda.
The EU has presented a complete proposal in mid March 2007 by head of the governments by the European Union council is also the chancellor to lower carbon emissions by 20 and by 30% if more heads of state cooperate. This new cooperation is known as the Heiligendamm Process.
The United States which produces one-quarter of all man-made greenhouse gases is the only G8 (the eight largest economies) member not to have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, which sets mandatory targets for the reduction of such emissions. Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the UK are also members in theG8 have signed the agreement.
While many governments feel that the United Nations is the only global forum that global issues can be completed many also have observed from past behavior feel that political-blocks can distort and circumvent any meaningful progress. There is a history of small mini-states, which have an equal vote in the UN, siding will other countries that have been persuaded to support issues as a quid pro quoi rather than on the merits of the issues. The U.S. for example, prefers to work outside the UN and has developed a plan to work in a proprietary process and have an agreement among the fifteen largest producers of greenhouse gases, including emerging economies of China, India, and Brazil. With United States encouragement, it looks very promising to advance mitigation of emissions. The Bush Administration has demonstrated much flexibility on the issue, and is encouraging market and technological solutions with political guidelines, our speaker emphasized.
There are several technological solutions to reduce emissions.
· Capture the carbon gases from electrical production by coal and store into the earth. However this will significantly add to the cost of electrical production.
· Brazil and many U.S. corporations are investing in bio-fuels. However, Ethanol production effect on agricultural products is problematic by significantly increasing the cost of staple food products in many countries, and corn production in the US could not satisfy the market.
· Wind and solar power production is becoming somewhat more price-competitive but will only provide small amounts of needed production.
· France believes that nuclear energy is the cheapest and cleanest for of electrical production and it is the only way to solve the bio fuels dilemma. France now gets 80% of its electricity from nuclear power. Furthermore, France sells significant electrical energy produced by its nuclear power plants to neighboring German, Italy, and Spain. Other countries’ nuclear production percentages are Belgium 60%, Sweden 43%, Spain 36%, S. Korea 26%Germany 29%, Japan 29%, UK 28%, US 19%, Canada 18%respectively.
Presently, while the German government agrees that nuclear energy does not cause climate change and also it is also cheaper in the long run to provide energy its policy is not to invest in nuclear energy at the present time. For the next 15 years the German government will promote cleaner coal power plants which will produce less carbon.The basic problem with the Kyoto treaty is that only industrialized countries are included and constraints of pollution output do not include India and China who are heavy polluters albeit less than the US. In Kyoto, governments are separated into two general categories: developed countries, referred to as Annex I countries and have accepted greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations and must submit an annual greenhouse gas inventory. The developing countries, referred to as Non-Annex I countries, do have not have greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations but may participate in the Clean Development Mechanism.It is generally agreed by EU countries that India, China, Brazil and Mexico need to be part of a global arrangement of the post KyotoThere is momentum now. It stated in Johannesburg five years ago and there is a scheduled meeting of Baillie Indonesia in December will be the first meeting. The beginning of the process. There was to be a definition of the most responsible their current position. Japan, Canada would also we are a developing country we will do our best we are not in a position to invest in expensive technology at our current stage of economic development... Others want to see a binding agreement.Many governments reject the argument that some of the emerging economies should be exempt because they cannot be considered “developing” economies if they are providing a substantial about of manufactured goods to the world market. They may make the argument that they use a lot less carbon-based energy per capita.There are two main tools to take action on the increasing global problem of Climate Change MEDIATION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGETWO TOOLS TO For claim change.Our Speaker pointed out that last year one year no one was talking about climate change. However because with the alarming news with some reports from the International Center for Climate Change there is now a lot of support to take action. Jan Feb. and march. The international media press was helpful build up public opinion and now political leaders are getting involved.The reports now claim that Climate change is very likely to be caused by human activity and therefor there has to be human action to stall climate change. More disturbing amany leading one of the major impacts is sea level rise more than one or two meter by the end of this century.The Facts11 out of the 12 years has been the hottest years since 1850 when record were kept. Without mitigateing climate change the average temp will increase by end of century by 2 to 4 degrees centigrade the repaaort perdictsUntil recently the EU was isolated on its position in the UN. The EU Group of G7 US and Australia. OPEC countries are very influential in re ICFCC International Center for Climate Change. Every one is waiting for someone else to proceedThe EU has presented a complete proposal unilateral proposal in mid march by head of government by the European council chancellor to lower carbon emissions by 20 and by 30% if more heads of state cooperate headed by GermanyConsider us doing something but there was no reaction, by coincidence Germany was also the chair of the G8 and the President of the EUUnexpected move made some substantial conciliation and that climate change about technology but alsoThe US never liked it to be be decided by the UN and prefer to work outside the UN. They will work as a preperayroity process and have an agreement amount the 15 most including emergencies china India and brazil. The US must get involved. It looks very promising to advance mitigation of emissions. The bush administration has showed much flexibility on this issue. MARKET AND technology but it needs political guidelines. otherwise you do not create political guides and would help technical solutions. One solution is to capture the carbon gases in store in the earth.Alternative sources of energy are developing Brazil and US are investing in bio fuelsbut the limitations critical such as ethanol. the draw back is its effect of agriculture are problematic. Corn in US could not satisfy the market and raised the price this staple food of Mexico.Natural resources of Wind and Solar is the EU preference. France which sells electrical power to German, Italy, and Spain. France believes that nuclear energy is the only way to solve the bio fuels dilemmaThe government party is open to nuclear energy because it does not effect climate change but it is also cheaper in the long run to prove energy. The socialist democratic party so there is a compromise in German not to invest in nuclear energy at the present time.IN the next 15 years we would have to promote coal power plants which do produce carbon.Kyoto everyone agrees that it does not work, The basic problem was that an international Annex I that only industrialized countries are included and did not include India and China who are heavy polluters.India and China, Mexico should e part of a global arrangement. 2012 post Kyoto.Their is momentum now. Johannesburg five years ago Meeting of Bailie Indonesia in December will be the first meeting. The beginning of the process. There was to be a definition of the most responsible there current position Japan, Canada would also We are a developing country we will do our best we are not in a position in to apposition. Others want to see a binding agreement.The argument that some of the emerging economies cannot be considered developing economies if they are providing substantial about of goods on the world market. may make is that they use a lot less carbon based energy per capitaThere may be too many political blocks in the United Nations is the only global forum that global issues can be done.The United States is not a believer in the UN in making binding demands for climate change. It feels that political blocks can distort and circumvent any meaningful reforms. The is a history of small mini states which have a vote in the UN sizing will other countries that they have been persuaded tok
The EU has presented a complete proposal in mid March 2007 by head of the governments by the European Union council is also the chancellor to lower carbon emissions by 20 and by 30% if more heads of state cooperate. This new cooperation is known as the Heiligendamm Process.
The United States which produces one-quarter of all man-made greenhouse gases is the only G8 (the eight largest economies) member not to have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, which sets mandatory targets for the reduction of such emissions. Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the UK are also members in theG8 have signed the agreement.
While many governments feel that the United Nations is the only global forum that global issues can be completed many also have observed from past behavior feel that political-blocks can distort and circumvent any meaningful progress. There is a history of small mini-states, which have an equal vote in the UN, siding will other countries that have been persuaded to support issues as a quid pro quoi rather than on the merits of the issues. The U.S. for example, prefers to work outside the UN and has developed a plan to work in a proprietary process and have an agreement among the fifteen largest producers of greenhouse gases, including emerging economies of China, India, and Brazil. With United States encouragement, it looks very promising to advance mitigation of emissions. The Bush Administration has demonstrated much flexibility on the issue, and is encouraging market and technological solutions with political guidelines, our speaker emphasized.
There are several technological solutions to reduce emissions.
· Capture the carbon gases from electrical production by coal and store into the earth. However this will significantly add to the cost of electrical production.
· Brazil and many U.S. corporations are investing in bio-fuels. However, Ethanol production effect on agricultural products is problematic by significantly increasing the cost of staple food products in many countries, and corn production in the US could not satisfy the market.
· Wind and solar power production is becoming somewhat more price-competitive but will only provide small amounts of needed production.
· France believes that nuclear energy is the cheapest and cleanest for of electrical production and it is the only way to solve the bio fuels dilemma. France now gets 80% of its electricity from nuclear power. Furthermore, France sells significant electrical energy produced by its nuclear power plants to neighboring German, Italy, and Spain. Other countries’ nuclear production percentages are Belgium 60%, Sweden 43%, Spain 36%, S. Korea 26%Germany 29%, Japan 29%, UK 28%, US 19%, Canada 18%respectively.
Presently, while the German government agrees that nuclear energy does not cause climate change and also it is also cheaper in the long run to provide energy its policy is not to invest in nuclear energy at the present time. For the next 15 years the German government will promote cleaner coal power plants which will produce less carbon.The basic problem with the Kyoto treaty is that only industrialized countries are included and constraints of pollution output do not include India and China who are heavy polluters albeit less than the US. In Kyoto, governments are separated into two general categories: developed countries, referred to as Annex I countries and have accepted greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations and must submit an annual greenhouse gas inventory. The developing countries, referred to as Non-Annex I countries, do have not have greenhouse gas emission reduction obligations but may participate in the Clean Development Mechanism.It is generally agreed by EU countries that India, China, Brazil and Mexico need to be part of a global arrangement of the post KyotoThere is momentum now. It stated in Johannesburg five years ago and there is a scheduled meeting of Baillie Indonesia in December will be the first meeting. The beginning of the process. There was to be a definition of the most responsible their current position. Japan, Canada would also we are a developing country we will do our best we are not in a position to invest in expensive technology at our current stage of economic development... Others want to see a binding agreement.Many governments reject the argument that some of the emerging economies should be exempt because they cannot be considered “developing” economies if they are providing a substantial about of manufactured goods to the world market. They may make the argument that they use a lot less carbon-based energy per capita.There are two main tools to take action on the increasing global problem of Climate Change MEDIATION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGETWO TOOLS TO For claim change.Our Speaker pointed out that last year one year no one was talking about climate change. However because with the alarming news with some reports from the International Center for Climate Change there is now a lot of support to take action. Jan Feb. and march. The international media press was helpful build up public opinion and now political leaders are getting involved.The reports now claim that Climate change is very likely to be caused by human activity and therefor there has to be human action to stall climate change. More disturbing amany leading one of the major impacts is sea level rise more than one or two meter by the end of this century.The Facts11 out of the 12 years has been the hottest years since 1850 when record were kept. Without mitigateing climate change the average temp will increase by end of century by 2 to 4 degrees centigrade the repaaort perdictsUntil recently the EU was isolated on its position in the UN. The EU Group of G7 US and Australia. OPEC countries are very influential in re ICFCC International Center for Climate Change. Every one is waiting for someone else to proceedThe EU has presented a complete proposal unilateral proposal in mid march by head of government by the European council chancellor to lower carbon emissions by 20 and by 30% if more heads of state cooperate headed by GermanyConsider us doing something but there was no reaction, by coincidence Germany was also the chair of the G8 and the President of the EUUnexpected move made some substantial conciliation and that climate change about technology but alsoThe US never liked it to be be decided by the UN and prefer to work outside the UN. They will work as a preperayroity process and have an agreement amount the 15 most including emergencies china India and brazil. The US must get involved. It looks very promising to advance mitigation of emissions. The bush administration has showed much flexibility on this issue. MARKET AND technology but it needs political guidelines. otherwise you do not create political guides and would help technical solutions. One solution is to capture the carbon gases in store in the earth.Alternative sources of energy are developing Brazil and US are investing in bio fuelsbut the limitations critical such as ethanol. the draw back is its effect of agriculture are problematic. Corn in US could not satisfy the market and raised the price this staple food of Mexico.Natural resources of Wind and Solar is the EU preference. France which sells electrical power to German, Italy, and Spain. France believes that nuclear energy is the only way to solve the bio fuels dilemmaThe government party is open to nuclear energy because it does not effect climate change but it is also cheaper in the long run to prove energy. The socialist democratic party so there is a compromise in German not to invest in nuclear energy at the present time.IN the next 15 years we would have to promote coal power plants which do produce carbon.Kyoto everyone agrees that it does not work, The basic problem was that an international Annex I that only industrialized countries are included and did not include India and China who are heavy polluters.India and China, Mexico should e part of a global arrangement. 2012 post Kyoto.Their is momentum now. Johannesburg five years ago Meeting of Bailie Indonesia in December will be the first meeting. The beginning of the process. There was to be a definition of the most responsible there current position Japan, Canada would also We are a developing country we will do our best we are not in a position in to apposition. Others want to see a binding agreement.The argument that some of the emerging economies cannot be considered developing economies if they are providing substantial about of goods on the world market. may make is that they use a lot less carbon based energy per capitaThere may be too many political blocks in the United Nations is the only global forum that global issues can be done.The United States is not a believer in the UN in making binding demands for climate change. It feels that political blocks can distort and circumvent any meaningful reforms. The is a history of small mini states which have a vote in the UN sizing will other countries that they have been persuaded tok
Visiting Rotarian's are always welcomed at our Club's
International Breakfast meeting.
At the June meeting Assistant Governor of Rotary District 7230, Tom McConnon, welcomed the incoming president from Bucaramanga, Chicamocha Club of District 4270 Columbia.
At the June meeting Assistant Governor of Rotary District 7230, Tom McConnon, welcomed the incoming president from Bucaramanga, Chicamocha Club of District 4270 Columbia.
Rotary
and the United Nations Update
In a special report on Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy, the Financial Times ranks Rotary as the fifth most important partner at the United Nations. This was the result from a survey of more than 400 possible world partners.
The past four months is always the most active at the UN for the Rotary UN Office and the other non-government organizations (NGO) accredited to the Economic and Social Council. It is the time of the annual meetings of the various Commissions - Status of Women, Social Development, Population Development and Sustainable Development. We contributed statements to two of them.
Perhaps our most important contribution was on Sustainable Development. This year the committee's theme is energy and alternate sources such as solar power, wind power and hydro power. Our Rotary club have many projects in the world on alternative power sources.
Rotary's concentration is increasing on water projects; 30% of our 32,000 clubs have various degrees of focus in projects that provide clean and safe drinking water. We have implemented a Rotary Action Group on water and sanitation. The 2008-2009 UN year has been declared to be the UN International Year on Sanitation. We, your Rotary representatives, have attended two important planning meetings to be prepared.
Other meetings we attended were on Global Immunization (UNICEF), Conference on Health and Environment, The General Assembly briefing of NGOs, the ECOSOC meeting on jobs and employment and one on Aid and Trade for the least developed countries.
These are the meetings in New York City at the UN Headquarters. Other Rotary Representatives attended similar meetings in Geneva, Paris, Nairobi, Rome and Addis Ababa.
The months ahead will involve many meetings and conferences on climate change, and planning our annual Rotary Day at the U.N. on November 3. Stay tuned!
Sylvan Barnet
Welcome!
Ukraine
Rotarians Visit New York
Robby Donno, a frequent and always welcomed guest at the Rotary Club of New York outlines the Eastern European Gift of Life program.
10,000 operations over the last 20 years!
Robby Danno, one of the founders of "Gift of Life"
program that was started at a Long Island Rotary Club in 1975 introduced the
President of the Odessa Rotary Club. Increasingly, the "Gift of Life"
is now performing needed heart surgery overseas since it is more cost
effective. There are currently five hospitals in Columbia, five in the Philippines,
seven in China, and 13 in India, that work with the Gift of Life program.Robby
introduced a number of his guests, including Rotarians from the Rotary Club of
Odessa, Ukraine. The president of the Odessa club gave an inspiring talk noting
that more than eight hundred Russian children and four hundred Ukrainian
children have received surgery through the Gift of Life / Rotary partnership.
She also noted that her club has only 12 active members, and that there are
about eight hundred Rotarians in the Ukraine.The cardio-surgeon at the Odessa
Children's Hospital also addressed our club through a translator. She mentioned
that it was appropriate to meet on New York's first warm Spring day because the
Spring brings life, and so does the Gift of Life. She emphasized that, thanks
to Rotary, more children in the Ukraine are now being operated on a regular
basis. But there are still many more children waiting for surgery. Robby
pointed out that while it cost on average $8,000 to $10,000 to save a child in
this country, and about $2,000 overseas, there is no monetary equivalent that
could replace that moment when a parent learns that their child is going to
live a long and normal life. Past-president Bill also pointed out how Rotary is
the envy of other humanitarian organizations because we have a network of
Rotarians in 169 countries that are universally committed to contributing to
making the world a more peaceful and healthy place.
650,000
Text Books Donated to Liberia
Books For Africa:
New York Rotarians, Florence Chenoweth and Natalie Hahn outlined
their successful international service project to donate books to schools in
Liberia at the Rotary Club of New York's lunch meeting at the Princeton Club of
New York.
Due to the civil war over the last twenty years, nearly every
school in Liberia has been destroyed. But with the end of the war and a
democratically elected government, the schools are now being rebuilt and there
is a real need for school books. Florence, who is Liberian, and Natalie, who
lived in Africa for 14 years deceided last year to "Lend a hand" and
commited themselves to the goal of sending a shipping container of 100,000 books.
With the help of our Executive Director, Andreas, our club's Foundation, the
Rotary Club of Lincoln, Nebraska, (Natalie's home state), USAID, World Vision,
and some very generous publishing companies, their service project has already
sent more than 500,000 books and an additional 120,000 books are being sent by
the end of this summer!
Munich
Rotarians are Welcomed in New York
At the Princeton Club of New
York, acting Chairman of the Rotary Club of New York Foundation, Dick Sainburg,
receives a finacial gift from the Rotary Club of Munich-International. The gift
will be used to fund a Financial Literacy Program to selected schools in
Manhattan.
New York Rotary Club President, Jim Bryant, receives a gift (Munich Lion) from the Munich- International Rotary from President Raphaela.
New
York Sun Reporter views of New Secretary-general
What Is New and What is Not at the UN?
On January 1, 2007, Mr. Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea was
sworn in as the eighth Secretary-general of the United Nations. He brings to
his post 37 years of service both in government and on the global stage. Our
guest speaker, reporter Benny Avni, a staff reported of the New York Sun and
writes often on the United Nations. Mr. Avni was born in Israel and service in
the Israeli military. The New
York Sun is a contemporary five-day daily newpaper published in New
York City. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, it became "the first general
interest broadsheet newspaper to be launched in New York in two
generations."
Mr. Avni noted that Mr. Ban is significantly different from his
predecessors with his relations to the United States. Experience shows that
every time the United Nations clashes with the United States, the UN becomes
irrelevant. Without strong cooperation with the United States, the United
Nations cannot make a difference. While China is a growing power and playerat
the UN, and terrorist groups can have a significant capability to wreck havoc
throughout the world, the US is in fact the only Super Power. As a result, the US is able to
act in the world theater, maybe not as effectively as with the UN. However, the
UN cannot act at all without the full participation and cooperation of the
United States mr. Avni noted. He went on to say that many UN member-states
,including many of the democracies, believe that the role of the UN should be a
counter-weight to the United States.
For example, Butros-Butros Ghali entered office as "Pro-Soviet" and converted to a"Pro-United States" position. However, he began to assert UN independence, and as a result he clashed with the Clinton administration. As a result, he was not selected by the Security Council for a customary second five-year term. The most recent Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, when selected was very "Pro-United States", but as a consequence of his claims that the Iraqi War was illegal, Mr. Annan spent the last few years of his term in confrontation with the US.
For example, Butros-Butros Ghali entered office as "Pro-Soviet" and converted to a"Pro-United States" position. However, he began to assert UN independence, and as a result he clashed with the Clinton administration. As a result, he was not selected by the Security Council for a customary second five-year term. The most recent Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, when selected was very "Pro-United States", but as a consequence of his claims that the Iraqi War was illegal, Mr. Annan spent the last few years of his term in confrontation with the US.
Secretary-general Ban however is of the generation that feels
South Korea owes its very existence to the United States. He, and as does our
guest speaker, believe that the US is a force of good in the world, and his
sensibilities coincide with those of the US deligation. In addition, he also
has a broader business background than his predecessors, Unlike Kofi Annan, who
spent most of his career at the UN rising through its bureaucracy, Mr. Ban was
a South Korean foreign minister and earned a living in private sector. He also
believes that civic work is important. Also, Secretary-general Ban readily
filled a financial disclosure form, while his predecessor was very hesitant to
do so, even though all other high-level administrators and appointees at the UN
were required to do so.
Furthermore, to the chagrin of our guest speaker, Mr. Ban held his first meetings at the UN in New York at 8:00 a.m. Our guest speaker and many in the UN community are not accustomed to attending meetings and briefings until lunch time. This ispart of the new work ethic that Me Ban is trying to implement.
Furthermore, to the chagrin of our guest speaker, Mr. Ban held his first meetings at the UN in New York at 8:00 a.m. Our guest speaker and many in the UN community are not accustomed to attending meetings and briefings until lunch time. This ispart of the new work ethic that Me Ban is trying to implement.
What is not new?
To actually change the organization's culture, Mr. Ban had to
bring in innovative, high-level administrators. However, he quickly learned
that every change he attempted to make had to navigate through a massive mill
to be accepted by the bureaucracy. Then the changes ultimately had to be approved
by the General Assembly. In order to make some transformations,
Secretary-general Ban was required to identify the "trouble makers",
recompense them in some manner, and only then he was able to move forward with
his adaptation. As a consequence, many of the UN high-level administrators are
still in charge of many of the UN's agencies.
Our speaker also noted that there has been much "fanfare" about the recently restructured Human Rights Council that replaced the discredited Human Rights Commission. Mr. Avni outlined the "significant" reform that was made. The reformed Council now has 48 member instead of the previous 53. He also noted that since its inception, the Human Rights Council has implemented a total of eight resolutions. All eight were regarding violations by the state of Israel, and three more are pending on Israel. The
New York Sun's reporter sarcastically noted that according to the newly "reformed Council " there are no other human rights violations in the world. As such Burma, Tibet, Darfor, ect., have not committed any human rights violations. Mr. Avni said that in all fairness, it should be mentioned that the reformed Council has taken the "bold" steps to investigate the situation in Darfur. Sudan is not mentioned, he noted.
Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea, Official Biography from
the UN Website
Career highlights
At the time of his election as Secretary-general, Mr. Ban was his
country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His long tenure with the
ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington DC and Vienna, and
responsibility for a variety of portfolios, including Foreign Policy Advisor to
the President, Chief National Security Advisor to the President, Deputy
Minister for Policy Planning and Director-General of American Affairs.
Throughout this service, his guiding vision was that of a peaceful Korean
peninsula, playing an expanding role for peace and prosperity in the region and
the wider world.Mr. Ban has long-standing ties with the United Nations, dating
back to 1975, when he worked for the Foreign Ministry's United Nations
division. That work expanded over the years, with assignments as First
Secretary at the ROK’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, Director of the
UN Division at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul, and Ambassador to Vienna,
during which time, in 1999, he served as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission
for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. In 2001-2002, as
Chef-de-Cabinet during the ROK’s Presidency of the General Assembly, he facilitated
the prompt adoption of the first resolution of the session, condemning the
terrorist attacks of 11 September, and undertook a number of initiatives aimed
at strengthening the Assembly's functioning, thereby helping to turn a session
that started out in crisis and confusion into one in which a number of
important reforms were adopted.Mr. Ban has also been actively involved in
issues relating to inter-Korean relations. In 1992, as Special Advisor to the
Foreign Minister, he served as Vice Chair of the South-North Joint Nuclear
Control Commission following the adoption of the historic Joint Declaration on
the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In September 2005, as Foreign
Minister, he played a leading role in bringing about another landmark agreement
aimed at promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula with the
adoption at the Six Party Talks of the Joint Statement on resolving the North
Korean nuclear issue.Education
Mr. Ban received a bachelor's degree in international relations from
Seoul National University in 1970. In 1985, he earned a master's degree in
public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
University.Prizes and awardsMr. Ban has received numerous national and
international prizes, medals and honors. In 1975, 1986 and again in 2006, he
was awarded the ROK’s Highest Order of Service Merit for service to his
country.PersonalMr. Ban was born on 13 June 1944. He and his wife, Madam Yoo
(Ban) Soon-taek, whom he met in high school in 1962, have one son and two
daughters. In addition to Korean, Mr. Ban speaks English and French.*********
Peacemaking
in Action: The Case for Nepal
Dr. Tajima, a New York Rotarian, is a UN Director Retiree, Professor Emeritus Kawansei Gakuin University, Japan and UN Global Compact Advisor. In 1972 he visited Nepal as a member of UN Fact-finding mission to South-Asian landlocked countries. What he witnessed at Biratnagar, the major transit point with India and Nepal made him an instant sympathizer and supporter of Nepal. Upon retirement from the UN he formed Reconciliation 21 (R21), a conflict prevention NGO with a mission to strengthen Nepal’s NGO system; and, coordinate outside efforts to bring productivity and stability to the country.
About Nepal: It is a Kingdom of about 27 million people, mostly Hindus. Its monarchy ruled for nearly 240 years until 1990, when there was the first people’s uprising. At that time the King agreed to install a multi-party system. Subsequently, elections were held and a Parliament installed. In 1995 the head of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN), which was then the majority party, became the Prime Minister. In short order, he was dismissed resulting in the party splitting into two groups the Maoist (CPN/M) and the Marxist Lenin Group (CPN/UML) Both groups opposed the monarchy. The former resorted to force while the latter denounced the use of force and remained the legitimate political party.
In February 2005, the 15 year democratic exercise came to an end. The King, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev dismissed Prime Minister Deuba and his government and declared himself an absolute monarch and took direct control of the army. Massive arrests, suspension of civil liberties and declaration of a state of emergency followed. Communication with the outside world was cut as a stunned international community looked on. The King’s undemocratic actions resulted in the 7 large political parties forming an alliance (SPA) with commitments to closer ties with the Maoists.
With the widespread political discontent the SPA and the Maoists began a program of nationwide strikes and Mass Street protests. After 19 days and with the decisive support of civil society groups the King handed over power to the political parties and reinstated Parliament. On April 28, 2006, Parliament convened and a new Prime Minister, G. P. Koirala was sworn in two-days later.
The King’s army was renamed the “National Army” and placed under Prime Minister Koirala control. Under increasing pressure from the international community, the UN was allowed to open the UN High Commissioner for Human rights (CHCHR). With this action, the UN began to emerge as a positive outside force in the eyes of the people of Nepal.
The SPA and the Maoists signed a ceasefire agreement and decided to hold Constituent Assembly elections in June 2007. The biggest challenge for the new government is the disarming of the Maoists insurgents. However, both the SPA and the Maoists agreed to entrust the arms- management task to the UN. In addition, Nepal’s list of pressing issues also includes, a new constitution, the Kings future, and the shape of the new national government (federal or another model).
Dr. Tajima underscored the point that the peace process alone will not be sufficient nor be sustainable unless accompanied by confidence-building measures at various levels of its civil society. He travels to Nepal in early March for a two-day Round Table with university students, teachers, businessmen, political leaders and mass media in Kathmandu, the capital. The theme of the meeting is promotion of a peace culture (tolerance, reconciliation and forgiveness). The objectives are to begin the reconciliation organizing and create implementation plans to enable the mobilization of networking support.
In conclusion, Dr. Tajima expressed his hope that the resulting guidelines and think-pieces from this and subsequent meetings will be used by international NGOs, university students and others to promote awareness around the world about Nepal.
When the meeting adjourned at 9:45, it was clear that the people of Nepal have a dedicated and highly motivated champion in Dr. Tajima.
Postscript: As if to a confirm Dr. Tajima mission, on March 4, 2007, the New York Times published an article about traveling in Nepal, headlined, “As Political Unrest Eases, Travel Picks Up.” The article cited developments such as, the signed peace deal with the Maoist rebels after 10 years of bitter conflict, the temporary constitution now in effect, and the interim Parliament that is bringing stability to the country. The UN Security Council voted in January to set up a mission to oversee the disarmament and cease-fire accord. This adds to reasons being cited for the renewed interest and the return of adventure-oriented travelers to Nepal.
Norway's
Ambassador Encouraging More NGO Support
New York Rotarian Nikolaus Helbich (center) was the moderator and NY Rotarian Patrick Mellea (right) also participated in the discussion.
The Ambassador noted that while it is essential that the UN remain an inter-governmental organization, and its procedures must be respected, the NGO is becoming an increasing important resource for the UN, especially in helping toward the eradication of global poverty.
The ambassador noted that in the 1990's there were a number of the colossal world conferences with NGO's and private sector. And while these conferences have not taken place in the last ten years or so, the NGO still is essential. As such, many UN agencies are refining procedures to incorporate formal consultation, and more importantly, informal methods to be utilized by many of the UN missions. In 2005, the President of the 60 General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Jan Eliasson, asked Ambassador Johan L. Løvald of Norway and Ambassador Rezlan Ishar Jenie of Indonesia to serve as his special advisor on the relationship between Member States and representatives of civil society in the context of General Assembly affairs.
For a copy of his report go to: http://www.ngocongo.org/files/report_on_the_relationship_between_member_states_and_civil_society.pdf
The Ambassador recommend at the breakfast meeting that NGO's can be very effective and helpful by
mustering support for the MDG's that all
governments had agreed to at the 2000 Millennium Summit. In additional there is
general agreement to eliminate the foreign debt of the world's 18 poorest
counties. Furthermore, there is now an EU agreement for EU countries to reach
the 0.7 of 1 percent of GDP allocated to foreign aid for the world's poorest
counties.
Presently, about nine countries have already reached the .7 of 1 percent of their resective GDP to be committed to global poverty eradication. Norway has already surpassed this .07 of 1% percent. It allocates half of this amount to multilateral organizations such as the UN and other Bretton Woods institutions such as the World Bank. A significant part also goes to Norwegian NGO's that work toward this goal. It was also pointed out that UNICEF has a global task force that is meeting with Rotary which is is a good example of using NGO expertise with the UN agency.
Presently, about nine countries have already reached the .7 of 1 percent of their resective GDP to be committed to global poverty eradication. Norway has already surpassed this .07 of 1% percent. It allocates half of this amount to multilateral organizations such as the UN and other Bretton Woods institutions such as the World Bank. A significant part also goes to Norwegian NGO's that work toward this goal. It was also pointed out that UNICEF has a global task force that is meeting with Rotary which is is a good example of using NGO expertise with the UN agency.
Gender-Equality
at the United Nations Explicated by Slovenian Ambassador - December 2006
Since its independence in 1991 from the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia is one of the nine new European countries that joined the EU. And with only 2 million people, Ambassador Tomic is ostensibly very proud that her country has been selected to head the European Union in 2008 after Germany in 2007.
Ambassador Tomic opened the discussion by stating that the UN is well represented by gender equality agencies, but that the organization as a whole has not utilized these entities as effectively as it could. She spoke about the need for continued commitment for gender "mainstreaming" at the highest levels of the UN. In addition, the Ambassador stressed the importance of interaction between different UN branches on gender equality. ("Gender Mainstreaming" is one of the strategies for achieving gender equality. It involves ensuring that gender perspectives, and attention to the goal of gender equality, are central to all activities.)
Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) also promoted the participation of women and bringing gender perspectives to the center of all United Nations peace-making, peacekeeping, peace-building and reconstruction efforts.
The UN agencies that promote gender-equality within the UN Organizational structure include:
- OSAGI - Office of Special Advisor on Gender
Issues and the Advancement of Women .
- UNIFEM - UN Development Fund for Women advocates
the strengthening of gender equality programming of UN operational
agencies. It also conducts very effective work on the ground working with NGO's.
- INSTRAW -International Research and
Training Institute for the Advancement of Women which promoted research on
equity for women issues.
- CSW- Commission on the Status of Women
which is a part of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
- UNDAW - UN Division for the Advancement of
Women
- IANWGE - The Inter-Agency Network on Women and
Gender Equality is a network of gender focal points in UN entities. The
Network is chaired by the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement
of Women.
The latest proposal of the UN Reform panel recommends the implementation of a "One UN Policy" at the country level. For example, there are 24 UN agencies operating in Columbia. Consequently, establishing communication or coordination of goals and objectives while incorporating gender issues into the decision process may be compromised. By merging all agencies into one, gender-equality issues can be more effectively incorporated in the decision and policy making process.
It was also pointed out by the meeting's moderator, Josef Klee, that the former Secretary General was committed to achieving gender employment parity with 50% the core, non-civil service posts should be held by women. Currently there are 2,700 "Core Posts" that have been identified to be under this quota system. At present, 43% of these posts are now held by women. While this percentage may be impressive when compared with other large organizations, it is still not parity. As a result, women now receive some advantage when applying for one of these positions. Unfortunately, this as expected creates the conundrum of not discriminating against men.
Rotary International's UN representative, Sylvan Barnet, noted that at least six of the MDG's, if not all, are particularly favorable to women. There is a "Feminization of poverty, water, and HIV/AIDs, since women are more affected by these developmental issues than men. He also noted that Rotary is very committed to incorporating women in international development evidenced by the more than 50% of the one thousand Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars are women, as are 60% of the Rotary Peace Fellows.
Secretary-General's
UN Military Advisor Reviews Peacekeeping Missions
Certain factors are critical for the success of any UN peacekeeping operation.
• The international community must diagnose the problem correctly before prescribing peacekeeping as the treatment;
• There must be a peace to keep; and all key parties to the conflict must consent to stop fighting, and to accept the UN role in helping them resolve their dispute and to the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission.
• Members of the Security Council must agree on a clear and achievable mandate.
• Deployment must proceed quickly.
United Nations peace operations entail four principal activities:
• Conflict prevention - addresses the structural sources of conflict
• Peacemaking- conflict in progress
• Peacekeeping - maintains an existing peace
• Peacebuilding - rebuilds government and democratic infrastructure for a solid foundation for peace.
Currently there are apoximatedly 70,000 “blue helmets” 34 percent from Asia, 28 from Africa, the rest from South America and Middle East.
There are 18 mission’s world wide:
Sudan,
Burundi,
Cote d’Ivoire,
Liberia,
Congo,
Etiopía,
Haiti,
Timor-Leste,
India / Pakistan Border,
Cyprus,
Georgia,
Kosovo,
Golan Heights,
Jerusalem
Ms. Mori's scholarship was sponsored by the Omiya-North Rotary Club in District 2770 which is located in the eastern part of Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
Enhancing Women's Global Leadership Through Information Technology
“Enhancing Women’s Global Leadership Through Information Technology: Strengthening the Business Environment for Women; & Increasing the Participation of Women in Political Decision Making.
The overall goal was to explore the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in creating an environment for the advancement of women.
The main points covered included:
-Trends in Women’s Employment
-Remedies for Gender Imbalance at the Top
-Overcoming Challenges of Gender Inequality
-Best Practice Examples from IT Leaders
In 1947, the Economic and Social Council established the Commission on the Status of Women to promote the political, economic, civil, social, and educational advancement of women. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/index.html
The Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000 highlighted the importance of Information and Communication technologies be made available to all. The first phase was held in Geneva at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in December 2003 to have all member states endorse this principle and develop a plan of action. The second phase will focus on the monitoring of progress of feasible actions, presenting "good practices" and "lessons learned". At the Geneva conference Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, stated “There is a gender [digital] divide with women and girls enjoying less access to information technology than men and boys. This can be true of rich and poor countries alike”.
The conference was organized by AIT Global, the Global Association of Management and IT Executives, http://www.aitglobal.com/ and sponsored by IBM, AMD, InfoWorld Media Group IDG Publishing, AFCEA, and others.
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United Nations Encouraging More Partnerships With Civil Society
And NGO's
Ms. Oca is the liaison officer to the approximately three thousand NGO’s that maintain consultative status with the UN. Originally from the Philippines, where her father and brother were Rotarians, and her family hosted two Rotary exchange students in Manila, Isolda is very familiar with Rotary. She outlined how Rotarians were essential in the creation of the United Nations and that one of the reasons that the unsuccessful predecessor of the UN, the League of Nations, failed was because civil society was not incorporated into the organizational structure. It was a wise decision of U.S. Presidents Franklyn Roosevelt and Harry Truman to insist that Rotarians be involved in the creation of the United Nations. She noted that Article 71 of the UN Charter encouraged NGO cooperation which the UN and that Rotary’s successful Polio-Plus Program could not have been possible without this provision.
Article 71 in Chapter X of the United Nation Charter states:
“The Economic and Social Council may make suitable arrangements for consultation with Non-government organizations which are concerned with matters within its competence. Such arrangements may be made with international organizations and, where appropriate, With national organizations after consultation with the Member of the United Nations concerned.”
Ms. Oca noted that there is a growing force of civil society at the United Nations, and the UNDPI wants to provide assistance. While the United Nations is not an organization of civil society, but of member states, civil society can, and does, have a voice in the process. “Today, the United Nations stands for a world where people of different nations and cultures can look at each other, not with fear and suspicion, but as potential partners to exchange good and ideas for their mutual benefit, and civil society is a vital partner in this endeavor.”
In the last few years, commitment to civil society involment has become evident by the realignment of the UN outreach programs to engage and assist civil society.
They include:
- Recent conference titled “Our
Challenge: Voices for Peace Partnership and Renewal”. (Rotary was
represented at this conference as well as 700 other organizations. The
next conference is scheduled for September, 2006);
- “NGO Briefings” are held every
Thursday from 10am to 12pm. UNDPI provides the perspectives of member
states, the UN, and that of civil society, on issues pending at the UN;
- Communication and
Information-exchange workshops to enhance NGO’s dissemination of
information;
- UNDPI library has transformed
from a library of book collection to that of people connection;
- Orientation programs for new
NGO’s;
- Commission of the Cordoza Report
by the Secretary General in 2003 that recommends future and enhanced UN
interaction with Civil Society;
- Establishment of NGO “Focal
Points” at most UN agencies and Departments;
- Establishment of “Special Advisor
for NGO Relations” to the President of the General Assembly;
- Significant NGO input in the 2005
Outcome Document as examplified by “No development without security, no
security without development, and no security without human rights”.
Bill Pace, the Executive Director of the World Federalist Movement, and considered by many as one of the leading experts in NGO and UN partnerships, pointed out that the United States contributes approximately $4 billions a year in to the UN system or about $13 per capita; Norway contributes approximately $125, Netherlands $45, France $18 and Canada with $8 per capita. Compared to all-level government spending at the national, state, and local levels where total government spending in the United States is approximately $20,000 per person, relatively very little spending is done at the international, or global, level. As such, with increasing responsibilities and challenges including, poverty eradication, environmental degradation, terrorism, peace keeping, etc., the UN needs to tap the resources and the expertise available from NGO’s and Civil Society.
The World Federalist Movement, once headed by Sir Peter Ustinov, is an international citizen's movement working for justice, peace, and sustainable prosperity. They lobby for an end to the rule of force, through a world governed by law, based on strengthened and democratized world institutions. World federalists support the creation of democratic global structures accountable to the citizens of the world and call for the division of international authority among separate-agencies.
Jackie Shapiro, vice-chair of CONGO (The Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations), outline the work of her organization. For more than 50 years, Congo has been actively promoting the involvement of NGOs in working with United Nations, especially in developing countries and in achieving the UN’s Millennium Goals and currently represents more that 500 NGO's. http://www.ngocongo.org/
As stated on their web site, CONGO assists a variety of nongovernmental organizations in consultative status to promote their common aim of supporting the United Nations Charter. It works on behalf of nongovernmental organizations in consultative status to develop that status and improve their relationship and cooperation with the United Nations and its various organs. It also provides a forum for nongovernmental organizations with common interests to come together to study, plan, support, and act in relation to the principles and programs of the United Nations
As defined by the UNDPI, a non-governmental organization (NGO) is any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level. Task-oriented and driven by people with a common interest, NGOs perform a variety of services and humanitarian functions, bring citizens' concerns to Governments, monitor policies and encourage political participation at the community level. They provide analysis and expertise, serve as early warning mechanisms and help monitor and implement international agreements. Some are organized around specific issues, such as human rights, the environment or health. Their relationship with offices and agencies of the United Nations System differs depending on their goals, their venue and their mandate.
Historically, NGO’s with consultative status are divided into three categories:
- Those organizations with a basic
interest in most of the activities of the Council.
- Those organizations which have a
special competence in, and are concerned specifically with, only a few of
the Council’s fields of activity.
- Those organizations which have a
significant contribution to make to the work of the Council which may be
placed on a register for ad hoc consultations.
NGOs applying for association with UNDPI should satisfy the following requirements: - Must support and respect the
principles of the Charter of the United Nations;
- Must be of recognized national or
international standing;
- Should operate solely on a
non-for-profit basis and have tax-exempt status;
- Must have the commitment and the
means to conduct effective information programs with its constituents and
to a broader audience about UN activities by publishing newsletters,
bulletins and pamphlets; organizing conferences, seminars and round
tables; or enlisting the attention of the media;
- Should have an established record
of continuity of work for a minimum of three years and should show promise
of sustained activity in the future;
- Should have a satisfactory record
of collaboration with UN Information Centers/Services or other parts of
the UN System prior to association;
- Should provide an audited annual
financial statement, conducted by a qualified independent accountant;
- The NGO should
have statutes/bylaws providing for a transparent process of taking
decisions, elections of officers and members of the Board of Directors.
Ambassador Eva Tomic , (center) the Deputy Representative to the
United Nations of Slovenia was the guest speaker at the International Brea...
For
summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2008",
For summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2008", click: .
For a summary of "Rotary Day at the United Nations 2007" click:
China and the United Nations - June 2006
China’s Ambassador Outlines
Role of the United Nations and Helps To Support Humanitarian Rotary Project in
Shanghai.
Ambassador Yishan Zhang was the guest speaker at the June 7th International Breakfast Meeting of the Rotary Club of New York. He gave an enlightening and insightful summary of the economic advances and challenges of China, as well as providing the Chinese perspective of recent developments at the United Nations.
The meeting was hosted and moderated by New York Rotarian, Ambassador Wolfgang Trautwein of Germany. Ambassador Trautwein informed the participants that proceeds from the meeting were being donated to the new Rotary Club in Shanghai to help finance a health project and to foster a New York and Shanghai relationship. Alas, our host for the last two years also announced that he is likely to be assigned to a new position in Europe and will be leaving New York in July. The Ambassadors' friendship flourished while they were working together when Germany was a non-permanent member of the Security Council and Ambassador Zhang was the Council's president at the beginning of the Iraqi War.
Ambassador
Zhang is a graduate of Beijing Foreign Studies University and received advanced
degrees from Columbia and Princeton University. His extensive career with
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) include service in Geneva, and Vienna
in an Ambassadorial capacity with the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In the first part of his presentation, the Ambassador noted that China has three special characteristics that everyone should Keep in mind:
First, China has a very long history. Ancient China made great contributions to mankind. However in 1840, starting with the Opium War with Great Britain, China was colonized by Western powers and suffered under this colonial system. Then, with the end of foreign occupation, the period from 1949 to the present is considered as the time for the "Rebirth of the Chinese Civilization".
Second, China has a huge potential market and has sustained close
to a nine-percent growth rate over the last years. In fact, recently President
Bush stated, when discussing Sino-American relations, that “China needs twenty-five million new
jobs every year to stay even. Yet, I rejoice when our country gained 4 million
new jobs since 2003." The Ambassador noted therefore that employment
is a major dilemma of China. “We have a huge market but we need to create
twenty-five million jobs a year.” “No mater how small a problem is, when it is
multiplies by 1.3 billion it becomes a huge problem. Conversely, no matter what
the Chinese economy achieves, when it is divided by 1.3 billion it is not
enough.” Even though China is the 4th largest economy in the world, after
Germany, in terms of per capita income China is posted at 111th!
He noted that during the last two decades, China has changed
dramatically. The most basic change is the transformation from a demand economy
to a market economy. There are no longer government planed production quotas.
In the past, there was no private ownership of property. In the cities,
property was “State Owned”
and in the rural areas is was “Collective
Owned.” Today, more than two-thirds of China's economic growth
comes from the private sector.
Third, even with impressive economic gains, China still considers
itself a developing country. This is particularly evident by the vast
income-gap between those of the coastal cities and western China. However,
progress is being made. The Millennium Development Goals of 2000 set-out to
reduce the poverty in the world by half within fifteen years. Mr. Zhang was
pleased to declare that China has already achieved this goal. In 2000, China
had 250 million of its citizens living below the poverty level. Today, it is
less than 26 million. The ambassador noted that China has become polio-free
with some assistance from Rotary’s Polio-Plus Program. However, there are about
600,000 HIV/AID’s victims in China, and the government is taking bold steps to
reduce this rate.
China views the United Nations as the most universally
represented, intergovernmental organization in the world, and therefore
promotion of the United Nations is part of China’s foreign policy. He outlines
the three pillars of the United Nations:
- Security and
Peace - Until recently, mainly because of its experience with colonialism,
China has not favor the Peacekeeping operations of the United Nations.
However it has changed its position gradually and now supports limited
peacekeeping missions. Currently, China has some 6,000 civilian and armed
personnel in several of the fifteen or so UN Peacekeeping Mission around
the world.
- Economic and Humanitarian
Development - As a developing country, and a member of the Group of 77,
China feels developmental issues needs more emphasis at the UN. China is
working for trade regulation improvements between developing countries and
developed economies because many counties have become poorer over the last
twenty years.
- Human
Rights - The newly created Human Rights Council that replaced the often
discredited Human Rights Commission will bring a “new page to the
promotion and protection of human rights around the world” . The Council
has declared in its charter that the “Protection of Human Rights is the
Responsibility of the State.” Currently the Council is part of the General
Assembly, but in five years its organizational effectiveness will be
examined and may then become a charter organization or remain under the
General Assembly.
History of Rotary in China
Rotary has had a long, rich history with China. The first Rotary
Club in Shanghai was chartered in 1919. By 1947 there were 32 clubs welcoming
local businessmen and expatriates, but political changes resulted in the
closure of all Rotary clubs on mainland China by 1953.
Rotary leaders met with Chinese officials to introduce Rotary as early as 1982. Actively pursing the possibilities of reintroducing Rotary to China, RI president led delegations to China in 1907, 2000 and 2002. The Board recognized that the Hong Kong Rotary clubs became part of the People’s Republic of China in 1999.
To demonstrate Rotary’s humanitarian ideals, grants and exchanges have been encouraged. As part of Polio Plus, Rotary has given $22 million to eliminate polio in China, a milestone that was achieved in 2001. A total of seven Group Study Exchanges have occurred since 1991. In addition, starting in 1997, Rotary clubs and the Rotary Foundation have built credibility by funding $975,000 in humanitarian projects throughout China, and Hong Kong clubs are raising US $1.3 million for Hepatitis B immunization for 1 million babies.
Provisional Rotary Clubs in China
RI granted provisional status to clubs in Beijing and Shanghai in 2001 and appointed an RI advisor to provide orientation to the club members. Currently, District 3450 provides training and support to the provisional clubs with the help of the three year training subsidy from RI.
The 38 members of the Provisional Rotary Club of Shanghai achieved 100% Paul Harris Fellow status three years ago. Their major fundraising supports the Gift of Life program, providing heart surgeries to Chinese children. They will precipitate in a GSE with District 5879 in Texas this year. In addition, the club administrators three Matching Grants, including a water project and a micro credit program to help women start businesses, and sponsors scholarships to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Nine countries are represented in the club membership, primarily from Europe, North America and Australia. Member classifications include medical consultant, professor, architect, lawyer and business management.
The Provisional Rotary Club of Beijing currently has five Matching Grants, the maximum number allowed. Four of the Matching Grants are for Gift of Life, including video conferencing between Chinese and US heart surgeons. More applications are pending, including a 3H grant. A Group Study Exchange with District 6490 in Illinois is planned this year. The club members also support Children’s Village in Beijing, a home for 115 children whose parents are in prison, work with a school for autistic children and helped to refurbish schools in Tibet. In addition, they are working to establish Rotaract and Interact in Beijing. The 52 members come from 12 countries, including Chinese from Hong Kong and other countries. Most members are CEO’s or senior managers from a variety of industries including , airline, hotel, banking, consulting, public relations, law, energy, information technology, pharmaceuticals, and automobile manufacturing.
t. mcconnon
Rotary leaders met with Chinese officials to introduce Rotary as early as 1982. Actively pursing the possibilities of reintroducing Rotary to China, RI president led delegations to China in 1907, 2000 and 2002. The Board recognized that the Hong Kong Rotary clubs became part of the People’s Republic of China in 1999.
To demonstrate Rotary’s humanitarian ideals, grants and exchanges have been encouraged. As part of Polio Plus, Rotary has given $22 million to eliminate polio in China, a milestone that was achieved in 2001. A total of seven Group Study Exchanges have occurred since 1991. In addition, starting in 1997, Rotary clubs and the Rotary Foundation have built credibility by funding $975,000 in humanitarian projects throughout China, and Hong Kong clubs are raising US $1.3 million for Hepatitis B immunization for 1 million babies.
Provisional Rotary Clubs in China
RI granted provisional status to clubs in Beijing and Shanghai in 2001 and appointed an RI advisor to provide orientation to the club members. Currently, District 3450 provides training and support to the provisional clubs with the help of the three year training subsidy from RI.
The 38 members of the Provisional Rotary Club of Shanghai achieved 100% Paul Harris Fellow status three years ago. Their major fundraising supports the Gift of Life program, providing heart surgeries to Chinese children. They will precipitate in a GSE with District 5879 in Texas this year. In addition, the club administrators three Matching Grants, including a water project and a micro credit program to help women start businesses, and sponsors scholarships to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Nine countries are represented in the club membership, primarily from Europe, North America and Australia. Member classifications include medical consultant, professor, architect, lawyer and business management.
The Provisional Rotary Club of Beijing currently has five Matching Grants, the maximum number allowed. Four of the Matching Grants are for Gift of Life, including video conferencing between Chinese and US heart surgeons. More applications are pending, including a 3H grant. A Group Study Exchange with District 6490 in Illinois is planned this year. The club members also support Children’s Village in Beijing, a home for 115 children whose parents are in prison, work with a school for autistic children and helped to refurbish schools in Tibet. In addition, they are working to establish Rotaract and Interact in Beijing. The 52 members come from 12 countries, including Chinese from Hong Kong and other countries. Most members are CEO’s or senior managers from a variety of industries including , airline, hotel, banking, consulting, public relations, law, energy, information technology, pharmaceuticals, and automobile manufacturing.
t. mcconnon
Ambassador Eva Tomic , (center) the Deputy Representative to the
United Nations of Slovenia was the guest speaker at the International Brea...
UNICEF Goodwill
Ambassador and Actress, Mia Farrow, Meets With New York and Bermuda Rotarians
