September 2009

FOUN SupportsSecretary General’s WMDCampaign

As its contribution to thiseffort FOUN has created aposter series designed toenergize the Campaign andmobilize various publics.FOUN is also urging membersof the NGO communities todevelop innovative and creativeways to generate support.WeMustDisarm! posters aremade by us as we want tostrongly support WMD-WeMustDisarm Campaign.

August – The 64thanniversary of the droppingof the atomic bomb onHiroshima serves not only asa reminder of the destructionwrought by nuclear weapons,but also as a time to renew the global commitment to ridthe world of this deadly scourge.

NEWSLETTER

Secretary General’s Message Marks the 100-Day Countdown to the International Day of Peace.

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This alarming outlook is counterbalanced by a new momentum on thepart of world leaders to address the issue of nuclear weapons. The UnitedStates and the Russian Federation have signalled a new commitment to cuttheir nuclear arsenals. Furthermore, the Conference on Disarmament,which includes all States with nuclear arms, has recently broken a decade-long deadlock and agreed to work to resolve some of the key issuesrelated to disarmament and non-proliferation.We must build on this momentum. To that end, I am launching the WMD-WeMustDisarm! Campaign. Over the next 100 days, the United Nationsand our partners around the world will work to raise awareness of thetrue costs and dangers of nuclear weapons. Between now and 21September, we will issue 100 reasons to disarm, via Twitter, MySpace,Facebook, email, text message, radio and from friend-to-friend. Celebritieswill also help us spread the message. And ﬁnally, as we observe theInternational Day of Peace with world leaders gathered in New York forthe 64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, I will proclaimone strong, simple message: We Must Disarm!”

FRIENDS OF THE UN

volume I, #1

September 2009

A joint exhibition entitled “Against Nuclear Arms” opened with aceremony and reception on Monday, 10 August in the Main Galleryof the Visitors Lobby.

It was on display until 30 September.Composed in two sections, the exhibition portrayed the destructionand terrible damage caused by the A-bomb explosions in Hiroshimaand Nagasaki, Japan, and decades of nuclear arms testing in the heartof Kazakhstan.

Its goal was to deepen public understanding of thedevastating consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and toadvance the international movement to abolish nuclear weapons.

“Against Nuclear Arms” Exhibit at the United Nations

“Hope of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” highlights thedestruction caused by theatomic bombs, the recovery process and survivors’ render ings.

It also includes apresentation of the workof HICARE, the HiroshimaInternational Council for Health Care of the Radiation-Exposed, established after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster to promoteinternational cooperation.The “Untold Story” of Semipalatinsk Polygon” recounts the untold story of nuclear tests in the vast steppes of central Kazakhstan. The exibit reﬂects the medical, social and environmental consequences on population,ﬂora and fauna of the region;and the plight of victims scarred from more than four decades of nuclear tests and Kazakhstan’s 1992 commitments to become freeof nuclear weapons.This exhibition is presented by the United NationsPermanent Missions of Japanand Kazakhstan, as part of ongoing efforts for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and in view of next year’s Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

For information on theexhibit, please contact JaneConrad, Permanent Missionof Japan to the UnitedNations, at +1 2125211565, e-mail: jane-conrad@un-japan.org; andGauhar Abdygaliyeva,Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, at +1

212 230 1900 ext. 14,e-mail: gauharke@gmail.com.

WEMUSTDISARM (WMD) UN LAUNCH

September 2009866 UN Plaza • room #544 • New York, NY 10017 • t: 212 355 4192

NEWSLETTER

A Word of Welcome:An Appeal for Cooperation

The Friends of the United Nations (FOUN) is pleased to welcomereaders to this the ﬁrst of its quarterly newsletters. Through thismedium FOUN, will follow major trends and analyze critical issuesfacing the United Nations. It will also invite readers to take part in aongoing conversation on the most effective ways that civil societymight support the work of the organization and become more fullyengaged in the search for effective and sustainable solutions.The 64th General Assembly will provide ample opportunities to testthis approach, as well as to deepen the public’s understanding andappreciation of what is actually at GA 64.Our sense is that GA 64 is likely to be a the “Climate ChangeSession” whereby a new sense of urgency could be generated asmore people take personal responsibility for climate stewardshipand better management of the world’s climate system.And the indicators are clear. Early in the Session the SecretaryGeneral will convene his Climate Summit thereby asserting UNleadership and encouraging governments at the highest level to keepthis issue in the mainstream. This follows his call for a GlobalClimate Week and millions of online climate signatures during the100 Day countdown for the Copenhagen Summit in December.In the meantime, UNEP has launched a number of initiatives toengage youth in the global climate argument and to empower themto take action to protect their climate future.Disarmament is likely to receive a new impetus during the Sessionfueled by the WeMustDisarm-WMD Campaign launched by theSecretary General in June of this year.If WMD is to be more than a slogan it should be featuredprominently during the arms control and disarmament deliberationsduring the Session.If one seems encouraged, if not optimistic, it is because there issomething in the popular mood that this planet is worth saving andthat the UN must be continuously energized to

play its part.

In any event it’s too late for pessimism!

Dr. Noel BrownPresident & CEO, Friends of the United Nations

Friends of the United Nations New Address

The Friends of the UN is pleased to report that it hasnow relocated to the heart of the UN district.FOUN is now an ofﬁcial resident at:866 UN Plaza, Room 544, NY NY 10017where it is always open house.From its new location, FOUN plans to work closely withits many friends and with the NGO Community in orderto more actively support the work of the UnitedNations.Tel: 212 533 4192E-mail:friendsoftheun@gmail.comwww.fotun.org