High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
DECEMBER 2009 866 UN Plaza • room #544 • New York, NY 10017 • t: 212 355 4195www.fotun.org
NEWSLETTER
In his message to 64th General Assembly the SecretaryGeneral struck a note of both urgency and hope when hetold world leaders that “Now is our time. A time to put the“united” back into the United Nations. United in purpose.United in action.
to make this a year that we the united nations,rise to the greatest challenge we face as a human family: thethreat of catastrophic climate change. Our road toCopenhagen requires us to bridge our differences. I firmlybelieve we can.
to make this the year that nations unitedto free our world of nuclear weapons. This coming May, at theUnited Nations Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we have an opportunity to push for realprogress.
to make this the year that we focus on ourfight against world poverty and on those left behind. Recentreports such as “Voices of the Vulnerable”, highlights a newcrisis. The near-poor are becoming the new poor. Anestimated 100
million people could fall below the povertyline this year. Markets may be bouncing back, but incomesand jobs are not.
Because we are the United Nations.
FRIENDSOF THE UN
volume II, #2
GA 64
The 64th Session of theGeneral Assembly may yet come to be known as the“Global Climate Session”. This was clearly in evidencewhen at the outset of the Session the Secretary Generalconvened a meeting of 100 heads of States andgovernments to set the stage for the Copenhagensummit, scheduled to be held toward the end of theSession.
The Secretary General Explained that this was therecognition of the need for an agreement, which allnations could embrace in line with their capabilities - -consistent with what science required - - grounded in“green jobs and green growth” the life line of the 21stcentury.
Although the SG had hoped that the road toCopenhagen would help us bridge differences, differenceindeed did remain and the “accord” reached at theCopenhagen at COP15 is somewhat less than wasexpected.
Never the less the Session did served to catalyzesome fresh thinking on binding agreements and raise thehopes of people everywhere, that governments wereindeed ready to take the steps necessary to stabilize theworld’s climate system.
Whatever its shortcoming Copenhagen did signalthat Climate Change is rapidly becoming a GlobalMovement and that people are becoming more consciousof the need to take greater personal responsibility for thestabilization of the world’s climate system.
DECEMBER 2009 866 UN Plaza • room #544 • New York, NY 10017 • t: 212 355 4195www.fotun.org
UN DAY CELEBRATION
A Tribute to the UNPeacekeepers
On 22 October 2009 in support of theUN Day the Friends of the United Nationshosted a special ceremony to recognize andhonor the role of peacekeeping throughoutthe world.
Special Tributes were Payed to:
1.
Canada
: to the memory of the
Honorable Lester B. Pearson for
introducing the concept of
peacekeeping as a way of addressing
critical conflict situations.2.
UN Peacekeepers
: for distinguishedservice in the cause of peace and thepromotion of human security.3.
17th Police Precinct of NYC:
formore than 6 decades of quiet butdedicated service to the diplomaticcommunity and the UN Secretariat.
Distinguished Speakers:Mr. LeRoy
, Head of the PeacekeepingDepartment.
Mr. Terry George
, Award winningDirector/Producer (Hotel Rwanda)
Mr. Allan Buchman
,
President “CulturalProject”
This event is expected to set thestage for a dialogue between artists andpeacekeepers as collaborator in finding waysin which the arts can more fully serve thecause of peace.
Mr. LeRoyHead of the Peacekeeping DepartmentDr. Noel BrownMC for the eveningMr. Terry GeorgeAward winning Director/ProducerMr. Allan BuchmanPresident “Cultural Project”
DECEMBER 2009 866 UN Plaza • room #544 • New York, NY 10017 • t: 212 355 4195www.fotun.org
Concert Dedicated tothe UN Peacekeepers
October 23. 2009 concert at theUN General Assembly Hall under atheme:
“A Tribute to Peacekeeping”, wasorganized by the Department of PublicInformation and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in partnershipwith the Culture Project, a New York basednon-profit organization dedicated to artisticwork focusing on social justice and civicengagement.
As indicated by the theme, “ATribute to Peacekeeping”, the concertcelebrated United Nations Day 2009 byusing different art forms to focus on theachievements and importance of UnitedNations peacekeeping.
Musical performances by artistsfrom a broad array of countries, oralpresentations by public figures, anddocumentary film clips highlighted the facesand stories of the people in the field, andwas used to pay homage to the BlueHelmets on the sixty-fourth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations.
The event was intended to creategreater public awareness of the importantmission performed by peacekeepingoperations around the globe.
UN DAY CELEBRATION
The concert is available on the United Nationswebcast archive for the date of 23 October.
athttp://www.un.org/webcast
.
Add a Comment