UN Program Director News and Updates 2018
UN photo
Maureen Burns-Bowie
We welcome you to the UN Program as we begin a new year. A year that promises to be tumultuous and unpredictable here in the United States, but also at the United Nations. In my first update, I share with you the New Year's greeting from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Usually these greetings are predictable -- such as the UN community looking forward to hard work for positive change. Not so this year. The SG's words are more ominous and cautionary. We all clearly have a lot of work ahead of us.
I am, however, seeing some new developments at the UN Program. We have recently had an increase in the number of women expressing interest in learning more about what we are doing, and in participating in UN activities. We have more who will be sharing their art and activism activities as well as attending UN events and reporting on their experiences. I find this level of participation encouraging and hopeful.
And I am especially proud of our two new Youth Representatives to the UN. They have a remarkable degree of maturity and insight.
And I am especially proud of our two new Youth Representatives to the UN. They have a remarkable degree of maturity and insight.
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UPDATE #1
Antonio Guterres
Secretary General of the United Nations - UN photo
Dear friends around the world,
Happy New Year.
When I took office one year ago, I appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace.
Unfortunately – in fundamental ways, the world has gone in reverse.
On New Year’s Day 2018, I am not issuing an appeal. I am issuing an alert -- a red alert for our world.
Conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged.
Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War.
Climate change is moving faster than we are.
Inequalities are growing.
We see horrific violations of human rights.
Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise.
As we begin 2018, I call for unity.
I truly believe we can make our world more safe and secure.
We can settle conflicts, overcome hatred and defend shared values.
But we can only do that together.
I urge leaders everywhere to make this New Year’s resolution: Narrow the gaps. Bridge the divides. Rebuild trust by bringing people together around common goals.
Unity is the path.
Our future depends on it.
I wish you peace and health in 2018. Thank you. Shokran. Xie Xie. Merci. Spasiba. Gracias. Obrigado.
Happy New Year.
When I took office one year ago, I appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace.
Unfortunately – in fundamental ways, the world has gone in reverse.
On New Year’s Day 2018, I am not issuing an appeal. I am issuing an alert -- a red alert for our world.
Conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged.
Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War.
Climate change is moving faster than we are.
Inequalities are growing.
We see horrific violations of human rights.
Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise.
As we begin 2018, I call for unity.
I truly believe we can make our world more safe and secure.
We can settle conflicts, overcome hatred and defend shared values.
But we can only do that together.
I urge leaders everywhere to make this New Year’s resolution: Narrow the gaps. Bridge the divides. Rebuild trust by bringing people together around common goals.
Unity is the path.
Our future depends on it.
I wish you peace and health in 2018. Thank you. Shokran. Xie Xie. Merci. Spasiba. Gracias. Obrigado.
_______________________________
UPDATE #2
FOUR UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS OF UN PROGRAM MEMBERS
Lea Weinberg at Manhattanville College:
A statement about MOTHER-SURVIVOR: PERSONAL HISTORY / 2018
Manhattanville College Arthur M. Berger Art Gallery 2900 Purchase St., Purchase, NY 10605
Lea Weinberg Solo Exhibition-Installation Holocaust in Contemporary Art
MOTHER-SURVIVOR: PERSONAL HISTORY
Jan. 23 - Feb. 24, 2018 Reception: Wed. Jan. 24, 4.30-6.30pm
When I asked my mother: “How can you be so optimistic after losing your family in the Holocaust?” Her answer was: “The Evil has already happened, from now on Life should be Good”.
As a daughter of Holocaust Survivors Paula and Mordechai Fried, and as an Artist-Sculptor, I feel it is my obligation to present a visual message preserving the stories I have personally heard.
My Childhood ‘Fairy Tales’ were my mother’s nostalgic stories about her happy childhood and family in Czechoslovakia before WWII. Growing up I realized that most of the family members I knew from my mother’s vivid stories, didn’t survive. It haunted me with a painful feeling of loss.
After my mother’s passing (January 2012) I started using my art to raise interest in the Holocaust, by telling one woman’s personal story that relates to many others and is important to humanity.
I am not describing how it was there…I am expressing my mother’s journey through intuitive emotional interpretations and symbols. I chose to use humble materials, as wire mesh, rusty metal, reused and found objects to express the beauty of imperfection and the idea that everything and everyone can contribute to life. My semi abstract wire mesh figures entwined together swirling like wisps of smoke expressing close connections of people who found themselves in a space they could not escape from.
I tear wire mesh in shapes of letters, words and open wounds for the families that were torn apart and as a Jewish act of ‘Kriah’ (tearing in Hebrew) that is done at the cemetery as an expression of grief.
I brought my mother and her stories to life through the healing power of art, the same way she brought to life the memory of her lost family with endless stories. My main inspiration is the story of my mother, who was sorting clothes of the victims in Auschwitz-Birkenau at age 18, and how she came upon 8 photographs of her lost family. She was hiding the photos inside bread until liberation day.
In my works, I use copies of those 8 family photos, along with bread, old hangers, and clothes - materials that connect to my mother’s past, each memory transformed into a contemporary artwork that is memorizing those who lost their life as well as embracing survival and the creation of new life.
My mother’s personal story is intertwined with the tragedy of human history, wrapped with her optimistic spirit and hope for a better future. My goal is to evoke public awareness for next generations, while we still have Holocaust denials and Genocides around the world.
www.leaw-sculptor.com on About Mother-Survivor page
FB page: Lea Weinberg: Holocaust in Contemp. Art: Mother-Survivor
www.healing-power-of-art.org/lea-weinberg-evokes-healing-and-awareness-through-sculpture
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Joyce Ellen Weinstein at The Untitled Space:
Manhattanville College Arthur M. Berger Art Gallery 2900 Purchase St., Purchase, NY 10605
Lea Weinberg Solo Exhibition-Installation Holocaust in Contemporary Art
MOTHER-SURVIVOR: PERSONAL HISTORY
Jan. 23 - Feb. 24, 2018 Reception: Wed. Jan. 24, 4.30-6.30pm
When I asked my mother: “How can you be so optimistic after losing your family in the Holocaust?” Her answer was: “The Evil has already happened, from now on Life should be Good”.
As a daughter of Holocaust Survivors Paula and Mordechai Fried, and as an Artist-Sculptor, I feel it is my obligation to present a visual message preserving the stories I have personally heard.
My Childhood ‘Fairy Tales’ were my mother’s nostalgic stories about her happy childhood and family in Czechoslovakia before WWII. Growing up I realized that most of the family members I knew from my mother’s vivid stories, didn’t survive. It haunted me with a painful feeling of loss.
After my mother’s passing (January 2012) I started using my art to raise interest in the Holocaust, by telling one woman’s personal story that relates to many others and is important to humanity.
I am not describing how it was there…I am expressing my mother’s journey through intuitive emotional interpretations and symbols. I chose to use humble materials, as wire mesh, rusty metal, reused and found objects to express the beauty of imperfection and the idea that everything and everyone can contribute to life. My semi abstract wire mesh figures entwined together swirling like wisps of smoke expressing close connections of people who found themselves in a space they could not escape from.
I tear wire mesh in shapes of letters, words and open wounds for the families that were torn apart and as a Jewish act of ‘Kriah’ (tearing in Hebrew) that is done at the cemetery as an expression of grief.
I brought my mother and her stories to life through the healing power of art, the same way she brought to life the memory of her lost family with endless stories. My main inspiration is the story of my mother, who was sorting clothes of the victims in Auschwitz-Birkenau at age 18, and how she came upon 8 photographs of her lost family. She was hiding the photos inside bread until liberation day.
In my works, I use copies of those 8 family photos, along with bread, old hangers, and clothes - materials that connect to my mother’s past, each memory transformed into a contemporary artwork that is memorizing those who lost their life as well as embracing survival and the creation of new life.
My mother’s personal story is intertwined with the tragedy of human history, wrapped with her optimistic spirit and hope for a better future. My goal is to evoke public awareness for next generations, while we still have Holocaust denials and Genocides around the world.
www.leaw-sculptor.com on About Mother-Survivor page
FB page: Lea Weinberg: Holocaust in Contemp. Art: Mother-Survivor
www.healing-power-of-art.org/lea-weinberg-evokes-healing-and-awareness-through-sculpture
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Joyce Ellen Weinstein at The Untitled Space:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Danielle Eubank at Channel Islands Maritime Museum:
PRESS RELEASE:
Oxnard, CA: The Channel Islands Maritime Museum in the Channel Islands Harbor presents the first speaker in their monthly series: Danielle Eubank – “Global Adventure to Capture Maritime Beauty”, Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 6:30-8PM. 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard, CA.
Danielle Eubank - Expedition Artist
Her work bestrides the line between abstraction and representation. She is looking for the tipping point between the conceptual and visible. She considers the forms created by ripples in a pond or the lines of receding waves a foundation for deconstruction. She creates patterns within patterns, representing vertical stacks of rhythms in the physical matter she paints.
Through the theme of water, she explores natural forms and the consequences of the human footprint on landscapes all over the world. Destruction surrounds many sites where she paints water. Her work features cigarette butts, oil slicks, and drinks cans. Looking for formal value is her way of coping with the destruction.
Her work highlights questions of proximity that brings the subject right up to the surface of the canvas, almost into the viewer's space. By layering the paint with broad brushstrokes, She invite the viewer to appreciate the physical, painterly qualities that form the depth of that experience.
Danielle Eubank is an expedition artist in pursuit of painting all of the major bodies of water in the world. She is beginning by painting all of Earth’s oceans. She is currently painting the second to last ocean on her list, the Arctic Ocean. So far, she has painted all of the other oceans but one, as well as water in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, and Asia. Eubank has painted around 200 bodies, in and around 21 countries.
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Simone Kestelman at John Jay College:
Danielle Eubank at Channel Islands Maritime Museum:
PRESS RELEASE:
Oxnard, CA: The Channel Islands Maritime Museum in the Channel Islands Harbor presents the first speaker in their monthly series: Danielle Eubank – “Global Adventure to Capture Maritime Beauty”, Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 6:30-8PM. 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard, CA.
Danielle Eubank - Expedition Artist
Her work bestrides the line between abstraction and representation. She is looking for the tipping point between the conceptual and visible. She considers the forms created by ripples in a pond or the lines of receding waves a foundation for deconstruction. She creates patterns within patterns, representing vertical stacks of rhythms in the physical matter she paints.
Through the theme of water, she explores natural forms and the consequences of the human footprint on landscapes all over the world. Destruction surrounds many sites where she paints water. Her work features cigarette butts, oil slicks, and drinks cans. Looking for formal value is her way of coping with the destruction.
Her work highlights questions of proximity that brings the subject right up to the surface of the canvas, almost into the viewer's space. By layering the paint with broad brushstrokes, She invite the viewer to appreciate the physical, painterly qualities that form the depth of that experience.
Danielle Eubank is an expedition artist in pursuit of painting all of the major bodies of water in the world. She is beginning by painting all of Earth’s oceans. She is currently painting the second to last ocean on her list, the Arctic Ocean. So far, she has painted all of the other oceans but one, as well as water in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, and Asia. Eubank has painted around 200 bodies, in and around 21 countries.
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Simone Kestelman at John Jay College:
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UPDATE #3
Meet Our Two New Youth Representatives to the UN
I am once again proud to introduce our two new Youth Representatives who will be attending UN Briefings and earning 2 credits through CUNY.
Reading their moving accounts of what attracted them to this internship, I thank Liz DiGiorgio for her wisdom in choosing them.
Maureen Burns Bowie
Reading their moving accounts of what attracted them to this internship, I thank Liz DiGiorgio for her wisdom in choosing them.
Maureen Burns Bowie
Cynthia L
When I was eight years old, my parents took my sisters and me to Haiti. This was my first trip abroad. You can’t imagine how thrilled I was to be going to the place where my parents and all my relatives grew up, the place their language, Creole, was born. Upon arrival, however, my excitement was replaced by something else, and I learned a lot of things very quickly. The first most obvious thing I learned was that Haiti was not like United States. There was heat that I had never experience in my eight years of life. Second, it was so crowded. Everywhere I looked, it felt like there were too many people. The buses, which people rode on top of, and the streets that were covered in trash were crowded. Even the small river that ran by the side of my grandmother’s house was crowded, as that was where people would come to wash their clothes. It wasn’t just a culture shock but a new world. However, when I looked up at my parent’s faces, they were smiling. This was their home after all.
There was no electricity, not in my grandmother’s house, nor my aunt’s house. Either it wasn’t working or it had just stopped working. However, I would be fascinated as they would light lanterns that looked like big glass roses. Still, I was scared. How could a place be so dark at night? How could two places on the same Earth be so different? It felt like all the comforts that I had in the United States were absent there. This was a place where people received fresh drinking water in packets. That was my first experience with a developing country.
Though eventually I did have a lot of fun there, when I returned home to the United States, I was immensely grateful for everything that I had and for being able to return to it. That is when I first learned that Haiti was a developing country and I learned what Haiti and other developing countries were lacking compared to my own country, the United States. That is when I learned what a first world country was. Thus, my curiosity about my parent’s country and other countries like it was born, and through that curiosity I learned something else, among other things, that broke my heart. I learned that the world was a very scary place for a woman.
These are things I’ve grown aware of and think about every day. These are topics that I find very hard to ignore as they hit close to home. I always thought that if I were given the opportunity to help, even a little bit, I would. As I got older and I began to develop skill in art, I decided to focus on that as a career. I decided that one day I would establish that as a platform to speak about all those things that bother me, especially when it comes to women. I want my art to translate into something positive and beautiful, but at time same time help provide awareness to women who suffer every day and be their voice. I want to not only expose global issues but also the social issues and pressures that suffocate women like me and those who identify as women as well. Therefore, I would be thrilled to be given the opportunity to become a youth representative for the Woman’s Caucus for Art. I believe it would the perfect first step in accomplishing that dream and making it a reality.
When I was eight years old, my parents took my sisters and me to Haiti. This was my first trip abroad. You can’t imagine how thrilled I was to be going to the place where my parents and all my relatives grew up, the place their language, Creole, was born. Upon arrival, however, my excitement was replaced by something else, and I learned a lot of things very quickly. The first most obvious thing I learned was that Haiti was not like United States. There was heat that I had never experience in my eight years of life. Second, it was so crowded. Everywhere I looked, it felt like there were too many people. The buses, which people rode on top of, and the streets that were covered in trash were crowded. Even the small river that ran by the side of my grandmother’s house was crowded, as that was where people would come to wash their clothes. It wasn’t just a culture shock but a new world. However, when I looked up at my parent’s faces, they were smiling. This was their home after all.
There was no electricity, not in my grandmother’s house, nor my aunt’s house. Either it wasn’t working or it had just stopped working. However, I would be fascinated as they would light lanterns that looked like big glass roses. Still, I was scared. How could a place be so dark at night? How could two places on the same Earth be so different? It felt like all the comforts that I had in the United States were absent there. This was a place where people received fresh drinking water in packets. That was my first experience with a developing country.
Though eventually I did have a lot of fun there, when I returned home to the United States, I was immensely grateful for everything that I had and for being able to return to it. That is when I first learned that Haiti was a developing country and I learned what Haiti and other developing countries were lacking compared to my own country, the United States. That is when I learned what a first world country was. Thus, my curiosity about my parent’s country and other countries like it was born, and through that curiosity I learned something else, among other things, that broke my heart. I learned that the world was a very scary place for a woman.
These are things I’ve grown aware of and think about every day. These are topics that I find very hard to ignore as they hit close to home. I always thought that if I were given the opportunity to help, even a little bit, I would. As I got older and I began to develop skill in art, I decided to focus on that as a career. I decided that one day I would establish that as a platform to speak about all those things that bother me, especially when it comes to women. I want my art to translate into something positive and beautiful, but at time same time help provide awareness to women who suffer every day and be their voice. I want to not only expose global issues but also the social issues and pressures that suffocate women like me and those who identify as women as well. Therefore, I would be thrilled to be given the opportunity to become a youth representative for the Woman’s Caucus for Art. I believe it would the perfect first step in accomplishing that dream and making it a reality.
Christine Moore
Change Through the Women's Caucus for Art
As someone who grew up with the emergence of the internet and social media, I was able to have constant access to current events and global issues from a young age. The first global event that I remember being moved by was the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. At eleven years old, this was the first major event that I was able to fully comprehend. The attacks and their aftermath made me more aware of global issues. From then on, I have been fully immersed in global issues and how we all can help to resolve them.
Today’s world still has many global issues that are in need of a resolution. From longstanding issues such as, poverty, homelessness, lack of education and the constant fight for both civil and women's rights to more current events like refugees from war torn countries and displaced people from the recent hurricanes. Global issues are important to me because I believe that everyone should have the ability to live freely with the access to food, shelter and education. I truly believe that this should be everyone’s end goal. Awareness for these issues along with many others, keeps these issues in the forefront so that they are never forgotten. The fight to bring awareness and resolving these global issues are a fight for a better world that not only I would live in, but future generations as well.
I feel that it is now on my generation to spark global change because we have an unbelievable amount of access to the entire globe. I look at someone like Malala Yousafzai, who recently started classes at Oxford five years after she was shot for speaking up for girls to have the right to an education. She started by writing a blog about her life during the Taliban’s occupation of her hometown. Even though she was constantly in danger and threatened with death, she never feared writing about the injustices that she and many girls were going through. This proves that we can use the internet and social media to bring awareness through our Twitter and Facebook accounts, blogging, writing and art. Art in my opinion, is an amazing way to express your opinion globally. Art is a universal language and can be understood by anyone, without unfortunate language barriers. Art is also expressive and can evoke emotion to allow the viewer to gain empathy for someone or something that they aren't familiar with.
This is why I am interested in the Women’s Caucus for Art Internship at the United Nations. The United Nations, since its inception in 1945, has done countless things to help advance the awareness and resolution of global issues. Knowing that the UN constantly strives for peace, is one of the reasons that I would love to be a part of this internship. Another reason why this internship interests me is because art is a major vehicle used to promote peace and change, especially for women, who are underrepresented in today's society. The use of art can be used to speak to women all across the globe. Learning that the Women's Caucus for Art is committed to the advancement of women, equality and the betterment of the globe, makes me proud that an organization like this currently exists, and I would be proud to serve as a WCA/UN DPI Youth Representative.
Change Through the Women's Caucus for Art
As someone who grew up with the emergence of the internet and social media, I was able to have constant access to current events and global issues from a young age. The first global event that I remember being moved by was the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. At eleven years old, this was the first major event that I was able to fully comprehend. The attacks and their aftermath made me more aware of global issues. From then on, I have been fully immersed in global issues and how we all can help to resolve them.
Today’s world still has many global issues that are in need of a resolution. From longstanding issues such as, poverty, homelessness, lack of education and the constant fight for both civil and women's rights to more current events like refugees from war torn countries and displaced people from the recent hurricanes. Global issues are important to me because I believe that everyone should have the ability to live freely with the access to food, shelter and education. I truly believe that this should be everyone’s end goal. Awareness for these issues along with many others, keeps these issues in the forefront so that they are never forgotten. The fight to bring awareness and resolving these global issues are a fight for a better world that not only I would live in, but future generations as well.
I feel that it is now on my generation to spark global change because we have an unbelievable amount of access to the entire globe. I look at someone like Malala Yousafzai, who recently started classes at Oxford five years after she was shot for speaking up for girls to have the right to an education. She started by writing a blog about her life during the Taliban’s occupation of her hometown. Even though she was constantly in danger and threatened with death, she never feared writing about the injustices that she and many girls were going through. This proves that we can use the internet and social media to bring awareness through our Twitter and Facebook accounts, blogging, writing and art. Art in my opinion, is an amazing way to express your opinion globally. Art is a universal language and can be understood by anyone, without unfortunate language barriers. Art is also expressive and can evoke emotion to allow the viewer to gain empathy for someone or something that they aren't familiar with.
This is why I am interested in the Women’s Caucus for Art Internship at the United Nations. The United Nations, since its inception in 1945, has done countless things to help advance the awareness and resolution of global issues. Knowing that the UN constantly strives for peace, is one of the reasons that I would love to be a part of this internship. Another reason why this internship interests me is because art is a major vehicle used to promote peace and change, especially for women, who are underrepresented in today's society. The use of art can be used to speak to women all across the globe. Learning that the Women's Caucus for Art is committed to the advancement of women, equality and the betterment of the globe, makes me proud that an organization like this currently exists, and I would be proud to serve as a WCA/UN DPI Youth Representative.
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UPDATE #4
UN/DPI Briefing on Sexual Abuse
Joyce Ellen Weinstein
I have to admit, it was not a little awe inspiring to sit on the beautifully appointed leather arm chair behind the long arched desk that accommodates many, with my very own microphone and listening device in conference Room 3 at the United Nations today, Jan 18, 2018.
Jeff Brez, Chief of NGO Relations introduced the moderator, Ms. Raeshem Nijhon and speaker Ms. Jane Connors for the first briefing of the 2018 season on victim’s rights. Both women have long and impressive resumes, so I will take the liberty of summarizing them. Ms. Nijhon is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the NYC based company Fictionless. Currently she is working in partnership on the documentary “The Agreement” with the Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundation. She is a passionate advocate for women and girls, committed to education on sexual health and safety among many other projects.
Ms. Jane Connors is the United Nations Victims Rights Advocate on sexual exploitation and abuse. Previously she served as the Director of International Advocacy for Amnesty international. She has held many positions at the UN including at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Surprisingly, according to Ms. Connors, this new important position of Advocate is only for one year. Ms. Connors was very explicit in saying that advocate is not necessarily about the “legal” but more importantly she acts as a spokesperson and information gatherer. She says modern technology allows information to be gathered from the remotest parts of the world, where the greatest amount of victimization occurs, and has made victims rights at the forefront of women in leadership positions at the United Nations.
The primary focus of this conference was to bring to the fore the crises of exploitation by peacekeepers; those who work in the field; those who hold power; and UN workers who abuse the power they hold. This abuse of power is devastating to its victims and compromises the UNs ability to do its work. According to Ms Connors the Secretary General is at the forefront of an effort to raise awareness and eliminate these abuses, and that victims rights advocacy is a new role for the UN. In order to justify the need for the committee it was pointed out that many countries throughout the world already have victim’s right advocacy, whose primary agenda is to call attention to the need for dignity as well as rights for the victim.
The most realistic achievable goal given the limited time allotted is the mapping of rights. By that Ms Connors means identify the victim and find out what happened to the victim or victims case. Ideally the victim becomes a survivor. In order to facilitate this goal and correct practices, education, expert help and communication is essential to popularize the awareness campaign in any given community.
During the question and answer period many significant points were mentioned: the need for victims to have a voice, the most vulnerable were the most victimized (children from war torn areas and refugee camps), those with disabilities, transgender and sexual orientation, not to be stigmatized if reporting an incident, and blaming the victim, to name a few.
In order to address these issues outreach is essential, most especially directed toward young people who will continue this important work. Universal guidelines must be established with victims rights standardized. Abuse reporting must be encouraged and a way to address the problem of what is NOT reported. People and systems must be held accountable. Definitions of abuse must be made clear to understand the grey areas such as in harassment. It is significant to destigmatize the victim, understand that abuse cuts across all social classes and how to raise money to continue this work.
And finally, the United Nations has a strict ‘no excuses, zero tolerance’ approach.
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Thoughts and Musings on Listening to Jane Connor,
Assistant Secretary General,
UN Victims' Rights Advocate on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
Martha Nicholson
"We are deeply entrenched in this time of hearing stories about power and gender and abuse of power against genders."
New York Times, February 1, 2018
The rape of women and girls, as a feature of war, has become normative in many parts of the world. With greater shame the transgressions of UN peacekeeping troops in Central African Republic and Mauritania have come to light this past fall. Since 2015 complaints have persisted and gone virtually "un-handled" by the countries whose troops were involved.
"Systematic abuse in peacekeeping threatens to undermine the UN's fundamental mission in the country- to protect civilians"
Richard Bennett, Head of Amnesty International's UN office. December 16, 2015.
"Any form of sexual misconduct is always about power. It is always about being able to get away with it."
Jane Connor January 18, 2018
I turned the clock back twenty three years to 1995, to the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing:
Strategic Objective L7: Eradicate violence against the Girl Child
Enter Jane Connor. She fought long and hard to establish the sexual exploitation and abuse initiative at the UN. She has made it happen and now is working to get it forged and going.
She expressed with heartfelt sincerity the absolute commitment to put victims first and the profound sense of shame she experienced about the assaults, and how it shamed the entire UN community.
Her compassion is matched by an astute intelligence and clarity. Both smart and savvy, she understands the initiative must be in partnership with pre-existing organizations in the UN, NGO's and civil society. She needs to raise money! A great deal of it!
She is quite realistic about the challenges facing her in meeting the needs of victims from different countries and varied cultures, where rape victims are often ostracized and shunned by their communities. She described her "feet on the ground" trips to Haiti, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo accompanied by advocates from those countries, assessing what the needs are and how care and treatment of victims can be effectively implemented.
This road is long and steep. I was extremely impressed with Jane Connor...she is bright, articulate, extremely clear, genuinely concerned and lives in a tiny office above the library.
When people asked questions she intensely focused in on what they were saying....an excellent listener. Her responses were thoughtful and considered.
Her best comment however, in this world of disarray and violence, she shared her secret that "she is an optimist by disposition!" This most daunting task and the woman are well matched.
I left the talk with both affection and respect for this formidable person, a serious interest in following the progress of the initiative and amazed at how much I learned. Much to ponder.
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UPDATE #5
New and Returning Youth Reps Learn What the UN Has Been Up To and
How They Can Help
Christine Moore
The DPI/NGO Youth Representatives briefing was called to introduce new Youth Representatives to the United Nations along with informing both new and returning representatives on what the United Nations has been up to since last year's DPI/NGO conference, which was held in Korea. The meeting touched on many different topics, from the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals to the UN News and how the Youth Representatives can come together to connect and network.
After the initial introductions, the briefing moved on to the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, which can be read here (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/). The goals, which were created in 2015, are based on sustainability, equality for all, economic growth and peace. The United Nations target year to achieve these goals is 2030, fifteen years after they were enacted. It was discussed that being in only year three of fifteen, the UN has a way to go, but that the Youth Representatives can help by getting the word out to not only their NGO’s but to their communities as well. This can be done reading the Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World from the UN's official website, or downloading the SDG Action app.
The briefing then moved to how can the UN get its voice heard to spread not only information about the Sustainable Development Goals, but about everything that they are doing to bring change to world. This brought panel speaker Ben Malor, the Chief Editor of United Nations News. Malor spoke about UN News and how they are spreading the news from the U.N. conference rooms along with everyday global news. UN News is available in all eight official languages and has a news app to get the word out. He stressed that the Youth Representatives should take advantage of all news available to stay informed.
Toward the end of the briefing, it was stressed that all Youth Representatives should network with one another to help each other with their various causes. We heard from Earlene Cruz, a Youth Representative who belongs to the DPI SERVAS, who started her company “Kitchen Connection,” with the help of her connections made at the UN. Cruz, along with Youth Representative Saphira Raneshfar (DPI: Policy in Action) informed the attendees about the many networking opportunities that the UN offers. The NGO CSW Young Professionals, who meet once a month, strive to educate and empower youth and connect young innovators. There was also a Youth Dialogue on May 30th and the Coalition on Global Citizenship (#CGC2030). These groups and sessions are available for all Youth Representatives to better collaborate with one another.
After the initial introductions, the briefing moved on to the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, which can be read here (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/). The goals, which were created in 2015, are based on sustainability, equality for all, economic growth and peace. The United Nations target year to achieve these goals is 2030, fifteen years after they were enacted. It was discussed that being in only year three of fifteen, the UN has a way to go, but that the Youth Representatives can help by getting the word out to not only their NGO’s but to their communities as well. This can be done reading the Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World from the UN's official website, or downloading the SDG Action app.
The briefing then moved to how can the UN get its voice heard to spread not only information about the Sustainable Development Goals, but about everything that they are doing to bring change to world. This brought panel speaker Ben Malor, the Chief Editor of United Nations News. Malor spoke about UN News and how they are spreading the news from the U.N. conference rooms along with everyday global news. UN News is available in all eight official languages and has a news app to get the word out. He stressed that the Youth Representatives should take advantage of all news available to stay informed.
Toward the end of the briefing, it was stressed that all Youth Representatives should network with one another to help each other with their various causes. We heard from Earlene Cruz, a Youth Representative who belongs to the DPI SERVAS, who started her company “Kitchen Connection,” with the help of her connections made at the UN. Cruz, along with Youth Representative Saphira Raneshfar (DPI: Policy in Action) informed the attendees about the many networking opportunities that the UN offers. The NGO CSW Young Professionals, who meet once a month, strive to educate and empower youth and connect young innovators. There was also a Youth Dialogue on May 30th and the Coalition on Global Citizenship (#CGC2030). These groups and sessions are available for all Youth Representatives to better collaborate with one another.
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UPDATE #6
From UN Daily News:
Photo: UN
CENTRAL AFRICA’S ICONIC MAMMALS THREATENED BY POACHERS, ARMED GROUPS – UN ENVIRONMENT WING
Elephants, giraffes, rhinos and other magnificent mammals targeted in wildlife conservation areas of Central Africa are under threat of extinction, caught in the crosshairs of armed groups and highly-militarized poachers, the United Nations environment wing warned on Friday.
“The importance of engaging local communities in fighting poaching, and of enhancing their alternative livelihoods, has now been widely recognized across various national, regional and global fora” said Bianca Notarbartolo of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “But such commitments have yet to be matched by enough effective implementation,” she added.
UNEP’s warning comes in the wake of the release last month by the non-governmental organization Traffic of a report reflecting the grim reality the negative impact of armed groups on wildlife in Central Africa. As recently as three decades ago, thousands of elephants strode majestically across the wildlife conservation areas of Central Africa. Today, their population has been decimated, according the 2017 report. In the 1980s, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Garamba National Park was home to 20,000 elephants. That number has dwindled to an estimated 1,100 – 1,400 today.
The situation appears even grimmer for the giraffes. In many African societies, the flywhisk, usually made from the animal’s tail, is a symbol of authority. The flywhisk from the Kordofan giraffe is particularly prized, putting this species in danger from poachers and other armed groups. Consequently, only about 40 giraffes remain in the Garamba Park. Some of the armed non-State groups and militia operating in the restive region include Sudan’s Janjaweed militia, Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army, Central African Republic’s rival Anti-Balaka and Seleka fighters, as well as Sudan’s People’s Liberation-In Opposition and poachers – making conservation a dangerous undertaking.
Chimpanzees have also not been spared from the onslaught. The population of eastern chimpanzees in eastern the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has declined by 80 to 98 per cent, mainly because of poaching for bushmeat – attributed to demand for protein, particularly intense around artisanal mining and logging camps.
The dual effect of insufficient nutrition, coupled with mining pollution is likely to exacerbate the threat to the region’s biodiversity, resulting in a downward spiral that could jeopardize future livelihoods of numerous local communities.
In May 2016, UNEP and other UN partners launched the Wild for Life campaign, which has been raising awareness, promoting the enactment and enforcement of laws, and increasing support for efforts by local communities to halt the illegal trade in wildlife. Elephants and Rhinos are among the species targeted by the campaign.
“Strengthening the role of local communities in wildlife management should be at the centre of any strategy to combat illegal trade in wildlife and to secure wildlife and biodiversity for the future,” stressed Ms. Notarbartolo.
January 2018
Photo: UN
"This is the last generation that can save nature" -World Wildlife Fund
Humans are responsible for death of 83% of wild animals and 50% or all plants
Humans are responsible for death of 83% of wild animals and 50% or all plants
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UPDATE #7
Women from WCA, International Caucus, and NYC Chapter in
Women's March
Wiki Commons
"SIGNS OF CREATIVE RESISTANCE AT THE 2018 WOMEN'S MARCH
Hyperallergic
by Hrag Vartanian (Jan 22, 2018)
One of the most impressive displays at the New York Women's March was by We Make America. I asked Deborah Stein about how it all came together: "The signs were made by us....Julie Peppito was a driving force as was Joyce Kozloff, Rachel Selekman, Nancy Chunn, John Schettino, and I and about 30 other people collaborated and came up with these ideas. We had so many working ideas we just decided to do them all and stage them together: Pussy Gate, big cats, the Big Blue Waves as a call for people to vote in the midterms, women surfers and the bald eagles and naming victims of police brutality -- as well as all the progressive women candidates we knew of to write on the signs. We basically just decided to have the waves storm the pussy gate!" (photo by Deborah Stein)
Hyperallergic
by Hrag Vartanian (Jan 22, 2018)
One of the most impressive displays at the New York Women's March was by We Make America. I asked Deborah Stein about how it all came together: "The signs were made by us....Julie Peppito was a driving force as was Joyce Kozloff, Rachel Selekman, Nancy Chunn, John Schettino, and I and about 30 other people collaborated and came up with these ideas. We had so many working ideas we just decided to do them all and stage them together: Pussy Gate, big cats, the Big Blue Waves as a call for people to vote in the midterms, women surfers and the bald eagles and naming victims of police brutality -- as well as all the progressive women candidates we knew of to write on the signs. We basically just decided to have the waves storm the pussy gate!" (photo by Deborah Stein)
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UPDATE #8
FOUR MORE IMPORTANT EVENTS INCLUDING UN PROGRAM MEMBERS
________________________________________________
CAROLE RICHARD KAUFMANN, HELEN KLEBESADEL, LAURA MORRISON, TOBY NEEDLER, VERNITA NEMEC, JOYCE ELLEN WEINSTEIN
CAROLE RICHARD KAUFMANN, HELEN KLEBESADEL, LAURA MORRISON, TOBY NEEDLER, VERNITA NEMEC, JOYCE ELLEN WEINSTEIN
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S.A. BACHMAN AND NEDA MORIDPOUR
S.A. BACHMAN AND NEDA MORIDPOUR
WOMEN ON THE MOVE transforms a 26-ft truck into a mobile billboard and resource center to address sexual assault, harassment and domestic violence. Our current emphasis is on the particular challenges faced by women whose experiences are the most marginalized: those who often fear reporting due to retaliation, fraught relationships with law enforcement, stigma, or fear of detention and deportation.
The WOMEN ON THE MOVE billboard truck will traverse Los Angeles before arriving at the Main Museum. There will be events throughout the day including guest speakers, street interventions and video screenings. Volunteers will engage people passing by in conversation and offer free artist-designed posters. Participants will also have access to a resource center equipped with videos, oral histories, informational materials, artwork and posters from the Center for the Study of Political Graphics.
Fortifying the fight to end sexual assault and harassment demands including the voices of those most marginalized!
www.louder-than-words.org/womenonthemove
www.louder-than-words.org/you-asked-for-it
The WOMEN ON THE MOVE billboard truck will traverse Los Angeles before arriving at the Main Museum. There will be events throughout the day including guest speakers, street interventions and video screenings. Volunteers will engage people passing by in conversation and offer free artist-designed posters. Participants will also have access to a resource center equipped with videos, oral histories, informational materials, artwork and posters from the Center for the Study of Political Graphics.
Fortifying the fight to end sexual assault and harassment demands including the voices of those most marginalized!
www.louder-than-words.org/womenonthemove
www.louder-than-words.org/you-asked-for-it
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KEBEDECH TEKLEAB
ROCKLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS
CROSSING BOUNDARIES: MATERIALS AS MESSAGE
Nancy Azara, Mitch Lewis, Joyce Scott, Adrienne Sloane, Kebedech Tekleab
KEBEDECH TEKLEAB
ROCKLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS
CROSSING BOUNDARIES: MATERIALS AS MESSAGE
Nancy Azara, Mitch Lewis, Joyce Scott, Adrienne Sloane, Kebedech Tekleab
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UPDATE #9
Nigerian Women Artists at UN
UN
9 March 2018
Three Nigerian women will spotlight themes such as human trafficking, suicide bombing, and sexism and sexual harassment at the United Nations, showing the strength of women as agents of change in African societies often dominated by men.
“We have to see ourselves as part of the solution, not just as women reserved for sex or for the kitchen,” author and Queen Blessing Itua told UN News ahead of a special event planned for this Sunday in the UN General Assembly Hall.
“Unity in Diversity: An Evening of Art and Hope with Nigerian Women” will feature excerpts from Ms. Itua’s book “We Are the Blessings of Africa,” as well as monologues from Ifeoma Fafunwa’s HEAR WORD! and Nadine Ibrahim’s films “Tolu” and “Through Her Eyes.” The event is organized by UN Women, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Nigerian Mission to the UN, with other partners. “Africa is a diverse continent, rich with different countries and different cultures, and natural resources. Africa has the talent – men and women,” said Ms. Itua. “When men in Africa look at women, women are reserved just in the kitchen or at home. So there’s a need to shift thinking that women can be powerful agents of development, then they’re able to support and empower women.
“If women understand that they have a critical role to play, they do not see themselves as just wives or women at home, they also raise up into mental engagement with the men and hopefully strategize about developing our Mother Land,” Ms. Itua continued. Born in Nigeria and living in the United States, Ms. Itua said she wants to create awareness and give voice to women who do not have a platform to speak out about social ills, particularly rural women.
Her latest film, Mrs. Adams, – which will premiere during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) next week – follows human trafficking routes in Nigeria and Europe. It is meant to be a statement not just about brutalization of women and sexual violence, but also highlight the economic reasons that people choose to migrate in the first place – to change some of the misinterpretations about exploitative work practices, forced labour and smuggling.
The issue is personal, Ms. Itua said. She hails from Edo state, which recently inaugurated a migration resource centre, and which has been cast in the spotlight after reports of Nigerians from that area being sold in modern slave markets in Libya. “As an African woman, I believe that my goal is to work with other women in creating awareness. Together we are stronger. Working together to be stronger to change the narrative coming out of Africa,” Ms. Itua said.
She will be joined this Sunday by 24-year-old Nadine Ibrahim, whose film Through Her Eyes follows the internal struggle of a 12-year-old female suicide bomber in northern Nigeria. Ms. Ibrahim, who is a Muslim, has said that she wants people to understand the rich and beautiful culture surrounding women, Islam and north-eastern Nigeria.
The film was filmed with security on location and after the original actress’s mother pulled the daughter out of the film for fear of safety.
The Sunday night event will also feature Ifeoma Fafunwa, whose stage play “HEAR WORD! Naija Women Talk True” is a collection of monologues based on true-life stories of Nigerian women challenging social, cultural and political norms in the country. A line from the play declares: “I have a vital contribution to my nation’s transformation. I am a force, a tidal wave, and I won’t hide. My destiny is not for you to decide.”
Speaking to UN News from the airport enroute to New York, Ms. Fafunwa said it was incredibly relevant for HEAR WORD! to be showcased at the UN. “Gender parity is top of mind and women around the world are collaborating more than ever on change. It is wonderful for Nigerian women to play a role in highlighting these issues at the CSW [session] where persons who can affect policy from all over the world will convene.” The award-winning playwright added that the timing is particularly relevant given that Nigerians are grabbling with the abduction of another 100 girls by Boko Haram. “It is important that we join in initiating these discussions. It also presents an opportunity to shift perceptions about what is possible for Nigeria and Nigerian women,” Ms. Fafunwa added. Cognizant of the many young women who will be looking at the UN during the coming two weeks of the CSW, Ms. Fafunwa reflected on the possibilities that youth hold. “I think young women have the biggest potential to create the change the world needs now – on every front. They are closest to the media and have the tools to be empowered, to connect and communicate. This is their time and as agreed, the time is now! Their votes count and collectively, they can make demands,” Ms. Fafunwa said. “When I was younger, I felt disempowered and disconnected from leadership. That is not where we should be now.”
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UPDATE #10
HELAINE SOLLER PRESENTS SPEECH ABOUT NGO'S AT COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
HISTORY OF THE NGO Commission on the Status of Women NY
This presentation seeks to highlight the history of NGO’s and the NGOCSW /NY, which supports the work of the UNCSW, the UN Women Member States. These histories are integrated into programs initiated during the formation of the UN Charter. When in 1945 delegates gathered to sign the UN Charter, only 4 were women. The 4 women made sure the “ Preamble” speaks of fundamental human rights and of the equal rights of men and women.
In London in 1946, a sub-commission, on “the status of women” under the Commission on Human Rights was established. Women delegates and representatives of NGOs called for a full commission in its own right. The sub-commission formally became the Commission on the Status of Women, (CSW) supported by a section of the UN Secretariat – the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) which in 1978 became the Branch for the Advancement of Women. ECOSOC’s CSW, forged a close relationship with NGO organizations in consultative status. NGO’s were invited as observers.
UNCSW met in 1947 as an official structure to promote, report on and monitor issues relating to the political, economic, civil, social and educational rights of women. At the onset the CSW Commission declared as one of its guiding principles: to raise the status of women to equality with men in all fields of human enterprise, and to eliminate all discrimination against women in the provisions legal maxims or rules, or in interpretation of customary law.
In Paris 1948 UNCSW contributed to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights headed by the Commission on Human Rights, inserting new gender-sensitive, inclusive language.
From 1947 to 1962, UNCSW- meet only bi-annually to set standards and formulate international conventions to change discriminatory legislation and foster global awareness of women’s issues. Input from NGOs were incorporated into UN resolutions and into the formulation of standards building a close working relationship with the international human rights treaty bodies. A global assessment process for support data on the status of women was started.
The UN Secretary General supported by UNCSW called for the first “World conference on women,” held in Mexico in 1975 . addressing Universal human rights and defined a UN platform for women’s equality. A parallel conference the International Women’s Year Tribune with 6,000 NGO representatives defined a World Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Women’s Year, and issued a comprehensive set of guidelines for the advancement of women through 1985.
The NGOCSW/NY was founded in 1975 after the Bejing conference.
NGO CSW/NY represents more than 100 member organizations concerned about the status of women and girls. It’s many functions cumulates with the the NGO’s Consultation Day preparation for the session on the UN Commission on the Status of Women. (NGOs) have had an increasing and role in programs and policies of the United Nations. recently, they have sought greater influence in governance and decision making . NGO’s increasingly demand more say and accountability on issues of peace, security, and human rights.
In 1995’s Bejing World Conference on the Status of Women with over 17,000 attendees established a platform for achieving equal rights for women and girls the “Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and Outcomes.” , the key global policy document on gender equality.
The 23rd special session of the General Assembly held in 2000 Beijing+5. a follow-up conference evaluated it’s implementation and set policy.
The UNCSW Commission multi-year work programs appraise progress and make further recommendations to accelerate the implementation of the Platform for Action I in the form of a priority theme. Its current methods of work is established by ECOSOC resolution 2015/6.
In January 2011 UN Women formed through combining agencies, was created as the key UN agency to direct UN activities on issues of gender equality globally.
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UPDATE #11
Remembering Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality
Cynthia L
Slavery ended more than a hundred years ago, but it has left a stain that is still felt today. That is because from that stain, new forms of slavery have emerged. In March, the United Nations Department of Public Information held an NGO briefing to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade. This briefing was entitled, “Remembering Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality.” We were joined by Mamadou Niang, Managing Director of NextMedia.tv, H.E. Mr. Courtenay Rattray, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the UN, Charo Mina-Rojas, National Coordinator of Advocacy and Outreach for the Black Communities Process, Danie Cesario, Associate Architect of Array Architects, and Jadayah Spencer, Executive Director of the International Youth Leadership Institute. Each panelist spoke on the effects of slavery people experience to this day, and what could be done and what had been done to improve effects of this stain.
It was Mamadou Niang who reminded us that it had been a little more than fifty years ago when Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered on April 4th, 1968. He gave his personal experience, and more importantly, he let us know that the problems we thought we had left behind in the past are still ever-present today. It is true that after the thirteenth amendment, people could no longer be bought or auctioned off and servitude was illegal without consent; however, oppressors still found ways to keep things the way they liked it. The more people began to catch on, the more clever they became about it. Mr. Courtney Rattray would refer to it as “mental slavery.”
Mr. Courtney Rattray told us about demographic slavery and the effects it had on developing countries. He explained that this was the reason why they were still struggling. He insisted that it is not because there is a lack of motivation and an unwillingness to strive for something better – it is there, but it is depressed. A type of thinking has been forced upon them, resulting in a recurring cycle of poverty. He made a point that had struck a chord with me as he explained what mental slavery really was, the reason why this type of oppression is so successful, and that it was a process of conditioning. An example would be the skin bleaching crisis in Jamaica. It is a lingering scar of slavery – an open wound that never healed. The discussion then moved on to the topic of systematic slavery.
Charo Mina-Rojas discussed her youth in Columbia as an example of systematic slavery. She had experienced oppression on a different level because it was maintained through economic means. Situations in her home country of Columbia are reflective of what is going on all over the world. Slavery didn’t just happen in the United States. It was a global, common practice. What had been going on in the United States, had been going on all over the world, and is still going on in some way, shape, or form.
Danei Cesario used her skills to create inclusive spaces for the community. She manages the execution of multifaceted healthcare projects leading to broad system-wide improvements. She is the 333rd black female licensed architect in American History. She is an example of a triumph.
Panelist Jadayah Spencer passionately discussed her love for her skin and where it came from. She is a voice of what the world is slowly becoming - an example of how aware and concerned the community is becoming.
There was a quote that I liked from Mr. Rattray’s presentation. He said this; “We are all equal under the eyes of god.” The slavery remaining in the world today is both overt and continuously evolving into other forms of suffering and oppression. It is so important that we recognize it when we see it. We are the same; skin color should not determine one’s worth. It is the mind that we should criticize. Even though there are still obstacles to overcome, many triumphs have been achieved since the abolishment of slavery in 1865. It is important to remember that. That way, we can eventually succeed in removing the stain that slavery left behind.
Slavery ended more than a hundred years ago, but it has left a stain that is still felt today. That is because from that stain, new forms of slavery have emerged. In March, the United Nations Department of Public Information held an NGO briefing to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade. This briefing was entitled, “Remembering Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality.” We were joined by Mamadou Niang, Managing Director of NextMedia.tv, H.E. Mr. Courtenay Rattray, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the UN, Charo Mina-Rojas, National Coordinator of Advocacy and Outreach for the Black Communities Process, Danie Cesario, Associate Architect of Array Architects, and Jadayah Spencer, Executive Director of the International Youth Leadership Institute. Each panelist spoke on the effects of slavery people experience to this day, and what could be done and what had been done to improve effects of this stain.
It was Mamadou Niang who reminded us that it had been a little more than fifty years ago when Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered on April 4th, 1968. He gave his personal experience, and more importantly, he let us know that the problems we thought we had left behind in the past are still ever-present today. It is true that after the thirteenth amendment, people could no longer be bought or auctioned off and servitude was illegal without consent; however, oppressors still found ways to keep things the way they liked it. The more people began to catch on, the more clever they became about it. Mr. Courtney Rattray would refer to it as “mental slavery.”
Mr. Courtney Rattray told us about demographic slavery and the effects it had on developing countries. He explained that this was the reason why they were still struggling. He insisted that it is not because there is a lack of motivation and an unwillingness to strive for something better – it is there, but it is depressed. A type of thinking has been forced upon them, resulting in a recurring cycle of poverty. He made a point that had struck a chord with me as he explained what mental slavery really was, the reason why this type of oppression is so successful, and that it was a process of conditioning. An example would be the skin bleaching crisis in Jamaica. It is a lingering scar of slavery – an open wound that never healed. The discussion then moved on to the topic of systematic slavery.
Charo Mina-Rojas discussed her youth in Columbia as an example of systematic slavery. She had experienced oppression on a different level because it was maintained through economic means. Situations in her home country of Columbia are reflective of what is going on all over the world. Slavery didn’t just happen in the United States. It was a global, common practice. What had been going on in the United States, had been going on all over the world, and is still going on in some way, shape, or form.
Danei Cesario used her skills to create inclusive spaces for the community. She manages the execution of multifaceted healthcare projects leading to broad system-wide improvements. She is the 333rd black female licensed architect in American History. She is an example of a triumph.
Panelist Jadayah Spencer passionately discussed her love for her skin and where it came from. She is a voice of what the world is slowly becoming - an example of how aware and concerned the community is becoming.
There was a quote that I liked from Mr. Rattray’s presentation. He said this; “We are all equal under the eyes of god.” The slavery remaining in the world today is both overt and continuously evolving into other forms of suffering and oppression. It is so important that we recognize it when we see it. We are the same; skin color should not determine one’s worth. It is the mind that we should criticize. Even though there are still obstacles to overcome, many triumphs have been achieved since the abolishment of slavery in 1865. It is important to remember that. That way, we can eventually succeed in removing the stain that slavery left behind.
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UPDATE #12
Exhibitions Featuring WCA and UN Program Members
Vernita Nemec and Helaine Soller
Reception: Thursday, March 29, 6-8PM
Lynn Neuman & Artichoke Dance Company, Thursday April 5th, 7 PM
Art Talk, Saturday April 21st, 4pm
Denise Adler * Catherine Armistead * Annaliese Bischoff * Ellen Burnett * Wendy Cloud *
Merill Comeau * Harry Delorme * May DeViney * Rachel Green * Julia Healy * Ed Herman * Halona Hilbertz * Michelle Lougee * Gail Mitchell * Lisa Moren * Lynn Neuman * Janet Nolan * Katherine Powers * Carol Quint * Helaine Soller * Jenifer R Stern * Courtney Lee Weida * Helen Zajkowski
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present the exhibit “EVIL PLASTIC”, featuring fine art made primarily from plastic trash. The heart of this exhibit is the message of the three R's: Reduce/Reuse/Recycle. The exhibit will open March 27th and continues through April 21st with a reception March 29, 6-8pm, a dance performance April 5th at 7PM & an Art Talk Saturday April 21st at 4PM. 10% of sales of these artworks in this exhibit will be given to an environmental organization fighting the evils of plastic.
“EVIL PLASTIC” attempts to say it straight: plastic trash has come to be a primary force in the destruction of our environment. The ocean is filled with gyres of plastic floating like islands and harboring dangers that lure fish, birds and sea mammals with a promise of food that has no nourishment. Coral reefs are being chocked by plastic debris. It is up to humans to master their creative energies to devise solutions to this eminent threat of annihilation.
Slowly we are beginning to develop compostable plastic or recycling & upcycling these materials into useful objects but will we do so quickly enough?. In the North Pacific Ocean, there are 6x more plastic debris than plankton. We have an island in the middle of the North Pacific Gyre, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch composed mostly of plastic. 10% of the plastic we use yearly ends up in the ocean.
Artists have long used trash as a medium but their message in this exhibit is clear. All these works are created primarily from plastic debris. Some of the works speak through the mere use of these materials, others are more decisive in their message of the evil of plastic if left untethered.
Since 1994, the changing groups of artists in these environmentally conscious exhibits, have opened a dialogue through their art making, about the importance of protecting the environment. “Art from Detritus”, or art from waste, was conceived by artist/ curator Vernita Nemec, that same year in Portland Oregon during the annual conference of the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) and presented in the lobby of a recycled Sears Roebuck building, the corporate head quarters for municipal waste & recycling there. Since then, the exhibit has re-occurred with funding from the Kauffman Foundation, the Puffin Foundation and sponsorship by the NRC. Past Detritus exhibitions have occurred in Pittsburgh, Kansas City MO, Phoenix AZ, Turners Falls MA and NYC.
See more information and images of past Detritus shows at www.ncognita.com.
Vernita Nemec, a.k.a. Vernita N'Cognita, is a visual & performance artist, a curator, the director of Viridian Artists . She was formerly the Director of Artists Talk on Art (ATOA), and is currently on their Board of Advisors
Tamar Hirschl
TERRRA INFIRMA
Marcia Annenberg , Bonnie Heller, Tamar Hirschl, Deborah Kruger
Joyce Ellen Weinstein, Ruth Weisberg
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wiki commons
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UPDATE #14
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UPDATE #15
CHILDREN AND PARENTS AT THE U.S. BORDER
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has condemned the US for separating parents and children at southern border crossings. He affirmed that this is a serious violation of human rights and international law. He warned of "self-serving callous leaders", and
warned that "the more pronounced their sense of self-importance, and more they glory in nationalism, the more unvarnished is the assault on
the overall common good -- on universal rights, on universal law, and universal institutions." Speaking to a packed chamber, he received a standing ovation for his assessment of international violations.
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UPDATE # 16
POEM BY KEBEDECH TEKLEAB
UN PROGRAM ALTERNATIVE REPRESENTATIVE TO UNITED NATIONS and
YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE MENTOR
To the Parent of a Caged Child
Keep the number they gave you
if it is valid
to reclaim your child
like a backpack
stuff
an item, a contraband
you handed in by the entrance of a jailhouse
pray your toddler is tagged properly
you may not recognize the bud
if you see the light again
illuminating the flower
no more tears for your child
the well of sorrow is full
enough for all the victims to come
stand still your back is free
your burden is loaded onto your heart
hold your love tight
the mighty power
that reaches across the wire cages
across boundaries, anywhere fertile
skipping the dry spots devoid of humanity.
(@JUNE 18, 2018)
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UPDATE #17
UN REPORT ON POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES
UN Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston issued a report on poverty in the United States.
Among his findings:
"Democracy is being undermined, the poor and the homeless are being criminalized for being poor, and the criminal justice system is being privatized in ways that work well for the rich, but that seriously disadvantage the poor. Underlying all these developments is persistent and chronic racial bias. More than 1 in 8 Americans live in poverty. The US has the highest levels of incarceration, infant mortality, youth poverty and obesity, and the most expensive health care compared to other OECD countries"
Days before the report was issued, the US withdrew fro the Human Rights Council, the first country to do so in the history of the UN.
(Source: Reuters, UN)
POVERTY EXISTS NOT BECAUSE WE CANNOT FEED THE POOR, BUT BECAUSE WE CANNOT SATISFY THE RICH
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UPDATE #18
SHERRI CORNETT AND DEBORAH KRUGER INTERVIEWS
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UPDATE # 19
UN MOURNS THE PASSING OF KOFI ANNAN
UN
"Over the years we have come to realize that it is not enough to send peacekeeping forces to separate warring parties. It is not enough to engage in peace-building efforts after societies have been ravaged by conflict. It is not enough to conduct preventive diplomacy. All of this is essential work, but we want enduring results. We need, in short, the Culture of Peace"
Kofi Annan
"Kofi Annan called the United Nations the 'last best hope of humanity. He burned with the flame of human rights, dignity, and justice. We shall miss him every day."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Kofi Annan
"Kofi Annan called the United Nations the 'last best hope of humanity. He burned with the flame of human rights, dignity, and justice. We shall miss him every day."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
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UPDATE #20
DANIELLE EUBANK AND DARA HERMAN ZIERLEIN NOMINATED FOR
CLIMATE AWARD BY HUMAN IMPACTS INSTITUTE
Danielle Eubank Dara Herman Zierlein
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UPDATE #21
25th World Press Freedom Day Tackles Journalists’ Safety by: Christine Moore
To honor the 25th World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations held a DPI/NGO briefing to underscore the desperate need of protections for media and press members and the freedom of the press. With passionate opening statements, the panel, moderated by Alison Smale (Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications), included Miroslav Lajcak (Elected as President of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly), Jan Kickert (Chair of the UN General Assembly Committee on Information), Nicole Stremlau (Researcher on UNESCO Report) and Melissa Kent (UN Correspondent for CBC Radio Canada). The panelists gave impassioned speeches on the dangers of reporting and the constant attack that not only the press members are under, but also freedom of the press and the truth.
The panel presentation, which started after an opening video statement from Antonio Gutierrez, the 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations, steered the conversation to the need to protect freedom of the press. To protect that freedom, members of the media need to be protected while they are doing their job of obtaining the news. Various governments are accused of using scare tactics, threats of incarceration and even murder to silence and/or control the media. The panelists fear that with governments vilifying the press (President Trump was quoted as saying that journalists were “enemies against the American people”) or even controlling the press can lead to propaganda being spread to the people. The panelists stressed that journalists are being targeted so that they can never report what they learn to the deserving public. They also stressed that the current laws in place should be utilized to protect journalists and allow them to continue their jobs without fear. In places where there isn’t freedom of the press, Reporters Without Borders propose that the UN appoint someone who would report to the Secretary General of the UN to oversee compliance and elevate journalist's issues. This appointed person would also create a program that would train freelance journalists on how to protect themselves in war zones. Reporters Without Borders feel that this appointment would elevate the issue at hand and acknowledge the work being done by journalists.
The issue at hand was especially elevated by panelist Melissa Kent, who spoke with emotion as she mentioned the ten journalists who were killed in Afghanistan just a few days before the briefing. She stated that this brought the amount to thirty-two journalists killed worldwide. That’s twenty-four less than last year, and we have seven months left in the year. Kent brought up the point that most journalists don’t die abroad, they usually get killed in their own countries, trying to unveil the injustices that they’ve seen. Many killed journalists don’t get justice, as only one out of ten cases lead to a conviction. Kent also explained that targeted journalists who escape death, normally experience incarceration. Two hundred and sixty-two journalists were jailed because of allegations that they reported "fake news." For example, in Malaysia, a journalist was handed a one-week prison sentence along with a twenty-five hundred dollar fine for posting a critical video of the police. This is common practice now in some countries that have a "fake news" law. Six countries jailed journalists and media members for this law this year, up from the two countries last year. Kent's last point was that when you "block free media, you block the truth." She explained that an MIT study showed that false news stories traveled six times faster than real news, and that seventy percent of twitter was more likely to retweet fake news than real news.
The panelists wanted to explain that false news is already prevalent in mass media, and it is the journalists’ job to filter out real news stories to present to the masses. The journalists and media members believed that they help keep checks and balances and hold the public and private sectors accountable. To do so, they must be protected by the judicial system and by their governments, while they are putting their lives on the line.
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UPDATE #22
SUSAN RICE'S OBSERVATIONS OF TRUMP AT THE UN
"Mr. Trump's trip to the United Nations set America on an ever more dangerous course in which we are courting conflict with powerful countries that don't seek it and ignoring persistent threats from committed adversaries with the will and capacity to do us grave harm. In these troubling times, up is down, black is white, and America stands alone, reckless and ridiculed among the nations of the world.
Susan Rice, former UN Ambassador and National Security Advisor under President Obama
New York Times Opinion 9/26/18
Susan Rice, former UN Ambassador and National Security Advisor under President Obama
New York Times Opinion 9/26/18
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UPDATE #23
UN ISSUES DIRE WARNING ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change is one of the major challenges of our time and adds considerable stress to our societies and to the environment. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more difficult and costly.
The Human Fingerprint on Greenhouse GasesGreenhouse gases occur naturally and are essential to the survival of humans and millions of other living things, by keeping some of the sun’s warmth from reflecting back into space and making Earth livable. A century and a half of industrialization, including clear-felling forests and certain farming methods, has driven up quantities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As populations, economies and standards of living grow, so does the cumulative level of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions.
There are some basic well-established scientific links:
Fifth Assessment Report The report provides a comprehensive assessment of sea level rise, and its causes, over the past few decades. It also estimates cumulative CO2 emissions since pre-industrial times and provides a CO2 budget for future emissions to limit warming to less than 2 °C. About half of this maximum amount was already emitted by 2011. Thanks to the IPCC, this is what we know:
Global Warming of 1.5°CIn October 2018 the IPPCC issued a special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. It states that global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate. While previous estimates focused on estimating the damage if average temperatures were to rise by 2°C, this report shows that many of the adverse impacts of climate change will come at the 1.5°C mark.
The report also highlights a number of climate change impacts that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5ºC compared to 2ºC, or more. For instance, by 2100, global sea level rise would be 10 cm lower with global warming of 1.5°C compared with 2°C. The likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century with global warming of 1.5°C, compared with at least once per decade with 2°C. Coral reefs would decline by 70-90 percent with global warming of 1.5°C, whereas virtually all (> 99 percent) would be lost with 2ºC.
The report finds that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require “rapid and far-reaching” transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities. Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050. This means that any remaining emissions would need to be balanced by removing CO2 from the air.
United Nations legal instrumentsUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeThe UN family is in the forefront of the effort to save our planet. In 1992, its “Earth Summit” produced the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a first step in addressing the climate change problem. Today, it has near-universal membership. The 197 countries that have ratified the Convention are Parties to the Convention. The ultimate aim of the Convention is to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system.
Kyoto ProtocolBy 1995, countries launched negotiations to strengthen the global response to climate change, and, two years later, adopted the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol legally binds developed country Parties to emission reduction targets. The Protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. The second commitment period began on 1 January 2013 and will end in 2020. There are now 197 Parties to the Convention and 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
Paris AgreementAt the 21st Conference of the Parties in Paris, Parties to the UNFCCC reached a landmark agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention and – for the first time – brings all nations into a common cause to undertake take ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in the global climate effort.
The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
On Earth Day, 22 April 2016, 175 world leaders signed the Paris Agreement at United Nations Headquarters in New York. This was by far the largest number of countries ever to sign an international agreement on a single day.
Climate Summit in 2019In September 2019, Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Climate Summit to bring climate action to the top of the international agenda and Luis Alfonso de Alba, a former Mexican diplomat, is his Special Envoy to lead its preparations. The Summit will focus on the sectors that create the most emissions and the areas where building resilience could make the biggest difference. World leaders will report on what they are doing, and what more they intend to do when they convene in 2020 for the UN climate conference, where commitments will be renewed and may be increased.
Nobel Peace PrizeIn 2007, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to former United States Vice-President Al Gore and the IPCC "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."
Resources:
The Human Fingerprint on Greenhouse GasesGreenhouse gases occur naturally and are essential to the survival of humans and millions of other living things, by keeping some of the sun’s warmth from reflecting back into space and making Earth livable. A century and a half of industrialization, including clear-felling forests and certain farming methods, has driven up quantities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As populations, economies and standards of living grow, so does the cumulative level of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions.
There are some basic well-established scientific links:
- The concentration of GHGs in the earth’s atmosphere is directly linked to the average global temperature on Earth;
- The concentration has been rising steadily, and mean global temperatures along with it, since the time of the Industrial Revolution;
- The most abundant GHG, carbon dioxide (CO2), is the product of burning fossil fuels.
Fifth Assessment Report The report provides a comprehensive assessment of sea level rise, and its causes, over the past few decades. It also estimates cumulative CO2 emissions since pre-industrial times and provides a CO2 budget for future emissions to limit warming to less than 2 °C. About half of this maximum amount was already emitted by 2011. Thanks to the IPCC, this is what we know:
- From 1880 to 2012, the average global temperature increased by 0.85 °C.
- Oceans have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and the sea level has risen. From 1901 to 2010, the global average sea level rose by 19 cm as oceans expanded due to warming and ice melted. The sea ice extent in the Arctic has shrunk in every successive decade since 1979, with 1.07 × 106 km² of ice loss per decade
- Given current concentrations and ongoing emissions of greenhouse gases, it is likely that the end of this century will see a 1–2° C increase in global mean temperature above the 1990 level (about 1.5–2.5° C above the pre-industrial level). The world’s oceans will warm and ice melt will continue. Average sea level rise is predicted to be 24–30 cm by 2065 and 40–63 cm by 2100 relative to the reference period of 1986–2005. Most aspects of climate change will persist for many centuries, even if emissions are stopped.
Global Warming of 1.5°CIn October 2018 the IPPCC issued a special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. It states that global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate. While previous estimates focused on estimating the damage if average temperatures were to rise by 2°C, this report shows that many of the adverse impacts of climate change will come at the 1.5°C mark.
The report also highlights a number of climate change impacts that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5ºC compared to 2ºC, or more. For instance, by 2100, global sea level rise would be 10 cm lower with global warming of 1.5°C compared with 2°C. The likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century with global warming of 1.5°C, compared with at least once per decade with 2°C. Coral reefs would decline by 70-90 percent with global warming of 1.5°C, whereas virtually all (> 99 percent) would be lost with 2ºC.
The report finds that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require “rapid and far-reaching” transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities. Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050. This means that any remaining emissions would need to be balanced by removing CO2 from the air.
United Nations legal instrumentsUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeThe UN family is in the forefront of the effort to save our planet. In 1992, its “Earth Summit” produced the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a first step in addressing the climate change problem. Today, it has near-universal membership. The 197 countries that have ratified the Convention are Parties to the Convention. The ultimate aim of the Convention is to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system.
Kyoto ProtocolBy 1995, countries launched negotiations to strengthen the global response to climate change, and, two years later, adopted the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol legally binds developed country Parties to emission reduction targets. The Protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. The second commitment period began on 1 January 2013 and will end in 2020. There are now 197 Parties to the Convention and 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
Paris AgreementAt the 21st Conference of the Parties in Paris, Parties to the UNFCCC reached a landmark agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention and – for the first time – brings all nations into a common cause to undertake take ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in the global climate effort.
The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
On Earth Day, 22 April 2016, 175 world leaders signed the Paris Agreement at United Nations Headquarters in New York. This was by far the largest number of countries ever to sign an international agreement on a single day.
Climate Summit in 2019In September 2019, Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Climate Summit to bring climate action to the top of the international agenda and Luis Alfonso de Alba, a former Mexican diplomat, is his Special Envoy to lead its preparations. The Summit will focus on the sectors that create the most emissions and the areas where building resilience could make the biggest difference. World leaders will report on what they are doing, and what more they intend to do when they convene in 2020 for the UN climate conference, where commitments will be renewed and may be increased.
Nobel Peace PrizeIn 2007, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to former United States Vice-President Al Gore and the IPCC "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."
Resources:
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UPDATE#24
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UPDATE #25
UN
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UPDATE #26
Wiki Commons
Seventieth Anniversary Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1. Every person is born free and equal in dignity and rights.
2. Every person has human rights regardless of race, sex, language, belief or religion.
3. Every person has the right to life, liberty and security.
4. Slavery and the slave trade are prohibited.
5. No person shall be subjected to torture.
6. Every person has the right to recognition as a person before the law.
7. All persons are entitled to equal protection before the law.
8. Every person is entitled to the aid of law when not treated fairly.
9. No person shall be subjected to arbitrary detention.
10. Every person is entitled to an impartial hearing.
11. Every person shall be considered innocent until proven guilty.
12. Every person has the right to protection of his or her privacy.
13. Every person has the right to travel freely within a country and to leave and return to his or her country.
14. Every person has the right to asylum from persecution.
15. Every person has the right to a nationality.
16. All adults have the right to marry of their own free will and to found a family.
17. Every person has the right to own property.
18. Every person has the right to freedom of religion.
19. Every person has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
20. Every person has the right to freedom of personal assembly and association.
21. Every person has the right to take part in the government of his or her country.
22. Every person has economic, social and cultural rights.
23. Every person has the right to work, to just pay, and to form and join unions.
24. Every person has the right to rest and leisure.
25. Every person has the right to an adequate standard of living.
26. Every person has the right to an education.
27. Every person has the right to participate in cultural activities and benefit from scientific advancement.
28. Every person is entitled to a social order in which these human rights can be realized.
29. Every person has duties to the democratic society according to the law.
30. No person can take away these rights and freedoms.
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UPDATE #27
