UN Program Director News and Updates 2014
Maureen Burns-Bowie
Hello to all who are interested in WCA's International Caucus UN Program. This year we will build on the marvelous and crucial work done by Priscilla Otani, our past President of Women's Caucus for Art, Sherri Cornett, Director of the International Caucus, and most recently with my efforts as Director of the UN Progam. I continue to be a UN Representative, and we now have two new Reps, Dr. Mary Hamill and Liz DiGiorgio. Brenda Oelbaum, as our new President, holds the title of Main Representative. We are expanding our vision and goals for the UN Program and throughout the year you can follow our Updates to keep informed of our progress. If you are not already a member of the International Caucus, we invite you to join. And if you would like to be more engaged with the UN Program, join that as well. Just indicate your interest on the membership sign-up page. I will keep you informed of events and opportunities.
Hello to all who are interested in WCA's International Caucus UN Program. This year we will build on the marvelous and crucial work done by Priscilla Otani, our past President of Women's Caucus for Art, Sherri Cornett, Director of the International Caucus, and most recently with my efforts as Director of the UN Progam. I continue to be a UN Representative, and we now have two new Reps, Dr. Mary Hamill and Liz DiGiorgio. Brenda Oelbaum, as our new President, holds the title of Main Representative. We are expanding our vision and goals for the UN Program and throughout the year you can follow our Updates to keep informed of our progress. If you are not already a member of the International Caucus, we invite you to join. And if you would like to be more engaged with the UN Program, join that as well. Just indicate your interest on the membership sign-up page. I will keep you informed of events and opportunities.
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UPDATE#1
UN COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN CONFERENCE
March 10-March 21, 2014
CSW REPORT
Maureen Burns-Bowie
The UN Program presented this year at the Commission on the Status of Women conference. Invited speakers were Anne Kantor Kellett, Dr. Mary Hamill, Allison Milewski. Organizer of the event and moderator was Maureen Burns-Bowie.
The evening was a smashing success. Anne Kantor Kellett gave a moving account of being the child of Holocaust survivors. Having lived in an environment of heightened awareness of the effects of genocide, when the ugliness in Rwanda began to manifest, she committed to help. Her art is potent with the images of devastation, the agonized look found in the eyes of survivors, and finally spiritual strength and triumph.
Dr Mary Hamill shared her documentary art of the elderly in the streets of NY and Beijing, her work with the homeless in Boston, her participation in a medical mission to Vietnam, and her development of a program in Cambodia working with war widows to create art that honored their lost husbands and healed them as survivors. She becomes deeply involved with the communities she works with, and this collaboration results in levels of depth and richness that an outsider/documentarian could never capture. The layers of meaningful experience and profound empathy generated are a gift to the viewers of her art.
Allison Milewski shared work from Laos and Cambodia. Women were taught photography and documented their lives in an intimate and revealing way. In the process they gained a sense of the beauty and importance of their lives. Back in NYC the young artists from Good Shepherd Services learned to take self portraits and as a result to understand, validate, and dignify their own existence. Meri Northern Lights Marabyan, a student/artist from PhotoForward recited a moving poem about the power of art.
These few lines cannot begin to express the intense emotions felt that night. Pain, grief, loss, transformed by the power of art into a rising, an affirmation, a direction toward life affirming existence.
The presentation lasted 1 1/2 hours, and a significant number of audience members stayed another 1 1/2 hours to discuss the ideas generated by our panel.
Some of the comments included:
"In many years of involvement, I have never had feelings and insights at the UN like have had tonight. Art can communicate ideas that graphs, charts and documents can never do. These stories are universal. They transcend culture, language, time"
And from Claire Winterton, Vice President of Advocacy and Innovation for the Global Fund for Women: "I was so exhausted from a long day at the conference, I barely had the will to come to this event. Now I feel so alive, energized, optimistic"
To me, the most interesting comment was from a woman who said that in decades, her two most memorable UN moments were the art exhibitions at the Beijing Women's Conference, and this panel. WCA had a large art presence in Beijing with some beautiful shows. Helen Klebesadel, Miriam Magenta, Carole Richard Kaufman and many others made significant contributions to the conference. And personally it was very gratifying because I had curated several art shows at the Beijing Conference in cooperation with WCA, Women's Art Registry of Minnesota, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. So we presently hold a special place in this history of women and art at the UN.
The assembled group stayed so long that the building was dark and locked up when we finished. The one lonely janitor on the night shift couldn't believe it when we emerged from the elevator.
We are very fortunate that Jodie Childers and Dan Messina, two documentary filmmakers, graciously volunteered their time and filmed the entire evening. It will be a while before we finally have a completed video, as they are also working on our other video project of considering the MDG's. However, the wait will be worth it. You will be deeply moved when you are able to see what transpired that night.
I am honored to have been moderator for the evening. The UN Program can be very proud of that memorable event. I am looking forward to many more collaborations with our stellar group.
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CSW
Patti Jordan
THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN is a global network conference dedicated to gender equality and empowerment of women. Each year NGO/CSW/NY holds a conference at UN Headquarters in NY to review progress in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Representatives of UN Member States, Civil Society, and UN NGO’s gather, discuss, and make recommendations.
In 2013 Sherri Cornett, the Director of the International Caucus, and Maureen Burns-Bowie, Director of the UN Program, presented the Philadelphia Chapter Ragdoll Project at the Artisan Fair at CSW.
This year (2014), Maureen Burns-Bowie, Director of the UN Program of the WCA International Caucus, Main Representative to the UN, and WCA New York Chapter member, organized a Parallel Event Presentation held at the UN on March 11th, titled, “Impressions: Artists Consider the Millenium Development Goals” (MDGs). This outstanding and proactive event featured Anne Kantor Kellett, Mary Hamill (WCA New York Chapter members) and Allison Milewski, (WCA and IC member) three women artists whose work addresses concerns in the Millennium Development Goals drafted by the UN. Some of these relevant MDGs include: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, universal primary education, gender equality, improved health and environmental sustainability.
Visible expressions of these pressing objectives, often photography-based, were evidenced in the works of all three women. Artist Anne Kantor Kellett spoke of “Surviving Surviving.” She is the child of Holocaust survivors and she expressed her sensitivity to other victims of genocide. Kantor Kellett described the burden of survivors as an experience imprinted in memory, present in her evocative painting and sculpture and in her tender photographs of Rwandan refugees. She elucidated that the women survivors of the Rwanda Genocide possess the same look of grief in the their eyes as women Holocaust survivors of Nazism, and that in Rwanda many sites are memorials.
Documentary artist and educational reformer Mary Oestereicher Hamill demonstrated how artists can enliven awareness, and that she often chooses to engage her audience rather than lecture - and that she did. Particularly poignant was her Cambodia War Widows Project, a joint project with Khmer Rouge survivior Chath pierSath. This multimedia project records and reinvents the recalled atrocities from the Khmer Rouge killings as well as the hardships in present-day Cambodia. In her documentation we viewed the widows in this marginalized community creating strikingly iconic, fabric-based cyanotypes honoring their dead husbands, thereby documenting and reclaiming lost histories.
Allison Milewski presented PhotoForward, a sustainable photography and media-based program she established to empower women multi-generationally. She described how her program encourages girls and women to become storytellers for their own communities, both domestically in cooperation with social workers and youth development programs for girls in foster care, and globally through programs aimed at girls and women from marginalized ethnic groups, such as Laos and Cambodia. Several young women from the PhotoForward and Sanctuary Arts Program were present to share personal stories and photographic visions, culminating in a powerful poetry reading by Meri Northern Lights Marabyan.
The evening concluded with stimulating conversation and in-depth insight through an enlivened question-and-answer. A very emotive moment came when women in the audience read aloud quotes from the Cambodian women artists’ PhotoForward project. Delivering on the promise of the Millenium Development Goals and attesting to the inherent success of the event, points were then made as to the urgency to take decisive action, and of the power of art to express important goals. In keeping with the program’s title, it was truly a Parallel Event in that as these women artists were mutually reinforcing goals, we gained a glimpse of the world through their lens. And we saw that they’re changing the world - one work of art at a time.
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CSW Moves Women's Agenda Forward
Maureen Burns-Bowie
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women conference this year broke new ground. I think it is possible that we will look back on this year as being a watershed in the history of human rights.
There is a consensus within the UN that no more MDG (Millenium Development Goals) progress will occur until women are mainstreamed into all activities of every phase of growth and development around the world. There is no issue, whether health, education, environmental sustainability, economic prosperity, or freedom of expression, that can be fully expressed without women’s empowerment.
And to this end, the importance of male involvement is being stressed. Men need to support women. A new initiative called “He for She” has been launched by the UN and UN Women. It is striving for a new definition of manhood. An end to a male culture of dominance and a move toward cooperation and engagement. Many countries around the world are now creating programs for men to self-reflect and change. And the effects already can be seen. There was a significant increase in the number of men participating in the women’s conference.
Something different happened this year. One could hear it everywhere: We women are 55%. We take a seat at the table. We no longer ask permission.
"HE FOR SHE" is a new initiative which was launched during the CSW conference to convince men to redefine
masculinity and to celebrate women.
CSW Moves Women's Agenda Forward
Maureen Burns-Bowie
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women conference this year broke new ground. I think it is possible that we will look back on this year as being a watershed in the history of human rights.
There is a consensus within the UN that no more MDG (Millenium Development Goals) progress will occur until women are mainstreamed into all activities of every phase of growth and development around the world. There is no issue, whether health, education, environmental sustainability, economic prosperity, or freedom of expression, that can be fully expressed without women’s empowerment.
And to this end, the importance of male involvement is being stressed. Men need to support women. A new initiative called “He for She” has been launched by the UN and UN Women. It is striving for a new definition of manhood. An end to a male culture of dominance and a move toward cooperation and engagement. Many countries around the world are now creating programs for men to self-reflect and change. And the effects already can be seen. There was a significant increase in the number of men participating in the women’s conference.
Something different happened this year. One could hear it everywhere: We women are 55%. We take a seat at the table. We no longer ask permission.
"HE FOR SHE" is a new initiative which was launched during the CSW conference to convince men to redefine
masculinity and to celebrate women.
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UPDATE #3
"In Observance of the International Day of Happiness"
Liz DiGiorgio
The session entitled "Social Entrepreneurs Sharing Happiness Initiatives for the Post 2015 Agenda" was moderated by Ramu Domodaran, Chief of the UN Academic Impact Program, and included panelists who spoke about happiness from various fields of related interests and personal experiences.
Ambassador Carlos Enrique García González spoke about the power of music and the arts to transform communities. He recounted the transformation brought about at the Centro Escolar Distrito Italia in El Salvador through a program that brought music and the arts to students who were targeted for recruitment by two rival gangs. Through “Art Inspiring Action,” students were exposed to expert music lessons, art projects, and theatre projects teaching against violence. The program also offered a science program in which students not only grew their own food but also built solar cookers in which to cook it. While the success of this program was apparent throughout its development, the ultimate proof of its success came when two rival gang leaders requested that their children be enrolled in the program, and, in return, agreed to no longer recruit students from the area.
Ambassador Dr. Hamid Al-Bayati explained the history of International Day of Happiness, detailing how the concept originated in the nation of Bhutan, which measured the wellbeing of its citizens through Gross National Happiness (GNH) and which brought a resolution before the UN recognizing the importance of happiness. While this resolution was passed by consensus in 2011, it had not established a day in which to celebrate the importance of happiness. Dr. Al-Bayati described how soon after, he and a group of actors and artists, along with two of Nelson Mandela’s grandsons, drafted a new resolution to establish the International Day of Happiness. Dr. Al-Bayati noted that happiness is an issue that is intrinsic to all of the objectives of the UN, including the eradication of poverty, support for education and health, and all of the Millennium Development Goals. The resolution was passed in June of 2012. As noted by Dr. Al-Bayati, the day of March 20th was chosen to correspond to the spring equinox, which is celebrated around the world, and in many Middle Eastern cultures, in which it is known as Nowruz, meaning New Day. Dr. Al-Bayati expressed hope that the concept will be adopted by more nations, and envisions an international holiday that will celebrate the idea of happiness and bring attention to all of the issues that support human happiness.
In a deeply moving talk, filmmaker Christina Stevens described a dream that came to her in the middle of the night and compelled her to travel to Calcutta in the hope of making a film about Mother Teresa. Through sheer perseverance and by taking part in the work of caring for the poor, the orphaned, the sick and the disabled, Christina accomplished this goal, while also learning about the deep happiness that comes through caring for those in great need. Prior to this experience, she noted that she was rather short on personal happiness, having been entirely devoted to her career as a filmmaker. She poignantly noted, “I didn’t know what love was. I learned it there.”
Entrepreneur Jeff Olson who had recently launched Live Happy media noted that happiness is key to the success of a company, and that research into happiness proves that happiness is a precursor to success, even though most people would think it works the other way around.
Another perspective from the business community came from James Keith, founder of Accompany, a business that promotes ethical fashion through products that are artisan-made, supporting local craftspeople, while engaging in fair trade practices, and by partnering with businesses that have philanthropic practices such as supporting education, providing employment and housing for women who have survived human trafficking, supporting at-risk youth, and a range of human rights and sustainability issues. Through an ethical and sustainable business model, Mr. Keith aspires to be the “Whole Foods of fashion.”
Other panelists spoke about issues related to happiness, including a project to research happiness in China. A filmmaker spoke about his cross-country journey as part of a film project entitled “Pursuing Happiness.” Julian B. Kiganda, originally from Uganda, spoke about her work as an entrepreneur and as President of African Diaspora for Change, through which she works to empower and educate African immigrants and the broader African Diaspora about the issues and policies affecting their lives. A more personal story came from a brave Rwandan woman who described how her happy childhood came to an abrupt end when genocide erupted in Rwanda. She spoke about the experience of having to live in hiding, of losing family members in the genocide, and about the process of learning to be happy again, even after surviving a rape that left her HIV positive.
Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs of The Earth Institute at Columbia University spoke about his work as co-editor of the World Happiness Report of 2013. He noted six key factors that support human happiness. While research reveals that GDP is an important factor in a country’s happiness ranking, countries that already have a high GDP do not become much happier when GDP increases even further, whereas countries with a low GDP do show a greater increase in happiness when GDP is raised. He offered this fact as proof that happiness cannot be reduced to being simply a chase after money. Other important factors that comprise happiness are life expectancy and health, social support, and a sense of freedom about one’s life choices. Professor SachMas noted the important link between good governance and happiness, noting that the belief that one’s government is corrupt is a factor that lowers the happiness of a country. Professor Sachs also discussed the important link between generosity and happiness. He noted that research confirms what the world’s sages, and great religions have always said about helping others: that generosity not only creates happiness in others, but that generous people also experience greater levels of personal happiness.
In summary, Ramu Domodaran noted that the gap between hopelessness and fulfillment is sometimes quite narrow and that this gap could easily be bridged. Reframing the needs of the world’s people in terms of happiness makes this bridge more visible and, perhaps, more inviting. The joint effort by Pharrell Williams and the UN Foundation to release a new “Happy” video every hour of the International Day of Happiness is a powerful and particularly enjoyable example of this reframing.
Liz DiGiorgio
The session entitled "Social Entrepreneurs Sharing Happiness Initiatives for the Post 2015 Agenda" was moderated by Ramu Domodaran, Chief of the UN Academic Impact Program, and included panelists who spoke about happiness from various fields of related interests and personal experiences.
Ambassador Carlos Enrique García González spoke about the power of music and the arts to transform communities. He recounted the transformation brought about at the Centro Escolar Distrito Italia in El Salvador through a program that brought music and the arts to students who were targeted for recruitment by two rival gangs. Through “Art Inspiring Action,” students were exposed to expert music lessons, art projects, and theatre projects teaching against violence. The program also offered a science program in which students not only grew their own food but also built solar cookers in which to cook it. While the success of this program was apparent throughout its development, the ultimate proof of its success came when two rival gang leaders requested that their children be enrolled in the program, and, in return, agreed to no longer recruit students from the area.
Ambassador Dr. Hamid Al-Bayati explained the history of International Day of Happiness, detailing how the concept originated in the nation of Bhutan, which measured the wellbeing of its citizens through Gross National Happiness (GNH) and which brought a resolution before the UN recognizing the importance of happiness. While this resolution was passed by consensus in 2011, it had not established a day in which to celebrate the importance of happiness. Dr. Al-Bayati described how soon after, he and a group of actors and artists, along with two of Nelson Mandela’s grandsons, drafted a new resolution to establish the International Day of Happiness. Dr. Al-Bayati noted that happiness is an issue that is intrinsic to all of the objectives of the UN, including the eradication of poverty, support for education and health, and all of the Millennium Development Goals. The resolution was passed in June of 2012. As noted by Dr. Al-Bayati, the day of March 20th was chosen to correspond to the spring equinox, which is celebrated around the world, and in many Middle Eastern cultures, in which it is known as Nowruz, meaning New Day. Dr. Al-Bayati expressed hope that the concept will be adopted by more nations, and envisions an international holiday that will celebrate the idea of happiness and bring attention to all of the issues that support human happiness.
In a deeply moving talk, filmmaker Christina Stevens described a dream that came to her in the middle of the night and compelled her to travel to Calcutta in the hope of making a film about Mother Teresa. Through sheer perseverance and by taking part in the work of caring for the poor, the orphaned, the sick and the disabled, Christina accomplished this goal, while also learning about the deep happiness that comes through caring for those in great need. Prior to this experience, she noted that she was rather short on personal happiness, having been entirely devoted to her career as a filmmaker. She poignantly noted, “I didn’t know what love was. I learned it there.”
Entrepreneur Jeff Olson who had recently launched Live Happy media noted that happiness is key to the success of a company, and that research into happiness proves that happiness is a precursor to success, even though most people would think it works the other way around.
Another perspective from the business community came from James Keith, founder of Accompany, a business that promotes ethical fashion through products that are artisan-made, supporting local craftspeople, while engaging in fair trade practices, and by partnering with businesses that have philanthropic practices such as supporting education, providing employment and housing for women who have survived human trafficking, supporting at-risk youth, and a range of human rights and sustainability issues. Through an ethical and sustainable business model, Mr. Keith aspires to be the “Whole Foods of fashion.”
Other panelists spoke about issues related to happiness, including a project to research happiness in China. A filmmaker spoke about his cross-country journey as part of a film project entitled “Pursuing Happiness.” Julian B. Kiganda, originally from Uganda, spoke about her work as an entrepreneur and as President of African Diaspora for Change, through which she works to empower and educate African immigrants and the broader African Diaspora about the issues and policies affecting their lives. A more personal story came from a brave Rwandan woman who described how her happy childhood came to an abrupt end when genocide erupted in Rwanda. She spoke about the experience of having to live in hiding, of losing family members in the genocide, and about the process of learning to be happy again, even after surviving a rape that left her HIV positive.
Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs of The Earth Institute at Columbia University spoke about his work as co-editor of the World Happiness Report of 2013. He noted six key factors that support human happiness. While research reveals that GDP is an important factor in a country’s happiness ranking, countries that already have a high GDP do not become much happier when GDP increases even further, whereas countries with a low GDP do show a greater increase in happiness when GDP is raised. He offered this fact as proof that happiness cannot be reduced to being simply a chase after money. Other important factors that comprise happiness are life expectancy and health, social support, and a sense of freedom about one’s life choices. Professor SachMas noted the important link between good governance and happiness, noting that the belief that one’s government is corrupt is a factor that lowers the happiness of a country. Professor Sachs also discussed the important link between generosity and happiness. He noted that research confirms what the world’s sages, and great religions have always said about helping others: that generosity not only creates happiness in others, but that generous people also experience greater levels of personal happiness.
In summary, Ramu Domodaran noted that the gap between hopelessness and fulfillment is sometimes quite narrow and that this gap could easily be bridged. Reframing the needs of the world’s people in terms of happiness makes this bridge more visible and, perhaps, more inviting. The joint effort by Pharrell Williams and the UN Foundation to release a new “Happy” video every hour of the International Day of Happiness is a powerful and particularly enjoyable example of this reframing.
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UPDATE #4
Global Violence: Psychological Perspectives, Prevention, and Future Trends
Liz DiGiorgio
In presenting this briefing, Chief of NGO Relations and Advocacy Jeff Brez noted that the UN has a number of anti-violence initiatives including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Unite to End Violence Against Women campaign, a parallel organization called the Trust to End Violence Against Women, and the Secretary-General’s Study on Violence Against Children. Jeff Brez also noted that June 13th marks the start of the 100-day countdown to the International Day of Peace, which is September 21, 2014. This important annual event celebrates the principles upon which the UN is founded, and this year’s theme will be The Right to Peace. This theme is connected to the Secretary-General’s Rights Upfront campaign, which was launched in December 2013 to monitor human rights abuses. As noted by Jeff Brez, the right of people to enjoy peace is the underlying basis of the Declaration of Human Rights.
The panelists included:
· Moderator Juneau Mahan Gary, PsyD, a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) NGO at the United Nations and a also a Professor at Kean University.
· Walter Reichman, the Main Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council for the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP) and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York
· Emily Dow, a doctoral candidate at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York
· Janet A. Sigal, PhD, the APA’s Main Representative to the United Nations and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Farleigh Dickinson University.
· Neal S. Rubin, a Professor and University Fellow at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University in Chicago.
· Dr. Peter Walker, an environmental psychologist and fellow of the APA.
The panel presented a broad overview of violence across the globe and discussed some of the ways in which members of their profession seek to address it, such as helping its victims to recover, educating the public regarding the causes and consequences of violence, and finding ways to garner public support for anti-violence measures. They also seek ways to assist in the training of police and court professionals, and to provide evidence-based research that will help bring about change in societal attitudes and laws. They expressed a desire to work with other UN NGO’s on these and related issues.
The inadequacy of legal systems to address the problem of violence was made clear by the panelists. Dr. Gary discussed how this is especially true in regions with family traditions and customs for settling disputes. Two examples were given of recent “honor” killings that occurred in Pakistan just two weeks apart, in which a 25-year-old pregnant woman, Farzana Parveen, had been stoned to death with bricks thrown by her father, uncle, brothers, cousins and ex-husband, while a crowd which included police officers looked on, and a second case in which an 18-year-old woman survived being shot, stuffed in a sack, and thrown into a canal by her family. Both cases involved women who had rejected arranged marriages to marry for love.
The panelists noted that while the public often hears of “honor” killings that result from a woman rejecting an arranged marriage, gay “honor” killings are much less often publicized. Dr. Gary noted that Turkey announced its first gay “honor” killing, the shooting death of Ahmet Yildiz, in 2008, and she reminded the audience of the 1998 torture and murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming.
The recent mass kidnapping of 300 girls in Nigeria was also noted, as was the opinion of experts who believe that some may have been killed, forced into marriage, sold into slavery, or sex trafficked.
The physical and sexual assault of CBS’s Lara Logan in Tahrir Square in 2011 and the hostile attack on CNN’s Sara Sidner in Mumbai in 2008 were also cited as part of the broad range of violence to which women are subjected.
The common thread to the many examples of violence cited was that violence is most often inflicted upon vulnerable people, including women, children, and ethnic and religious minorities. Most incidents occur in private and are without consequences. Occasionally a victim is able to survive and raise awareness, such as Malala Yousafzai, whose astounding recovery has enabled her to become an advocate for girls and education.
The psychological toll that such violence takes on its victims was discussed as including fear, anxiety, loss of control, anger, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), low self-esteem, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation and attempts.
The panelists stressed the need for prevention and intervention strategies to reduce global violence and the need to offer social, legal and public education programs to raise awareness. New York City’s anti-bullying campaign was cited as exactly the kind of long-term intervention that is needed. It was also noted that societal change can take generations and that it is necessary to reach boys at an early age.
Dr. Walter Reichman summarized a presentation made by the eight psychological associations affiliated with ECOSOC that had taken part in Psychology Day at the UN on April 24, 2014. He noted that there are over 1 billion children living in countries involved in armed conflict. H spoke about research conducted on child soldiers who had returned to civilian life, and noted that 250,000 to 300,000 children have been conscripted into armies around the world. In Sierra Leone, between 1991 and 2002, 15,000 to 22,000 children were forced to serve as soldiers in that country’s civil war. Of 4,250 formerly abducted child soldiers who returned, the average age at the time of abduction was 10.3 years of age, and the average time spent in the army was 4.1 years. 26.9% of these former child soldiers reported killing or injuring other persons. 45% of the girls and 5% of boys had experienced sexual violence, and 50% were forced to use drugs or alcohol. Upon release, some were put into a training program These children faced stigmatization upon their return, poor academic achievement, enormous stress, interpersonal conflict, and a sense of hopelessness. They often engaged in risky behaviors and experienced an inability to regulate their emotions.
After treatment some of the former child soldiers improved, showing that emotional regulation had returned to acceptable levels. They were able to engage in pro-social behavior, achieve improved day-to-day functioning and look for social support; however psychological stress and PTSD appear to remain, negatively affecting development and health for the rest of their lives.
It was noted that adolescents in the US aged 10 to 19 account for one-third of all homicides in the US, and that 133 and 275 million children worldwide witness violence at home.
In the US 10.8% of girls and 4.8 of boys experience sexual coercion. In Hong Kong, it is 16.9% of girls and 17% of boys. In Nigeria, it is 45% of girls and 32% of boys. Dr. Reichman noted a definite link between abuse experienced in childhood and later mental disorders.
Dr. Reichman reported that 60% of children in the US experience some form of violence. 80% of perpetrators are parents. Children under 4 are most vulnerable, as are children with disabilities or chronic illnesses, children who live in families with drug and alcohol abuse, with parents who are young and poor, or with non-biological caregivers.
Continuing his summary of the presentations at the UN’s Psychology Day, Dr. Reichman noted that less than 5% of children live in countries with legal protection. In addition to legal protection, there is a need for child-sensitive counseling and reporting mechanisms to address abuse.
Dr. Reichman also summarized a presentation on abuse of people over 65, noting that they are also subject to neglect and abuse, including sexual and financial abuse. He also summarized a presentation on abuse of women in Asia, where women who have been abandoned by husbands and left without support, are subject to sexual coercion, and emotional and physical abuse.
Emily Dow noted the irreversible developmental delays that result from child abuse and neglect and that it is necessary to protect children from the damage caused by violence and exposure to violence on national and international levels.
Dr. Janet A. Sigal spoke about gender-based domestic violence. Despite being addressed in the MGD goals, the problem remains. Domestic violence can occur among family members, but intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs between partners. These can include sexual and physical violence and behaviors that seek to control women financially and physically. “Honor” crimes and killing are the most extreme form in this context for alleged transgressions that may include adultery, rape, or even speaking to a man who is not a family member.
Dr. Peter Walker discussed the role of climate change in setting the stage for strife and violence. He offered the example of the Marshall Islands, which have already experienced the kinds of consequences that we can expect in the future, such as rising sea levels that contaminate fresh water and endanger food production. He noted that drinking water is rationed in that nation’s capital.
Dr. Neal S. Rubin discussed the importance of using culturally sensitive, locally informed perspectives to explain the human causes of climate change as well as its human consequences, and to explain how direct and indirect experiences with climate change can bring about the behavioral change needed to address climate change. He reminded the audience that climate change is a form of human violence that compromises human rights.
The panel presented a resource list that can assist NGOs to collaborate in anti-violence activities and initiatives. It can be found at:
http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations/files/2014/06/P12June.pdf
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UPDATE#5
UN WOMEN AT NEW YORK'S APOLLO THEATER
Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity
Liz DiGiorgio
On the evening of June 26, 2014, UN Women launched its year-long Beijing+20 campaign at the historic Apollo Theatre of Harlem, in an event entitled Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it! This celebratory event was held in advance of the 20th anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women, which was held in Beijing in September of 1995, and which was of pivotal importance in creating an international framework for achieving gender equality. The celebration was a spirited one, filled with music, dance, poetry and inspired speakers.
The vocal ensemble Women of the World, comprised of four women from different corners of the globe, started off the evening with rich vocal harmonies and a sampling of its international repertoire.
Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, gave opening remarks about the progress that has been made since 1995 and the work that remains to be done. She noted that the percentage of women parliamentarians has doubled from 11 to 22 percent since the time of the Beijing
Conference. She noted that139 constitutions around the world include guarantees on gender equality, that 125 countries outlaw domestic violence, and that 117 outlaw sexual harassment in the workplace. She noted that more remains to be done to expand educational and employment opportunities, to close the pay gap, to achieve continued reductions in maternal mortality and female genital mutilation, and to reduce the alarming rates of physical and sexual violence against women around the world.
While many speakers and performers would subsequently address the issue of violence in the course of the evening, the stark reality of it was made clear when Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka acknowledged the murder of Libyan human rights lawyer and activist Salwa Bughaighis just the day before this gathering. A moment of silence was observed in her honor.
Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka acknowledged that the task of achieving gender equality is a huge one, but that “it is not a mission impossible. It is the mission of our time.” She stated with clear conviction that “We are giving gender inequality an expiry date, by 2030.” She described the Beijing+20 initiative as a road map for getting there.
In deference to Apollo tradition, speaker after speaker rubbed the legendary Tree of Hope before addressing the audience. A common thread throughout the evening was the often-repeated theme that “women’s rights are human rights.” This statement is part of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was adopted at the Beijing Conference by 189 nations on September 15, 1995. It was also the theme of Hillary Clinton’s compelling speech at that historic event, in which she declared, “If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.”
Jimmie Briggs, founder of the Man Up Campaign, spoke about the responsibility of men in the movement for gender equality. Borough President Gale A. Brewer and Maya Wiley, Council to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, spoke about their own commitment to gender equality, and noted the commitment of the de Blasio administration as well.
The theme of women’s rights as human rights was addressed throughout the evening in performances by the theatre and dance troupe Girl Be Heard and in spoken word by poet, actor, and writer Carlos Andrés Gómez, whose powerful poetry gave a glimpse of what it means for an individual of any gender and circumstance to be enlightened to the needs of others. The program also featured an exquisite performance by Grammy award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the music video One Woman produced in 2013 by UN Women with 25 singers and musicians from 20 countries coming together to create a tribute to women everywhere. It can be found at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnq2QeCvwpw
Another highlight of the evening was the presence of Gloria Steinem. The excitement was palpable as she approached the stage to speak. She noted that women are vital to the progress of all humanity, that women are not separate from the mainstream, but that “we are the mainstream.” She concluded her remarks by noting that “the human race is like a bird with two wings, and if one wing is broken, no one can fly” as she cupped her hands and raised them in a deeply moving gesture of release.
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UPDATE #6
Remember Our Girls
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UPDATE # 7
United Nations Program Producing Art & Activism Video
The UN Program of the International Caucus is producing a video to showcase meaningful work by the following WCA artists, who are focused on bringing attention to issues which the UN has prioritized. Samples of these works can be found in the slide show above. The videographer is Jodie Childers, a Creative Writing professor at City University of New York and documentary filmmaker.
Members of WCA whose work is represented:
Seda Baghdassarian Saar, Alli Berman, Maureen Burns-Bowie, Sherri Cornett, Linda Coughlin, Betsy Damon, Liz DiGiorgio, Joanna Fugliniti, Mary Hamill, Marjorie Wood Hamlin, Carole Richard Kaufman, Anne Kantor Kellett, Simone Kestelman, Sheri Klein, Ikie Kressel, Allison Milewski and artists from PhotoForward, Eva Preston, Negin Sharifzadeh, Bonnie Jean Smith, Helaine Soller, Elizabeth Sowell-Zak, Joyce Ellen Weinstein.
Members of WCA whose work is represented:
Seda Baghdassarian Saar, Alli Berman, Maureen Burns-Bowie, Sherri Cornett, Linda Coughlin, Betsy Damon, Liz DiGiorgio, Joanna Fugliniti, Mary Hamill, Marjorie Wood Hamlin, Carole Richard Kaufman, Anne Kantor Kellett, Simone Kestelman, Sheri Klein, Ikie Kressel, Allison Milewski and artists from PhotoForward, Eva Preston, Negin Sharifzadeh, Bonnie Jean Smith, Helaine Soller, Elizabeth Sowell-Zak, Joyce Ellen Weinstein.
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UPDATE # 8
Enthusiastic UN Program Members Attend UN DPI/NGO Conference in NYC
Maureen Burns-Bowie
Maureen Burns-Bowie
Late in August, nine women from the UN Program of International Caucus attended the annual NGO Conference at the United Nations in New York City. We had a disproportinately large presence compared to other non-governmental organizations which participated. Something to be proud of! The WCA artists were energetically engaged, showing up at as many sessions as they were able to, and enthusiastically getting together informally to discuss issues. For those who were attending a UN event for the first time, it was an overwhelming experience to try to absorb the ideas that seem to come from every direction at once. A UN conference is a deep immersion in pressing issues of the world.
Representing WCA were: Alli Berman, Maureen Burns-Bowie, Liz Di Giorgio, Mary Hamill, Simone Kestelman, Madeleine Segall-Marx, Neda Moridpour, Mary Neubauer, Martha Nicholson.
Representing WCA were: Alli Berman, Maureen Burns-Bowie, Liz Di Giorgio, Mary Hamill, Simone Kestelman, Madeleine Segall-Marx, Neda Moridpour, Mary Neubauer, Martha Nicholson.
FOR REPORTS FROM THE CONFERENCE, SEE THE MEMBERS SECTION
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BELOW IS THE FINAL OUTCOME DOCUMENT OF THE CONFERENCE. ALL THE MEETINGS AND PANELS WERE FOCUSED ON EXPLORING ALL THE IDEAS PUT FORTH IN THIS DECLARATION. IT IS LONG, BUT WELL WORTH YOUR TIME TO READ. IT ATTEMPTS TO ADDRESS EVERY IMPORTANT SOCIAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME.
http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations/files/2014/08/DPINGOOutcomeDoc-DeclarationFinal.pdf
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UPDATE #9
New Director for UN Youth Representative Program
Two New Youth Representatives Join the UN Program
Maureen Burns-Bowie, UN Program Director
I have appointed Liz DiGiorgio, Assistant Professor of Art at the City University of New York as Director of the WCA/UN Program's United Nations Youth Representative Initiative. A graduate of Cooper Union and Hunter College, she has had solo shows throughout the US and is the recipient of two Pollock-Krasner Foundation Awards. She employs Service-Learning in her drawing classes in partnership with organizations that serve homeless youth. Liz has worked with the CUNY Queensborough Department of Art and Design to establish our Youth Rep Program, which allows students to receive academic credit as interns. Kathleen Wentrack, Associate Professor of Art History at the City University of New York, feminist art historian, and TFAP coordinator in New York City, is working with Liz and me to monitor and mentor the students. We welcome our new Youth Reps, Miranda Barnes, who is an art history major at CUNY Queensborough, transferring to Pace University, and Soha Farooqui, a studio art major at CUNY Queensborough's Department of Art and Design. We established a requirement that interested students write application letters expressing why they would like to be UN Youth Reps. Both responded with empathy, a deep commitment to helping others, a high level of awareness of current events, and a belief that art is a great communicator. They are well worth reading and can be accessed below:
Miranda Barnes
The state of our world is sometimes perceived as a cul-de-sac. The many viruses that plague us; the threat of terrorism that can paralyze and the inequalities that beset women and children, can seem endless. But I see hopefulness in our futures. I see the goodness of people. I am confident that good will always triumphs over evil. I believe my energetic personality, positive vision and creative style lends me as the best candidate for the position of Youth Representative for the Women’s Caucus for Art/International Caucus. As a visionary, I have contacted many young women close to my age in the art field that were doing positive things. I have embraced this as an opportunity to unite young artist women to strengthen our bonds and create a network of positive creativity. I also strongly believe that many of these young women deserved to have the spotlights on their accomplishments and many haven’t had the opportunity of receiving. Although I’m not completely altruistic, as I do like to promote my own work, I thought it was important to have a place dedicated to my peers. Thus, in the fall of 2012 my blog, “Real Girls Doing Real Things” was born. What started as a place that I could put simple interviews with my girlfriends, has turned into a blog that I can showcase other young women around the world. Representing the United Nations would allow for a global networking of women, united in accomplishing positive dreams and goals and hopefully inspiring the next generation. I believe it’s extremely important to have significant women to look up to any field, to act as role models and mentors, but it’s also important to recognize women in your field doing positive things. I am confident that I would be a great candidate as a Youth Representative for the Women’s Caucus for Art/International Caucus because I want to be a positive change for young women. Soha Farooqui Hello, my name is Soha Farooqui. I’m a studio art major at Queensborough Community College and I’m very interested in the opportunity you offer! I’d love to be a part of the United Nations as a Youth Representative and be a part of making changes this world needs. I’d like to learn more about the issues that need to be addressed, not only in the United States, but also all over the world. It would be great to be able to ask questions and become more knowledgeable about what is currently going on in the world. I hope to learn more about global issues, and to be able to give my own input so that we can come up with solutions. From the time I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to help people. As I grew older and saw the unfairness in the world, especially towards women, I always questioned why and that desire has gotten stronger and stronger. I’ve decided that this issue is something that I want to work on for the rest of my life. This internship would be that opportunity for me. I’d be able to contribute to change all over the world. Last semester, I interned at the Holocaust Center on campus and completed the Asian Social Justice Internship. I learned about history prior to WWII, during WWII, and the history that led up to the tragedy of the “Comfort Women.” I got to interview a survivor, Ms. Kang Il Chul. After hearing her story and seeing the pain in her eyes, it really made me feel angry that the Japanese Government is denying that it ever happened and won’t sincerely apologize for their cruelty towards these women. These women lost their respect, their youth and their innocence because of the soldiers who needed to be “comforted” during the war, and I couldn’t believe that these men treated them with such disrespect. I painted a portrait of Ms. Kang Il Chul titled Resilience. She told me that she thought it was beautiful and thanked me for painting her so pretty. I wanted her to know that even after all that she went through, I admire her strength for starting her own family. Even though some people may look down at her past, I think that she is a strong and powerful woman and hope that she will remain positive for the rest of her life with the ones who love and accept her. That’s what I tried to show her in my painting. I admire her for keeping up the fight for justice and for being the voice for all the other women who can no longer speak for themselves. It is beautiful and inspiring to see how age is not even a factor when you’re trying to make things right in the world. After I got to meet her and presented my painting to her, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I think it’s unfair that men think that they can use the beauty that makes us women against us, and I want to keep helping women who are facing these issues today. I’d like to take part in this opportunity so that I can bring awareness to others and so that they understand how important it is to make the world a better place for everyone as well. It is crucial for people to care about other human beings or any living thing on this planet because we are all one. In order to be happy, everyone around us needs to be happy. If people are compassionate and generous towards one another, that will bring great happiness all around because an act of kindness brings only positive energy to yourself and the ones around you. It is also important for people to have a healthy support system from their friends, families and an honest government so that we can feel a sense of security for our overall wellbeing. What makes us human is the quality of compassion that we can bring to the world. If we throw that away, we will never help the world grow with us. We can only do that by taking care of ourselves, helping others and taking care of our mother, the planet. I want to be a part of the United Nations so that I can bring a positive message to others and I hope to do so. |
The ideas expressed at the UN HIGH LEVEL FORUM ON THE CULTURE OF PEACE were in sharp contrast to those expressed last year in 2013. The effect of ISIS had a chilling effect on all involved, and even with a group committed to peace and harmony, the challenges of how to deal with ongoing, unpredictable, and barbaric violence coming from people who had no intention to engage in dialogue meant that this meeting was less about the absolutes of peace, and more about the sobering situation we all now face. There were questions, doubts, searching for new ideas and solutions, but no definitive conclusions. Several weeks later, the PEOPLE'S CLIMATE MARCH took place in NYC, days before the opening of the UN Climate Summit. On the eve of the march, the United Nations projected an educational slide show onto the face of UN headquarters, taking a firm stand on the importance of action. Ban Ki Moon attended the march in solidarity with the grassroots activists. |
Next was the 2014 MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. The meeting was the first event held in the newly refurbished General Assembly Hall. Grand and dignified. Against the backdrop of this beautiful golden venue was the sober discussion of the state of the world. All member states spoke. Ban Ki Moon opened the session with a grim observation that this year had been one of the most painfully challenging periods since the founding of the UN. His comments were echoed over and over throughout the session by leaders from around the world. They all shared the same concerns. The incursion into Ukraine by Russia, challenging the rule of law in general, and international law in particular. The danger of the spread of ebola, and the responsibility that all needed to take, increasing disparity between rich and poor, continued marginalization of and discrimination against women, and the threat of ISIS. It was remarkable to watch one speaker after another deliver the same messages. There was a consensus, a oneness of mind among nations that was rare. I was in the hall to hear the historic speeck of Barack Obama, who had broght together most world leaders to make a united front in resisting terrorism.
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69th General Assembly of the United Nations
Liz Di Giorgio
I attended the afternoon session of the 69th General Assembly on September 24th; however, I started the day by watching the morning session via www.webtv.un.org. The UN makes a vast number of its meetings, events and video productions available through this website, while also providing live coverage of ongoing events. Watching the opening of the event gave me some context in which to place the addresses of the heads of state that followed, and, in some cases, to contrast those opening addresses with the speeches that followed.
In their opening remarks, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and President of the 69th General Assembly Sam Kahamba Kutesa noted that women are not tangential to the issues confronting the world. As Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged, “Look at any crisis – from poverty to disaster to disease to illiteracy – and you will see women and girls suffering the most. We cannot fulfill 100 percent of the world’s potential by excluding 50 percent of the world’s people.” General Assembly President Kutesa noted the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Beijing Conference next year and also urged, “We must do more to increase access of girls to education, increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making positions, and enhance their economic empowerment.” He also noted that he plans to convene a High-Level thematic debate on this topic in March of next year. These comments by the Secretary General and the President of the General Assembly were especially meaningful and needed in light of the scarcity of women among the heads of state in the debates that followed.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon inaugurated the new, and quite beautiful, Assembly Hall. “in the name of all peoples and all nations.” He noted that, “every year at this time, hope fills this hall.” He soon added, however, that “this year the horizon of hope is darkened” and listed some of the enormous challenges facing the world, including “unspeakable acts” of extremists, the return of Cold War ghosts, seeing so much of the Arab Spring going “violently wrong,” and the greatest number of refugees and asylum-seekers since World War II. Despite the long list of crises in the world, he noted “leadership is precisely about finding the seeds of hope and nurturing them into something bigger.”
President Obama acknowledged that despite the crises of our times, “there are signposts of progress,” such as a global reduction in poverty and extreme poverty and a strengthening economy despite the “worst financial crisis of our lives.” He noted that I often tell young people in the United States that despite the headlines, this is the best time in human history to be born, for you are more likely than ever before to be literate, to be healthy, to be free to pursue your dreams.” President Obama also discussed the major crises of our time, the brutality of the Syrian regime, the crisis in Ukraine, the Ebola outbreak, and violence in the West Bank and Gaza. He focused on the need for opportunity, education, and a genuine civil society as alternatives to violent extremism. He spoke of the violence sweeping Iraq and Syria, and of the many women subjected to rape as a weapon of war, children caught in the fighting, religious minorities that have been starved to death, and the atrocities committed against innocent people that “shock the conscience of the world.”
There was consensus among the world leaders that the plagues of extremism and Ebola needed to be urgently addressed. A number of African heads of state spoke in that afternoon session, with several discussing their concerns that the rise of regionalism in Africa posed a threat to sovereignty. Leaders in the Middle East were concerned with the threat of extremism, with some leaders discussing need to address its root causes.
There was a general concern for economic and sustainable development among the South American leaders who spoke that afternoon, and there was urgency in President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s impassioned address concerning Argentina’s efforts to pay down it’s debts on favorable terms.
Mexican President Nieto announced an initiative to address bullying on an international level, perhaps intended as a strategy to address that county’s larger concerns with violence and corruption.
The strongest statements regarding gender equality came from the opening addresses of Secretary Ban Ki-Moon and President of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa who specifically addressed the need for women’s empowerment. Key gender issues would have been conspicuously lacking from the addresses that followed, were it not for their comments and those of President Obama and other world leaders who addressed the suffering of women and children as victims of violent extremism and war. Although Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan expressed gratitude to nations and organizations that provided support for his country in its current crises, assurances that Nigeria was working with its partners “assiduously” to secure the release of the kidnapped girls were vague and were soon replaced by more forceful assurances that Nigeria was Ebola free.
Recent events in Ukraine and the Middle East also loomed large in the debates with the majority of world leaders, including the President Obama, rejecting the use of force over the rule of law, and expressing a belief in the need for a two-state solution for the Middle East. Despite the abundance of crises and competing interests evident in the General Assembly Debates, the crises of extremism and Ebola also gave rise to much unity and consensus on the urgent need for international cooperation in response.
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69th General Assembly of the United Nations
Liz Di Giorgio
I attended the afternoon session of the 69th General Assembly on September 24th; however, I started the day by watching the morning session via www.webtv.un.org. The UN makes a vast number of its meetings, events and video productions available through this website, while also providing live coverage of ongoing events. Watching the opening of the event gave me some context in which to place the addresses of the heads of state that followed, and, in some cases, to contrast those opening addresses with the speeches that followed.
In their opening remarks, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and President of the 69th General Assembly Sam Kahamba Kutesa noted that women are not tangential to the issues confronting the world. As Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged, “Look at any crisis – from poverty to disaster to disease to illiteracy – and you will see women and girls suffering the most. We cannot fulfill 100 percent of the world’s potential by excluding 50 percent of the world’s people.” General Assembly President Kutesa noted the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Beijing Conference next year and also urged, “We must do more to increase access of girls to education, increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making positions, and enhance their economic empowerment.” He also noted that he plans to convene a High-Level thematic debate on this topic in March of next year. These comments by the Secretary General and the President of the General Assembly were especially meaningful and needed in light of the scarcity of women among the heads of state in the debates that followed.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon inaugurated the new, and quite beautiful, Assembly Hall. “in the name of all peoples and all nations.” He noted that, “every year at this time, hope fills this hall.” He soon added, however, that “this year the horizon of hope is darkened” and listed some of the enormous challenges facing the world, including “unspeakable acts” of extremists, the return of Cold War ghosts, seeing so much of the Arab Spring going “violently wrong,” and the greatest number of refugees and asylum-seekers since World War II. Despite the long list of crises in the world, he noted “leadership is precisely about finding the seeds of hope and nurturing them into something bigger.”
President Obama acknowledged that despite the crises of our times, “there are signposts of progress,” such as a global reduction in poverty and extreme poverty and a strengthening economy despite the “worst financial crisis of our lives.” He noted that I often tell young people in the United States that despite the headlines, this is the best time in human history to be born, for you are more likely than ever before to be literate, to be healthy, to be free to pursue your dreams.” President Obama also discussed the major crises of our time, the brutality of the Syrian regime, the crisis in Ukraine, the Ebola outbreak, and violence in the West Bank and Gaza. He focused on the need for opportunity, education, and a genuine civil society as alternatives to violent extremism. He spoke of the violence sweeping Iraq and Syria, and of the many women subjected to rape as a weapon of war, children caught in the fighting, religious minorities that have been starved to death, and the atrocities committed against innocent people that “shock the conscience of the world.”
There was consensus among the world leaders that the plagues of extremism and Ebola needed to be urgently addressed. A number of African heads of state spoke in that afternoon session, with several discussing their concerns that the rise of regionalism in Africa posed a threat to sovereignty. Leaders in the Middle East were concerned with the threat of extremism, with some leaders discussing need to address its root causes.
There was a general concern for economic and sustainable development among the South American leaders who spoke that afternoon, and there was urgency in President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s impassioned address concerning Argentina’s efforts to pay down it’s debts on favorable terms.
Mexican President Nieto announced an initiative to address bullying on an international level, perhaps intended as a strategy to address that county’s larger concerns with violence and corruption.
The strongest statements regarding gender equality came from the opening addresses of Secretary Ban Ki-Moon and President of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa who specifically addressed the need for women’s empowerment. Key gender issues would have been conspicuously lacking from the addresses that followed, were it not for their comments and those of President Obama and other world leaders who addressed the suffering of women and children as victims of violent extremism and war. Although Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan expressed gratitude to nations and organizations that provided support for his country in its current crises, assurances that Nigeria was working with its partners “assiduously” to secure the release of the kidnapped girls were vague and were soon replaced by more forceful assurances that Nigeria was Ebola free.
Recent events in Ukraine and the Middle East also loomed large in the debates with the majority of world leaders, including the President Obama, rejecting the use of force over the rule of law, and expressing a belief in the need for a two-state solution for the Middle East. Despite the abundance of crises and competing interests evident in the General Assembly Debates, the crises of extremism and Ebola also gave rise to much unity and consensus on the urgent need for international cooperation in response.
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UPDATE #11
Humanicy Conference
Maureen Burns-Bowie
In early December, Simone Kestelman and I attended the Humanicy Conference. The Humanicy program is new, and this was their first event. This is a conference unique within the United Nations community, as the primary focus is the power of art to communicate, elucidate, educate, and create peace and understanding. I encourage our UN Program members to plan to come to the conference next year. The presenters included activists, cartoonists, writers, scientists, musicians, full of energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and a commitment to healing the world.
The goals of Humanicy: The Human Side of Diplomacy Conference are to…
1 Advance the role of the arts in promoting peace and global development, through the heightened consciousness it engenders;
2 To seek a clearer role for the arts and cultural exchange as the soft power behind long-lasting peace building and development;
3 To reinforce the importance of a more artistic consciousness among diplomats and others who might better understand the underlying role of the arts and culture in general in shaping policy and civil engagement worldwide;
4 To help underscore the importance of centers, such as NYC, in promoting global cooperation through the arts;
5 Connect committed art leaders with opportunities, mentors, colleagues, and new associates;
Impact Assessment
Humanicy 2014 seeks a developed role for the arts and cultural exchange as the soft powers behind long-lasting, peace building and development negotiations. H.E. Ambassador Angelo Antonio Toriello, PhD reminds us that the arts, as creativity, can be a powerful tool for peace because they represent the truest will within all humans, to communicate and cooperate. The global implications of Humanicy’s message will highlight the usefulness of what might be considered an artistic consciousness among diplomats and others shaping policy and civic engagement worldwide. Humanicy brings together art presentations and discussions regarding the critical importance of mutual understanding in a world facing civilizational clashes, poverty, violence, intolerance, and a simultaneous explosion of youth in search of a better future and better world for generations to come. Humanicy will also take advantage of NYC, as a global center for cultural consciousness that helps promote global cooperation through the arts – and more importantly, how other municipalities worldwide could gain in several ways from emulating this city’s success story. From its inception, each Humanicy seminar will celebrate a thoughtful, global leader who through their lives, enabled our consciousness to be raised.