media

ITCs for Development

/ WIT / Leave a comment

itcs-meeting

Marie Paule Roudil, the director of UNESCO, discussed the importance of community media. UNESCO is attempting to conclude crimes against journalists, as one of its goals is to facilitate media development. The significant impact which information and communications technologies (ICT) can have on sustainable development was also discussed from various angles. Financial inclusion, a broadened distribution of information and an increase in the quality of education were predicted from a future with greater ICT access. Ms. Roudil continued by explaining that press freedom and access to information are sustainable development goals.

In making a comparison, Ms. Roudil elucidated that 6.7% of households situated in least developed countries (LDC) have access to the Internet, while 34.1% of household in developed countries have access to the Internet. Statistical discrepancies also exist between the amount of ICT access in rural and urban areas, financially secure and financially insecure areas and between males and females.

Ms. Pitchaporn Liwjaroen of Thailand called for inclusive sustainable development. Often, due to gender-based prejudice, females are not afforded the same opportunities that their male counterparts are to access these resources. Inclusive development is called for in Agenda 2030.

To help promote the value of ICTs, various nations are instituting technology-based programs that offer scholarships and other opportunities to their respective pupils. Masud Bin Momen described IPOA, a scholarship for students in Bangladesh. Also, according to Ye Yongfeng, programs to teach coding in schools are being integrated in Singapore. The majority of delegates gave their condolences to the nation of Thailand for the death of their king, Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Ashish Kumar Sinha expressed that the integration of ICT in India has been through e-governance, which provides open, governmental information. This has helped empower vulnerable populations, including rural people. He discussed how better, real time information has been transforming public policy.

Meeting: Information and communications technologies for development

Date/ Location: Thursday, October 13th, 2016; 15:00-18:00; Conference Room 2

Speakers: Shamika Sirimanne, Director of ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of. UNESCAP; Marie Paule Roudil, Director of UNESCO; Ms. Pitchaporn Liwjaroen, Second Secretary of Development Affairs Division of Department of International Organizations of Thailand; Dato Abdul Ghafar Ismail, New Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam; Pennelope Althea Beckles, new Permanent Representative of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Masud Bin Momen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh; Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of the Maldives; Maria Angela A. Ponce, Career Minister of Philippines; Ina Hagniningtyas Krisnamurthi, Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative of Indonesia; Ashish Kumar Sinha, First Secretary of India; Michael Ronen, Ambassador of Israel; Roman V Lopyrev, Delegate of Russian Federation; Dr. Amrith Rohan Perera, Ambassador & Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka; Abdullah Mohammed A Alghunaim, Ambassador of Afghanistan; Ana Silvia Rodríguez Abascal, Deputy Permanent Representative of Cuba; William José Calvo Calvo, Minister-Counselor of Costa Rica; Ye Yongfeng, Permanent Representative of Singapore; Carlos Sergio Sobral Duarte Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Embassy of Brazil; Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah, Deputy Permanent Minister of Malaysia;  Nirmal Raj Kafle Deputy Head of Nepal; Ali Alnuaimi, Delegate of United Arab Emirates; Salvador De Lara Rangel, Counsellor of Mexico; Mounkaila Yacouba, Delegate of Niger; Tamara Kharashun, Counsellor of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus; Anthony Andanje, Ambassador/ Deputy Permanent Representative of Kenya; Liu Jun, Ambassador of China; Tekeda Alemu, Permanent Representative of Ethiopia; Ilkin Hajiyev, Third Secretary of Azerbaijan; Bankole Adeoye, Director of Second United Nations Division of Nigeria; Mr. Biljeek, Ambassador of Bahrain; Kadiatou Sall-Beye, International Telecommunication Union

Written By: Donna Sunny, WIT Representative

 

Points of Ukraine: Putin’s Widening Grip

/ WIT / Leave a comment

Vitaly Klitschko talks with pro-European integration protesters at the site of clashes with riot police in Kiev.

Today, Ms. Holland began the panel discussion by introducing the agenda of the event, which concerned examining different perspectives on the continuing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.  Then, Mr. Karatnycky provided an overview of the history of the conflict and the potential obstacles that may impede a negotiated settlement to it.  He elaborated that though President Vladimir Putin is using hard tactics to maintain control over Crimea, he has triggered the latent sentiments of a large contingent of Russians and elites that never wanted Ukraine and Crimea to separate from Russia.  Additionally, he mentioned that the main problem regarding using diplomacy to end the conflict stems from Russia’s unwillingness to reach an agreement with Ukraine.

Next, Dr. Nikolayenko spoke of the effect of the conflict on the civil society and citizens of Ukraine.  She stated that with over 8,000 Russian soldiers present in Ukraine and 9,100 human casualties that have resulted in death, the conflict has led to a growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country and a slowdown of Ukraine’s economy.  Additionally, she mentioned that the Russian government’s influence over the Russian media has led to misrepresentations on the reporting of the conflict and swayed public support in President Putin’s favor.  Lastly, Ms. Arno talked about fleeing Russia after protesting President Putin’s inauguration in 2012 and the punishments other pro-democracy Russians face in the country due to their political views.  She also reinforced the idea that President Putin’s control over Russian media outlets have helped to build support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Additionally, she mentioned that the Free Russia Foundation that she founded seeks to give a voice to pro-democracy Russians and Ukrainians embroiled in the conflict.

Meeting: The Panel Discussion on “The Continuing Conflict Between Russia and Ukraine”

Date/Time/Location: Monday, April 18, 2016; 18:00 – 20:00; New York University (NYU) School of Law, Vanderbilt Hall, Room 210

Speakers: Ms. Mary Holland, Moderator and Director of the Graduate Lawyering Program at New York University (NYU) School of Law; Mr. Adrian Karatnycky, Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the Ukraine in Europe Program at the Atlantic Council; Dr. Olena Nikolayenko, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University; Ms. Natalia Arno, President and Founder of the Free Russia Foundation (FRF)  

Written By: WIT Representative Shubhangi Shukla

Edited By: WIT Representative Alex Margolick

Photo: Reuters

Rebuilding Timbuktu’s Past for Mali’s Future

/ WIT / 1 Comment

Image

To appeal for support of its work in restoring Malian monuments, the UNESCO hosted a press conference to inform the press on the progress. Ms. Jensen opened the conference by underscoring that destruction of culture “destroys not only the past, but also the future”. Citing Security Council Resolution 2164 and the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, Ms. Jensen stated that the destruction of heritage sites inflicted in the city of Timbuktu, home to 16 World Heritage Sites, was illegal.

Turning the nuances of UNESCO’s assistance in rebuilding the Islamic mausoleums, Mr. Assomo highlighted that it is the local imams, masons and custodians of the mausoleums that determined the assistance required from UNESCO. He explained that the locality of the team is largely due to the fact that the restoration work is a sign of returning to normalcy to the people of Timbuktu, and leaving it to the hands of the locals empowers them to create conditions of peace and reconciliation. Mr. Assomo also highlighted the restoration work made to the Timbuktu manuscripts, a significant part of the city’s heritage. In this regard, UNESCO took up the responsibility of hosting a global summit on manuscripts in Mali to gather the best practices of restoration. He also appealed for a further funding of eight million dollars on top of the current funding to complete the unfinished business of restoration.

Responding to a question from the floor regarding the possibility of negotiating with the perpetrators of destruction, both representatives from UNESCO highlighted that the organization has, within their role as a normative agency of the UN, condemned such actions. It also alerted member states on the scale of damage and the need to intervene.

Meeting Title: Press conference on “Rebuilding Timbuktu: The restoration of an intellectual and spiritual capital and its vital role in Mali’s post-conflict recovery”
Speakers: Ms. Vibeka Jensen, Director of UNESCO Office in New York; Mr. Lazare Eloudou Assomo, UNESCO Representative to Mali; Members of the UN Correspondent Association
Location: Press Briefing Room, United Nations
Date: 27 June 2014
Written by WIT Representative: Harrison Chung
Edited by WIT Representative: Sophia Griffiths-Mark

Evolving Crisis in Ukraine and its Global Implications

/ WIT / Leave a comment

NYU panel discussion

The Razom Sponsored ‘White Papers’ were put together in a collaborative effort to assist government, media and civil society to understand what has happened in Ukraine from a legal perspective and to predict and prepare for what will happen next.

Ms. Ivanna Bilych, co-author of the white papers, reiterated the illegality of the Crimea referendum, which breaches the Ukraine Constitution, territorial integrity and voters’ rights. The referendum was completed in just ten days, holding citizens at gunpoint, clearly violations of democracy and international law.

Mr. Alexander Gudko explained that the closest precedent is the Turkey and Northern Cyprus annexation, which was not recognized by the international community as a separate state and therefore this legal framework and response should be exercised again for the Crimean situation.

Mr de Moura Sena reminded the meeting of the energy ties between Russia and Ukraine as Russia builds a new pipeline for natural gas. Russia would face much higher development costs if the pipe were built along the deep seabed, rather than using the Crimean coast. The tensions surrounding European energy needs and Russia’s ability to provide this energy are central to this Crisis.

Image

A key element to the Crimean situation is Russia’s violation of the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances, signed by all members of the Security Council and Ukraine. It was issued to ensure Ukraine would forfeit its nuclear weapons in return for complete political independence and freedom from threats or use of force against territorial integrity.

Dr. Paul Goble declared that Vladimir Putin has disregarded international law and human rights on his own personal agenda for power and expanding the Russian empire. Dr. Goble emphasised that a major step for western nations should be to provide alternative Russian language entertainment and news, to replace the existing Moscow TV. Moscow TV, being the Russian language entertainment monopoly, is manipulated to destabilise neighbouring countries in subversive attacks ordered from the Kremlin.

 

Meeting Title: Evolving Crisis in Ukraine and its Global Implications
Speakers: Mary Holland of NYU School of law, Ivanna Bilych General Counsel for Razom, Paul Goble expert in the post-Soviet region, Alexander Gudko and Matheus de Moura Sena co-author of the White papers, Giorgi Kvelashvili Senator Counselor for Georgia at the UN and Adrius Kalindra from the OSCE.
Location: NYU School of Law, New York
Date: 29 May 2014
Written by WIT representative: Sophia Griffiths-Mark