UNESCO

Happiness and Sustainable Development for Earth Day

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https://www.unsdsn.org/24hour-webinar

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) on Earth Day held a webinar on Happiness and Sustainable Development for Earth day.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970 by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries.

The theme of the webinar ‘Happiness and Sustainable Development for Earth day’ was chosen by the SDSN. According to the World Happiness Report, happiness is a better measure of a nation’s progress than GDP and using social well-being as a goal drives better public policy.

The webinar was split into 6 sessions, and participants discussed how to engage with experts and community leaders on how various sustainable development initiatives across the globe are creating a more just and thriving society and how happiness is still alive amidst a global pandemic.

https://un.by/en/calendar/522-international-mother-earth-day

During the 5th session, participants discussed how Education for Sustainable Development(ESD) relates to happiness, discussed the importance of ESD in the context of COVID-19, and the future of ESD. 

Mr. Alexander Leicht, Chief of the Section of Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO, said that ESD empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability in a just society for present and future generations. Also, education is a key enabler to prepare this generation and the next to create a sustainable and happier world for all.

Meeting: Happiness and Sustainable Development for Earth day

Date/Location: April 22th, 2020; 09:00-11:00; Webinar

Speakers: Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Sustainable Development Solutions Network         

Florencia Librizzi, SDG Academy  (Moderator)

Mr. Alexander Leicht, Chief of the Section of Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO 

Ms. Monika Froehler, CEO of the Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens

Dr. Oren Pizmony-Levy, Associate Professor of International and Comparative Education & Director of the Center for Sustainable Futures, Teachers College, Columbia University

Written By: WIT Representative Sehee OH

High-level Event: Strengthening the Rule of Law and Human Rights to Achieve Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

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(Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/justice-statue-dublin-ireland-626461/)

The UNPD, UNESCO, the Permanent Mission of Argentina, and the Permanent Mission of Austria co-organized such an event on the eve of High-Level Political Forums (HLPF) to set the tones for further discussion on SDG 16 and concerning issues. Ms. Ana Maria Menendez considered the HLPF to be the timing for taking stocks of all efforts reviewing the progress done so far. The forum should also investigate the linkages between SDGs, in particular, goal 5, 10, and 16 concerning the topic of today. On gender equality, society should strive to establish norms and mechanisms to address the problems women and girls face in accessing justice and human rights protection. Goal 10 establishes the principle of non-discrimination in all institutions while goal 16 similarily calls for access to justice for all.

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Ending impunity for crimes against journalists: strengthening implementation and the case of women journalists

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UNESCO, the Permanent Mission of Greece, and the New York Group of Friends on the Safety of Journalists held a panel discussion to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. This discussion was about the increasing violence against journalists, focusing on female journalists.

Ms.Theofili discussed how an increase in gender based violence and discrimination makes women leave the field of journalism because of fear. This deprives them of their freedom of speech and deprives society of their views and voice. Ms. Menendez communicated how vital freedom of expression and press is because without informed citizens, corruption will thrive. She said that between 2006-2016, 900 journalists were killed, and 90% of these cases remain unresolved, relating back to impunity.

Mr.La Rue focused on three main points of the UN Plan of Action of Safety of Journalists: prevention, protection in moments of immediate violence, and prosecution including conducting full investigations in all cases. Also, he talked about how SDG 16 is focused on freedom of speech, but full access to information is essential to all goals. Mrs. Basu showed a clip from her documentary and mentioned that journalists are the bridge between society and democracies.

Impunity

Ms. Wickrematunge shared her personal story of being followed and how her husband was killed because of his reporting. After his death, she had a target on her back; even within the news world there was a systematic need to suppress her. She said the panel did a good job of humanizing journalism, dispelling the idea that journalists are asking for it because they put their lives on the line with their choice of career. Ms. Ferrier emphasized how social media saturates the consequences for speaking truth because online perpetrators act boldly without fear of repercussions.

Meeting:  Panel Discussion on —“Ending impunity for crimes against journalists: strengthening implementation and the case of women journalists”

Date/Location: Thursday, November 2, 2017; 13:15-14:45; Conference Room 8, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY

Speakers: Ms. Penelope Manis, Senior Director of Programming, CNN International; Ms. Maria Theofili, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN; Ms.Ana Maria Menendez, Under-Secretary-General for Policy, Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General; Mr.Frank La Rue, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO; Ms. Nupur Basu, Independent journalist and documentary filmmaker from India; Ms. Sonali Samarasinghe Wickrematunge, award winning investigative journalist and editor from Sri Lanka; Ms. Judy Taing, Senior Officer on Gender and Sexuality, ARTICLE 19; Ms. Michelle Ferrier, Associate Professor in E.W Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University; Mr. Christophe Deloire, Director-General of Reporters Without Borders; Ms. Anne Gueguen, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations

Written By: WIT Representative Nicole Matsanov

100th plenary meeting on Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment and the political declarations on HIV/AIDS held by the General Assembly

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The meeting was operated for countries to declare their commitment against AIDS as well as implement political declarations. The President began with the opening remarks on addressing the above importance. Soon after, Mr. Sey revealed the key to preventing AIDS was to monitor the HIV transmission together with maintaining economic growth, where prosperity could alleviate poverty, with fewer women getting HIV. In addition, Prof. Randrianarimanana stated AIDS could be eradicated by focusing on high impact intervention, effective decentralization, and strengthening the health-care system. He admitted the epidemic was still existed, even if the current prevalence was low.

On the other hand, Dr. Numbi recalled the dedication on the previous declaration cheered the international commitment, technical and financial partners with a multisector approach to combat AIDS. Meanwhile, Dr. Al-Jasser added with a compliment on the comprehensive national program, safeguarding the access on treatment, had enhanced the community responsibility, cooperation and civil societies’ engagement. Moreover, Mr. Hamach reminded the stigma and discrimination would implicitly harm the Universal Health Coverage program where social restructuring was demanding. He ended his speech by reiterating political leadership and devotion to international community were vital to the Fast-Track to ending AIDS. Then, Ms. Skogen appealed to all members, to provide funding to high-burden and developing countries on quality education, sexual education, reproductive services along with well-trained health-care workers.

Last but not least, the above speakers declared their unceasing allegiance to combating AIDS financially or putting efforts on regulation compliance, demanding stronger prevention of AIDS.

Meeting: 100th plenary meeting on Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment and the political declarations on HIV/AIDS held by the General Assembly

Date/Time/Location: Thursday, June 08, 2016; 15:00-18:00; General Assembly Hall

Speakers: His Excellency, Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, the President of the General Assembly; His Excellency, Mr. Omar Sey, the Minister of Health & Social Welfare of Gambia; His Excellency, Prof. Dieudonné Randrianarimanana, the Minister of Health, Family Planning and Social Protection of Madagascar; His Excellency, Dr. Félix Kabange Numbi, The DRC Minister of Public Health; His Excellency, Dr. Sulaiman bin Mohammed Al-Jasser, the Minister of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia; His Excellency, Mr. Masakazu Hamach, the Parliamentary Vice-Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Japan; Her Excellency, Ms. Tone Skogen, the State Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway

Written By: WIT Representative, Kelvin HO

Edited By: WIT Administrator, Modou Cham

Photo: https://twitter.com/unaids

Rebuilding Timbuktu’s Past for Mali’s Future

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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

Charting the Course For the Education We Want

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To inform the community on the progress of achieving “Education for All” through the Sustainable Development Goals, UNESCO and UNICEF hosted an information meeting to provide updates on their work. Ms. Jensen highlighted the enormity of the task of incorporating education for all as a distinct developmental goal, which has its roots in the 1990s. She cautioned the audience that the visionary goal of ensuring “equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning” in the zero draft must not be watered down in subsequent deliberations, a mistake learnt from the lessons of the Millennium Development Goals.Image

Mr. Vedeler mentioned the importance ensuring quality education, and how it is reflected in the zero draft targets by aiming at educating children that are not only literate, but are also equipped to work and become global citizens. His remarks on the importance of qualified teachers are also echoed by Ms. Wulff, who stated that some countries have more than 50% of teachers who are not qualified to teach. Ms. Wulff also stated the importance of motivating teachers by means of improving their compensation and restoring respect to the profession.

Miss Crosco intervened on the point of monitoring and evaluation, and stressed the positive role that the civil society has played in shaping education development should be maintained in the SDGs monitoring process. On the technical aspect of monitoring, Mr. Antonisis stated the need to develop new measurable indicators for intangible goals such as students’ acquisition of problem-solving skills and equity in education achievement. However, he also made an encouraging statement on the positive progress in developing these new indicators so far. The Deputy Permanent Representatives of two sponsoring states, Argentina and Brazil, showed their support to UNESCO and UNICEF, and shared their countries best practices in achieving education for all.

Meeting Title: Beyond 2015: The Education We Want Information Meeting
Speakers: H.E. Mr. Guilherme de Guiar Patriota, Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil; Ms. Josephine Bourne, UNICEF Global Chief of Education; Ms. Vibeke Jensen, Director of UNESCO Liaison Office in New York; Mr. Dankert Vedeler, Chair of Education for All Steering Committee, Ms. Antonia Wulff, Education International Coordinator for Education and Employment; Ms. Camilla Crosco, Co-Chair of EFA Steering Committee; Mr. Manos Antoninis, Senior Policy Analyst for Education For All Global Monitoring Report.
Location: Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, United Nations Headquarters, New York
Date: 16 June 2014
Written By WIT Representative: Harrison Chung
Edited by WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan

UN organizations address the 13th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

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The seventh meeting for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues facilitated a comprehensive dialogue from United Nations organisations on their progress in promoting the rights of indigenous persons with responses from Permanent members of the forum. Interventions from many UN bodies revolved around three major issue areas; the full participation of indigenous persons in their right to self-determination, ‘free, prior and informed consent’ in regards to Indigenous land rights, and the sufficient funding of organisations for long term protection of indigenous rights.

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Denmark, Bolivia, UNDP, IFAD, and the IFC all directly addressed concerns that governments are favoring the demands of the private mining industry and the sustainable development of our natural resources requires the collaborative consultation of indigenous persons. The African Caucus recognized that natural resources are usually extracted from heritage sites with unique and spiritual ties to indigenous traditions and ancestry. Therefore it is of paramount importance that indigenous persons be involved in the decisions directly affecting their sacred land.

UNECSO and FAO demonstrated that indigenous people have a unique understanding of the sustainability and protection of their environments through systems such as pastoral farming, which could enable a more resilient response to climate change for our fragile ecosystems. The IFAD, ILO and permanent member of the forum Joseph Goko Mutangah insisted that the United Nations should be capturing the wealth of agricultural, medicinal and ecological innovations that indigenous traditions encompass.

Representative of the American Indian Alliance and chairperson of the forum Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough, expressed concerns that the United Nations organisations are only authorised to serve indigenous persons from developing countries. Statistics demonstrate that indigenous persons are equally marginalised in both developing and developed nations. They called for a revision of the policy to allow indigenous persons in all countries access to the United Nations’ agencies and funds.

Meeting Title: 7th meeting – Comprehensive dialogue with United Nations agencies and funds
Speakers: Chairperson Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough, Permanent members of the forum Gervais Nzoa, Joan Garling, Kara-Kys Arakchaa, Miriam Wallet Aboubakrine, Miriam Wallet Aboubakrine, Maria Eugenia Choque Quispe, Joseph Goko Mutangah, Raja Devasish Roy
Representatives on behalf of organizations; UNICEF, FAO, ILO, IFAD, UNDP, IFC, UNESCO, World Bank, Ministry of foreign affairs Denmark, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, the African Caucus, Indigenous Parliamentarians, Alliance of Indigenous women of Central America and Mexico, WIPO (New York), Central & Eastern Europe, Russian federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia, Bolivia, and the American Indian Law alliance
Location: United Nations HQ, New York
Date: 15 May 2014
Written by WIT representative: Sophia Griffiths-Mark

 

Partnering For Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development 24th April 2013, United Nations Headquarters, New York

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President of ECOSOC: H.E. Ambassador Néstor Osorio opens proceeding’s by paying thanks to the contribution made by individuals with innovative ideas, work and recommendations. Highlights the complex issues which lie ahead, but this leaves so much room for innovative ideas and suggestions. There are many ways in which we need to actively advance the Millennium Development goals.

Ban Ki-moon spoke about the event and paid tribute to the dedication and hard work of all those involved with alleviating the pressure of poverty and social disadvantage.”This is a special ECOSOC event”, stated an optimistic Secretary General. Dr. Mo Ibrahim given special thanks for his innovation and leadership in Africa and indeed globally.”We need to continue working together, important targets have already been met, poverty has already been cut in half, but there are still very real and troubling issues which need to be addressed”. Capturing the full potential of partnership will be paramount to the success of the World Development Goals with more than 70 countries are  already on board with over $50 billion pledged. “We have a tremendous start, stated the Secretary General.

Further Points made;

  • Bringing together talent, research and partnership to strengthen our past work and upcoming work –need to capture the full potential for partnership at country level and internationally, we need to harness the individuals innovation.

Dr. Mo Ibrahim

  • Government on their own can no longer deliver all of the essentials
  • “The achievements of the millennium development goals are the responsibility of the governments of each country. Governments must buy in”.
  • Achievement must be measured, forget speech writers, what we need to focus on is the numbers. What are the bare statistics of each area i.e., water, roads, jobs and infrastructure.
  • Forget about the bureaucrats who don’t fully understand what the situation is, speak to the people on the ground, forget about the talking behind big desks.

H.E. Mr. Christian Friis Bach, Minister for Dev. Cooperation, Denmark

  • Better partnerships globally, better and more efficient infrastructure
  • Utilizing and increasing the green social environment scene, we need more Eco friendly energy sources.
  • The need to leverage public funding and investment

Ms. Doreen Lorenzo reiterates the same points as above –

 Dr. Klaus M. Leisinger

  • People need our support; there is not the same reality on the ground. We should be talking here, that’s good, but we must remember why we are here and that reason should directly affect the individuals involved after this conference.
  • Technology has a serious role to play in the advancement of mankind and the successful overthrow of poverty
  • What really made the difference- “Corporations, these gave the trust and the willingness to participate”.

– By Wayne Dean Doyle