Changing Seasons at Iowa UNA

To Mali, From RwandaThe Importance of Peacekeeping

i wa una forumVol. XLI No. 9 A Publication of the Iowa United Nations Association Since 1964 Spring 2014

ISSN: 0894-9663

PLUSWhat Do the World Cup and the

UNCHR Have In Common?

Women and the Environment

Alice Dahle of UNA Women

Late SeptemberNext forum published

End of OctoberTrick-or-Treat for UNICEF

July 23-24Nothing But Nets is doing an Iowa Campaign, including in-district meetings with the Iowan congressional delega-tion. Consider joining us to talk to representatives about the importance of stopping malaria!

IOWA UNA FORECAST01 Tentative programming for summer

IOWA UNA PEOPLE02 Meet the summer interns!02 Farewell, Yashar!03 Hello from the new Associate Director

TIDBITS03 Iowa UNA in D.C.

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN04 Connecting Iowans with the UN

IOWA, THE UN, THE WORLD05 Women and the environment06 The UN and the World Cup06 Quick facts: World Refugee Day

END NOTE07 The importance of peacekeeping

Here’s a sketch of what programming might look like in upcoming months. We also hold

fundraisers all year round! Find out more on our website and facebook page, or email

cora@unaiowa.org for details.

Climate disruption exacerbates political turmoilOn the cover and this photo: Children during a sandstorm in Gao, Mali.

Last week of August Workshop for young professionals on how to prepare yourself for an international career

September 6thBoard meeting!

October 23-24UN Day programs in Des Moines and other ar-eas to be announced! Youth Symposium at the Des Moines Capitol!

NovemberReport on Iowa Repre-sentative Candidate’s stances on America’s relationship with the UN

IOWA UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION’S PUBLICATION SINCE 1964 | VOLUME XVI, NUMBER 9

inside iowauna forum

Summer-Fall Programming Preview

01

In July, our wonderful Executive Director, Yashar Vasef, will be moving on to other things. Here are some words on his departure.

Emily Harmon, Former Associate Director

“Working at a small non-profit with only two staff people will certainly allow you to discern someone’s character. I was fortunate enough to be the Associate Director for about seven or so months at the Iowa UNA. Yashar and I were the only staff, along with a crew of pretty magnificent interns. He’s passionate, driven, intelligent, and kept the Iowa UNA able to offer the Iowa City community edu-cation on the extremely vital United Nations, from necessary dialogue between countries, to life saving and world changing humani-tarian relief. Acting as the Executive Director was not an easy task – Yashar spent countless hours crunching numbers, filling the roles of what normally requires multiple staffers, and all the while he maintained an inspiring workspace. Hats off to you Yashar. You’re off to do incredible things.”

Yashar Vasef, Executive Director

“It is with bittersweet sentiment that I will be stepping down as director of the Iowa United Nations Association. Never have I worked amongst peers with such profound passion for saving lives and promoting multilateralism in our world. In the realm of non-profits, where resources are scarce, ev-ery success is earned by the hard work of these pas-sionate individuals. In my time here, I have come to under-stand the critical importance of the mission of the Iowa UNA. Issues that put the survival of our species at stake, such as climate change, will not be resolved without the advocacy and civic campaigning that or-ganizations like ours provide. I want to thank the vol-unteers, student interns, staff and board of directors who continue to keep our mission alive. Wherever

my travels may take me, I plan on remaining an Iowa UNA member for life.”

Preet graduated in 2014 from the University of Iowa and holds a B.A. in International Studies with an emphasis in African studies. She studied global health extensively throughout her uni-versity career, and is joining the Iowa United Na-tions Association as Membership Coordinator to assist in developing multidimensional strate-gies to promote local involvement in worldwide matters. She hopes to use the knowledge she gained in college in a direct, meaningful way and ultimately invoke inspiration and passion towards global health issues in Iowan hearts.

Michelle is the new Volunteer Coordinator at the Iowa UNA. As the Volunteer Coordina-tor, she will be the go-to person for volun-teers in the office. Michelle has worked with the Iowa UNA in the past as the Program As-sistant in which she planned open mic nights and helped with Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. She took off a semester to study abroad in Italy, but is excited to be back in Iowa City

and back with the Iowa United Nations Association. Michelle will be entering her senior year at the University of Iowa dou-

Farewell, Yashar!

Kelsey O’Donnell is a sophomore at the University of Iowa majoring in Anthropology and Interna-tional Studies. She grew up in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa and moved to Iowa City last year. She has traveled to Ireland, Scotland, Whales, and England. She plans to study abroad and travel as much as pos-sible during and after her time at the University of Iowa. Kelsey loves to travel and meet people from all different cultures. She is the Media and Iowa City Development Director at the Iowa UNA and is excited to be able to work on fundraising projects for various United Nations issues.

My name is Holly Clark and I am currently a se-nior at the University of Iowa. I will be studying abroad in Germany next semester and graduat-ing in December with a major in International Studies and a minor in German. I am highly in-terested in global affairs and would love to have a job in the government or non-profit sector; whatever allows me to travel! I am originally from Des Moines, IA and enjoy volunteering,

going on road trips, and adventuring! I will be your Iowa Outreach Coordinator this summer!

iowauna peopleMeet some of our new summer interns!

also see President Jim Olson’s comments on page 4

My name is Shannon Sullivan and I will be starting my senior year at the University of Iowa this fall. I am studying International Development, Human Rights, and Portuguese. As an Iowa City native, graduate of West High, I am a Hawkeye through and through. I am excited to start as the Iowa De-velopment Director where I will be assisting in the organization of the several events Iowa UNA hosts every year. I’m interested in the UNA Iowa because after I graduate I hope to pursue a career in non-profit work.

02

Hello Iowa UNA members! My name is Cora Metrick-Chen. I’m happy to intro-duce myself as your new Iowa UNA As-sociate Director. I’ll be taking the place of the wonderful Emily Harmon, whom I know we will all miss. I’d like to take the first half of my introduction to thank Em-ily for her dedication to the Iowa UNA.

Emily welcomed me into the organization when I first started here as an intern back in January. It was immediately apparent that she was actively engaged in her work at Iowa UNA. My first internship meeting was lively and productive—Emily has the rare ability to be proactive and decisive without being pushy or authoritative. She kept up with all of the many interns while juggling organizing events and programming, remaining naturally friendly and cheerful all the while.

In her years at the Iowa UNA, Emily made contribu-tions to our organization that only she could have made. With her photography skills, she coordinated a human rights photo contest that greatly increased our social media visibility. She expanded the presence of Iowa UNA by partnering with stu-dent groups and non-profits in Iowa City. She even cleaned the office until it was almost unrecognizable. To be honest, I wasn’t around for most of these feats. But I did arrive in time to be a beneficiary of what I see as Emily’s most valuable con-tribution to our organization: her genuine compassion for the world, reflected in her commitment to her work and her quick kindness towards her coworkers. I know I can speak for everyone at our organization when I say that we are sad to see Emily go, but are all also so happy to know that she is tackling new challenges and bring-ing her passion for global peace and justice to other arenas.

So what can I say for myself, following in Emily’s shoes? I have a Midwestern upbringing but a global history. My fa-ther’s parents came to the U.S. fleeing the Japanese invasion of Guangzhou in the 1940s. My mother’s Jewish grandparents and their luckier relatives made it out of Romania and Odessa just before the on-

set of WWII. The two families crossed paths in Chicago, where I was born, before my parents headed to Des Moines to work at Drake University. I’ve been involved in advocacy since high school, when I ran a group called Students Beyond War. I ended up in Iowa City four years ago because of a Presidential Scholar-ship, and became involved in the River City Housing Collective, where I chaired their Mediation Committee. I studied Mandarin

and lived in China for five months, teaching and learning, but what interests me most academically is political philosophy. I’m writing a thesis on the theory behind human rights and affordable housing (a field in which I’ve worked as an Ameri-corps employee.) In the meantime, I am excited to have gone from an intern in the Iowa UNA offices to Associate Director! I believe in our organization’s ability to continue to do its part pro-moting human rights and global stability while at the same time fortifying itself for the years to come. We are important because we are the only organization bringing both human rights education and global programming to Iowa and Iowans. I’ve already reformatted the internship positions for this year to reflect our need to network and fundraise, and I’m look-ing forward to helping implement whatever other innovative plans of action we come up with throughout this year!

iowauna peoplechanging Associate Directors

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Iowa UNA had four delegates at the Annual Meeting of the United Nations Association of the USA in D.C. on the first weekend of June. Chris Dahle, Alice Dahle, President Jim Olson, and Cora Metrick-Chen attended a wide variety of workshops and sessions and talked to members of chapters from all around the world.

Iowa UNA won an award for raising the most money for

Nothing But Nets! Our Johnson County chapter won an award

for greatest growth in the “large chapter” category!

Human rights discussion on the top floor of the UNF!

03

I am delighted to be the new president of the Iowa United Na-tions Association. I want to thank my predecessor, Stefanie Bowers, and all of the members of the Iowa UNA board for their ser-

vice to the organization. Four of us from Iowa attended the Annual Meeting of the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) held in Washington, D.C. June 8-10. Our Associate Director, Cora Met-rick-Chen, Alice and Chris Dahle, leaders of our Linn County chapter, and I joined over 200 other UNA-USA members from across the country for three days of presentations by UNA-USA staff members and foreign policy experts, workshops on best practices for strengthening our local units, and a Day on the Hill where we met with aides to Representatives Braley and Loebsack and Senators Grassley and Harkin. I returned from Washington with a strengthened awareness that our role is to connect Iowans with the United Nations. How do we do that? ---- We provide opportunities for Iowans to support the hu-manitarian work of the UN system through activities such as Trick or Treat for UNICEF, Hike to Help Refugees, and Nothing but Nets. ---- We give a voice to Iowans who believe that international cooperation through the UN system should be an important part of U.S. foreign policy. We communicate this message to our Iowa congressional delegation and other policy makers and opinion shapers. ---- We provide channels for Iowans to help shape the UN agenda. Our 2013 consultation on the Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals is an example.

---- With our UNA-USA and United Nations Foundation part-ners we provide information and insight into the current activities of the UN. Check out the UNA-USA website (www.unausa.org) to see bulletin points on what is happening at the UN today. The UN has a direct impact on our lives here in the heartland and as citizens we want to encourage our govern-ment to provide constructive leadership to work with others to address issues that no one nation working alone can address.At its June meeting, the Iowa UNA board selected a priority is-sue for education and advocacy: climate disruption as a trans-national issue and the work of the UN system to address this is-sue. Our chapters will continue to offer programs and activities on a variety of topics, but international cooperation to address climate disruption will receive sustained attention. If your civic group, club, religious congregation, or school would be interested in a speaker from the Iowa UNA, please contact our office. Schedules permitting, we would welcome the opportunity to spread our message in your com-munity. I want to welcome Cora Metrick-Chen as the new As-sociate Director of the Iowa UNA and recognize Yashar Vasef, who has served as our Executive Director since December, 2010 for his devoted service. Please see Yashar’s message on page 2 in this issue. In the words of a resolution adopted by the Iowa UNA board, we commend Yashar for “his personal example, his commitment to the ideals of the United Nations, and his willingness to perform myriad tasks for the organiza-tion.” Thank you, Yashar. And thanks to all of our members and friends for your support and encouragement. I look forward to meeting and working with you.

Jim OlsonPresident, Iowa United Nations Association

Meet our new President!Connecting Iowans with the United Nations

iowauna president’s column

04

Women have a direct relationship with the environment, not because they are biologically fe-male, but because society has assigned them gen-dered roles and responsibilities that continue to bind them to the natural resources surrounding them in much of the world. Around the globe, but especially in develop-ing countries, women have primary responsibility for raising children and providing them with food, health care and education. Many women must also find and carry clean water, fuel for cooking and heating, and fodder for domestic animals. They grow vegetables, fruit and grain to feed their families and for sale. Half of the world’s agricultural workers (51%) are women. In Africa, women produce most of the staple crops, and women in South-east Asia make up 90% of the labor force for growing rice.

Because of their daily interaction with the en-vironment, women are significantly affected by its degradation.

---- When forests are cleared or water is contami-nated, women must spend more time looking for firewood, and safe, clean water. They may also be at greater risk for water-borne diseases. Women in Gujurat, India once collected wood every 4 or 5 days. Now they spend 4 or 5 hours each day locating at-tending to this chore.

---- Soil erosion and water shortages can result in crop failure, reduced harvests and exhausted soil. When household gardens become less productive, women must look for new land to cultivate, which can result in further degradation of marginal land and disputes with neighbors who also need more land.

---- Toxic chemicals and pesticides in the air, wa-ter and earth can be absorbed by women as they work in their fields and gardens and passed on to in-fants through breast milk. In Gansu province in Chi-na, discharge from a state-run fertilizer plant has in-creased the incidence of stillbirths and miscarriages.

---- Mining and extractive industries that pollute the soil, water and air can have devastating effects on women who live nearby. Royal Shell Oil’s Leak-ing pipelines and gas flares in the Niger Delta have reduced the life expectancy of Ogoni women to 45 years, and the 1984 explosion of the Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India has contributed to the births of thousands of children with disabili-ties.

---- In areas where there is conflict over resources, women are often targeted for sexual assault to terrorize the local population and chase them away from their land and homes. In Darfur, for example, whole villages were destroyed, women were raped, and the wells were poisoned by dropping animal car-casses and human corpses into the wells to prevent their return. Once they became refugees, women and girls risked further assault whenever they left the camps to find wood.

Although women have heavy responsibili-ties for managing household resources, many do not have managerial control. Women who lack the right to own and manage natural resources also lack other rights that affect their lives. Those who do not have access to resources that bring status in their so-cieties, such as cattle, land or property, are not con-sulted about decisions regarding marriage, number and spacing of children or education for themselves or their children. The result for women in traditional, patriarchal societies is early marriage, interrupted education, and many pregnancies.

Degradation of the environmental resourc-es women depend on is a violation of their human rights to health, dignity and security. Protecting the environment and empowering women to participate on an equal basis in making decisions about how to use resources sustainably is an investment in a better future for all of us.

-- Alice Dahle, Co-chair, UNA Women

environmental degradation denies women their human rights

iowauna & the world

05

“This is a very delicate and sensitive question for me! I’ve been asked this question in fact previously. I may not hide my own sentiment and support for the

Korean team but as Secretary-General it would be very important that I need to be impartial. I’m supporting all the teams who are participating in the World Cup! “But you should know, at the same time, that when the Korean team is com-

peting with any other team, starting from Russia today, you may expect that my heart may beat much faster than in normal time. “Just to keep my neutrality I decided not to

watch the game, and I will get the report from my staff early tomorrow morning. That may really help my own way of engaging hectic programmes starting from to-morrow. “Again I wish all the best to all the teams. “Sport has an extraordinary power to sponta-neously unite the people. ... “[F]or the first time the United Nations General Assembly has designated April 6 of every year as Inter-national Sports Day for Peace and Development. This is one of the very important powerful tools and means to promote reconciliation, harmony and development and peace.”

What’s in an image?

iowauna & the world

Who is the Secre-tary General sup-porting in the world cup?

50 millionthe record-breaking number of displaced

people worldwide

48% of refugees are

women and girls

Syrian refugees now

make up 20% of Lebanon’s population

$4,264,717,711 amount requested by UNto aid at-risk people in Syria

$7,500,000,000Lebanon’s cumulative losses due to the conflict in Syria by the end of 2014

5.5 millionSudanese forcibly displaced

1/2 of the world’s forcibly displaced are children.

$4,264,717,711 amount requested by UNto aid at-risk people in Syria

Syrian refugees now

make up 20% of Lebanon’s population

$7,500,000,000Lebanon’s cumulative losses due to the conflict in Syria by the end of 2014

250,000 the number of people said to have been threatened with eviction due to Brazilian World Cup preparation.

About 2/3 of the world's forcibly up-rooted people are displaced within their own country.

World Refugee Day

is June 20 every year

Quick Facts: The Refugee Crisis

Alfateh is fourteen years old and originally from Korma, but has been living in the Abu

Shouk camp for internally displaced persons in North Darfur for more than ten years. His passion is soccer. He is wearing the shirt of

his favorite team, the Al Hilal Club .

06

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDIowa City, IowaPermit No. 391

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

IOWA UNA FORUM

Published Since 1964 by theIOWA UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION

for a globally engaged Iowa20 East Market Street, Iowa City, IA 52245

Phone and Fax: 319.337.7290Email: unaiowa@unaiowa.org

Website: www.iowauna.org

President: Jim OlsonGeneral Chair: Dorothy Paul

Editor in Chief: Cora Metrick-Chen, Associate Director

Copy Editors: Yashar Vasef

iowauna end noteto Mali, from Rwanda: the importance of

peacekeeping 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. It is no coincidence that it is also this year that former UN Commander Romeo Dallaire chose to retire from his position in the Canadian Senate. On January 11 of 1994, Dallaire sent a cable to the UN offices in New York, warning of impending slaughter by the Hutus and asking for authorization to seize weapons from their militias. His request was denied. In fact, in April, five days into the slaughter, the U.S. government got spooked and pressured the UN until it reduced Dallaire’s forces by 90%. The troops left, unwilling. Says Dallaire, “We would literally hear people dying at the end of the phone as they were trying to get through to us and we had literally nothing to send them.” When the UN later ordered him to pullout, he disobeyed, remaining in Rwanda to do what little he could by way of humanitarian aid. He has estimated that with a force of just 5,000, he could have prevented the deaths of 800,000. He suffers from severe PTSD. Now, the Central African Republic hovers on the brink of genocide. As of June 25, some 20,000 people are trapped in minority communities, and fighting between Christians and Muslims has claimed over 50 lives in just two days. In Mali, French and African peace-keeping forces are the only buffer between the government and al-Qaeda aligned rebels. We need peacekeeping now more than ever, for the protection of human rights, for counter-terrorism, and for the insurance of inter-national stability. But the U.S. 2014 budget underfunds our UN peacekeeping by 12%. It also allocates no funds for the UN mission in Mali. Peackeeping is an eighth less expensive than is sending our own troops on the ground. The total UN peacekeeping budget is less than half a percent of world military expenditures. Once again, our nation is slacking just when it is needed most -- and breaking a promise to the international community while we’re at it.

Ask the U.S. government to fully fund UN peacekeeping by visiting www.betterworldcampaign.com and clicking on “Take Action.” You can also attend any Iowa UNA event and fill out a thank-you note that will be sent to a peacekeeper somewhere around the globe.

Support Iowa UNA! Be a member! Receive free copies of the Iowa UNA Forum by becoming a member today! Simply visit the front-page of our website, iowauna.org. Membership is free for students.

Donate! With Your Help We Can Do Even More! Please consider joining scores of Iowans across the state who understand that our state and our nation benefit from the United States leadership in the United Nations. Donations in any amount are appreciated. Your tax-deductible contribution will be put to work immediately to engage youth, raise funds for UNI-CEF and other U.N. agencies, educate all citizens, communicate with our Iowa congressional delegation, and strengthen Iowa UNA across the state. Mail a check to us at Iowa UNA, 20 E Market Street, Iowa City, IA, 52240.

Go green with Iowa UNA! If you’d like a digital copy of the next issue, let us know by emailing cora@unaiowa.org07