Newsletter of th e global network of Unit ed N ations Information Centres

UNIC @ Work May 2015 Issue No. 4

Page 1

In this issue

In Spotlight

New, innovative projects

Sights @ Work

A tour of where we work

In Focus

Get to know our priorities

Teams @ Work

Highlights of our activities

Creativity @ Work

New information materials

Social Media @ Work

Social media initiatives

Experiences @ Work

Staff views and experiences

New Faces @ Work

Our new colleagues

In Spotlight ¿Did you know? With the Ebola outbreak in West Africa coming to a close, Dr. David Nabarro, the UN Special Envoy on Ebola, met the Philippines press via video link from New York to express the UN’s gratitude to the Philippine Government for its contribution of USD 2 million to the Global Ebola Response Fund. He was explicit in his appreciation, given the humongous tragedy brought about by Hurricane Haiyan that left thousands dead and many other homeless and maimed. The press conference attracted more than 20 journalists and partners who attended and asked questions on the progress. Dr. Nabarro was joined by Dr. Julie Lyn Hall, World health Organization Country Representative in the Philippines and together they responded to questions from the Philippine media. This effort resulted in the publication of at least 10 articles and national television coverage. Some of these articles were published in the local language.

Since 1948, there have been 71 UN peacekeeping missions. Currently

(as of April 2015), there are 16 ongoing missions. The budget for 1 July 2014 - 30 June 2015 is around

$ 8.47 billion. The top 5 troop contributors in April 2015 are: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India,

Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Sights @ Work

Bahrain: The Grand Mosque is the largest place of worship in Bahrain and among one of the largest mosques in the world at 6,500 square metres. Built by the late Amir of Bahrain Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in 1987 it fits up to 7 000 worshippers.

India: The Peacock is India’s national bird. These fine specimens have adopted the UN House as their nesting grounds and frequently peck at UNIC’s windows – another sign that UNIC truly represents the UN-India Connect!

Russian Federation: The majestic building of the musical theatre “Helikon-Opera” is located in a XVIII century palace, an architectural monument. The theatre has just opened its doors after almost 8 years of restoration works.

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May 2015 Page 2

In Focus

On my way to … “reconversion”

Looking at my PHP, a colleague in the

Executive Office, Rimona McGinnis,

exclaimed: “Wow! You have had an

amazing career at the UN. You have

worked in many exciting places and few

colleagues have had the same

opportunity. This is impressive. You

should consider yourself lucky!”

Looking back and measuring the long path

I walked, I can only be proud and grateful

for the experience I have acquired and the

exposure I got. When asked which

position I enjoyed the most, I took a pause

before responding. Every position I held

gave me the opportunity to learn

something, even when I thought that I was

not. In retrospect, walking though the

valleys and climbing the mountains forged

and strengthened my character.

In the Visitors’ Section I had the

reputation of being tough – I turned a deaf

ear and gave a stern look at colleagues

who had French as a second language and

who begged me to postpone sending them

out on their first guided tour in French. In

the Secretary-General’s Office, my

attention to details became part of me -

transitioning me nicely to my time in ICS

where colleagues were a little frustrated

whenever they saw their drafts returned

marred in red for correction.

Unfortunately, they did not have any

alternative but to put up with me:-) And

trust me, I truly understand their

frustration as I was in their shoes when I

was Focal point for Indigenous People and

Human Rights. At the UNDP, I enhanced

my knowledge about development issues

and management and established fruitful

cooperation with Resident Coordinators.

And last but not least, the Information

Centres Service (ICS) and the UN

Information Centres (UNICs). As they say

in French … “la cerise sur le gâteau” – the

icing on the cake! It has been a privilege

for me to work with you and for you. The

past few years were amazing. I have been

close to you in turmoil, pain, joy and

anxiety and developed long-lasting

friendships. We have worked and laughed

together, shared stories, exchanged ideas

and I learned a lot from you. This is what

brought us together. Despite you being

thousands of miles away, you were never

too far... WebEx was here and it made a

heck of a difference. It brought you close

to my heart.

Working for the UN has been such a

rewarding experience. This is a special

place. I thank my supervisors as I was

allowed to be. This is what made a whole

lot of difference. Before leaving, I want to

acknowledge your professionalism,

commitment and innovative ideas.

When some of you heard that I was

leaving, a flood of emails and phone calls

came my way. Questions, sighs, disbelief.

“I am reconverting” I answered calmly

and with a big smile. “Reconverting….

What do you mean? “

There is life after the UN and a lot awaits

each of us. It’s time to say “arrivederci, au

revoir, sayonara, ى قاء إل ل ,or До встречи ال

नमस्ते!” but certainly not “adios” or

“kwaheri” (Swahili). By the way, thanks a

lot for the touching messages that came

from every corner of the world. I heard

that it is the first time ever that UNICs did

not need a reminder to comply with a

request and that you all answered

promptly. I have started to read them …

in between laughter and tears. I thought I

was working but your warm and

humorous farewell messages have left me

convinced that instead, I was busy making

friends globally. How will I be able to

answer your many invitations? Only God

knows! I will keep in touch and soon you

will hear from me when visiting your city!

For those who want to keep in touch, my

email address: danielle.loff@gmail.com.

Cheers.

Danielle

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May 2015 Page 3

Teams @ Work

Armenia

Crime Congress Round-table

UNO Yerevan jointly with the Inter-

Agency Working Group on Anti-

Trafficking in the Republic of

Armenia, dedicated a special session to

the agenda item Human Trafficking of the

13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention

and Criminal Justice. The meeting took

place at the National Library of Armenia

with journalists and youth also in

attendance, 8 April.

Public Discussion dedicated to Cyber

Crime

UNO Yerevan together with the UN

Development Programme “Kolba

Labs” innovation labs organized a public

discussion on Cybercrime - another theme

of the Crime Congress 2015. Young

people, Information Technology

specialists and social media enthusiasts

gathered at the UN house to listen to

experts on cyber wars/cybercrime and

from information and

telecommunications legislation field. Brief

information on Crime Congress and video

screenings preceded the discussion, 10

April.

Argentina

Briefing for Elementary Students on

the Work of the UN

UNIC Buenos Aires held a briefing for

elementary school students on the work

of the UN at the UNIC Library. 10 April.

Special Screening of the Movie Refugee

UNIC Buenos Aires held a special

screening of the movie Refugee at the

National Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The

movie, winner of the "UNiTE to end

violence against Women" award at the

Habana Film Festival of 2014, was

presented by the UN in Argentina Gender

Group as a tool for training initiatives and

presenting the Secretary-General’s UNiTE

Campaign,, 18 March.

Australia

Visit by the Executive Secretary of the

UN Framework Convention on Climate

Change

As part of her visit to Australia, the

Executive Secretary of the UN Framework

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),

Ms. Christiana Figueres, held a media

round-table at UNIC Canberra, She also

held a range of meetings with members of

the Australian Government, private

sector, and civil society. UNIC played a key

role in supporting the delegation's visit by

arranging media appearances meetings,

as well as trip logistics, 7 May.

Austria

A New Interactive Guided Tour in

Vienna

UNIS Vienna's Visitors Service has

developed a new interactive guided tour

for young people -on sustainable

development - as part of its activities for

UN70. One focus is on the role of

sustainable energy as championed by the

Sustainable Energy for All Initiative,

which is headquartered in Vienna. The

tour will formally be launched on 26 June

2015.

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May 2015 Page 4

Teachers’ Workshops on Teaching the

United Nations

UNIS Vienna in cooperation with the

University of Teacher Education in

Vienna, organized two teachers’

workshops, with the aim of inspiring

teachers as well as advising them on how

to integrate global issues, such as

sustainable development, climate change

and refugee protection into their

curricula. Thirty-five teachers from

different schools in Vienna attended the

workshop held at the Vienna International

Centre, 14 April.

Ciné ONU Film Screening and Interview

on Albinism for UN Radio

After screening the film In the Shadow of

the Sun, as part of UNIS Vienna's monthly

Ciné ONU screenings, UNIS conducted a

short interview with Harry Freeland, the

director of the documentary on the

subject of the film albinism. Freeland

elaborated on how the film aims to dispel

myths about people with albinism. The

interview can be downloaded from UN

Radio.

Bangladesh

World Autism Awareness Day

Celebrated in Bangladesh

In observance of World Autism

Awareness Day, UNIC Dhaka and the

Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation

(BPF) jointly organized a cultural show

and discussion with the participation of

around 200 children, parents, teachers

and guests took part in the event. An art

exhibition was also opened at the

beginning of the event, 5 April.

Educational Outreach Training

Programme on UN and Information

Literacy

An educational outreach training

programme on UN and Information

Literacy was jointly organized by UNIC

Dhaka and the Centre for Information

Studies at Savar Girls High School,. Forty

students and teachers of the school took

part in the training programme. Various

sources of information were also

highlighted in the training sessions, 17

and 18 April.

“UN 70th Anniversary Lecture Series”

In commemoration of UN70, UNIC Dhaka

in consultation with the UN

Communication Group has planned to a

number of lectures throughout the year

titled “UN 70th Anniversary Lecture

Series”. Each event will focus on the

activities of different UN agencies in

Bangladesh. The first programme was

organized at UNIC with two UN agencies -

UNAIDS, and UN Office on Drugs and

Crime (UNODC), giving lectures. UNIC also

spoke about the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs), 30 April.

Belarus

Road Safety Week Campaign

UNO Minsk joined the UN Global Road

Safety Week under #SaveKidsLives

hashtag inviting all UN agencies in Belarus

to support the campaign. During the week,

photos of the participants were published

on social media, 4 – 10 May.

“GYMUN 2015”

Minsk Gymnasium №12 hosted “GYMUN

2015,” the International Gymnasia

Conference on modelling the work of the

UN. The Conference organized in

cooperation with UNO Minsk was

attended by 200 participants from 20

schools and gymnasiums of Belarus.

This year, the students simulated the

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May 2015 Page 5

work of six UN committees and discussed

such issues as illicit trade in small arms

and light weapons, use of economic

sanctions as a means of political coercion,

as well as the problem of drug abuse, 2-5

April.

Bolivia

Model UN explosion in Bolivia

The Model UN carried out by the Anglo-

American Cultural Center in Bolivia

(CCAAMUN) is now in its fifth year and is

an integral part of the academic

programme, in the country. From four in

2004, to more than forty in schools and

universities all across Bolivia, every year,

starting in May, an average of 6 000

Bolivian students get in touch with UN

values, world issues, and discover their

own leadership strengths through the

participation in domestic, inter-

institutional, local or national Model UN,

May 2015.

Burkina Faso

Ceremony: Reflecting on the Genocide

in Rwanda

As part of the commemoration of the

International Day of Reflection on the

Genocide in Rwanda, UNIC Ouagadougou

in partnership with the Rwandan

community in Burkina Faso held several

activities including: a mass in memory of

the victims of genocide; a March with lit

candles and an official ceremony during

which genocide survivors testimonies

were read. About 300 people attended the

ceremony, 10 April.

Exhibition: Reflecting on the Genocide

in Rwanda

To commemorate victims of the Genocide

in Rwanda, UNIC Ouagadougou organized

an exhibition of photographs, posters,

brochures, books, films and international

texts related to the genocide in Rwanda.

About 2,000 people visited the exhibition,

7 to 10 April.

Lectures: Reflecting on the Genocide in

Rwanda

In the framework of the commemoration

of the Genocide in Rwanda, UNIC

Ouagadougou in partnership with the

ministry for Human Rights promotion in

Burkina Faso, gave lectures in five high

schools located in Ouagadougou. The

lectures were about the causes and the

consequences of the Genocide in Rwanda

and the UN efforts and initiatives to

prevent genocides in the world, to 9 April

Burundi

Outreach Activity: Reflecting on the

Genocide in Rwanda

UNIC Bujumbura involved the Office of

High Commission for Human Rights and

the Rwanda Embassy in Burundi to an

educational outreach activity to

commemorate the 21st anniversary of the

Rwanda genocide. Around 200 students

from two secondary schools participated

in a briefing which took place in the UNIC

Library. The students were touched by the

story as Burundi shares the similar

history with same ethnic problems as

Rwanda, 9 April.

Visit by the UN High Commissioner for

Human Rights

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, paid a three-day

visit to Burundi – his first official country

visit as the UN’s top human rights official,.

UNIC Bujumbura organized media

coverage and organized a press

conference and arranged for exclusive

interviews with key local and

international journalists, 12 to 15 April.

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Cameroon

Conference-debate on Human Rights

and the Culture of Peace

The UN System organized a Conference-

debate on Human Rights and the Culture

of Peace at the International Relations

Institute of Cameroon (IRIC) in Yaoundé,

on the theme: “Role of Youths in the

Culture of Peace”. Panelists and

participants concluded that only a

sustained culture of peace, built on the

respect for human rights can enhance the

relative economic growth rate currently

being witnessed in Africa, 24 April.

Congo (Republic of)

Information Session to Promote the

13th UN Crime Congress

The role of the public in strengthening

crime prevention and criminal justice was

at the centre of an information session

UNIC Brazzaville promoted the 13th UN

Crime Congress. Eighty people including

media and civil society representatives,

and universities students as well attended

the activity, 10 April.

Egypt

Briefing on the Outcome of the 13th UN

Crime Congress

UNIC Cairo’s bimonthly media meeting

hosted the UN Office on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC) Regional Director, who briefed

the media on the smuggling of refugees in

the Mediterranean and the key outcomes

of the Doha Crime Congress that took

place on 12 to 19 April. The Director

stressed the need to strengthen

international cooperation to address

emerging crimes such as cybercrime, wild

life crimes, etc, 5 May.

France

Screening: Reflecting on the Genocide

in Rwanda

UNRIC’s Desk for France screened the

documentary 7 jours à Kigali, la semaine

où le Rwanda a bascule, by Jeremy Frey

and Mehdi Ba, for the remembrance of the

Genocide in Rwanda. The screening took

place at the Centre Wallonie Bruxelles in

Paris, with 80 guests in attendance, 7

April.

Georgia

Third UN Global Road Safety Week in

Georgia

In celebration of the third UN Global Road

Safety Week, UNO Tbilisi and the Georgia

Alliance for Safe Roads organized a road

safety awareness event to raise awareness

and generate action to better ensure

children’s safety on the roads. A Public

Service Announcement (PSA) Safe Kids

Lives was screened after the event, 4 May.

Conference on Crime Prevention and

Criminal Justice Issues

UNO Tbilisi, the Centre for Crime

Prevention of Georgia and the European

Law Students Association jointly

organized a conference dedicated to the

13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention

and Criminal Justice. The conference

brought together students from Tbilisi

and Gori universities, policy-makers,

educators and experts to discuss crime

prevention and criminal justice issues, 17

April.

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May 2015 Page 7

Use Your Power! Earth Hour 2015 in

Georgia

UNO Tbilisi, the UN Development

Programme (UNDP), Ministry of

Environment and Natural Resources

Protection of Georgia, Wild World Fund

(WWF) Caucasus, Caucasus

Environmental NGO Network (CENN) and

Caucasus Nature Fund (GNF), organized a

traditional celebration of Earth Hour with

a live music concert and fire-show which

was open to the public, 28 March.

Germany

Cine-ONU Screening of The Supreme

Price

UNRIC Brussels screened The Supreme

Price at Museum Ludwig in Cologne,

Germany, a documentary by Joanna

Lipper that traces the evolution of the

Pro-Democracy Movement in Nigeria, an

initiative for female empowerment. The

film focuses on the fight for social justice –

or, as one of the female activists puts it: "If

I can make one little difference, I must do

it", 9 April.

Greece

Thessaloniki International Model UN

About 500 participants of the

Thessaloniki International Model UN

(MUN) - ThesISMUN - held banners with

the UN70 logo during the opening

ceremony of the MUN, to show their

support to the UN for its 70th Anniversary,

15 April.

India

Painting Competition to Raise

Awareness on Road Safety

UNIC New Delhi in collaboration with the

Automobile Association of Upper India

(AAUI), under the umbrella of the UN

Decade for Action on Road Safety,

organized a painting competition to

spread awareness for the UN Secretary-

General’s campaign #SaveKidsLives.

Awards were given to the winners during

a ceremony held on 15 April.

Month-long UN Football Tournament in

New Delhi

UNIC New Delhi organized a month-long

UN Football Tournament to

commemorate the International Day of

Sport for Development and Peace During

the month, over 60 matches were played

in 48 schools across New Delhi, raising

awareness on the values of equality,

acceptance of rules, mutual respect and

fairness which the UN upholds, 23 April.

6th UN Young Changemakers Conclave

The 6th UN Young Changemakers Conclave

in Mumbai was organised by UNIC New

Delhi in collaboration with the

Thincquisitive Foundation on the theme

"Age of E: The Role of Technology in

Governance, Business, Media and Social

Media." The conclave acts as a platform

for selected young professionals, students,

changemakers and entrepreneurs to

engage with eminent achievers from the

fields of business, politics, sport, Indian

cinema, media and the arts, 18 April.

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May 2015 Page 8

Iran

Seminar: Reflecting on the Genocide in

Rwanda

UNIC Tehran in cooperation with the

Iranian International Studies Association

(IISA), organized a conference to mark the

International Day of Reflection on the

Genocide in Rwanda. About 150

university students, researchers and

professors were in attendance, 20 April.

Seminar: International Mother Earth

Day

On the occasion of International Mother

Earth Day, the Foundation for

Environmental Education, in partnership

with UNIC Tehran, organized a seminar

attended by teachers and students from

11 Eco-schools from different districts of

Tehran as well as Government officials, 22

April.

Ceremony Marking Day of

Remembrance for All Victims of

Chemical Warfare

Tehran Peace Museum (TPM) and UNIC

Tehran organized a ceremony marking

the International Day of Remembrance for

All Victims of Chemical Warfare at the

Tehran Peace Museum and in Park-e-

Shahr (City Park). More than 50

participants including journalist,

diplomats, victims of chemical attacks and

their relatives were in attendance, 29

April.

Italy

Events in Milan and Turin: Reflecting

on the Genocide in Rwanda

The UNRIC Desk for Italy took part in the

commemoration of the 21st Anniversary of

the genocide in Rwanda by attending two

events in Milan and Turin respectively.

The events drew participants from all

over Italy and featured religious services,

candle lighting and laying of flowers, 7

and 9 April.

Japan

UN70 Seminar Series

UNIC Tokyo Director gave a lecture titled

“Your United Nations: Past, Present, and

Future”, a second instalment in a series of

seminars that commemorate UN70, at

Meiji University. The lecture was delivered

to students from UN Academic Impact

member universities to let them make the

UN relevant to themselves particularly in

the context of human rights and women’s

empowerment, 20 April.

Guidance on UN Documents

UNIC Tokyo organised as part of its

monthly series at UN University, a

document guidance session comprising of

an introduction to the topic of the Security

Council and practical instruction on the

examination, 16 April.

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May 2015 Page 9

Kenya

2nd Annual Governors Devolution

Conference

The Governor of Machakos County visited

the UN in Kenya stand, during the 2nd

Annual Governors Devolution Conference

held in Kisumu, organized by the

Government. UNIC Nairobi and UN

Volunteers manned the UN's stall

showcasing how the UN is Delivering as

One in support of devolution in the

country, 21 to 23 April.

Lebanon

“Bike Tripoli 2”

UNIC Beirut partnered with Social Way

NGO in Lebanon in launching “Bike Tripoli

2”, a cultural, environmental and sports

event aimed at spreading the bicycle

culture, creating safe routes for bikes in

cities and villages, encouraging clean

transportation and raising awareness

about road safety. The event entailed a

12-km bike ride in the northern port city

of Tripoli with about 2 000 participants

26 April.

UNIC Beirut Partners with AUB in NGO

Conference and Exhibition

The Centre for Civic Engagement and

Community Service (CCECS) at the

American University of Beirut (AUB), in

partnership with UNIC Beirut, launched

the “AUB 2015 NGO Conference and

Exhibition”. Nine UN agencies operating in

Lebanon took part in the Exhibition that

brought together 100 local and

international NGOs 29 and 30 April.

Madagascar

Conference on Human Trafficking

Within the framework of the Crime

Congress held in Doha, UNIC

Antananarivo co-organized with the

AEDIFP (a university students’

association), a conference on Human

Trafficking, in partnership with the

International Organization for Migrations

(IOM) and the Office of the High

Commissioner for Human Rights

(OHCHR). More than 300 guests were in

attendance, 15 April.

Validation Workshop of the Draft Law

Relating to the Code of Communication

UNIC Antananarivo supported the

validation workshop of the draft law

relating to the Code of Communication,

which results from a series of national

consultations and workshops under the

lead of the Ministry of Communication,

Information and Relations with the

Institutions and the partnership of UNIC,

UN Development Programme (UNDP) UN

Educational Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO), and the Office of

the High Commissioner for Human Rights

(OHCHR), 8 April.

Ceremony: Reflecting on

the Genocide in Rwanda

A ceremony to mark the International Day

of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda

was organized by UNIC Antananarivo in

partnership with the Rwandan diaspora at

the UN Common House. It consisted of a

silent walk, candle lighting and official

speeches, 17 April.

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May 2015 Page 10

Mexico

Volunteer Fair

The National Autonomous University of

Mexico Campus Acatlán, organized a

Volunteer Fair, where UNIC Mexico

promoted the UN Crime Congress

reaching more of 1000 students. Students

of Law, Journalism and International

Relations demonstrated great interest in

the working for the UN not only in Mexico

but also abroad, 29 April.

Launch of the Regional Report on the

World’s Women

The launch of the Regional Report -

Progress on the World’s Women 2015-

2016 - was organized by UN Women and

UNIC Mexico City. Over 120 people

attended the launch, including major

television and newspaper reporters. UNIC

produced a webcast, photo gallery, video

and a UN Radio interview with the

Regional Director for the Americas and

the Caribbean. UNIC also taped a TV

interview for Brazil’s largest media outlet,

Globo. Its sister company GNT has the

most important programme on gender

issues in the country, 27 April.

Knowledge Fair

For UN70, a knowledge fair was set in one

of Mexico City´s most iconic avenues

reaching over 10 000 people. UNIC Mexico

was in charge of the "Welcome Tent".

Mexico's Foreign Affair Minister as well as

the President of the Senate, among other

Government and local authorities and

general public, lined up to take a photo

with a paper replica of the Secretary-

General, 21 March.

Nigeria

Observance on World Press Freedom

Day

The Director of UNIC Lagos, called on

stakeholders to allow journalism to thrive,

at an event to mark the World Press

Freedom Day. UNIC Lagos organized the

observance in collaboration with Media

Awareness and Information For All

Network (MAIN) and the Department of

Mass Communication, University of Lagos,

5 May.

UNIC wins Lagos State Government

award of recognition in support of its

school initiative

The Lagos State Government through its

Ministry of Education has given an award

to the United Nations Information Centre

(UNIC) Lagos in recognition of its support

to the government’s schools’ Initiatives.

According to the Ministry, the award

plaque, signed by the Honourable

Commissioner for Education, Mrs

Olayinka Oladunjoye, was presented to

UNIC Lagos ‘for partnering with the State

Government in support of our Schools’

Initiative. The Government and People of

the Centre of Excellence appreciate your

support.”

Morocco

"Morocco, Land of African Migration"

UNIC Rabat organized jointly with the UN

Resident Coordinators Office,

International Organization for Migration

(IOM), UN High Commissioner for

Refugees (UNHCR), UN Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO), International Labour

Organization (ILO) and the UN Economic

Commission for Africa (UNECA), a panel

in the framework of a Forum organized by

the University of Law Rabat-Agdal under

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May 2015 Page 11

the theme “Morocco, Land of African

Migration”, 29th April.

Pakistan

Signing of Memorandums of

Understanding with the Institute of

Peace and Diplomatic Studies

UNIC Islamabad signed

two Memorandums of Understanding

(MOUs) with the Institute of Peace and

Diplomatic Studies (IPD) and with the

Inter-University Consortium for

Promotion of Social Sciences, Humanities

and Arts (IUCPSS) for enhancing

dissemination of values and core

messages of the UN among the young

people of Pakistan. The partnerships will

focus on the joint development of several

initiatives, including the UN Corner, the

UN Wall campaign, the Academic Impact,

an internship programme and

commemoration of the UN Days. The

IUCPSS consisting on 26 universities

representing all regions of Pakistan, is the

largest autonomous network of the

public/private sector universities in the

world, 8 April.

Communication Workshops to Enhance

Understanding of the Work of the UN

After holding communication workshops

in three provinces - Gilgit Baltistan;

Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwah -,

the UN Communication Group, led by the

Director of UNIC Islamabad, enhanced its

outreach to Punjab and organised

communication workshops in Lahore. The

objective of the workshops was to

enhance the common understanding

about the development and humanitarian

assistance programmes of the UN in

Pakistan and strengthening relations with

different stakeholders at the provincial

level, 14 and 15 April.

Mother Earth Day in Pakistan

UNIC Islamabad celebrated Mother Earth

Day by joining a tree planting initiative

with the Federal Minister for Climate

Change and partners from the Centre for

Climate Research & Development (CCRD),

COMSATS University Islamabad and the

French Embassy in Islamabad, 22 April,

Peru

Workshop on Gender Equality

Continuing with the promotion of

Beijing+20 and other gender issues, UNIC

Lima organized a workshop for 50 school

students about gender equality. The

workshop was delivered by a Specialist in

Gender and Social Communication.

Students participated by improvising

plays. Some videos on the theme were

also screened, 13 April.

Model UN at Newton College

UNIC Lima supported the organization of

the UN Model at the Newton College in

Lima. Participating schools were from a

network of English speaking schools

therefore all the committees worked in

that language. A total of 180 students

from 9 schools participated, 18 April.

UN70 Presentation

UNIC Lima offered a presentation about

UN70 at the Faculty of International

Relations of the San Ignacio de Loyola

University as part of a series of talks on

the subject to be delivered during the

year. The film We the Peoples was

screened followed by a Q&A. session, 29

April.

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May 2015 Page 12

Poland

International Model United Nations in

Poland

The Officer-in-Charge of UNIC Warsaw

gave a speech at an opening ceremony of

the International Model UN (MUN) under

the theme “Threats to International

Security”. Over 100 students took part in

the event at the Wroclaw University of

Technology, including youth from Czech

Republic, Germany and Great Britain. The

event was organised by the MUN

Association of Poland with the support of

the Centre for International Debate in

Wroclaw. It was held within the Polish

observance of UN70, 10 - 12 April.

“Poland and Contemporary World

Knowledge” essay contest

This year “Poland and Contemporary

World Knowledge” essay contest under

the theme “The Role of the UN in Shaping

International Order” was held within the

Polish observance of UN70 and under

honorary patronage of the President of

the Republic of Poland. The nation-wide

event is the most prestigious undertaking

in the history of Polish education,

organized for over 50 years. In her speech,

UNIC Warsaw Officer-in-Charge stressed

the importance of global education and

the role of youth in building peaceful

future for all people. About 10 000 high

school students applied to participate, 15

March.

Russian Federation

Open-door Event for University

Students at the UN House

UNIC Moscow organized an open door

session at the UN House for a group of

university students - champions of the

Moscow International Model UN - 2015.

The series of briefings with heads of UN

agencies focused on the challenges of

sustainable development, human rights,

protection of refugees, public health

emergencies and HIV/AIDS, 24 April.

Holocaust-Related Events in Nizhny

Novgorod

Three interlinked Holocaust-related

events were held in the city of Nizhny

Novgorod with support from UNIC

Moscow. Two interactive "open lessons"

were held at the Hessed Sara Charity

Foundation and the Nizhny Novgorod

State University while the third event

featuring an exhibit of students' posters,

was organized at Nizhny Novgorod

Pedagogical University. The events were

held in collaboration with the Russian

Jewish Congress (RJC), 27-28 April.

World Press Freedom Day 2015

UNIC Moscow organizeda special event,

under the theme "Let Journalism Thrive!”,

dedicated to World Press Freedom Day

and centered around the political

cartoons exhibit. This was a joint activity

with other UN agencies, specifically, the

Office of the High Commissioner for

Human Rights (OHCHR) Moscow Office.

The participants had a good opportunity

to celebrate the freedom of expression as

one of the fundamental tenets of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

29 April.

Sudan

Orientation Workshop on the 13th UN

Congress on Crime Prevention

UNIC Khartoum, in collaboration with

Teeba Press and with support from the

Ministry of Justice, the Police Department

for Combatting Human Trafficking, UN

High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR) and the International

Organization for Migration (IOM),

organized an orientation workshop for

the national media to promote the 13th UN

Congress on Crime Prevention and

Criminal Justice held in Doha, 7 April.

UNIC @ Work

May 2015 Page 13

Tanzania

Candle Lighting Ceremony: Reflecting

on the Genocide in Rwanda

UNIC Dar es Salaam in partnership with

the Rwanda High Commission to Tanzania

organized a candle lighting ceremony to

mark the International Day of Reflection

on the Genocide in Rwanda with over 500

people in attendance. UNIC also

undertook educational outreach to over

100 students from two schools raising

awareness on genocide as a crime against

humanity, 8 – 16 April.

Graduation Ceremony for Senior

Journalists and Editors

UNIC Dar es Salaam supported a

fellowship programme empowering eight

senior journalists and editors to report on

serious issues that will help Tanzanians

combat drug trafficking and drug abuse.

Tanzania’s Attorney General awarded

certificates to a total of 18 fellows

including ten women who undertook a

separate fellowship on promoting

Millennium Development Goals

awareness in Tanzania, 17 April.

Togo

Elections in Togo

The UN system was involved in the

election process in Togo through different

trainings of local representatives and

journalists. UNIC Lome played an

important role of linking the media and

the UN Country Team whose members

were observers on Election Day, 15 April.

Tunisia

Annual Forum of NGOs Partners

In the framework of the Annual Forum

with more than 200 local NGOs partners

of the UN System in Tunisia, this year

UNIC Tunis seized the occasion to launch

UN70 celebrations. An exhibition of

posters and photos was organised

focusing on UN achievements in the world

and in Tunisia, 7 April.

Turkey

Students from Niğde Meet UNIC Ankara

As part of UNIC Ankara’s educational

outreach activities, a group of 30 students

from the Niğde University visited the UN

House in Ankara. The group which was in

Ankara as part of a tour of several

government ministries and think ta-

thanks, discussed the post-2015

sustainable development agenda and

UN70, 20 April.

UN Military Observer Course in Ankara

UNIC Ankara’s Information Officer, made

a presentation on the “Introduction to UN

and UN Peacekeeping Operations”, to a

group of 49 officers from 21 countries

including: Bosnia, Jordan, Nigeria. The

group was in Ankara at the invitation of

the Turkish government, 28 April.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe International Trade Fair

UNIC Harare participated in the

Zimbabwe International Trade-Fair as a

member of the UN Communication Group.

Over 3 000 people visited the stand. These

included school-teachers; students from

both primary and secondary schools and

from universities; researchers;

government officials and members of the

public. UN70 banners were prominently

featured in the booth, 29 April to 2 May.

UNIC @ Work

May 2015 Page 14

Experiences @ Work

India

By Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, Director,

UNIC New Delhi

Over 100 000 children. Staggering figures

indeed! An International Children's Film

Festival of nine days with over 100 000

students viewing a selection of 430 films?

Unbelievable?

The City Montessori School (CMS),

Lucknow, together with UNIC New Delhi,

upheld this challenge, worthy of a go at

the Guinness Record. Amazing, but twice a

day busloads of students arrived to watch

the screenings, every participant

documented by the school, and

accompanied by teachers and parents.

With eight venues showing diverse

selections from the 430 films chosen out

of 1 020 entries from 80 countries, just

ensuring that everyone had drinking

water and restroom facilities was a small

miracle. Nearly 100 shuttle buses made

two trips a day for nine days.

Dr. Jagdish Gandhi, Founder Manager of

CMS had a dream; that children's films

should have no violence nor scenes unfit

for young minds. This translated into an

amazing festival, now among the world's

largest at a school, and absolutely free!

Great celebrities from Bollywood

attended, including famous child actors,

script writers, filmmakers; ministers,

diplomatic community from Delhi and

even a recent Miss India who hails from

that city.

As Chair of the international jury

comprising award-winning filmmakers

and critics from around the world, this

was an incredible experience. The values

of peace and harmony that we expect the

children to imbibe, closely match the UN

dream of making the world a better place,

to create the future we want. The festival

was a perfect advocacy and awareness

raising tool. The films, a rainbow of

diversity and richness, covered almost

every imaginable subject, from education,

to discrimination, to sustainability, to

culture, to street children, to the girl child,

disability, social issues and much more.

Extensive media coverage every single

amazing day of the festival demonstrated

its impact. What a great collaboration and

wonderful experience for UNIC!

New Faces @ Work

Monica Villela Grayley, (right) with the Director of

UNEP in Mexico City

Monica Villela Grayley arrived at UNIC

Mexico City mid-April to take her

assignment as the Acting Director for the

Centre which also serves Cuba and the

Dominican Republic. Before her work at

the UNIC, Monica led the Portuguese Unit

of UN Radio where she oversaw a

multimedia daily news operation

including TV and internet. She also served

DPI as the Acting Chief of the Partnerships

Unit between 2009-10. Currently, the

team in Mexico City and Monica are

working together with UN agencies based

in the country to help improve even

further the awareness of the UN work.

UNIC Mexico colleagues have already

started producing more content for not

only for UN Radio but also to enhance

their presence in social media with the

help of Mexican students who volunteer at

the UNIC. Monica is a Brazilian national

with a Master’s Degree in Linguistics and

Political Sciences, she is scheduled to

defend her Ph.D. thesis in Political

Sciences later this year, in Portugal. She

speaks English, German, Portuguese and

Spanish and is currently learning French.

Creativity @ Work

Armenia

UNO Yerevan has produced a banner and two folders in Armenian and English with their respective language contents (factsheets and press kit) all dedicated to the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

Two short videos were also translated into Armenian, subtitled, shared and used during the events on Crime Congress What is corruption and Cyber Security.

Austria

UNIS Vienna has produced postcards to

promote the updated and extended

teaching material called “Together

Strong”. It provides educational material

in German on “Teaching the UN” with

additional learning tools on sustainable

development, human rights, humanitarian

assistance, peace and security, and

international law. See more here.

UNIC @ Work

May 2015 Page 15

Bangladesh

UNIC Dhaka has produced a poster in

connection with UN70 in Bangladesh.

UNIC is planning a year-long lecture series

with the participation of young students

and other partners. Different UN agencies

are scheduled to deliver presentations

during the lecture series.

Belarus

To advocate UN70 in Belarus UNO, Minsk

has produced a set of commemorative

cups, writing pads, pens and business card

holders under the logo “Strong UN, Better

World” in the Russian language.

UNO Minsk and MITSO University

conducted an essay contest "70 Years of

the UN. My World: Sustainable

Development Agenda Beyond 2015". The

Essay Contest was an opportunity for

talented, bright secondary school students

of Belarus to present their perspective

and opinions of the activities of the UN

and post–2015 global development

agenda.

Belgium

UNRIC Brussels Info Point and Library has

issued a special edition of its Library

Newsletter focussing on UN Research

Guides developed by the UN Libraries in

New York, Geneva & Vienna: PDF version.

In addition, a new one-stop access to all

research guides has been created as part

of the Info Point & Library website:

English; French; Spanish.

UNRIC Brussels has translated the Time

for Global Action 2015 logo into

Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finish,

Greek, German, Portuguese and Italian.

UNRIC also created promotional web

banners (into Norwegian, Swedish,

Danish, Finnish, Greek, German, Italian,

French and Spanish) posted on the UNRIC

language websites to promote the official

Global Action website.

Elyx is a virtual character drawn in a very

simple style, Elyx can express a great

number of different expressions.

Created three years ago by the French

artist YAK, Elyx does not speak, has no

nationality, race or sex, and is therefore a

universal character, comprehensible by all

everywhere.

In partnership with the artist, UNRIC

Brussels is using Elyx to highlight a series

of international observances. For the

month of April Elyx helped UNRIC mark

three International Days: World Book and

Copyright Day, World Jazz Day and

Mother Earth Day.

Brazil

UNIC Rio de Janeiro was fully involved in

the production and dissemination of

information materials in Portuguese of

the UN Crime Congress and created a

special webpage. The information was

also shared through all UNIC Rio social

media channels. One of the spots on

combating illegal wildlife trade alone had

more than 370 000 views and was shared

UNIC @ Work

May 2015 Page 16

10 000 times on Facebook, showing the

interest this matter raised in Brazil.

Congo (Republic of)

UNIC Brazzaville has produced and

displayed the UN 70 logo on its panel

which is facing a very popular crossroad.

India

UNIC New Delhi has created unique artwork to memorialise the victims of the Rwandan genocide for the 21st commemoration ceremony held in New Delhi. Visualised in two parts, the images of the gory past of the genocide was presented through a series of words that captured memories of that horror. The top segment presented images of modern day Rwanda. Sutured together with thick string the two halves presented the concept of Kwibuka - Remembrance and Beyond! Japan

UNIC Tokyo has made three webpages: a). featuring the latest situation in Yarmouk, with a video of UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Pierre Kra henbu hl’s visit to the area, subtitled in Japanese. b). a webpage in the lead-up to the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

c). a webpage with an overview of the

Secretary-General’s visit to Japan for the

Third UN World Conference on Disaster

Risk Reduction in March.

To commemorate the International

Decade for People of African Descent

(2015-2024), UNIC Tokyo created a flyer

in Japanese. It will be distributed at

screenings of the movie Selma which will

be released in Japan staring in June 2015.

UNIC has published its quarterly

magazine Dateline UN Vol.89. It features

the Secretary-General’s visit to Japan in

March, Japanese staff’s career experiences

in the UN, and the campaign “2015: Time

for Global Action”.

Lastly, UNIC has promoted on its website

an op-ed published in the Japan Times on

the 2015 Crime Congress written by Yury

Fedotov, executive director of UNODC. The

article highlighted the significance of the

Crime Congress in the UN’s efforts to

improve criminal justice around the

world.

Pakistan

The Urdu version of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights was

launched in Islamabad at a session jointly

organised by the UN System in Pakistan

and the National Book Foundation in

Islamabad on 24 April.

Peru

UNIC Lima has prepared the following banners in Spanish to promote: UN70 and the indigenous peoples forum.

Thinglink (interactive website) with key

data about the Permanent Forum on

Indigenous Issues 2015.

UNIC Lima has also produced a poster to

raise awareness on malaria and

UNIC @ Work

May 2015 Page 17

promotional banners for My World survey

and Action 2015.

Banner on My World Survey

Action 2015 promotional banner

Russian Federation

UNIC Moscow has produced the Russian

translation of the address by Mr. Michael

Møller, Acting Director-General of the UN

Office at Geneva, to participants in the IV

Moscow Conference on International

Security, 16 April.

Turkey

UNIC Ankara translated into Turkish the

Secretary-General’s Synthesis Report

titled “The Road to Dignity by 2030:

Ending Poverty, Transforming all Lives

and Protecting the Planet”.

Zambia

UNIC Lusaka officially launched its

electronic registration system as part of

its ongoing green initiative in April 2015.

The new system allows clients to book a

free computer terminal, keeps a

permanent record of each client and is

automatically logged-in at the point of

entry. It is also capable of generating

various statistics similar to those used on

the CIMS platform thereby making it

easier UNIC to record more accurately on

the CIMS platform every month.

Social Media @ Work

South Africa

In response to the recent surge of

xenophobic violence against foreigners in

South Africa, UNIC Pretoria launched an

anti-xenophobia social media campaign

#WeAreYou #SayNoToXenophobia to

stand up against xenophobia and promote

the equality of all human beings

regardless of their nationality. Supported

by the UN in South Africa staff, the

campaign demonstrates the position that

the UN in SA has taken against

xenophobia and showed solidarity with

the victims.

For more activities of the global network of UN information centres, visit the UNIC Activity Blog.

UNIC @ Work

May 2015 Page 18