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United Nations May 08 2012

Activists for indigenous rights today said that five years after the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted, a great deal remains to be done to realize the objectives contained in that landmark document.

Tonya Gonnella Frichner, native American activist and lawyer:
“We are recommending that the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues conduct an international study on this doctrine and look at the effects that the Doctrine of Domination has had on our health, our physical, psychological and social wellbeing as well as our human and collective rights.”

Grand Chief Edward John, Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues:
“Those schools were premised on this idea that indigenous peoples were inferior to the general population, their cultures and civilisations were inferior, their languages were not to be spoken, children had to be taken from their families and communities and placed in these institutions to begin the gradual civilisation and Christianisation of our peoples. As if our history and our cultures and our languages were not important.”

On 17 May, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will convene a high-level event to mark the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration, reflect on good practices and assess the document’s role in fulfilling the rights of the world’s indigenous peoples.

Adopted by the General Assembly in September 2007 after more than two decades of debate, the Declaration is a non-binding text that sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues.

Source: UNTV

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United Nation, May 02 2012

Being born too soon can mean agony for life, and that’s for those lucky enough to survive.  A new UN-backed report says that 15 million babies – more than one in ten – are born prematurely each year, meaning they are delivered before 39 weeks of gestation.
Many of those babies suffer some type of lifelong physical, neurological, or educational disability, often at great cost to families and society. And each year, over one million preterm babies die shortly after birth.

Dr. Carole Presern, Director of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health:
“Prematurity is the number one cause of newborn death and the number two cause of death among all children under the age of five, and I want to pause on that because this is completely new and groundbreaking.”

Most of the countries with preterm rates above 15 percent are in Africa – but the problem is not confined to low-income countries.

Adam Pallone, USA parent of preterm baby:
“Her brain injuries made it difficult for her to eat, and she currently has to receive her food through a tube that’s implanted into her stomach. She’s been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, her days are filled with physical therapy and doctor’s visits. She’ll be turning two in almost a week, and she’s still unable to crawl or sit without assistance. Since her birth, her medical bills have totalled over 1.2 million dollars. Her condition, resulting from her prematurity, will likely require lifelong care, and many more treatments, many more bills.”

In poor countries, preterm babies rarely make it that far. More than 90 percent die within the first few days of life.

According to the report, inexpensive treatments could save at least three quarters of preterm babies in the developing world.

The authors estimate that “kangaroo care” alone, where the infant is held skin-to-skin on the mother’s chest to keep warm, could save almost half a million lives a year.

And one big key to reducing preterm deaths, they say, is to help all pregnancies go to full term, because “a healthy baby is worth the wait”.

Source: UNTV

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United Nations, April 30 2012

Dozens of jazz greats from around the globe are expected at UN headquarters tonight for a star-studded concert in celebration of the first annual International Jazz Day, which seeks to spotlight the historic influence of jazz in connecting people and igniting social change.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), along with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, is hosting the concert which feature an all-star cast of performers, among them Herbie Hancock, Tony Bennett, Chaka Khan, Angélique Kidjo and Romero Lubambo. Co-hosts include actors Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Quincy Jones.

Lionel Loueke, Beninois guitarist:
“As a jazz musician, what you do is you improvise, and I think this goes for jazz as well as for life in general, you need to be able to express yourself freely. In all the countries of the world where you have freedom of expression, you generally have more peace. So you see, they go together.”

Kidjo, who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), pointed out that jazz had its roots in slavery, and urged people to confront slavery’s modern forms.

Angelique Kidjo, Beninoise singer/songwriter and activist:
“Slavery is not an event in human history that we could be proud of. And out of this horrible event emerged something that is fantastic, which is music that has allowed people who were being reduced to animals, to preserve their human dignity.”

Source: UNFeed

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Jacob Javits Center – New York – April 21 2012 – United Nations promoting Rio+20 at the First NYC Green Festival at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center downtown Manhattan

Credit: Luiz Rampelotto/Europa Newswire

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Geneva, 8 April 2012

I am shocked by recent reports of a surge in violence and atrocities in several towns and villages in Syria, resulting in alarming levels of casualties, refugees and displaced persons, in violation of assurances given to me.

This is a time when we must all urgently work towards a full cessation of hostilities, providing the space for humanitarian access and creating the conditions for a political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people.

As we get closer to the Tuesday 10 April deadline, I remind the Syrian Government of the need for full implementation of its commitments and stress that the present escalation of violence is unacceptable. I once again call upon both the Government and the opposition to cease all forms of violence by 0600 Damascus time Thursday 12 April.

I am in constant contact with the Syrian Government and ask all States with influence on the parties to use it now to ensure an end to the bloodshed and the beginning of dialogue.

Source: UN Spokesperson

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United Nations – New York – April 03 2012 – The UN Postal Administration launched a series of postage stamps designed by artists diagnosed with autism with the goal of raising awareness about the condition..

PHOTO OF: Pilipino and Canadian Artist, J. A. Tan – VICTORY – Stamp Creator .

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United Nations – March 30 2012

New York, Vienna and Geneva, the UN Postal Administration (UNPA) released six commemorative postage stamps and two collectible envelopes dedicated to autism awareness, with images created by artists who have been diagnosed with autism.
UNPA’s chief, David Failor, told a news conference in New York that the selection process enabled the agency to discover the many hidden talents that people diagnosed with autism have.

David Failor, Chief of the United Nations Postal Administration:
“Selecting the subject and designing the stamp really presented us with quite a unique challenge. You know, after all, how do you visually depict autism on a postage stamp? And I think the one thing that struck us is as we learned more about the disorder was the many hidden talents that some of these folks had. Rorie, who is the head of our UNPA stamp design team really came up with the idea of, let’s see about using artwork that was created by individuals that had been diagnosed with autism.”
He noted that it was Rorie Katz, Head of Graphic Design for United Nations Postal Administration, who came up with the idea of, “let’s see about using artwork that was created by individuals that had been diagnosed with autism.”

Katz commented that “the artwork was so good” that it made it “really difficult to pick just eight.”

Rorie Katz, Head of Graphic Design for United Nations Postal Administration:
“The artwork was so good that we had no idea what we were going to get and it was really, really difficult to pick just eight. Originally we were going to use just three and there was so much artwork and it was so good that we had to use more and I wish we could have used every single picture that we got.”
The UN is the only organization in the world which is neither a country nor a territory that is permitted to issue postage stamps. It is also the only postal authority to issue stamps in three different currencies – the United States dollar, the Swiss franc and the euro.

The stamps will go on sale in New York, Vienna and Geneva beginning on Monday.

Source: UNTV.

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United Nations – March 14 2012

Actress Ashley Judd participated in a discussion with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on human trafficking, HIV/ AIDS and women’s issues and shared experiences she chronicles in her new memoir, “All that is Bitter and Sweet.”

She told of her experiences travelling around the world

Ashley Judd, Author of All That Is Bitter and Sweet:
“I’ve been on the front lines of the battle of preventable diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS, traveled into the depraved world of human trafficking, sex slavery and labor slavery, visited the palaces and corridors of power, engaging the decision-makers who can improve public policies. My aim when I began this journey was to make my life an act of worship, to be useful to my fellows.”

Ashley Judd, Author of All That Is Bitter and Sweet:
“I was at a brothel in Madagascar and interviewing women, asking you know, how, how did you end up here? And this one woman, she was really beautiful, in the most off-handed manner said, ‘Same ole, same ole.’ And that’s when I really made the connection that sex slavery is everywhere, the story is largely the same and differs only in the details.”

Ashley Judd, Author of All That Is Bitter and Sweet:
“A victim of human trafficking’s will to live is probably the most remarkable thing I have ever beheld in my life. The ability to do what is in front of them to do and to keep taking the next breath speaks to some thing about the human spirit that defies explanation.”

Source: UNTV

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New York – March 12 2012

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, United States:
“Today we held an informal consultation of the Quartet. We remain committed to the overall objectives the Quartet outlined last September and we agreed to meet in April. We reiterated our support for Jordanian peacemaking efforts and our call to both parties to remain engaged and to refrain from provocative actions. I also, on behalf of the United States condemned in the strongest terms the rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, which continued over the weekend. We call on those responsible to take immediate action to end these attacks and we call on both sides to make very every effort to restore calm.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, United States:
“The Palestinian people just like their Arab neighbours, Israelis and all people deserve dignity, liberty and the right to decide their own future. They deserve a viable, independent Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. But we know from decades in the diplomatic trenches that the only way to get there is through a negotiated peace. A peace that cannot be dictated from outside by the United States, by the United Nations or anyone else and one we will continue to pursue through every productive avenue.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, United States:
“Like many Americans, I was shocked and saddened by the killings of innocent Afghans villages this weekend. We send our condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and to the people of Afghanistan. This is not who we are and the United States is committed to seeing that those responsible are held accountable.”

Source: UNTV

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New York – March 12 2012
The United Nations humanitarian chief said today that the government of Syria has said they need more time to consider the UN proposals for humanitarian access. “This is a minimal start, she said, “we need much, much more.”

Just back from her two-day visit to Syria, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said “we need a robust and regular arrangement, which allows humanitarian organizations unhindered access – and time – to assess humanitarian needs.”

Amos said that she was “desperately worried” about what has happened to Syrians like those who live in Homs.

Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Operations and Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations:
“My job is to try to find a solution and to do my best to get in, to get humanitarian assistance to the people who need it. I am desperately worried about what is happened to the people, for example, who used to live in Homs. We don’t know where they are, we don’t know what they need are, some of course will be sheltering with friends or with family, some may have crossed the border we don’t know. We need more transparency, more openness. We need to know what is happening to people.”

When asked if it was at all possible to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria, she said
it was “entirely possible” to get humanitarian assistance into the country now if the Syrian authorities agree to it. But what was not known was the scale of the humanitarian needs and how it might develop. “It is critical,” she said, “to have a better sense of what is going on.”

Last week Amos urged Syrian authorities to allow unrestricted access to humanitarian organizations to deliver aid to people affected by the ongoing violence, saying she was “horrified” by the destruction she had seen in some of the areas she visited during her two-day visit to the country.

Source: UNTV