UN DAY 2006 ON CAMPUS

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Are you looking for a way to get your campus involved in United Nations Day, but unsure how? Need some information on the topic and ideas for campus events?

Start by taking a look at the 2006 United Nations Day Community Organizer’s Guide. This booklet, available to download and in hardcopy, will give you a firm background in this year’s highlighted Millennium Development Goal: maternal health and well-being. In addition to educating you on the pertinent issues, the guide has step-by-step suggestions on how to build a UN Day Committee, plan events, gain exposure and secure a speaker. Also included are sample documents to make getting involved easy and effective.

Check out the UN Day 2006 Guide!

Short on time and need a quick review on the issues surrounding maternal health? Want to talk about maternal health with others? Click on the “Maternal Health and Well-Being PowerPoint” and the “Frequently Asked Questions.” Here you’ll find an overview of the main facets of maternal health in a user friendly and concise format. Also find a sample OpEd to use in a local publication. Find it at UN Day 2006 webpage.

Looked through all the resources and still having trouble finding something “student” friendly? Here are some suggestions for UN Day events on campus:

Show a film
Whether it’s a pertinent Hollywood blockbuster or a documentary, films are a great way to attract an audience and fuel discussion afterwards. Here are some suggestions.

The Constant Gardener- After his wife is murdered in Kenya, Justin Quayle, a mild, low-level diplomat and a constant gardener, must investigate his wife's death, their relationship, and his own heart. In his investigation, Justin must not shy away as he faces his memories, his colleagues, local police, hired thugs, and a nasty corporate CEO. Help and connections, as well as conspiracies, come from unexpected places, and the investigation discloses a powerful secret involving corruption in the members of the British High Commission and the pharmaceutical industry.
Possible Discussion: Talk about how corruption can hinder access to healthcare, supplies and food, and the consequences for expectant and new mothers.

Doctors Without Borders: “Life in the Field.” National Geographic film crews followed Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) volunteers into parts of the world affected by violence, famine, and disease. The result is Doctors Without Borders: Life in the Field, a weekly television series narrated by Kiefer Sutherland featuring 30 MSF projects in more than 20 different countries and profiling more than 45 MSF volunteers – an unprecedented examination of life in the field with one of the world’s leading independent medical humanitarian aid organization. Find more information at Doctors Without Borders webpage. 
Possible Discussion: Many episodes deal with health issues including lack of supplies, medicine and trained professionals. Discuss what these problems are, why they are occurring and what can be done to improve the situation.

8- The first 2 shorts of this 8 part feature about the Millennium Development Goals set forth by the UN to address the most pressing social, economic, health and environmental challenges of our time, were viewed at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The 8 shorts centered around 8 themes directed by 8 famous film directors involved and focus on the progress, set-backs and challenges our planet faces today.
Possible Discussion: Most of the “8” shorts will not be widely released until early 2007 (unfortunately including the segment on maternal health which is to be shot in the Peruvian Amazon). However some should be available in the coming months and will be a great catalyst for discussion on the Millennium Development Goals and the issues they hope to address.

BBC New Documentary: Maternal Health- In this BBC New Documentary Katie Knapman reports around the world on the status and well-being of mothers and their children. She looks at the consequences stemming from the lack of trained medical personnel present at deliveries and what is being done to help women who have been injured as a result. Find more information at BBC New Documentary: Materal Health webpage.
Possible Discussion: Maternal health issues and the dangers of not having a skilled attendant present at birth. Discussion can continue by looking at other reasons why so many mothers in the developing world die from complications of childbirth and pregnancy, and what can be done to reduce maternal mortality.

MTV Documentary: “The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs- This documentary, made by MTV, follows actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and the world's leading expert on poverty, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals to Kenya where they witness how the challenges of hunger, disease and isolation in Africa are being overcome in a small village beset by hunger, AIDS, and malaria.
Find more information at "The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs".
Possible Discussion: Discuss the issue of access and how isolation influences the availability of food, water and supplies, and how this affects maternal health. For example, the nearest health clinic or trained medical professional can be 100 miles away, often causing mothers to go through pregnancy without any prenatal care.

Love, Labor and Loss- A documentary film shot on location in Niger, West Africa, this film seeks to challenge global apathy towards women’s reproductive rights by profiling women with obstetric fistula, one of the most debilitating complications of childbirth. Stories of personal tragedy unfold in a country where women are often forced into marriage and go through pregnancies without access to proper prenatal and emergency obstetric care. This film shows the sad reality of pregnancy and childbirth in the developing world. Find more information at Love, Labor and Loss webpage.
Possible Discussion: Discuss what Niger and other developing countries are doing to eradicate complications such as obstetric fistula and why safe motherhood should be a basic human right.

Dead Mums Don’t Cry- Shot by the BBC Dead Mums Don’t Cry investigates why over 500,000 women die each year in pregnancy and childbirth. This film discusses the Millennium Development Goals, what progress is being made, and whether or not there is reason to have hope for the future. Find more information at Dead Mums Don't Cry webpage.
Possible Discussion: This film focuses directly on this year’s highlighted Millennium Development Goal, maternal health and well-being. Discussion ideas include the causes of maternal death, the progress being made towards achieving the MDGs and what is necessary for them to succeed.

Host a Panel Discussion or Lecture
Using the suggestions from the Community Organizer’s Guide, hold a discussion or lecture. Some ideas for panel members and speakers include members of relevant academic departments (political science, international relations, public policy, community heath, biology, etc), a representative from campus Health Center, a local Planned Parenthood representative to talk about the importance of family planning in developing nations, or someone from a nearby non-governmental organization or international development agency. Panelists can discuss the importance of pre-natal care, how nutrition influences development, the dangers of giving birth alone and the necessity for skilled attendance, safe breastfeeding techniques in HIV-positive women, or the disparities between maternal healthcare in the United States and that of the developing world.

You can help panelists and lectures prepare by directing them to the 2006 UN Day website for more information about the Millennium Development Goals and Maternal Health.

Hold a Joint Event with another Campus Group
One of the best ways to increase involvement is to use resources that already exist. Talk to members of organizations with similar interests and plan an event together. The Millennium Development Goals and maternal health are broad topics, and most colleges and universities will have a lot of groups looking to get involved, including women’s groups, volunteer organizations, international clubs, science clubs, HIV/AIDS outreach groups and tons of others. Be creative.

After you’ve picked and planned an event, spread the word! Click the link and print out event fliers, we’ve done the work for you—just fill in Who, What, Where and When.

More information on UN Day 2006