On Monday, 70 countries, including the United States, joined together in issuing a cross-regional statement supporting Internet Freedom during the current session of the UN Human Rights Council. The statement labeled the Internet as well as social media as vital platforms for “participation, transparency and engagement in socio-economic, cultural and political development.” It also firmly called on UN members to “ensure strong protection of freedom of expression, privacy and other human rights online in accordance with international human rights law.” The statement also pointedly rejected attempts to misuse “security” concerns as a vehicle to interfere with online access. 

On Monday, June 3, the UN Arms Trade Treaty will open for signature by the 193 members of the UN. The treaty, agreed to overwhelmingly by the UN General Assembly on April 2, 2013, establishes the first-ever global standard for the trade of conventional arms. Specifically, the treaty calls upon states to ensure to that arms exports will not be used to commit atrocities.

The other day I was watching a documentary from Half the Sky Movement about the girls from Kibera School for Girls and I could not stop radiating beams of joy. Seeing young girls so confident with themselves as they received an education sent me back down memory lane. Growing up in Kisumu, Kenya, life was difficult, but that did not hinder me from pursuing my goal of achieving an education.

The call was held Friday, April 5 and featured Minh-Thu Pham, Public Policy Director, United Nations Foundation. The call lasted nearly 40 minutes where Minh-Thu set the scene on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and then took questions from the audience.

How it Happened

For the last 4 months we have been focusing our attention on the Oklahoma Legislature. That's where recent attempts were made to disparage the United Nations and to prohibit the purchase of knowledge resources from the UN.

From March 15-24, I had the pleasure of being in Geneva, Switzerland for the 22nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), on behalf of the United Nations Association of the United States America. This Council session held the promise of much excitement given the body’s exceptionally busy country-specific and thematic agenda. Observing how the Council’s new membership and composition following UN General Assembly elections affected the dynamics of the session was fascinating. The GA elects members to the HRC and elections were last held in November 2012.

During the jam-packed 22^nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the organ’s 47 members considered numerous country-specific and thematic resolutions covering everything from the human rights situation in Sri Lanka to the rights of disabled persons. One resolution, however, stood out in the attention and concern it appeared to garner both from member-states and civil society groups.

The United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) is delighted to announce that Inocente won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.  Congratulations to filmmakers Andrea Fine, Sean Fine, Yael Melamede, Emanuel Michael, Albie Hecht and Susan MacLaury.  The film screened at the 2012 UNAFF as a Bay Area Premiere and was universally acknowledged as a masterpiece of storytelling.

Background

Over the next two days, the Senate will be debating the guidelines for next year’s federal budget.  Already, threats to United Nations and other international funding have begun to emerge.

The first time I heard the term “sextortion” was during the 57^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, when I had the opportunity to attend a panel discussion hosted by the United Republic of Tanzania and the Tanzania Women Judges Association at the United Nations Headquarters on the topic of "Ending Abuse Of Authority For Purposes Of Sexual Exploitation (Sextortion): The Experience of the United Republic Of Tanzania." Among the speakers were; Anne T. Goldstein, Human Rights Education Director at the International Association of Women Judges; John Hendra, Assistant Secretary–General and Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programmes at UN Women; Honorable Judge Engera M. Kileo, Chairperson of Tanzania Women’s Judges Association; and Ambassador Ramahdhan M. Mwinyi of Tanzania.

UNA-USA members attended the 57th Commission on the Status of Women as UNA-USA Delegates at the United Nations in New York, March 4-15. Delegates came from Chapters in California, Iowa, North Carolina, Utah, Washington, D.C. and New York to participate in the international civil society conversation on Violence Against Women and Girls. The delegates, each possessing a unique perspective, brought something entirely fresh and new to UNA-USA’s engagement with the UN. It was an amazing opportunity for UNA-USA members.

 

Blog Posts from UNA-USA Members at CSW 57

• Abuse of Authority for Purposes of Sexual Exploitation (Sextortion)
• Including Women in the Colombian Peace Process
• Enough Is Enough: CSW 57 Takes on Violence against Women
• CSW57: Policy Making to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls

After half a century of brutal armed conflict, and the resulting death, displacement, and disappearance of millions of Colombians, the peace negotiations between the government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have brought a glimmer of hope to a country ravaged by war. Colombia has never been closer to ending the conflict, as the FARC finds its military becoming increasingly weak and their ideology increasingly isolated from Latin Americas’ left. However, aside from some empty promises from Colombia’s leadership, no real efforts have been made to ensure that the perspectives and aspirations of its women and minority groups are represented at the peace table. With deliberations expected to end in the latter part of 2013 with the signing of a peace agreement, it is crucial that both parties revise the structure of the peace process and construct a proper integration framework to allow (and encourage) a greater participation by Colombian citizens, in particular women.  

As always, my week at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) annual meeting, held each year in March at the United Nations, was breathtaking both in the breadth and depth of issues explored and in the commitment, passion, and talent of 6,000 community leaders meeting together from all over the world. CSW is the lead champion of the global campaign for women’s equality and empowerment, and it includes both government gender ministers reporting progress on women’s advancement in their own countries and NGO leaders sharing their challenges and lessons learned. It was an honor to be there with such remarkable women.

A little over a month ago, I was notified that I would represent the United Nations Association as a delegate to CSW57 (shorthand for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, 57th Session).

From February 25 to March 22, 2013, the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) will convene in Geneva for its 22^nd Session. The Council, the world’s most representative intergovernmental human rights body, will have a huge amount of ground to cover this session, including a challenging array of country-specific human rights situations and more thematic based issues.

Girl Rising is an innovative feature film that journeys around the globe to witness the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world. From Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins, Girl Rising spotlights the stories of unforgettable girls born into unforgiving circumstances.

The West Triangle Chapter of the United Nations Association is pleased to announce the winners of its ninth annual United Nations Contest for area high school students in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties of North Carolina. There were 10 entries, seven from East Chapel Hill High, two from Carrboro High and one from Cedar Ridge High School. The contest was co-sponsored by the School of Education at UNC-Chapel Hill. The participants presented their work to the judging committee at the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence.

Two important speeches were given over the past two weeks. One captured the world’s attention at home and abroad, and the other enjoyed less fanfare, but wove together a picture of the world’s future. One was marking the beginning of a second U.S. presidential term and one was delivered by the world’s top diplomat.

On January 18, the Board of Directors of the Monterey Bay Chapter of UNA-USA was privileged to have a private meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his wife, Yoo Soon-taek. This took place immediately following the Secretary-General's major address on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation in Monterey.

In honor of this year’s Human Rights Day, a Miami Dade College delegation of students and a faculty member from the UNA-USA Miami Chapter marked the occasion in a powerful way.