MARKING WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY, UN LAUDS HEROIC EFFORTS ON THE FRONT LINES
The United Nations will mark the second-ever World Humanitarian Day on Thursday, August 19th 2010 by paying tribute to the life-saving work carried out by aid workers around the globe, often in perilous places, to help those whose lives have been torn asunder by conflict, natural disasters and other crises.
Events will be held at UN offices and peacekeeping missions worldwide, with many focusing on those personnel at the front lines who have been killed in the cause of assisting people in need.
Last year, 102 humanitarian workers lost their lives, compared with 30 deaths among aid workers in 1999. In addition, nearly 280 aid workers were victims of security incidents, more the quadruple the number one decade ago.
The General Assembly proclaimed 19 August as World Humanitarian Day two years ago commemorate the 2003 Canal Hotel bombing in Baghdad, which claimed the lives of 22 UN staff members, including the world body's top envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and wounded more than 150 people.
Mr. Ban will lay a wreath at UN Headquarters in New York in remembrance of the personnel killed seven years ago.
For many years, humanitarian workers have relied on the idea that they must be protected by all parties to allow them to carry out their work wherever needed.
However, the false perception that aid is delivered only by Western groups or represents one ideological or religious world view has led to relief workers increasingly being targeted, ultimately hurting the world's poorest and most vulnerable.
Earlier this month, Mr. Ban welcomed the United Kingdom's recent ratification of a protocol expanding an international treaty aimed at protecting UN staff members and other humanitarian workers, thus enabling the pact to enter into force this week.
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Safety of UN and Associated Personnel provides legal protection to staff delivering emergency humanitarian assistance and to those providing political and development assistance in peacebuilding situations.
It extends the legal protection offered by the 1994 convention on the same subject, which only applies to personnel engaged in peacekeeping operations.
Mr. Ban, in a statement, called the Convention "the cornerstone" of the legal regime affording protection to UN and associated personnel operating in hostile and volatile environments.
Welcoming The International Volunteer Managers Day
Universally, people recognise the contribution of volunteers - in sport, health, emergency services, communities, development and the environmental lobby...in fact volunteers are involved in just about every aspect of service delivery in all walks of life.
However, volunteering does not succeed in a vacuum. Behind this army of volunteers lies an equally dedicated group of individuals and agencies who are reponsible for the coordination, support, training, administration and recruitment of the world's volunteers - skilled professionals who are adept at taking singular passion and turning it into effective action.
That is why we celebrate International Volunteer Managers Day [IVM-DAY] every year on November 5.
It is important to let those professionals know that the spirit of volunteerism is enhanced and enabled by them, and to thank them.
We urge you to mark your calendar and, whether you are an administrator, a volunteer, a community leader or someone who receives the benefit of volunteer help, to make sure the people who act as leaders and catalysts get the recognition they deserve!
DB/IVM
-- Edited by admin on Thursday 2nd of September 2010 01:30:36 PM
With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York on 20-22 September to accelerate progress towards the MDGs.
There have been mixed progress and new crises that threaten the global effort aimed at slashing poverty, hunger, disease, maternal and child deaths and other ills by a 2015 deadline.
So, this special review summit is being seen as an opportunity to re-energise the global MDG effort and agree on a conrete action plan to accelerate progress towards meeting the Goals by their target date.
There are a range of tried and tested policies, which ensure progress. If they are backed by strong global partnerships, we can achieve the MDGs!
But is achieving the MDGs is possible?
Take action now. Mobilise, petition leaders, share your views:
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10) and as the national focal point, the UN Volunteers (UNV) Kenya is leading efforts to make sure the year is observed by recognizing the work of volunteers throughout the country.
According to UNV Programme Officer, Julia Albert-Recht, celebrations for IYV+10 will be happening at both the global and local level. In view of 2015, the target date for achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the tenth anniversary of IYV offers the opportunity to highlight the contribution of volunteerism to social and human development and the role of volunteers worldwide in the attainment of the MDGs.
Kenya has been selected to host the Global Volunteerism Summit which will take place in Nairobi in June 2011. The Summit will bring together players from different organizations around the globe to discuss the impact of volunteerism on development and the MDGs. In addition, UNV will host sessions with academia and the private sector to highlight their role in supporting volunteerism. UNV is assisting the Kenya Government in its development of a policy on volunteerism, which will significantly strengthen the sector, as part of the outcomes for the year.
During the year, UNV will highlight volunteerism by sharing volunteer stories on different web and print platforms, through articles, pictures and videos, focusing on a variety of volunteers contributing through formal and informal volunteering. 'We want to encourage volunteers who are making an impact in communities, throughout the UN system, and all over the country to share their story - IYV+10 is about celebrating the volunteerism in so many of us', emphasizes George Oloo, the National Coordinator for IYV+10.
UNV Kenya is partnering with a number of organizations including the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Kenya Red Cross, VSO Jitolee and the Volunteer Involving Organizations Network (VIO) in marking IYV+10. These partnerships will go a long way in enhancing volunteerism post-IYV+10 and consolidate the gains already made.
IYV+10 activities will end on 5 December 2011, International Volunteer Day, during which the State of the World Volunteerism Report will be launched. Produced by the UN with the assistance of consultants and academics from around the world, the report is expected to address what is meant by volunteerism, why people volunteer their time, the many ways people choose to volunteer and the impact of this engagement. According to UNV, the State of the World Volunteerism Report will present an alternative vision to the one widely prevailing today, this being the first report ever commissioned by the UN to capture the state of volunteerism in the world. 'Let us honour volunteering as an expression of our common humanity and a way to promote mutual respect, solidarity and reciprocity'. Says Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General.
Join us in making IYV+10 counts for the hundreds of volunteers who are making a difference across this nation.
- UN Nairobi Newsletter, April 2011.
-- Edited by admin on Tuesday 24th of May 2011 03:17:10 PM
