On the occasion of UN Day 2007, observed worldwide on 24 October, UNIC Khartoum,
in collaboration with the UN Association of Sudan and with the sponsorship of the
United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), organised a televised debate on the theme
of climate change at the Oil House, Ministry of Energy and Mining.
Ms. Teresa Iro, State Minister of Environment, opened the debate.
Other speakers included Mr. Ismail Gizouli,
Senior Advisor to the Higher Council for Environment
and Natural Resource (HCENR) and Dr. Sumia Zaki El-din,
Assistant Professor at the Institute of Environmental Studies,
University of Khartoum. Mr. Gizouli is also a member of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, which received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Ms. Hanan Mutwakil,
UNDP’s focal point for environment issues, elaborated on UNDP's support
to Sudan in connection with climate change.
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Ambassador Bashir Bakri, Honorary President of the UNA - Sudan
UNIC Khartoum
UNIC Bujumbura together with BINUB co-organized ceremonies
to commemorate the UN Day on 24
October 2007 in Bujumbura at the "Palais des arts et de la culture".
The main
activity organized was an exhibition of art produced by the
associations of vulnerable people from all over the country sponsored by
BINUB, which was inaugurated in partnership with the Minister of Foreign
Affairs and International Cooperation, Ms. Antoinette Batumubwira.
Speeches
of the day were made by the Mayor of the Bujumbura city, the Executive
Representative of the Secretary General in Burundi and the Minister of
Foreign Affairs. The second part of the celebration was a cultural show
of
variety of songs and dances.
In observance of the United Nations Day in Nigeria the United Nations Communications Group-Nigeria, chaired by UNIC, organized a number of activities spanning one week, starting on Wednesday, 18 October, 2006. A Press Briefing was given by the Resident Coordinator of the UN System in Nigeria who was supported by heads of specialized agencies and programmes of the UN in the country.
On October 24, 2005,UN
Day was celebrated at the Baku International School. The
event brought together schoolchildren from 2 to 16 years
of age representing countries of each continent of the globe.
The schoolchildren staged a musical inviting people of the
world to live in peace and friendship.
UNIC Dakar celebrated UN Day and its week of festivities in association with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—a theme decided on by the UN Senegal country team. The highlight of the week's celebration was a flag-raising ceremony held at the Daniel Sorano National Theatre. The Senegalese Blue Helmets preformed the flag raising ceremony which was followed by a performance from the acclaimed national ballet, "Linguère." Approximately 1,500 people attended including government officials, diplomatic corps members, the UN country-team, civil society representatives, teachers, students, and several non-governmental organizations.
In commemoration of UN Day, UNIC Yaounde organized a week long celebration from Monday 17 October to Monday 24 October 2005. Among the festivities was an open-day exhibition which was organized by UN Agencies in Cameroon and held at the Yaounde City Hall on Tuesday 18 October. In an attempt to involve educational institutions, UNIC Yaounde organized a quiz competition between four schools. In addition to the quiz competition, approximately 50 students representing five schools participated in a drawing competition which was jointly organized by UNIC Yaounde and the Ministry of Elementary Education. Winners whose drawings were ranked in the top ten were awarded prizes. On Wednesday UNIC Yaounde in affiliation with the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education held a 5 km “March for All” through the most populous areas of Yaounde . Participants were given printed t-shirts which read: “kick polio out of Cameroon ”, “no to HIV-AIDS” and “eradicate poverty and huger by 2015”. In a similar outdoors fashion, a football match between the UNCT and the Ministry of External Relations was held on the same day. These two athletic events were held not only in honour of UN Day, but also in honour of 2005 being the International Year of Sport. On the actual UN Day (24 October), however, an official ceremony was held at Yaounde City Hall . Among attendees were government officials, heads of diplomatic missions, and representatives of UN agencies. The event included a flag ceremony which was conducted by a contingent of Blue Helmets from the Cameroonian Police and a reading of the preamble of the UN Charter which was delivered in both English and French by a group of pupils from the Cameroon International School and Complexe La Gaiété.
UNIC Bucharest in affiliation with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Romanian public news agency and HP Romania organized a photo exhibit entitled “UN60 in 60 images”. The UN Resident Coordinator along with the Secretary of State Mr. Theodor Baconsky officially opened the exhibition on 24 October (UN Day). In addition to Mr. Baconsky, other notable officials also attended including senator and former president of Romania Mr. Ion Iliescu, members of the parliament, ambassadors of various countries to Romania , and several former Romanian Permanent Representatives to the United Nations. In addition to the photo exhibit, the Romanian Youth Association for the United Nations organized a flag raising ceremony in commemoration of UN Day. The ceremony was followed by several short speeches made by the deputy Mayor of Bucharest Mr. Razvan Murgeanu, the Secretary of State of the Ministry for Economic Activities Coordination Mr. Adrian Nitu and the Deputy Mayor of the 4th district of Bucharest Radu Silaghi.
In commemoration of UN Day UNIC Pretoria organized a library exhibition, which displayed visuals submitted by UN agencies based in South Africa. The South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a reception at the Diplomatic Guest House in Pretoria, an event attended by various heads of UN agencies. Addresses were delivered by the South African Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Aziz Pahad, as well as the visiting UNFPA Executive Director. In addition to these celebrations, the University of Pretoria organized a UN60 Students' Conference, which was held on the 21 October. UNIC Pretoria supplied the conference with visual materials and aided the university in topic selection. The UNIC OIC was the conference's keynote speaker.
In commemoration of UN Day, UNIC New Dheli in association with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs organized a gala to celebrate the values of the UN. Against the magical backdrop of the Purana Qila in New Delhi, legendary Indian classical music maestros Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia unveiled a new raga dedicated to the UN entitled "Shanti Prerna" (Inspiration for Peace). The piece reflects the majesty and scope of the United Nations and its commitment to peace, development and human rights. Manipuri, Chhau and Kathak dancers told a story of shunning violence and embracing a culture of peace with their dance.
To commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the United Nations, UNIC Ouagadougou held an
observance ceremony, which included flag raising. A special
“UN at 60” exhibit, which was open to the public, supplemented
the festivities. UNIC Ouagadougou organized a soccer contest
where different teams composed of government officials, diplomatic
corps, press, and UNCT competed against each other. Also,
an academic competition testing the youth's knowledge of the
UN was organized.
The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Bujumbura commemorated the UN's 60 th anniversary on 24 October, 2005. The event, attended by government officials and UN staff, featured a presentation of the Secretary-General's message on UN Day which was delivered by Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Burundi. Ms. Antoinette Batumubwira, Burundi 's Minister of Foreign Affairs, also addressed attendees in commemoration of UN Day. In addition to the reception, UNIC organized a march in which UN staff, the Minister of Sports, and the Minister of Health participated.
The UN Information Focal Points Group organized an exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UN in Dar es Salaam on 24 October. Government Officials, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, journalists, students and the general public attended the event. The Foreign Affairs Minister of Tanzania spoke on behalf of the government, while the UN Resident Coordinator, representing UNIC Dar es Salaam, delivered the UN Secretary-General's message regarding UN Day. A group of girl-guides and Loyola students preformed for attendees, singing two songs which addressed education and peace. The exhibition also focused on the AIDs virus—free HIV testing and counselling services were provided throughout the event and volunteer speakers who have contracted the virus gave testimonials about what it is like to live with the disease.
Rio de Janeiro kicked off its tribute to UN day on 22 October, with the first game of the UN sponsored Rio de Janeiro Woman's Football League. On 23 October, UNIC Rio held its first “United Nations Day Concert”. The event, which was attended by over two thousand people, included an exclusive performance by Brazilian cello musician, Mr. Antonio Meneses, who was flown in from Switzerland especially for the event. On 24 October, government officials, UN representatives and diplomats attended a concert by the National Theatre Orchestra in commemoration of UN day. The event was held at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia .
In commemoration of UN Day, on 24 October UNIC Nairobi honoured Agnes Parevio, a Kenyan citizen, with the annual “Person of the Year Award”. This is the fourth time UNIC Kenya has held the awards ceremony, which is traditionally celebrated in association with UN Day. Representatives of the Kenyan Government, diplomats, delegates to the COP7, members of civil society and UN Heads of Agencies, and joined staff members at the UN's African headquarters were among the over 400 attendees present. Ms. Pareyio received the award because of her long history of activism in the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and under-age marriage. Among the event's main highlights was a performance by rescued Masaai girls and the attendance of half-a-dozen AIDS orphans. Both were seen as a tribute to Ms. Parevio and her accomplishments.
On 24 October, the Yemeni Government in association with UNIC Sana'a celebrated UN Day by hosting an event commemorating the UN's 60 th anniversary. Among attendees were government officials, members of the media, ambassadors, and NGO's. A number of school children were also in attendance, participating in a drawing competition UNIC organized. His Excellency Ahmed Sofan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation sponsored the UN Day celebration. Please click here to view the
complete report.
UNIC Dhaka celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the UN by hosting an event on 24 October in Dhaka commemorating UN Day. The event was attended by special guests, Professor Dr Iajuddin Ahemd, the President of Bangladesh, and Mr M Morshed Kahan, the Foreign Minister of the Government of Bangladesh. Both the President and the Foreign Minister delivered speeches concerning UN reform. The event featured two screenings: one of Secretary-General Kifi Annan's UN Day message and the other of a recently released Madison Squire concert preformed by Jorge Harrison which dated back to 1971. A five-minute power-point presentation on Bangladesh 's role in peacekeeping was made by representatives of the Bangladesh Army. In Chittagong , UNIC, in affiliation with Nippon Academy , organized a roundtable to commemorate the 60 th anniversary of the UN. A number of educational activities were provided including a quiz competition where attendees could test their knowledge of the UN. Winners were awarded prizes.
In recognition of the United Nation's 60 th anniversary, UNIC Port of Spain hosted a special flag raising ceremony at City Hall. Mayor Murchison Brown congratulated the UN on 60 years of ongoing work and assured that despite discussions about the relevance of the UN he firmly believed that the organization continues to be as relevant today as it ever was. In a colourful and lively ceremony, organized by UNIC Port of Spain, children representing the Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and the International School carried different UN member state flags. The flag ceremony was accompanied by beating drums and an audience chanting the words: “there's much more that unites us than divides”. The ceremony was followed by a reception which was held at the historic Knowsley Building. Dignitaries including the former President and Prime Minister His Excellency Arthur NR Robinson and former President Sir Ellis Clarke attended the reception. Entertainer extraordinaire Machel Montano was introduced as the newest UN Goodwill Ambassador representing Trinidad and Tobago , and was honored at the reception.
To mark UN Day 2005, UNIC Lagos held a special lecture on 'Human Rights
and the UN'. The lecture was delivered by a prominent Nigerian human
rights activist, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine Ph.D., Executive Director, Centre
for Constitutionalism and Demilitarization.
The event was attended by journalists, leaders and members of major human
rights and other NGOs, school pupils and some government officials.
It commenced with a flag raising ceremony, after which the DVD version
of Secretary General Kofi Annan's special message was shown.
In commemoration of the 60 th anniversary of the United Nations and UN Day, UNIC Yerevan organized a classical music concert which was held in the Arno Babajanyan Concert Hall. Among the attendees were representatives of the government of Armenia, foreign diplomatic missions, members of various international organizations, NGO representatives, and members of the media. The concert performers were comprised of children from the Vladimir Spivakov International Foundation, the Komitas State String Quartet, and the chamber choir "Hover". UNIC Yerevan also organized an essay competition centred around UN topics as part of their UN Day celebrations. In addition to the essay contest, UNIC Yerevan in cooperation with the College-Studio of Fine-arts of the National Center of Aesthetics, compiled children's paintings which were exhibited in UN Armenia House. Essay winners and participants received gifts and UN souvenirs.
RUNIC Brussels held a UN Day observance in Belgium at the Belgian Parliament on 24 October. Among attendees were Anne-Marie Lizin (Chairwomen of the Belgian Senate), Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner (EU Commissioner for External Relations and the European Neighbourhood Policy), and Herman De Croo (Chairman of the first Chamber of Belgian Parliament)
UNIC Bangkok's celebration of UN Day began with a performance from the Mathayom Wat Makut Kasat School marching band which was followed by a flag-raising ceremony. The event was hosted by Dr. Surakiat Sathirathai, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand . Among attendees were Vice Ministers, Heads of UN agencies in Thailand , members of the diplomatic corps, senior government officials, NGOs, members of the media, students, and UN staff. Approximately 500 people attended the event which featured a performance by the American School of Bangkok choir who sang two numbers: “One World” and “Heal the World”. The highlight of the event, however, was the animation exhibition, in which participants created a 3-5 minute short animation work on any of the five major working areas of the UN including: poverty, gender equity, health, education and world peace. There were 70 entries from 7 countries including Australia , Indonesia , India , Myanmar , Philippines , Laos People Democratic Republic and Thailand . The five winning animation entries of the UN 60 th Anniversary Animation Competition were screened at the event. The winning entry entitled “Help” came from Disspong Wongaram and Karoon Jeamwiriyasatean of Bangkok . Addressing the topic “Working together to educate all girls and boys,” the claymation used humor to tell a story about abused children in a sweatshop discovering the joys of education. Winning animations including "Help" can be viewed at the following website: http://www.sipa.or.th/main/un_solution2005/un_solution.htm#
