Non-Governmental Organization/DPI

NGO Top Banner

The DPI/NGO Section invites you to the

the first in the Focus on Faith series

Briefing

on

Pope Benedict’s Visit to the United Nations

on
Thursday, 10 April 2008
10 :30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

at the
Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium

The United Nations is the centre of the world’s efforts to advance mutual respect, understanding and dialogue.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Background Information:
Pope Benedict XVI is the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City State. On 18 April, he will visit the United Nations, which will be the fourth time a Pope has visited the Organization’s headquarters in New York. On this occasion, a panel discussion, looking at the significance of His Holiness’s visit and its impact on current global issues, will be convened. This will be the first in the Focus on Faith series, during which the guest speakers will share their insights into the topic and underline the links between the principles of the United Nations and – in this case – the Catholic Church.

Speakers:
H.E. Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations
Sister Dorothy Farley, Executive Director, International Catholic Organizations/ Information Center at the United Nations
Mr. Peter Steinfels, Co-Director, Fordham University Center on Religion and Culture

Representatives of NGOs are encouraged to participate during the Q & A segment.

The live webcast of the event will be available at www.un.org/dpi/ngosection

Preview of next week’s Communications Workshop:
The second Communications Workshop this year will look at the United Nations International Years as a way of raising awareness on issues on the Organization’s agenda. Hands-on training on setting up Facebook groups will take place during the afternoon session.

The objective of the workshops is to provide NGO Representatives with hands-on expert training to improve their information dissemination capacity. The morning session, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., will take place in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, and the afternoon training, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., in the Library Training Room.


Conference website Planning Committee Meetings

Only to be filled out by NGOs associated with DPI

Accreditation
Form 2008

Djibouti forcibly repatriates 40 Somali asylum-seekers, UN reports
11 November – The United Nations refugee agency has voiced regret at Djibouti’s forced repatriation of 40 Somali asylum-seekers, including 13 women and children, who were rescued by a Dutch ship in the Red Sea last month. FULL STORY >>

Council must do more to protect civilians in armed conflict – UN rights chief
11 November – The United Nations human rights chief today called on the Security Council to put more muscle into protecting civilians in armed conflict, citing Israel’s war in Gaza and the situations in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Afghanistan as examples of the need to end impunity. FULL STORY >>

SEAL THE DEAL: Invasive species pose huge threat to ecosystems, UN says
11 November – It's no longer than a grain of rice. But the mountain pine beetle is an insidious environmental predator, laying waste to swathes of forest in north-western Canada and exposing the local ecosystem to what could be a devastating new front in the battle against climate change. FULL STORY >>

Home furnishings giant IKEA raises money for UNICEF
10 November – More than 500,000 children, mainly in Africa, are expected to benefit from home furnishing and accessories firm IKEA’s Holiday season fundraising campaign, which will donate one euro for every soft toy sold to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the non-governmental organization (NGO) Save the Children. FULL STORY >>

Number of civilians escaping tribal violence in DR Congo on the rise – UN
10 November – The number of civilians fleeing tribal violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into neighbouring Republic of Congo since last week has topped 21,800, the United Nations refugee agency reported today. FULL STORY >>

Eco-friendly initiatives recognized with UN-backed award
10 November – A range of eco-friendly start-up initiatives in Bangladesh, Colombia, India, Niger, Southern Africa and Zimbabwe have won a notable sustainable development award, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today. FULL STORY >>

UN envoy cites need to deal with underlying causes of DR Congo conflict
9 November – While the crisis that plagued eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last year and threatened to engulf the entire region has eased, some of the factors that led to the fierce fighting and the displacement of hundred of thousands must still be dealt with, a senior United Nations envoy said today. FULL STORY >>

As winter’s rigours descend on Gaza, UN calls on Israel yet again to open crossings
9 November – The United Nations and its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners today called yet again on Israel to immediately open crossings into the Gaza Strip to give Palestinians access to desperately needed materials, especially in view of the coming winter and rainy season. FULL STORY >>

DR Congo and UN launch stabilization and recovery fund
9 November – The United Nations and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have launched a fund to help the vast country recover from years of devastating civil war that ended earlier this decade, and continuing strife in its eastern provinces that has displaced more than a million people. FULL STORY >>

Ban rejects reports of UN withdrawal from Afghanistan
6 November – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today rejected any notion that the United Nations is leaving Afghanistan, amid reports that the world body is pulling out of the country following the announcement that it will temporarily relocate some of its staff owing to security concerns. FULL STORY >>

More headlines

Website development: UN Web Services Section, Department of Public Information, United Nations © 2006