Archive for February 2012
UNA-USA Conference Draws Hundreds to UN General Assembly Hall
The 2012 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference/UNA-USA Members Day on February 10 was as inspiring an event as its storied venue – the General Assembly Hall at UN Headquarters – was dramatic. Filling seats usually occupied by world diplomats, hundreds of scholars, students and many UNA members, including at least half a dozen from the Brooklyn Chapter, joined expert discussions about the indispensable role of the UN. Welcoming conferees, Patrick Madden, UNA-USA executive director, and Ginger Stillman, conference co-chair and president of the UNA-USA Southern NYS Division, also urged support for the UN through active membership in the UNA-USA.
Ginger Stillman opens UNA-USA/2012 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
UN veteran and senior advisor to the UN Foundation, Gillian Sorensen, with the day’s first presentation, drew applause as she noted significant improvements to American-UN relations, such as participation in key agencies and payment of back dues, under the Obama administration. She outlined the UN’s unparalleled role for world peace and development, a list that was amplified by the morning’s keynote speaker, economist Jeffrey Sachs. “There is no plan B,” said Sachs, who is director of the Earth Institute, special advisor to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and renowned for his work advancing the Millennium Development Goals. At the UNA conference, he described next steps for the MDGs, to build the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in connection with this summer’s Rio+20 conference. The SDGs include a focus on ending extreme poverty, ensuring environmental sustainability, promoting social inclusion (such as gender equality) and advancing good governance.
The day’s first panel focused on the Security Council and challenges for international security. Moderated by The Century Foundation’s Jeff Laurenti, who also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the UNA-USA, the discussion highlighted immediate threats, including barriers to action against violence in Syria and rising tensions with Iran, and also addressed questions such as long-standing concerns about expanding permanent Council membership to include more than the US, England, France, China and Russia.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), a staunch supporter of the UN, gave the afternoon’s keynote address. While criticizing the UN for a “bias against Israel,” Lowey praised the UN’s unique contributions to world peace, health and development. She noted that she and supportive Senate and House colleagues have succeeded in securing a budget bill for fiscal year 2012 that includes more than $3.5 billion for UN dues, peacekeeping support and additional contributions.
The final conference panel, moderated by Global Health Program Director Padmini Murthy, stressed the importance of the MDGs/SDGs, while calling for efforts that go beyond quantifiable development. Panelists spotlighted just some of the awful realities – especially for women, girls and the extremely poor – behind grim statistics about suffering and mortality.
This last discussion gave raw meaning to the day’s assessment of why the world needs the UN – and why advancing support for this unique institution is so important.
