United Nations Day

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By Diane Forrest

One of my favorite action movies with George Clooney is the Peacekeepers.  It is a story about the theft of a nuclear bomb, and the person who now has control of it has traveled to New York in an attempt to blow up the United Nations building in retaliation of the death of his wife and child.  Luckily that didn't happen, but that gave me some knowledge about the United Nations, and what they do.

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 According to Wikipedia, the United Nations was established to replace the flawed League of Nations in 1945 in order to maintain international peace and promote cooperation in solving international economic, social and humanitarian problems. The earliest concrete plan for a new world organization was begun under the aegis of the U.S. State Department in 1939. Franklin D. Roosevelt first coined the term 'United Nations' as a term to describe the Allied countries. The term was first officially used on 1 January 1942, when 26 governments signed the Atlantic Charter, pledging to continue the war effort. On 25 April 1945, the UN Conference on International Organization began in San Francisco, attended by 50 governments and a number of non-governmental organizations involved in drafting the United Nations Charter. The UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945 upon ratification of the Charter by the five then-permanent members of the Security Council—France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States—and by a majority of the other 46 signatories. The first meetings of the General Assembly, with 51 nations represented, and the Security Council, took place in Westminster Central Hall in London in January 1946.

Out of the 196 countries in the world, there are only 3 that are not members of the UN.  These are Kosovo, Taiwan, and the Vatican City.

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Today is United Nations Day, and they are celebrating with week-long activities.  United Nations Day is devoted to making known to peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations Organization. United Nations Day is part of United Nations Week, which runs from 20 to 26 October.  United Nations Day has traditionally been marked throughout the world with meetings, discussions and exhibits about the achievements and goals of the organization. In 1971, the General Assembly recommended that member states observe it as a public holiday. 

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To learn more about the UN and what they do, visit this site:  http://www.un.org/en/members/index.shtml

World Maritime Day

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By Terry Orr

(USN Ret.)

I have always enjoyed the water – be it a small stream, river, lake, sea and of course the oceans and this was probably an influencing factor in my joining the Navy so many years ago.  Memories of sailing aboard ships are still fond for the most part and look back at those peaceful and quite times when I was able just to enjoy the view. Today as we celebrate maritime day, let us reflect on the past, keep current on today’s activities and help where we can to make the waterways peaceful for all to enjoy.

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The United Nations (UN), via the International Maritime Organization (IMO), created World Maritime Day to celebrate the international maritime industry’s contribution towards the world’s economy, especially in shipping. The event’s date varies by year and country but it is always on the last week of September.

The World Maritime Day theme for 2012 is “IMO: One hundred years after the Titanic”, which will focus on the Organization’s roots and raison d’être, i.e. safety of life at sea.

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Undoubtedly the most important legacy of the Titanic disaster was an urgent acceleration in the process of setting and implementing international standards and procedures for maritime activity. The first international conference on the safety of life at sea was held in London in January 1914. Its outcome - the Convention on Safety of Life at Sea - remains the leading international treaty on maritime safety. The task of keeping it updated, and maintaining its development in light of technological advances, falls to a United Nations agency, the International Maritime Organization.

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 The United States Coast Guard (USCG), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of seven uniformed services. In addition to being a military branch at all times, it is unique among the armed forces in that it is also a maritime law enforcement agency (with jurisdiction both domestically and in international waters) and a federal regulatory agency. The USCG has a broad and important role in homeland security, law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental pollution response, and the maintenance of river, intra-coastal and offshore aids to navigation. As the lead maritime regulatory agency, the Coast Guard develops national regulations, standards and policies to enhance maritime safety, security and stewardship. In addition, the Coast Guard represents the United States at the IMO for the development and execution of international standards. The Coast Guard’s motto “Semper Paratus”, Latin for “Always Ready”, is one fitting for all of the Coast Guard’s missions.

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Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. While books and movie industries made Pirates interesting and fun – today’s Pirates at sea are anything but interesting – they are dangerous, murders and terrorist with little to no regard to human life.

According to Wikipedia, Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant issue (with estimated worldwide losses of US$13 to $16 billion per year), particularly in the waters between the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, off the Somali coast, and also in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, which are used by over 50,000 commercial ships a year. A recent surge in piracy off the Somali coast spurred a multi-national effort led by the United States to patrol the waters near the Horn of Africa.

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References and Links:

http://www.imo.org/About/Events/WorldMaritimeDay/wmd2012/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-maritime-day

http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2012/unissgsm373.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy

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It’s Youth Day

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By Terry Orr

International Youth Day is a time to think about the different problems and challenges that face young people across the globe, such as malnutrition and disease. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the state of young people in each country.

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In 1999, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared August 12th to be International Youth Day through resolution 54/120. Their hope was that people would organize activities on this day that would educate the public about issues that involve youth. They also wanted to promote the World Programme of Action for Youth, created in 1995 to find solutions to these situations.

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International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

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By Terry Orr

2012 Theme: "Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices"

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The International Day of the World's Indigenous People is observed on August 9 each year to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population.

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The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People was first proclaimed by the General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated every year during the first International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995 – 2004).

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In 2004, the Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade, from 2005 – 2015, with the theme of “A Decade for Action and Dignity.”

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The theme aims to highlight the importance of indigenous media in challenging stereotypes, forging indigenous peoples' identities, communicating with the outside world, and influencing the social and political agenda.

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In conjunction with this day, and the important principle of self-determination, we wanted to promote the movement for tribal peoples and encourage you to join it. Survival International works with hundreds of tribal communities and organizations across the globe. They are “funded almost entirely by concerned members of the public and some foundations” and refuse national government funding “because governments are the main violators of tribal peoples’ rights”.

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World Population Day

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By Diane Forrest

I love the movie “It's A Wonderful Life”.  In one scene, George and his brother Harry are upstairs making a bunch of racket, and as their mother is trying to get the quiet, their maid, Annie makes the statement "That's why all children should be girls."  Mrs. Bailey answers, "well if they were all girls…oh never mind."  What she meant to say was if all children were girls, the race would die out.

I have read that in China, they limit the number of children in each household to one child.  The families prefer a male child to preserve the family name and heritage. The females are put up for adoption, or worse.  With this type of control on the population, soon there won't be any children as Mrs. Baily implied.  The population of the world requires responsibility among the inhabitants. Points of concern include space, food, and health care.

Every night late at night there are commercials about children in under developed countries who are starving. Asking to send money to buy them food and clothes and shelter.  There is a saying, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, Teach a man to fish, and he will never be hungry again."  Or either, teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.  I believe that in impoverished areas, not only is it important to lend a helping hand, but also educate them to become self-sufficient.  This should extend not only to food, but also in other areas.  Education about reproduction should be top on the list when talking about the world population.  Birth controls methods should be taught and encouraged.   Living in an educated society, we assume that everyone has the same access to information that we are fortunate to have.  This is not the case in many areas. 

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I remember the movie Klan of the Cave Bear, and Blue Lagoon, with Brooke Shields, where they had no idea how they became pregnant, or that they ever were pregnant.  They assumed they were eating too much and getting fat.

World Population Day seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. This is an opportunity to celebrate our common humanity and our diversity. It is also a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for each other and our planet.

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Reproductive health is at the very heart of development and crucial to delivering the UNFPA vision — a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.  On 11 July – World Population Day – many activities and campaigns will call attention to the essential part that reproductive health plays in creating a just and equitable world. Help us generate greater commitment to the idea that everyone has a right to reproductive health.

For more information about World Population Day and for ways you can help in this area visit this site http://www.unfpa.org/public/

World Water Day

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By Akindman

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

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An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.



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The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting concrete activities within their countries regarding the world's water resources. Each year, one of various UN agencies involved in water issues takes the lead in promoting and coordinating international activities for World Water Day.  Please look at the Wikipedia link for more background information on the UN efforts.

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Trivia:

Lake Baikal is located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast; it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world's unfrozen surface fresh water.

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Links:

http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Water_Day