By Angus Archer, Director of Development, UNA-Canada
Readers will recall the report in the last Liaison on the Edmonton Gala, held on UN Day, October 24th, with Maurice Strong. Two more galas completed UNA’s 1998 gala season.
In November 17th a spectacular gala was held at Le Windsor in Montreal on the theme Montreal: The Heart of the International Environment. Guest of Honour was Klaus Töpfer, Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of the UN’s Environment Programme in Nairobi. Yves Fortier, Chairman of Ogilvy Renault and former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations as well as the Chairman of UNA’s Honorary Corporate Outreach Committee, served for the third time as Honourary Chair of a major gala in Montreal. As she has done now three times, the principal organizer was Diana Thébaud Nicholson who gathered together an impressive and effective gala committee.
Montreal Gala: From lef to right: L. Yves Fortier, Dr. Michael Oliver and Dr. Klaus Töpher (photo by Elliott Spagat) |
On November 25th, UNA organized its final gala for 1998, which took place in Ottawa in honour of Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. While not as blessed with corporate sponsorships (Ottawa is not the corporate capital of Montreal or Toronto) it gathered, nevetheless, a good cross section of human rights advocates, government departments and local corporate leaders. The Honorary Chairman was the Right Honourable Ramon Hnatyshyn, a member of UNA’s Honorary Corporate Outreach Committee. The gala was organized by Ottawa lawyer Steve Gaon who had organized the 1995 (Fiftieth Anniversary) gala in Ottawa with Secretary-General Boutros-Boutros Ghali.
Ottawa Gala from left to right: Dr. Harry Qualman, Angus Archer, the Right Honourable Ramon Hnatyshyn, Greta Hnatyshyn, Steve Gaon, Her Excellency Mary Robinson (photo by Elliott Spagat) |
