|
|
|
|
  |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Annual Reports > Annual Report 1999 Ce document est disponible seulement en anglais. National Office Programmes, Initiatives, and Activities In addition to answering the thousands of information queries we receive from all sectors of the Canadian public, special events, projects and programmes are developed and delivered throughout the year. Often they are undertaken in collaboration with partners in government, the corporate community and other non-governmental organizations and institutions. The following represent some of the highlights of our outreach in 1999.
Canada and the Security Council: Options and Opportunities
The seminar included presentations from Prof. Harald von Riekhoff of Carleton University, H.E. Mr. Anders Lidén - the Deputy Permanent Representative of Sweden to the UN, Mr. Hunter McGill - the Director of International Humanitarian Assistance at CIDA, Mr. James Paul - the Executive Director of Global Policy Forum and Mr. Robin Hay from Global Affairs Research Partners. The Report of the seminar is available in both hard copy and on our Internet site. Introducing the UN to Canadian Youth For a third year UNA-Canada was invited to act as an implementing agency for the government’s Youth International Internship Programme (YIIP). Our placements were sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Twenty three young people between the ages of 18 and 30, most of whom had recently graduated from various university programmes, were given an extraordinary opportunity to work in a United Nations office. Those offices ranged around the world from headquarters placements in New York, Geneva and Rome to field offices in countries such as India, Djibouti, South Africa, Lithuania and Ecuador. The internship programme has proven to be an excellent way to increase the visibility of our organization among younger generations of Canadians. Over six hundred young people applied for the available positions. It has also enhanced Canadian relations with UN agencies around the world. Virtually every organization to which we have sent interns has been extremely impressed with the caliber of work they have been offered. These young Canadians can be proud of the standards they have set! UNA-Canada has a waiting list of UN Offices ready to take interns in coming years. Whose World is it Anyway? A project which had been in the making for over two years came to successful fruition late in 1999. Working with generous funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation of Flint, Michigan, as well as from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Government of the Netherlands and several UN Agencies, the Association undertook the publication of a book which explores the relationship between the United Nations and Civil Society. We were pleased to complete the book in time to have it serve as the major intellectual resource for the World Conference on Civil Society (WOCSOC) held in Montreal at the beginning of December. Edited by John W. Foster of the University of Saskatchewan, and Anita Anand of the Women’s Feature Service of New Delhi, India, and drawing on contributions from some of the world’s foremost experts, Whose World is it Anyway? Civil Society, the United Nations and the Multilateral Future is over 575 pages of in-depth analysis of the intricate relationships which currently are at play in the connections between the United Nations and civil society organizations, including NGOs and social movements. It is also a source of proposals and propositions for the improvement of those relationships in the future. The contemporary world is being reshaped. This publication is a contribution to the debate on the shape of that future. The book is available in both English and French from UNA-Canada or through Renouf Publishers. We acknowledge the support of the WOCSOC Conference organizers and the Montréal International Forum in the production of this book. Special Events Galas Two very successful gala dinners provided opportunities for UNA-Canada to honour international celebrities who have made significant contributions to the work of the UN. They were also opportunities to join hands with corporate sponsors who generously underwrite the educational outreach work of the Association. We express our deep appreciation to Ted Rogers, Chairman of Rogers Communications, who hosted the first gala on June 21 at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, with Ted Turner and his wife, Jane Fonda, as the guests of honour. Mr. Turner reflected on his generous decision to donate $1 Billion US to his UN Foundation to support UN work. We are also grateful to Yves Fortier, former Canadian Ambassador to the UN and Senior Partner of Ogilvy Renault who hosted a second evening at the Hôtel Omni in Montreal on December 6, with H.E. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations and his wife as the guests of honour. His Excellency spoke warmly of Canada’s many contributions to the United Nations since its inception in 1945 and underlined the importance of our organization and its contributions in Canada. 1999 Pearson Peace Medal At a ceremony at Rideau Hall in March 2000, the 1999 Pearson Peace Medal was awarded to the Honourable Flora MacDonald by UNA-Canada’s new Honourary Patron, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor-General of Canada. Ms. MacDonald is a woman whose lifetime of dedicated service – in government and in collaboration with a host of institutes and non-governmental organizations – has placed her in the front lines of Canadians who have distinguished themselves in fostering international understanding and development.. UNA-Canada is proud to recognize Ms. MacDonald’s formidable achievements. United Nations Day United Nations Day For the third year UNA-Canada collaborated with the World Federalists to hold a candlelight walk and vigil on the eve of UN Day (October 24) to express deep concern at the financial crisis facing the UN, largely as a result of the failure of some member States to meet their conventional obligations with respect to their dues. Given that the major defaulter is the United States, the vigil ended in front of the new American Embassy. The vigil also marked the start of a campaign to collect signatures on a petition urging action on the part of the Canadian Government to pressure for the speedy payment of all dues in full. The petition, with some 2100 signatures, was subsequently presented in the House of Commons by Ted McWhinney, MP. Website Development An increasingly important channel through which all organizations disseminate their information is the Internet. UNA-Canada is continually expanding its site and working to keep it user-friendly. The success of its outreach is reflected in a steadily increasing number of “hits” on our site each month. (from about 20 000 at the start of 1999 to over 40 000 as we entered the new century). A major section on our site is devoted to information on sustainable development. Thanks to generous support from the International Research Development Centre (IDRC), over 250 pages of information were developed and posted (http://www.unac.org/monitor/SusDev/), including backgrounders explaining the place of virtually all UN bodies with respect to the wide gamut of sustainable development issues. Launch of the 1999 Human Development Report On July 12, 1999, UNA-Canada collaborated with the International Research Development Centre (IDRC) to organize the Canadian launch of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1999 Human Development Report. Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Chief of the UNDP-Africa Policy Unit in New York, represented the UNDP at the launch. He was joined in the event in the IDRC Auditorium in Ottawa by Madame Huguette Labelle, President of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Rieky Stuart, the Executive Director of OXFAM Canada, with Maureen O’Neil, the President of IDRC, as Chair of the event. The 1999 Report focused its discussion on globalization and its effects on human development. Among other things it appeals to policy makers to balance their concern for profits with concern for people disenfranchised by the turmoil of the global marketplace. This year’s report also introduced a new ranking system for its well-established Human Development Index. Once again, Canada ranked as the country with the highest level of Human Development on basis of that index. Educational Outreach In 1999 UNA-Canada was pleased to initiate a new programme area in Educational Outreach to enhance the organization’s key priority area – a focus on youth. The goals of the programme are to work with youth to:
The principal project is What Kind of World…? - an initiative which aims to develop and implement curriculum on the UN in schools across the country. These newly developed materials explain the basics of the UN system and how the UN and Canada work towards solving international problems. Aimed at 10-15 year olds, it is being implemented on a pilot basis in the National Capital Region, the Quinte District, Yellowknife and Winnipeg, with the assistance of local branches. The programme is financed by the Canadian International Development Agency and the Royal Bank of Canada. Given that education is basic to UNA-Canada’s work, the Educational Outreach Project Officer has been forging links with other programme areas. To this end, plans are evolving for youth projects in the areas of human rights, sustainable development and refugees. Work is also underway to increase youth participation in UNA-Canada’s projects and structure. International Year of Older Persons Many years carry a specific designation, as approved by the UN General Assembly, as a way to focus global attention on an issue which touches all segments of the world and calls for concerted efforts to move an agenda forward. “In recognition of humanity’s demographic coming of age and the promise it holds for maturing attitudes and capabilities, not least for global peace and development in the next century,” the United Nations General Assembly declared 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons (IYOP). The theme for the Year, “Towards a Society for All Ages” invited people to focus their attention especially on intergenerational aspects of our society. Consistent with the Association’s primary mandate to educate Canadians about the UN and to invite active participation in relevant activities and discussion, UNA-Canada developed a special IYOP segment of our website to create links between activists and interested individuals and organizations. We also researched, wrote and produced a Resource Guide on the International Year of Older Persons for teachers, community leaders and activists. The resource guide focused in particular on the intergenerational theme and encouraged younger persons to build fruitful and enriching connections with older persons. Authored by Ele Pawelski, Human Rights Project Officer, it provides discussion topics to get teachers and community leaders started, and activities to explore issues affecting relationships between older and younger persons, including lesson plans for intermediate and elementary students, a fun quiz on IYOP, background information about IYOP, and an intergenerational resource list. An electronic version of the Guide is included in the IYOP segment of the website. Sustainable Agriculture A three-year special project, funded by IDRC and supported by the Museum of Agriculture to develop initiatives to promote environmentally sustainable agriculture, nutritional food habits and an appreciation of the importance of medicinal plants came to a close. The project officer, Priyantha Wijeweera, is continuing related research through graduate studies at the University of Ottawa. |
