Lunch and Learn to Discuss
India: Economic Superpower
India is a land
of paradoxes. One of the poorest
countries in the world, it is
being considered by many as a
candidate for a permanent seat
on the UN Security Council (it
has just taken a seat as a
non-permanent member). With the
eleventh largest economy in the
world and almost 1.2 billion
people (second largest in the
world) it is rich in human
resources, but three-quarters of
its population lives on less
than $2 a day and almost half
live below the international
poverty line of $1.25 per day.
While agriculture employs more
than half its work force, it has
become a major exporter of
information technology services.
It is a modern economic
phenomenon which is being
recognized as a modern
superpower. Professor Jay
Swaminathan, Sr. Associate
Dean of UNC's Kenan-Flagler
Business School will discuss the
implications of the emergence of
India for the global balance of
power.
Professor Swaminathan’s book,
“Indian Economic Superpower:
Fiction or Future?” will be
available at the Lunch & Learn.
If interested please bring
either cash or a check as we do
not have facilities to accept
credit cards.
We’ll meet on Wednesday, March
23 from Noon to 2PM at Carolina
Meadows in Chapel Hill.
Reservations should be sent to
Warren Glick, 83203 Jarvis,
Chapel Hill 27517 by Friday,
March 18.
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President’s Letter
By
Erdman (Pal) Palmore
I
attended the February meeting of
the Council of Chapters &
Regions (CCR, formerly CCD) of
the UNA-USA in New York and
things are looking good. We will
have a new Executive Director,
Patrick Madden, currently CEO of
Sister Cities, who has had
considerable experience with
international organizations such
as ours. We also worked on
revising our chapter handbooks
and organizational details
resulting from our alliance with
the UN Foundation. We agreed
that the two top priorities for
the UNA will be increasing
membership (to 15,000 from the
current 11,000) and improving
advocacy.
As
part of the advocacy priority,
we will be having a
postcard-writing Lunch & Learn
at our March 23 L & L. We will
be sending postcard to Sen.
Hagan urging her to help ratify
the UN International treaties,
such as the Women's Convention (CEDAW),
the Law of the Sea Convention,
and the International Criminal
Court (ICC). We will sell
postcards for 30 cents, so bring
your quarters & nickels & pen.
We will supply the address and
suggested message.
I
look forward to seeing you on
March 23rd.
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Political Stability in China and
World Politics
By
Catherine Flood
A
full house gathered at Carolina
Meadows for the UNA West
Triangle Chapter’s January Lunch
and Learn to welcome Assistant
Professor Xi Chen of UNC’s
Department of Political Science.
The large number of members in
attendance was indicative of the
high level of interest in the
topic of his address, “Political
Stability in China and World
Politics”.
Prof. Chen noted that in Western
thinking, political stability is
best achieved through the
combination of democratic
government and capitalist
economic policies. Nevertheless,
China has achieved both
political and economic
stability, while retaining an
essentially non-democratic form
of government.
Since World War II, China’s
autocratic government has been
characterized by its charismatic
leaders, who from Mao Zedong to
Deng Xiaoping all came from
military leadership roles in the
Chinese communist revolution.
Starting some thirty years ago,
economic reforms have been
implemented by a new generation
of technocratic leaders,
culminating in the current
president, Hu Jintao.
In
Prof. Chen’s view, these
transitions in leadership have
taken place with little or no
turmoil or unrest, because the
successors to leadership have
been identified and groomed up
to twenty years prior to
assuming that role. This has
contributed greatly to the
stability of the Chinese
Communist regime.
While to Westerners the concept
of an economically viable,
non-democratic country may be
contradictory, the Chinese
system has led to considerable
wealth and a developing middle
class. Its stability, both
economic and political, is
expected to continue.
With
regard to its role in the United
Nations, China has been
generally supportive of the need
for reform in the Security
Council (of which it is a
permanent member with veto
power). However, should another
Asian nation (e.g. India or
Japan) be considered for
permanent membership, China
would likely resist for economic
and historical/political
reasons.
(Ed. Note: Catherine was kind
enough to write up this speaker
so that members who could not
attend would have a brief
summary of his remarks. But
unfortunately, she can’t
continue. Any volunteers would
be gratefully welcomed. If
you’re interested please email
me at
berkonu@mindspring.com.
Thanks, Jerry Berke)
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UNC-UNO’s First Annual College
Conference
By Amanda Conklin,
Communications Outreach Intern
The
United Nations Organization of
UNC Chapel Hill held their first
college conference on February
4-6. The conference was attended
by delegations from Emory
University, Duke University, and
UNC-Wilmington. Students engaged
in debate in two committees – a
modern day Security Council and
a historical simulation of WWII
China. In the Security Council,
delegates debated issues of
African stability, radical
extremism, and SC reform.
Delegates in WWII China, acting
as members of the Nationalist
and Communist parties,
cooperated to secure the fate of
their nation against a Japanese
invasion before facing off
against each other to secure the
fate of their parties. Both
committees were motivated by
pretend crisis events announced
through online news articles,
which you can see examples of at
www.uncmunc.wordpress.com
and
www.chinawwii.wordpress.com
.
At
the opening ceremony, US Foreign
Service Officer and Diplomat in
Residence at Duke, Ambassador
Patrick Duddy, talked about his
experience coordinating projects
in Haiti with the UN while
serving as the Deputy Secretary
of State for the Western
Hemisphere and praised the
ability of the UN to bring
together the financial, physical
and management abilities of
different countries to help
alleviate problems in Haiti and
elsewhere in the world.
The
conference was organized by
junior Public Policy and
International Studies major Anna
Gage, who was pleased to meet
her goal of having more schools
attend UNC’s inaugural
conference than Duke did at
their inaugural conference.
The
UNO’s annual high school
conference, MUNCH, will be held
April 1-3 and is open to anyone
from the UNA who wishes to
observe. More information can be
found at munch-unc.com.
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Education Outreach
By
Jean and Tuck Green
U.N. Contest
The
U.N. Contest for High School
Students, in its seventh year,
is designed to encourage
students to learn more about the
U.N. by creating original
projects which pertain to the
U.N.’s mission. The winners this
year are:
David McDonogh
, Junior, East
Chapel Hill High
School. $750 1st
place award for
“Timor East and
West.” The
judging committee
was very impressed
with his mastery of
the complex history
of the conflicts in
East Timor. His
well-thought-out
PowerPoint
presentation on that
history included
realistic and
carefully considered
proposals for
U.N.-based
solutions. David won
last year’s second
place award.
Kathy Dai,
Freshman, East
Chapel Hill High
School. $500 2nd
place award for
“U.N. Leadership
Roles in
Humanitarian Aid.”
The judging
committee was
impressed with her
analysis of how
important the
coordination of aid
is. Her PowerPoint
presentation on that
issue included her
proposal for
U.N.-based
solutions.
Joe Baker,
Parker Edwards,
and Adam Glasser,
Seniors, Carrboro
High School. $250
3rd place award for
“U.N. Aid for
Indonesia.” The
members of the
judging committee
were impressed by
the team’s
creativity in
writing a
multi-verse song
about the issue and
with their concern
for improving the
aid process in
general.
Maryam Ali,
Freshman, East
Chapel Hill High
School. Honorable
Mention for
“Violence Against
Women.” The
Contest judges were
impressed with the
background Ms. Ali
acquired about the
various causes of
the problem, with
her detailed and
colorful PowerPoint
presentation, and
with the imaginative
publicity brochure
she prepared.
Yuyi Li,
Sophomore, East
Chapel Hill High
School. Honorable
Mention for “Blood
Diamonds.”
Judges were
impressed with the
background she
acquired about
various aspects of
the topic and with
her delightful
PowerPoint
presentation.
Rachel Hainline,
Senior, East Chapel
Hill High School.
Honorable Mention
for “Poverty
Reduction.” Ms.
Hainline
demonstrated
considerable
knowledge about the
topic and her
PowerPoint
presentation
included an
interesting proposal
for using
U.N.-supervised
clinics to reduce
poverty. Ms.
Hainline and various
colleagues won
awards in our 2009
and 2010.
These
students will
summarize their
projects before the
Chapter’s membership
at the April 27th
Lunch and Learn. At
that time they will
receive their cash
awards, certificates
of achievement and a
U.N. lapel pin.
Their full projects
will be on display
at our web site,
www.una-westtriangle.com,
starting in early
May.
If you would like
to support this Committee’s
work, please check off
“Education Outreach” on the
Lunch and Learn Registration
form and send your donation in
together with your Lunch fee.
Suggestions? Please contact us
at
cgreen17@nc.rr.com.
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UNA-USA Continues Its
Metamorphosis
Patrick Madden is UNA-USA’s new
Executive Director
Letter from Timothy E. Wirth,
President, United Nations
Foundation
Dear UNA-USA Members: We have
exciting news to report on the
strategic alliance between the
United Nations Foundation and
UNA-USA. After an exhaustive
search, I am pleased to report
that we have selected Sister
Cities International President
and CEO Patrick Madden as UNA-USA’s
new Executive Director. We will
be making this announcement
[publicly], and I wanted you to
be among the first to know.
Patrick is an energetic,
nonprofit executive with a
successful track record of
building a membership
organization focused on
international partnerships. As a
member of the National Capital
Area chapter of UNA-USA, Patrick
is a passionate advocate of a
strong, durable relationship
between the U.S. and the UN, and
has extensive experience in
promoting international
partnerships through Sister
Cities, a global citizens
diplomacy network. As head of
Sister Cities, Patrick has
developed and implemented
successful programs which allow
Americans to connect with the
citizens of other nations
through development, educational
and economic cooperation
projects.
Patrick is committed to
developing UNA-USA’s strong and
independent advocacy voice for a
strong relationship with the UN
and to ensuring a close
relationship between the
organization and key UN and U.S.
government officials. He is also
an experienced manager and
fundraiser, and is an Adjunct
Professor at George Mason
University, where he teachers a
graduate seminar on fundraising.
Most importantly, we believe
that Patrick has the right
combination of international
focus, strong presence,
thoughtful management style and
experience in a chapter-based
organization to lead and grow
UNA-USA. I know that Patrick
looks forward to reaching out to
longtime UNA supporters as well
as UNA Chapter and Division
leaders and members in the
months ahead.
With best wishes, thank you for
your help and support, and we
look forward to working with you
in the months and years ahead.
Sincerely yours, Timothy E.
Wirth
KNOW YOUR UN
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization
by Gregory Flood, Vice
President, West Triangle Chapter
This is part three of a
series addressing the work of
the Specialized Agencies within
the United Nations system and
the relationships among them.
The diversity inherent in
UNESCO’s mission to contribute
to the building of peace, the
eradication of poverty,
sustainable development and
intercultural dialogue through
education, the sciences,
culture, communication and
information makes it perhaps the
most complex and
difficult of the UN Specialized
Agencies to understand. The
organization focuses, in
particular, on two global
priorities and a number of
overarching objectives:
- Attaining quality education
for all and lifelong learning;
- Mobilizing science knowledge
and policy for sustainable
development;
- Addressing emerging social and
ethical challenges;
- Fostering cultural diversity,
intercultural dialogue and a
culture of peace; and
- Building inclusive knowledge
societies through information
and communication.
This complexity arises in part
through the process by which
UNESCO came into being. In 1942,
the allied European governments
met in the United Kingdom for
the Conference of Allied
Ministers of Education (CAME).
Although World War II was not
yet over, these countries sought
ways to reconstruct their
education systems once peace had
been restored.
At the proposal of CAME, a
United Nations Conference for
the establishment of an
educational and cultural
organization was convened in
London in November 1945. There,
the representatives of
forty-four countries decided to
create an organization that
would embody a genuine culture
of peace and establish the
“intellectual and moral
solidarity of mankind”.
In the same month, the
Constitution of UNESCO was
signed, and came into force a
year later after ratification by
twenty countries. Author
Archibald MacLeish, the first
American member of UNESCO's
governing board, wrote the
preamble to the Constitution,
which opens with: “Since wars
begin in the minds of men, it is
in the minds of men that the
defenses of peace must be
constructed.”
UNESCO's governing bodies
consist of a General Conference,
composed of member states and
the Executive Board. The General
Conference, composed of the
representatives of all member
states of the Organization,
determines the policies and the
main lines of work of the
Organization and sets the budget
of UNESCO. It also elects the
fifty-eight members of the
Executive Board and appoints,
every four years, the
Director-General. The Board
oversees UNESCO’s management. As
in all UN agencies, the choice
of countries to sit on it
reflects the diversity of the
cultures and their geographical
origin.
UNESCO’s Secretariat,
headquartered in Paris, consists
of the Director-General and the
agency’s staff. As of mid-2009,
the Secretariat employed around
2,000 international civil
servants from some 170
countries. More than 700 of them
work in UNESCO's field offices
around the world.
The relationship between UNESCO
and the United States has been a
troubled one that has reflected
the diversity of cultures and
political streams with which all
UN agencies must contend to
carry out their missions. For
example, during the 1970s and
1980s, UNESCO supported a “New
World Information and
Communication Order” (calling
for democratization of the media
and more egalitarian access to
information). Championed by
developing and then-communist
countries as a way to attack the
West, it was condemned by the
United States and its allies as
an attempt to curb freedom of
the press. In addition, the
Organization was widely
considered to have been grossly
mismanaged by its
then-Director-General,
Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow. As a
result, in an unprecedented
move, in 1984, the United States
withheld its contributions and
withdrew from the Organization
in protest.
Subsequently, UNESCO implemented
a range of significant reform
measures over the following ten
years, streamlining its
organization and reducing its
staff. As a result, in 2002,
then-President Bush announced
the United States’ intentions to
rejoin the Organization,
stating: “As a symbol of our
commitment to human dignity, the
United States will return to
UNESCO. This organization has
been reformed and America will
participate fully in its mission
to advance human rights and
tolerance and learning.” The
United States formally resumed
its participation in UNESCO in
October 2003.
(For more information on
UNESCO see
www.UNESCO.org)
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