Mercy Global Concern - Archives 2002
Archived items are listed in descending chronological order.
Briefing Notes
October
"With An End in Sight"
Water is a Human Right
The Impact of Violent Conflict on Women
and Girls
November
America and Iraq
2002 UNICEF Report on the state
of the World's Children
Safe Food for All
December
Poverty in your Coffee Cup
Women at the Peace Table
Prevention strategies to combat trafficking
of women
Key Dates
October 16th: World Food Day
December 1st: International
HIV/AIDS Day
Content
Brief UN News (5th July, 2002)
2002 ECOSOC Session
For almost the whole month of July, the UN Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) will hold its annual session to coordinate the
economic and social activities of the United Nations system.
Each year there is a'high-level' segment, involving special representatives
of member States. In 2002, this segment took place 1 - 3 July
under the theme:'The contribution of human resources development,
including in the areas of health and education, to the process
of development. ' In his opening speech, the UN Secretary General,
Kofi Annan, noted that the majority of the 120 million school-age
children worldwide not in school were girls, going on to emphasis
that the education of girls was the single most critical factor
in the social and economic progress of nations.
For more information about the session, including background
on the UN Millennium Development Goals and the latest UNAIDS
Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic, go to: www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc
Water Aid
Thames Water (UK) has set up a website associated with Water
Aid and if 2 million people click on it they will donate 150,000
to provide safe drinking water in Africa and Asia for 10,000
people. So please take a hit at http://www.givewater.org
"Special Session on Children" 7th
- 10th May 2002
The twenty-seventh Special Session of the General Assembly on
Children, which was rescheduled because of the events of September,
will now take place at the United Nations Headquarters New York,
in May 2002.
Due to space considerations, safety and for security reasons
MGC can only advertise 2 places to interested Sisters
of Mercy or colleagues.
If you are interested in attending please contact me before
April 15th 2002.
Participants are strongly advised to attend both the NGO forum
and the Special Session.
Children and young people throughout the world still experience
far too many hardships in their everyday lives. Extreme poverty,
armed conflict, AIDS and discrimination shatter the lives of
millions. Consider this;
- 160 million children, under the age of five are malnourished.
About 10 million severely malnourished children die each
year.
- 110 million children do not attend primary school, two
thirds of them girls
- 600 million children live in families earning less that
$ 1 a day.
- 1.4 billion people do not have safe drinking water in their
communities.
AIDS has orphaned 13 million children and 8,500 children and
young people are infected each day with HIV, the virus that
causes AIDS.
Deirdre Mullan, Associate Director, Mercy Global Concern
Kofi Annan's Re-appointment
On 29 June, the UN General Assembly voted to re-appoint Kofi
Annan as the UN Secretariat General for a second five-year term.
For background information about Mr Annan and his re-appointment
go to: www.un.org/News
The 55th Annual NGO Conference
" Rebuilding Societies Emerging
from Conflict: A Shared Responsibility"
September 9 - 11, 2002
Armed Conflicts often rivet international attention while the
violence and massive abuse of human rights are taking place.
But once the violence subsides and the slow process of reconciliation
and return to normalcy begin, international media coverage, political
concern and financial support often diminish, leaving wounded
and disoriented populations to fend for themselves.
The 55th Conference will explore the role of the
international community in supporting societies emerging from
conflicts, focusing on those contemporary examples that have
been the subject of concerted United Nations involvement. It
will examine the common experiences of these efforts, their shortcomings
and successes, highlighting best practices that people have developed
to live together peacefully.
Speakers at the conference will include people from the U.N.
from Governments and NGOs working in the field. The conference
will also feature people who have lived through the violence
and are working to re-establish peace and the rule of law.
Mercy Global Concern has been allocated 8 places for the conference
and if you are interested in attending please contact me by May
30th 2002.
International Criminal Court (ICC) Entry into force of the
Rome Statute
A special treaty event took place at the United Nations, New
York, on 11 April to mark the arrival of the necessary point
for the formal establishment of the ICC. The entry into force
of the treaty, adopted on 17 July 1998, required that a minimum
of 60 member States ratify or accede to it. By 11 April, 66 States
had ratified. The official date for its entry into force will
be 1 July 2002. The actual setting up of the Court in The Hague,
Netherlands, is expected to take about twelve months.
Countries which have ratified where there are established Mercy
groups are: Argentina, Belize, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand,
Nigeria, Panama, Peru, South Africa, and United Kingdom. Those
which have signed but not yet ratified include: Australia, Bahamas,
Brazil, Chile, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya, Philippines,
Samoa, USA and Zambia. For more information about the ICC, including
documentation and preparatory processes for appointment of judges,
etc.: www.un.org/law/icc
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
The first meeting of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
will be held in New York, 13 - 24 May 2002. The Forum will function
in relation to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It
has a membership of 16, eight of which were nominated by Indigenous
Peoples' organisations, and eight by UN member States.
The preparations for this first meeting, including registration
of participants, has been organised through the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights. It is anticipated that the
Forum will eventually set up its own Secretariat. Efforts have
been made to ensure that the first meeting is accompanied by
a large gathering of Indigenous Peoples' representatives from
around the world. For more information about the Forum and the
upcoming meeting: www.unhchr.ch/indigenous
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