un-library: In 1954, the General Assembly recommended that all member states institute a Universal Children’s Day to promote the welfare of all children and advocate for understanding and solidarity between all children. 20 November marks the anniversary of the adoption of the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. Further Resources UNICEF’s annual State of the World’s Children report UNICEF’s Voices of Youth platform for young activitists United Nations CyberSchoolbus for teaching and learning Above image is credited to Sophia Paris and was retrieved from unmultimedia.org/photo
Another week went by and I cannot believe how close we are to the end of this year already. Once again I had to find that bad things happening to me somehow raise my creativity. And being fired from your job is indeed a bad thing. There are also a number of reasons why I should be grateful and happy about this, starting with the fact that working there was a bad decision for me in the first place, but being fired still sucks. Anyway, I have a lot of new plans and ideas and I am ahead of what needs…
un-library: 16 November is the annual International Day for Tolerance; UN Member States are invited to observe the International Day for Tolerance with activities directed towards both educational establishments and the wider public. The day marks the anniversary of UNESCO’s founding, and its Member States’ adoption of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. Further Reading Report of the Secretary-General on promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue (2013) UNESCO’s Integrated Strategy to Combat Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Intolerance UN Alliance of Civilizations’ “Education About Religions & Beliefs” portal and community Above image is credited to Mark Garten and was retrieved from…
In Single Secret Ballot, General Assembly Elects 14 Member States to Three-Year Terms on Human Rights Council The General Assembly yesterday elected 14 States to serve on the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe. Those elected were Algeria, China, Cuba, France, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom and Viet Nam. All would serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2014. To read more about the election procedure click here. Notably and infamously, there are six…
staff: In a matter of hours on Friday, Typhoon Haiyan completely devastated parts of the central Philippines. It was one of the strongest storms ever recorded. The death toll is estimated up to 10,000 with hundreds of thousands more displaced. The country has declared a “state of calamity.” To all our friends and family in the Philippines, our hearts and thoughts are with you — and we want to make sure you’re aware of the online resources to find loved ones or request rescue. To everyone else, please help those desperate for clean water and food by donating to the…
I know it’s a cliché, but time really does fly! While our scary horror Halloween party is still yet to happen due to scheduling issues, Pinterest, as well as malls and supermarkets are already flooded with Christmas stuff. And for me it somehow feels like summer just ended. How about you all? Meanwhile, this was a really busy week in world affairs with a lot of great reads on my favorite blogs. On world affairs: 3 Reasons Why this Iran Breakthrough is a Very. Big. Deal We don’t know how big of a deal exactly it is yet, as talks…
Kerry Joins European Officials at Iran Nuclear Talks In Geneva, Secretary of State John Kerry sought to temper rising expectations of an imminent deal, saying, “There are important gaps that have to be closed.” (…) “Mr. Kerry will meet with Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, who oversees the multiparty negotiations, about 6 p.m. Before that, he will hold separate meetings with Ms. Ashton; the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius; and the British foreign secretary, William Hague, as the major powers coordinate their own bargaining positions. The German foreign minister, Guido…
breakingnews: Kerry arrives in Geneva for much-anticipated Iran nuclear talks NBC News: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry joined international representatives from the United Kingdom, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday to push toward the first phase of a nuclear deal with Iran. The dignitaries are all expected to meet with Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, NBC News reports. “I want to emphasize there are still some very important issues on the table that are unresolved. It is important for those to be properly, thoroughly addressed,” Kerry said upon arriving in Geneva. Follow updates at BreakingNews.com. Photo: Secretary of…
Happy Sunday, everyone! This past one turned out to be only a two day working week for me. I was not so politely asked by my not so polite superior to take some days off while she’s going to be in the office, so we are not gonna have to meet. At one point in my forced holiday (that I have spent out of town) I was even grateful for her, feeling that I really needed these days off. Nevertheless, I spent some time thinking about my future in this job where I mostly have to spend 10+ hours per…
From the archive: 20 years since the Maastricht treaty The Treaty of Maastricht that created the European Union out of the European Communities and introduced the co-decision procedure in order to strenghten the European Parliament and the people of Europe just turned 20. So much has happened in Europe in the past 20 years…
