Dear Reader,

We have attended the first Volunteer Fair of the season at Warwick University and received around 100 expressions of interest in volunteering with us. If you would like to volunteer or to find out more about opportunities, see the article below. You will have a lot of choice, from creating videos to helping organise conferences to obtaining publicity for our Peace Twalk.

And we are still working on the Restorative Justice project. Come to our RJ Conference to find out more!

It's not too late to book your seat at the Lord Mayor's Peace Lecture on 13 November by the well-known journalist and broadcaster Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on the subject "Keeping Faith in Just Values in an Age of Populism". Seats are likely to be short supply so best to book here as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued support of our work in promoting international and UN issues to the wider public.

Philip Brown

Secretary, UNA Coventry Branch
philip@unacov.uk

Summary of Recent News

Twalk Together For Peace

United Nations Association Coventry Branch and Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation encourage the people of Coventry to Walk and Talk Together for Peace. We want to bring people from different communities, cultures, races, ages and religions together to talk as they walk, share their common humanity and get fitter. Each walk will end at a pub, hotel or …

WHO plans to offer paid internships within 2 years

Normally UN interns are unpaid and have to find their own accommodation, food and travel expenses. But after a campaign led by Wolverhampton doctor and ex-intern Dr Ashton Barnett-Vanes, the World Health Organisation based in Geneva has agreed to provide full financial support for interns by no later than 2020. It aims to ensure that 50% of interns come from developing …

OCHA releases $1 million to avoid collapse of Gaza services

On 17 September the OCHA Humanitarian Coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick, announced the release of US$ 1 million from the Humanitarian Fund for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt HF) to prevent the collapse of life-saving services in the Gaza Strip. The allocation will go to the UN-Assisted Emergency Fuel Programme, which provides emergency fuel, mainly for back-up electricity generators, at around 250 critical health, …

Donald Trump "Rejects the Very Premise of the UN"

President Donald Trump addressed the gathering of the annual United Nations General Assembly for the second time on 25 September 2018. According to the New York Times He emphasized his “America First” vision in his speech to the assembly and at a rambling news conference the next day. In smaller meetings, he touched on global issues that continue to vex …

UNA's Opinion of Teresa May's Speech at UN

This article was first published by UNA-UK on 26 September 2018. Prime Minister May's speech to the UN General Assembly UK Prime Minister Theresa May addressed the UN General Assembly today. The 19-minute speech voiced strong support for a rules-based global system based on open societies and mutual cooperation. She also spoke about the need for practical action to meet the concerns …

Elders urge world leaders to eradicate tuberculosis

Elders urge world leaders to eradicate tuberculosis

The Elders have written to twelve key world leaders urging them to step up their efforts to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) and attend a United Nations summit in New York on the topic on 26 September. The letters were sent to leaders of major donor countries whose support in tackling TB has been crucial to date, and also to leaders of …

The Dream of World Government

Listen to a BBC Radio 4 broadcast about the founding of the League of Nations in 1919 (the forerunner of the United Nations) which offered a vision of peaceful world government and collaboration. History of course didn't turn out that way, and the fate of the League of Nations is often seen as symbolic of the dream of world government, fragile, utopian, …

Statement by OCHA Coordinator on Palestinian casualties in the Gaza Strip

Statement issued by Mr. Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, on 29 September 2018. I am deeply saddened by reports that seven Palestinians, including two children, were killed, and hundreds of others injured, by Israeli forces during demonstrations in the Gaza Strip yesterday. This is the highest fatality toll in a single day since 14 May …

Sustainable Development Video Campaign

Sustainable Development Video Campaign

Want to help stop pollution, global warming, lack of water or any of the other major threats facing our planet? Want to make the world more sustainable, equitable and just? There are lots of things we can do from the comfort of our own couch or home, and others we can do in shops, restaurants, at work etc. Visit www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction for lots ideas. …

Warwick University Volunteer Fair 2018

Coventry United Nations Association spent an interesting few hours talking to students at Warwick University Volunteer Fair about the opportunities for volunteering this year. We had about 100 students sign-up to receive more information, which is available on this site. Volunteers who decide they want to help the Branch with its mission to engage the people of Coventry with the …

Statement by OCHA Coordinator on the Impact of Hostilities in Tripoli, Libya

The following statement was issued by Maria Ribeiro, the OCHA Humanitarian Coordinator, on the Impact of Hostilities in Tripoli, Libya and Civilian Casualties on 24 September 2018. I am deeply alarmed by the humanitarian impact of the escalation of hostilities in Tripoli. Eleven people have been killed, most of them civilians, and 18 injured in the past two days. This …

Forthcoming Events and International Days

Please get in touch if you want to help organise an event to help Coventry to celebrate one of the following UN-designated days. Please contact events@unacov.uk

Coventry Children’s Peace Poem Competition

The United Nations was established to try to prevent wars from starting. The Coventry Schools Peace & Justice Forum and Coventry Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation invite all children of Coventry to submit an original poem on the theme of peace and/or justice and/or reconciliation. Prizes and publishing fame to be won! To qualify you must be born on …

Coventry University Volunteer Fair

Coventry UNA will have a table at Coventry University Volunteer Fair again this year on 24 October. Last year around 100 students came to find out what we do. Note the date and times are provisional but probably correct.

World Science Day for Peace and Development

Celebrated every 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives. By linking science more closely with society, World Science Day for Peace and Development …

Twalk Together for Peace 11 Nov 2018

Take steps in developing peaceful relations by walking around the War Memorial Park and talking with people from a different culture, race, religion, nation or age from you. Meet near the bus shelter in Coventry Park and Ride. Look for the UN flag. This is also the main car park in the Memorial Park. The entrance is at 36 Kenilworth …

Coventry Peace Lecture 2018

Coventry Peace Lecture 2018

Coventry Lord Mayor's Peace Lecture 2018 will be held on Tuesday 13 November in St Mary's Guildhall, Bayley Lane, Coventry. We are delighted to announce that the speaker will be Professor Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, an articulate journalist and author who takes a progressive stance on social justice issues. The title of the lecture will be Keeping Faith in Just Values in an …

Coventry Restorative Justice Conference 2018

Coventry Restorative Justice Conference 2018

This conference on 14 November is designed for those who might be considering introducing restorative justice (RJ) into their institutions to find out more and meet people who are already delivering it. It is also intended to engage people who are thinking about volunteering as RJ and let them find out more. Finally it is aimed at the wider public, …

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