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Dear Reader, In June we ran teleconferences to celebrate World Environment Day, World No Tobacco Day and an online discussion and awareness-raising event about human trafficking. Find videos of all these events on our website, as well as much more, by following the links below. And remember we are still running UN75 sessions at 2-4pm UK time on the first Wednesday of every month during 2020. Join in a global conversation about what kind of world we want and what the UN should be doing to make it a reality simply by visiting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/71964075097 Please stay safe and be considerate of others. Philip Brown Secretary, UNA Coventry Branch
philip@unacov.uk |
Recent News HighlightsSee our website for more of our recent news articles. |
On 5 June 2020, Elena Miron, Roxana Anton, Mohammed Aaqib and Philip Brown of the United Nations Association Coventry Branch explored World Environment Day. The theme this year was Biodiversity. The following video stimulated a discussion of zoonotic diseases. See also the article https://unacov.uk/biodiversity-and-epidemic-diseases/ https://youtu.be/RtrEHznXtLo We visited many web pages, tried to answer some quiz questions and watched a video …
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Below is UNA-UK'S response to the announcement of the intention to merge the Foreign Office and Department for International Development, first published on the UNA-UK website on 16 June 2020. UNA-UK was dismayed to hear that the Government intends to prejudge its own integrated review process and declare its intention to merge the Department for International Development and the Foreign …
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The World Health Organisation is one of the United Nations specialised agencies - an autonomous agency with its own membership, but coordinated through the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Founded in 1948, the organisation has its own constitution that defines its principles, governing structure and mandate for its work to ensure that people are able to attain the “highest …
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On 31 May 2020 the United Nations Association Coventry Branch ran a teleconference about World No Tobacco Day. Philip Brown and Elena Miron discuss tobacco, how and why people get hooked and what the World Health Organization is doing to fight the tobacco industry. https://youtu.be/_zMGf85_nP8 For decades, the tobacco industry has deliberately employed strategic, aggressive and well-resourced tactics to attract …
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The UN specialized agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations. All were brought into relationship with the UN through negotiated agreements. Some existed before the First World War. Some were associated with the League of Nations. Others were created almost simultaneously with the UN. Others were created by the UN to meet emerging needs. The list also contains …
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On 14-15 May 2020, Together First and UN2020 co-hosted the "UN75 People’s Forum" which brought together more than 600 individuals, civil society experts, UN officials and other stakeholders from around the world to discuss ‘the future we want, the UN we need’. For a report see here. You can watch the full 4 hour discussion below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4IMfz3WU2U
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Can the armed forces be a force for peace? According to the Armed Forces Day website : "The UK Armed Forces defend the UK and its interests. They are busy working around the world, promoting peace, delivering aid, tackling drug smugglers, providing security and fighting terrorism." The UK government took part in the Understand to Prevent (U2P) multinational project to …
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War School is a film about the battle for the hearts and minds of Britain’s children. Watch the video below. The producers of the film describe it as follows: Set against the backdrop of Remembrance the controversial and challenging documentary reveals how, faced with unprecedented opposition to its wars, the British government is using a series of new and targeted …
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Do you know how to recognise the signs of human trafficking? And what to do if you see these signs? Watch the video of a presentation and discussion led by Roxana Ingrid Anton, Volunteer Manager at the United Nations Association Coventry Branch on 26 June 2020 and find out! References are listed below the video. https://youtu.be/m_InsT1r4CE Social Media twitter.com/UNACoventry instagram.com/unacoventry …
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This statement was released by the Elders on 26 June 2020. The Elders today called on world leaders to recommit to the values of the UN Charter and strengthen the effectiveness of the multilateral system as the best way of overcoming existential threats like pandemics, climate change and nuclear proliferation. On the seventy-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Charter …
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Human trafficking is happening in plain sight all around us. Have you ever seen something that looks out of place? Does uncertainty stop you from speaking up? Every human trafficking story, no matter how long or short, whether current or historic, is important and relevant. It may be the missing piece of the puzzle, contributing to a larger and more …
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The transmission from animals to people of the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken the world by surprise, but it should not have done. In their report "Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health" published in 2015 , the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Health Organization reviewed among other things the state of knowledge of …
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The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the world, according to a policy brief issued by the UN Secretary-General on 9 June . Hundreds of millions of people were already suffering from hunger and malnutrition before the virus hit and, unless immediate action is taken, we could …
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Image: A map showing places warmer (red) or cooler (blue) in May than the long-term average. Photograph: Modis/NEO/Nasa This article was first published in the Coventry Climate Action Network website. The Guardian reported on 17 June that climate scientists have said a prolonged heatwave in Siberia is “undoubtedly alarming”. Freja Vamborg, a senior scientist at EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service …
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The following is the Executive Summary from the Update on Work of UN75 Office, published in April 2020. The full report can be found here. The United Nations is marking its 75th anniversary at a time of great upheaval, as the COVID-19 virus continues to spread, exacting a heavy toll on lives, societies and economies in all regions of the …
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On 14 May 2020, UN2020, supported by Together First, presented the UN75 People’s Declaration and Plan for Global Action entitled “Humanity at a Crossroads: Global Solutions for Global Challenges” to H.E. Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly. The main principles of The People’s Declaration are: Promoting UN values, norms and principles embodied in …
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Forthcoming EventsIf you have an idea for an event you want us to organise, please contact events@unacov.uk |
Participate in UN75, the biggest-ever global conversation on the role of global cooperation in building the future we want. These teleconversations will be held on the first Wednesday of every month during 2020. Why #UN75? Tackling issues such as COVID-19, the climate crisis, inequality, new patterns of violence and the major changes we are seeing in population and technology in …
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2 September 2020 will be the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Germany had surrendered in May but the war with Japan continued until the dropping of atomic bombs in August. The Japanese officially surrendered a few weeks later on 2 September.
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Note the date of this event has been changed due to the Coronavirus emergency. From 11 to 27 September, Keep Britain Tidy will once more be organising the UK's biggest mass-action environmental campaign: the Great British Spring Clean 2020. In 2019, more than 560,000 people took part. 17,097 clean-ups were held and 957,377 bags of litter collected – that’s 239,344 wheelie bins full of rubbish or 4,308 …
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Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. This year the United Nations Association Coventry Branch are planning an online TeleCelebration. Coventry, in the United Kingdom, is a City of Peace and Reconciliation, so it is the ideal place to host this innovative TeleCelebration. How to join the TeleCelebration Follow this link from …
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UN Day is 24 October, anniversary of the day the UN Charter entered into force in 1945.
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United Nations Climate Change and the UK and Italian Governments announced on 1 April that the 26th Conference of Parties due to be held in Glasgow in November (COP26) has been postponed due to COVID-19. It is now scheduled for 1-12 November 2021. Deferring the meeting should not mean deferring climate action, according to a leaked letter signed by Cop26 …
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12 November will present a rare opportunity to hear the UK's ex Chief Scientific Adviser and Special Representative for Climate Change share his insight and wisdom. Some people claim that Covid19 is the world’s biggest threat since the end of World War II. It has galvanised governments into action because it is an immediate and obvious danger. But, within a …
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