Last Updated on Thursday, 18 March 2010 15:07 Written by Administrator Thursday, 18 March 2010 13:00

The Mid Atlantic Regional Conference / Members Day photos are now available in the Events Gallery.  Or click here to see the slideshow.  Many thanks to Arnold Gallardo of the UNA Queens Chapter, who photographed the event.

Last Updated on Thursday, 18 March 2010 13:58 Written by Administrator Sunday, 28 February 2010 21:08

 Focus on Sex Trafficking in the Community

 The Center for the Women of New York and the United Nations Association-USA/Queens Chapter seek to eliminate ads that promote sex trafficking in our community newspaper.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, a conference on sex trafficking will be held at Queensboro Hall, Room 213, on Tuesday, March 2nd, at 7:15PM.  A coalition spearheaded by the Center for the Women of New York and UNA-USA/Queens Chapter will present the program aimed at ending the advertising in our local community newspapers of services that are clearly a front for prostitution.

 The panelists will include:

Moderator, Ann Jawin, Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors, CWNY; Anthony M. Communiello , Bureau Chief, Special Proceedings Bureau, Queens District Attorney’s Office; Elissa J. Brown, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, St. John’s University; Susan Jeng, River in the Desert, Flushing, Queens; Hon. Grace Meng, New York State Assemblywoman; Jenn Polish, Student Activist, Queens College; Karen L. Seigel, Ph.D., Psychologist, NGO Representative to the UN from Zonta Int’l, Charter President of the Zonta Club of Greater Queens; Leah Zoldan, Director, Family Justice Center, Safe Horizon.  Sponsors are:  Ann Jawin, Center for the Women of New York, and Margaret Shannon, President, UNA-USA Queens Chapter.

 Queens County, with international airports located within its borders, is a gateway for exploitation of young women who come to this country thinking they will have an opportunity for a better life.  Many of these women are victims of human trafficking and have become involved in prostitution against their will.  This is a gross violation of accepted civilized norms and agreements.

 A US law passed in 2008 bolsters federal efforts to combat international and domestic trafficking in human beings.  New York State law provides tools enabling local law enforcement agencies to prosecute traffickers.  Our Queens law enforcement agencies are working very hard to deal with this problem, which not only means arrests on the streets and checking “business establishments” but also following solicitation via the internet.

 According to the United Nations Report on Human Rights, many women are forced into prostitution either by their parents, husbands or boyfriends – or as a result of the difficult economic and social conditions in which they find themselves.  They are also lured into prostitution, sometimes by “mail-order bride” agencies that promise to find them a husband or a job in a foreign country.  As a result, they very often find themselves illegally confined in brothels in slavery-like conditions where they are physically abused and their passports withheld.

 Most women initially victimized by sexual traffickers have little inkling of what awaits them.  They generally get a very small percentage of what the customer pays to the pimp or the brothel owner.  Once they are caught up in the system there is practically no way out, and they find themselves in an extremely vulnerable situation.

 Since prostitution is illegal in many countries, it is difficult for prostitutes to come forward and ask for protection if they become victims of rape or want to escape from brothels.  Customers, on the other hand, are rarely the object of penal laws.

  The address of Queensboro Hall is 120-55 Queens Blvd., Kew Gardens. It is one-half block walk from the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens E and F train station.

Last Updated on Saturday, 27 February 2010 20:41 Written by Administrator Saturday, 27 February 2010 20:29

Marcia Brewster, UNA-USA Southern NYS Division Vice President and VP of the UNA Westchester Chapter, prepared the following report on the February 19 conference sponsored by the Southern NYS Division.

An impressive group of experts was on hand to discuss three major crises facing the world over the past year—Afghanistan, the Global Economy, and Nuclear Weapons—at the United Nations on February 19. These were the themes of the three panels at the UNA Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference and 2010 Members’ Day. The conference, entitled ―A Year of Crises: Opportunities for Change -- was organized by co-chairs Jeffrey Laurenti and Catherine White, with George Garland serving as Executive Director. A full Web cast of the proceedings is available at www.tcf.org, the Web site of the Century Foundation.
The 500 plus participants (many of them students) were welcomed by: Jeffrey Laurenti, the Century Foundation; Ramu Damodaran, UN Department of Public Information; Ambassador Byrganym Aitimova, the Vice President of the General Assembly; Tom Miller, President of UNA-USA; and Robert Orr, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Strategic Planning.

The first Panel, on ―Afghanistan: From Ramping Up to the Exit Ramp,‖ was moderated by Linda Fasulo, NBC News correspondent at the UN. The excellent panel included: Hassan Abbas, Bernard Schwartz Fellow at the Asia Society; Valentin Gatzinski, Director of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan; and Jeffrey Laurenti. Much of the discussion centered on the failure of nation building in Afghanistan and the difficult situation in that country. Dr. Abbas suggested some of the elements that would be needed to reconcile all of the factions, the hard core Taliban, war lords, and other local people. Religious deradicalization, a larger education project, regional arrangements, and an active international role will be needed.

The second panel, ―Hitting the Reset Button on the Global Economy,‖ was moderated by Jeffrey Laurenti and featured: Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development; Anita Sharma of the UN Millennium Campaign; and Werner Puschra, UN Office Director of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Germany). Much of the discussion focused on the unregulated and ad hoc international system for dealing with trade and financial flows. The panel also discussed the Millennium Development Goals, foreign assistance, and globalization. The panelists suggested that a ―Tobin tax‖ on international financial transactions would contribute to financial stability and to meeting the MDGs.

The final panel, on ―Turning Back the Bomb: Hard Cases and Grand Designs,‖ was moderated by Christine Wing of NYU’s Center on International Cooperation. Panelists were: Ambassador Gérard Araud of France; Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian-American Council; and Randy Rydell, Senior Officer in the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. Much of the discussion was on Iran’s nuclear program and the upcoming sessions on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at the UN in May.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:33 Written by Administrator Tuesday, 23 February 2010 14:23

The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) – Westchester,  League of Women Voters and Sarah Lawrence College invite you to celebrate International Women’s Day 2010

Featuring:
Nicola Armacost Managing Director and Co-Founder
Arc Finance, Ltd.
(microfinance, energy, water and sanitation)

Urjasi Rudra
Coordinator, ‘Say NO’ – UNiTE
Campaign to End Violence Against Women, UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), New York

Moderated by: Marcia Brewster, Vice-President, UNA-Westchester, former Senior Officer for Water Resources, UN Dept of Economic and Social Affairs.

International Women’s Day 2010 focuses on opportunities that can lead to gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in developing countries. Our speakers will address the work the United Nations is doing to end violence against women, and opportunities for economic empowerment through establishing small businesses with the help of microfinance. Our main speakers bring to the program a vast amount of experience with improving the conditions of marginalized women throughout the world. The panel discussion will be followed by a question and answer period.
Refreshments will be served following the program.

Information: Contact Doris Benson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (914) 961-6554
*Directions: Take Cross County Parkway East to exit 5, Kimball Ave. Turn left on Kimball and go north to the 2nd light at the entrance to the college (Glen Washington Rd.). Turn right and an immediate right into the parking lot. The Library is a contemporary light brick building on the right as you exit the parking lot. The event will take place on the second floor. For train or other transport, visit: http://www.slc.edu/about/visit/index.html.