News

Written by Administrator Friday, 07 May 2010 10:15

The Westchester Chapter's Annual Meeting will feature Climate Change and Sinking Islands – From Manhattan to Seychelles: A 21st Century Tragedy.  It will take place on Sunday, May 16, 2010, 2.00-4.00pm
Siwanoy Country Club, 56 Siwanoy Blvd., Bronxville, New York. 

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 13 April 2010 13:45

The Division's Board Meeting of April 12, 2010 featured remarks by Jocelyn McCalla, Senior Adviser to the Special Envoy of Haiti to the United Nations, and David Stillman, Executive Director of the Public-Private Alliance Foundation and a Division Board Member.  

 

McCalla's talk focused on the Haiti Donors Conference that took place on March 31 at the United Nations and the financial and managerial arrangements that are being set up.  The 9.9 billion dollars that have been pledged by UN Member States for the first five years reconstruction will be put into a Trust Fund managed by the World Bank, Haiti.  An Interim Commission for Recovery is being set up, with President Clinton as Special Envoy of the UN to Haiti and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive as co-chairs.  The Commission will include Haitians and non-Haitians, with seats for NGOs and for members of the Haitian Diaspora.  An Executive Director will be hired.  The main funds available for reconstruction include (1) the Multi-donors trust fund; (2) the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, which currently has obtained about $50 million; and (3) funds privately available to non-governmental organizations.  Prominent among NGOs are Oxfam (about $100 million); International Red Cross/ Red Crescent ($300 million); American Red Cross ($770 million); Partners in Health ($125 million).  The president of the InterAction Committee has pledged another $475 million.  

David Stilman spoke principally about his recent trip to Haiti, by road from the Dominican Republic, and about an upcoming workshop the Public-Private Alliance Foundation will hold with partners in Jacmel, Haiti.  The aim of the workshop, which will be held from June 27-29, is to encourage investment and commerce to revitalize Southern Haiti.

The Young Professionals for International Cooperation collected funds for two organizations in Haiti - HELP and Project Seguin, as part of the 2009 Haiti Expedition Project.

See the Image Events Gallery for more photos.  

Written by Administrator Thursday, 18 March 2010 13:44

On March 15, the UNA Southern New York State Division held an orientation/training program for ten new volunteers.  Jeff Laurenti, Mid-Atlantic Regional Board Member and a member of the Princeton-Trenton Chapter, started the program by speaking about the relationship between the United Nations Association of the USA and the United Nations.  Presenters from the Southern NYS Division Board of Directors included  George Garland, Joan A. Levy, Margaret Shannon (Secretary), David Stillman, Jeanne Betsock Stillman (President) and Catherine D. White (Vice President).  Garland and White are also Mid-Atlantic Region representatives to the UNA-USA Council of Chapters and Divisions Steering Committee.

The new volunteers attending were, from New York, Carol Hartland, Gretchen Kail, Danielle Lazarowitz, Visvesh Seshadri & Ashley Tucker, and from New Jersey, Edwin Ambat, Lobna Elberri, Udita Markovich, Virginia Sarmiento, & Anna Taylor.

Click here to see a slideshow of photos.  Thanks to David Stillman for taking the photos.

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.