Quiz “Win With the UN”

The main prize of a quiz “Win With the UN”, organized by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ÅCE) and the UN Information Centre in Moscow, was given to Valentina Vavilova, a tenth grade schoolgirl from Ekaterinburg. The second and the third places were taken by Vasily Davydov and Ksenia Kokareva, Moscow pupils. The winner’s award was a one-week trip to the UN Office at Geneva. There an interesting program was prepared for Valentina by the UN Office at Geneva, the UN/ÅCE, the Russian Mission to the UN, UN Agencies and other international organizations with the support of the Swiss Embassy in Moscow.

The “Win With the UN” contest had an educational character. Taking part were senior pupils and students of first grades from various Russian regions. According to Alexander Gorelik, Director of the UN Information Centre in Moscow, “the purpose of the contest was to raise interest in the UN and its worldwide activities among Russian youth”. The participants had to answer a number of questions, including: how the United Nations fights the AIDS epidemic; who is under the jurisdiction of the UN International Courts; who are UN peacekeepers and others.

After all answers were evaluated the UN Information Centre in Moscow organized a final ceremony and a tea party for the three winners, their parents and teachers, as well as journalists and sponsors.

The contest was organized in close partnership with a youth magazine “Yes!”, which published an announcement of the quiz in its July-August issue; and with a tourist company “Spasskie Vorota” that provided the winner two round-trip air tickets to Geneva and medical insurance. The company “Chronolux” presented excellent Swiss watches as memorable gifts for the three winners. The Swiss Embassy in Moscow quickly issued the entrance visa for the winner. The Russian Mission at the UN and other international organizations in Geneva offered Valentina their kind hospitality during this week.

“Inspired by the success of the contest, the UN Information Centre in Moscow in cooperation with other partners is planning to organize similar actions in future”, said Alexander Gorelik.

2001 – International Year of Volunteers

The XVIth World Volunteer Conference took place in Amsterdam on January 14-18. The Conference was held in the beginning of 2001, proclaimed by the fifty second session of the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Volunteers.

More than 1,500 representatives of international organizations, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations participated in the conference - it has evoked rather keen interest from the public. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Prime Minister Wim Kok honoured the forum with their presence.

The National Committees to mark the Year of Volunteers have been created in more than 100 countries, including the Russian Federation. The Russian National Committee is chaired by Rector of Moscow State Institute of International Relations, UNA-Russia Chairman Anatoly Torkunov.

At the Amsterdam conference the Russian national committee was represented by its vice-chairman, Secretary General of UNA-Russia Mr. Alexey Borisov. He informed the participants about the activities and plans of the Committee. Many Russian NGO’s were also present at the conference thus actively joining the international volunteer movement.

Participation of Russia

In response to the UN General Assembly resolution declaring 2001 the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) the Government of the Russian Federation has decided to form a national committee on realization of the International Year of Volunteers’ goals. According to the decree, signed by the Prime Minister of the Government Mikhail Kasyanov, it was done also «…with the purposes of maintaining the active participation of the Russian Federation in activities of the international volunteer corps».

The decree entrusted to the newly created committee ensuring the development and realization of measures in frameworks of IYV in this country. Mr. Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Chairman of the UN Association of Russia was nominated the chairman of the committee. He will develop and ratify the committee’s status and its structure.

Earlier, the higher education institution headed by Prof. Torkunov was chosen as the national coordinator of the Russian corps of the UN Volunteers. In the United Nations system all the preparatory activities for the International year are coordinated by the UN Volunteers Program (UNV). This organization sends volunteer experts to the developing countries for assistance in overcoming poverty, mitigating consequences of natural calamities, granting humanitarian help, protecting the environment and organizing elections. Today the international volunteer corps includes some four thousand people of 140 countries.

Attention: Annual Youth Contest!

On the eve of the third millenium for humanity, a very acute problem is that of infectious diseases. UN leads a large-scale battle against these diseases, with special attention paid to tuberculosis, HIV-infection and malaria.

The United Nations Associations of Russia and the United States have organized a contest for young people for the preparation of the UN-Programme’s Report “Health Protection: A Battle Against Infectious Diseases”. The authors of the best papers will be invited to Moscow to present their work, and the three winners will travel to the United States where will be held the Awards Ceremony of the American winners will be held.

The report in Russian should not exceed 7 typed-pages. The participants should be no more than 20-year old (on August 1, 2001). It is mandatory, in the paper, to analyze the problem of infectious diseases in one’s city, comparing it with the world situation and giving one’s proposal to solve the problem.

The papers should be sent before March 15, 2001 to the following address:

129010, Moscow,

Prospekt Mira 36,

UNA-Russia.

Please indicate your contact phone number and address.

Internet at:

www.una.ru.

Good luck!

Model UN – 2001

April 16 – 19, 2001, the annual Moscow International Model United Nations will be held at MGIMO. The following issues will be covered: General Assembly: new issues in the area of information and telecommunications in the context of international security; Economic and Social Council: the environment and sustainable development; Security Council: the situation in Afghanistan and its influence on international peace and security; International Court (for law students only): debate on the extradition of Augusto Pinochet (Spain/Great Britain, Chile as interested parties).

More information is available on the internet at:

www.mgimo.ru; www.una.ru

or by contacting the Secretariat of the Moscow International Model United Nations at:

Tel. (095) 434 07 10,

Fax (095) 434 30 11,

or e-mail ModelUN@mgimo.ru.

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