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United Nations Association of Russia (UNAR) |
| Kazan
youths propose model for Kurds autonomy in Turkey
Kazan delegates during a discussion session in Geneva. National and cultural autonomy for Turkish Kurds might be fashioned along the lines of the agreement defining the relationship between the Russian Federation and its member, Tatarstan Republic. This proposal was made by a four-member team from the Tatarstan capital, Kazan, that participated at the annual Youth Model UN Commission on Human Rights organised in Geneva last December by the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA). The team included a post-graduate student, two university international-affairs majors and a secondary school student - all of whom were participating in such an international meeting for the first time. They were extremely effective in presenting their views. One of their resolutions dealt with toxic waste and was accepted without corrections and two others, on child labour and Kurdish autonomy in Turkey, were accepted as a basis for further discussions. Malcolm Harper, chairman of the WFUNA Executive Committee, singled out the team for its understanding of the issues and its productivity. Professor Lenaris Mingazov, Chairman of the Tatarstan Branch of UNA of Russia, who led the group to Switzerland, said the experience gained at the Geneva Youth Model Human Rights meeting will be used to arrange similar debates among more Tatarstan university students. |
Russian
students study human rights in Finland A group of 20 university students from north-western Russia recently made a trip to Finland to leam about human rights activities in their neighbouring country. The group participated in discussions on related subjects in the Finnish Parliament, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and with members of human-rights organisations and the UNA office in Finland. The visit was arranged by the St. Petersburg regional branch of the UNA of Russia as part of a programme conducted by the UNA offices of both countries. Since 1996, the project has received financial support from the Finnish Foreign Affairs Ministry, as a way to promote human-rights studies. The Russian and Finnish UNAs held round-table discussions in St. Petersburg on Dec. 11 last year together with the city's Centre for International Cooperation. The event, which included a concert, was organised to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "We are glad that many young people attended the meeting," said UNAR Executive Secretary Alexei Borisov. "It means that they are interested in the work we do on human rights issues, and we are going to broaden the scope of our activities in this area". |
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United Nations Association of Russia (UNAR) |
| Samara student
shakes hands with Kofi Annan As reported in the previous issue, three finalists (Kristina Markova, Liya Karsakova and Larisa Chichikina) in the 1998 human-rights contest organised by the UNDP and UNA of Russia visited New York in December, accompanied by UNAR Executive Secretary Alexei Borisov. The students had extensive talks with Elizabeth Fong, Deputy Director of UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, and with representatives of the Russian Mission to the United Nations. The group also toured UN headquarters. |
Edwin Luers, Chairman of the UNA of the USA (center), with A. Borisov, K. Markova, D. Karsakova and D. Chichikina |
At a meeting commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Liya Karsakova managed to elbow her way up to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and shake hands with him. "It was the most memorable moment in my life," confided Liya after the trip. The delegates attended a special party organised by Edwin Luers, Chairman of the UN Association of the United States. The visitors said the trip had given them a good chance to have a close examination of UN activities, not as something abstract and distant but as reality. The visit will help them in their future work. |
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| New
"states" become Mini-UN members At a recent "special session" of the Mini-UN General Assembly held at Moscow English Grammar School No. 1509, the student "delegates" resolved to accept as full members of the organisation five new "states" - Agudar, Bonjomia, Dolmatinia, Poseidonia and the Kingdom of Lilies. Each of the "states" represents a different class at the school. The students study and attempt to follow the democratic principles of the real United Nations in their relations with "compatriots" and "citizens" of other states. The solemn proceedings of the General Assembly was followed by a fiery "international" song and dance festival where the representatives of all 15 Mini-UNO "states" performed. The ceremony, which was attended by officials from the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Moscow Government, UNA of Russia, UNDP, UNIC and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, also included the tasting of numerous national dishes that the 6 and 7-year-old children helped prepare. |
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United Nations Information Center (UNIC) |
| Available in Moscow: copies of UN documents since 1946 | ||||
| The Moscow UN Information Center (UNIC) circulates more than 2,000 documents, brochures and booklets a month, according to the UNIC Acting Director Yuri Shishayev. Opened in 1948, UNIC is now the oldest UN agency in Russia. Its role is twofold: to give Russian citizens information about UN activities | and provide access to documents, as well as to advise UN officials on Russia's reaction to the work done by this global institution and its numerous agencies and organisations. The UNIC library contains hundreds of thousands of UN documents dating as far back as 1946. The documents are available on request. | |||
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