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UN
calls for truce during
Olympic Games
United
Nations
Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and the
General Assembly are
calling on all those
who are at war to
observe the
traditional two-week
Olympic truce during
the 2008 Summer
Olympics in Beijing
that begin in less
than two weeks.
"Let them lay
down their weapons, if
only temporarily, so
that humanity can lay
claim to gold even
before the games
begin," Mr. Ban said.
Such a truce, while
limited in duration, can
provide a pause in which
to reconsider the heavy
cost of war, as well as an
opening to initiate a
dialogue and a window to
provide relief for
suffering populations, he
continued.
"It can demonstrate
to the world that peace is
possible in even the most
seemingly intractable
situations if we truly
work towards it," he
added.
In 1992, the International
Olympic Committee renewed
the ancient Greek
tradition of the
ekecheiria, or 'Olympic
Truce,' by calling on all
nations to observe the
Truce.
Photo:
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
(center) takes a guided
tour of the site of the
2008 Beijing Olympic
Games on July 2, 2008.
UN Photo by Eskinder
Debebe
In a resolution adopted in
October 2007, the
192-member General
Assembly urged countries
to observe the truce
during the forthcoming
XXIX Olympiad and the
Paralympic Games to be
held in Beijing, from
August 8-24 and from
September 6-17,
respectively, based on the
slogan "One World,
One Dream."
In his solemn appeal in
connection with the
observance of the truce,
the president of the
Assembly Srgjan Kerim noted
that "the games will
bring together athletes
from all parts of the
world in the greatest of
international sports
events as a means to
promote peace, mutual
understanding and goodwill
among nations and peoples
- goals that are also part
of the founding values of
the United Nations."
It was as an expression of
these common objectives
that in 1998 the
International Olympic
Committee decided to fly
the UN flag at all Olympic
competition sites.
The world body and the
Committee have
subsequently strengthened
their mutual cooperation
and support through joint
efforts in fields such as
poverty alleviation, human
and economic development,
humanitarian assistance,
education, health
promotion and HIV/AIDS
prevention, gender
equality and environmental
protection.
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Members of United States Congress
Visit UN Headquarters
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Members of the United
States House of
Representatives, led by
Foreign Affairs
Committee Chairman
Howard Berman (D-CA),
visited with United
Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
and other UN officials
during a bipartisan
delegation trip to UN
headquarters in New York
on July 22.
The delegation received
briefings on the global
food crisis, climate
change, regional hot
spots, UN reform and
other issues.
"The UN is a key
player in every major
issue affecting U.S. and
global security,"
said Chairman Berman in
a statement released by
the Committee. "For
all of its flaws, it is
an indispensable
partner. As such,
sustained U.S.
engagement must be a
priority for our foreign
policy."
Photo:
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
(right) meets with U.S.
Representative Howard L.
Berman (left), Chairman
of the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the United
States Congress, as
Zalmay Khalilzad
(center), Permanent
Representative of the
United States of America
to the United Nations,
looks on at UN
headquarters in New
York. UN Photo
by Eskinder Debebe
The
delegation also met with
U.S. Ambassador to the
UN Zalmay Khalilzad,
Under Secretary-General
for Political Affairs Lynn
Pascoe, UN
representatives of the
Office for the
Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
and P-5 permanent
representatives in the
Security Council.
"Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon is a strong
leader," Berman noted
in the statement. "He
is committed to improving
the UN and making it an
effective actor in
tackling the complex
global challenges we
currently face. Our
committee continues to
enjoy a close working
relationship with the
secretary-general."
"It is essential for
members of Congress and UN
officials to engage in
productive and ongoing
dialogue so that the
organization can develop
new solutions for some of
the world's most
challenging
problems," said Will
Davis, director
of the United Nations
Office in Washington, who
accompanied the
delegation.
Other members of the
delegation included: Gary
Ackerman (D-NY); Donald
Payne (D-NJ); Dana
Rohrabacher (R-CA); Lynn
Woolsey (D-CA); Steve
Chabot (R-OH); Sheila
Jackson-Lee (D-TX);
Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY);
Joseph Crowley (D-NY);
Dianne Watson (D-CA); Brad
Miller (D-NC); David Scott
(D-GA); Russ Carnahan
(D-MO); Jim Costa (D-CA);
Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE);
Albio Sires (D-NJ); Ron
Klein (D-FL); and
Shelley Berkley (D-NV).
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Navanethem
Pillay
United
Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights
Judge
Navanethem Pillay is the
new United Nations High
Commissioner for Human
Rights.
Since 2003, Ms. Pillay
has served as a judge on
the International
Criminal Court (ICC),
based in The Hague in
the Netherlands.
Prior to that, she
served, as both judge
and president, on the UN
International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR),
which she joined in
1995. During her term,
Judge Pillay was
credited with turning
the Tribunal towards a
more positive course.
She has written on and
practised in
international criminal
law, international
humanitarian law and
international human
rights law, and more
particularly on crimes
of sexual violence in
conflicts.
In 1967, Judge Pillay
became the first woman
to start a law practice
in Natal Province, South
Africa, and the first
black woman to serve in
the High Court in her
country.
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UN
SNAPSHOTS
American creator of
UN logo honored
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Donal McLaughlin
(above right),
designer of the UN
logo, was honored by
his hometown of Garrett
Park, Maryland on
his 101th birthday
on Saturday, July 26
with an honorary
renaming of his
street. The street
sign includes the
UN logo that he
designed in 1945.
Will Davis (above
left), director of
the UN's Washington
office, provided
congratulatory
remarks at the
event.
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