Please see our new blog

Hello everyone! Thanks for visiting.

I've transferred my blogging to the following address, and hope you'll visit and subscribe:
http://unasouthernny.wordpress.com/

I'm now serving as president of the United Nations Association of the USA Southern New York State Division. The blog still includes materials on the UN, on global issues, on UNA-USA and on the Southern New York State Division. It now also includes materials from some colleagues.

Hope to see you there, or at our website: http://www.unasouthernny.org/ and our new Facebook page.

We also have a new Energy Project, led by Dr. George A. Garland. Visit http://UNAEnergy.wordpress.com or our twitter page: @UNAEnergy

Jeanne Betsock Stillman

MANAGING HAITI EARTHQUAKE LOGISTICS

Only through pooling information from many relief sources can one start to understand what is happening on the ground in relation to the Haiti Earthquake, getting aid to Haiti, and the cross-border situation of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) of the United Nations is "the primary mechanism for interagency coordination of humanitarian assistance. It is a unique forum involving key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners." SEE http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/

The IASC committee is chaired by the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Sir John Holmes. The full members are the heads of the UN humanitarian agencies; standing invitees include Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, World Bank, International Organization for Migration, International Committee of the Red Cross, IFRC, Inter-Action, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (represented by World Vision International) and the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (represented by Oxfam). Nine Clusters were agreed, with a lead agency for each.

The Logistics Cluster of the IASC is an excellent source for daily news updates which give information on the logistics situation in Haiti and in the D.R. for Haiti, as well as other extensive information. See the http://www.logcluster.org website

The World Food Program is the lead agency for Logistics Cluster.

Haiti Earthquake Brings Disaster to 9 Million

Writing can be therapeutic, and perhaps it's my way of mourning. We (my husband and I) daily view paintings of the Haitian people and countryside all over our home, from time spent in Haiti in the 1990s. We've seen the rolling hills, the beautiful natural settings, the barren mountains, the stalwart people who daily try to meet the challenges of life in the poorest country in the hemisphere. We know people who have died and places that have been destroyed. The infrastructure, never robust, is gone.

I've been too busy in the past week working on Haiti relief to write an article about the calamity and the needs faced by the Haitian people since the earthquake of January 12. By now we've all seen the television coverage. Notably, Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN have brought it into our livingrooms. The major stations have had excellent coverage in the first week. Today we hear that up to 200,000 may already have perished, and that many more may die unless they receive proper medical care, water and food.

The U.S. and the American people have galvanized to try to assist. We see massive amounts of aid pouring in, although distribution systems are yet lacking. The United Nations and the U.S. 82nd Airborne are trying to work with remnants of the Haitian Government to restore a semblance of order - at least in relation to hospitals, food and water distribution, and security. Already on January 15 my husband met search and rescue teams from Poland who were en route from Santo Domingo, D.R., to Port-au-Prince. They were working under the auspices of the United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG).

The faces of people, especially children - confused, frightened, hungry, in agony - are haunting. Destruction hit the slum of Cite Soleil, as well as my favorite hotel - Hotel Montana - on the way up the mountain from Port-au-Prince to Petionville, hospitals, schools, and the port. Port-au-Prince, home to over 2 million, suffered the greatest casualties, but the damage to the epicenters of Carrefour and Leogane have not really been assessed. I don't know what happened to the Episcopal Hospital in Leogane - a model for community service.

What we learned is that anyone can suffer broken limbs and lacerations, but also that people would die unless treated. Amputations have been a grizzly effect of need to help people survive over the possibility of quality of life in future. All - old, young, rich, poor, faced lack of medical teams, operating facilities, and vital supplies. - and suffered through "civil war medicine."

Yes, it has taken time for even the minimal of services to be organized. The United Nations MINUSTAH peacekeeping force suffered its own tragedy. Special Representative of the Secretary General, Hedi Annabi, and his deputy, Luiz Carlos Da Costa, Douglas Coates, the mission's Acting Police Commissioner, at least 70 peacekeepers have died and 140 are unaccounted for. Our friends at the United Nations have frantically sought information about colleagues. So have members of the Haitian Diaspora, with whom we have been working. Their loss is greater yet, with nearly each person having family members in the country.

Post-natural-disaster relief must be handled first and foremost by the large organizations prepared to do it: the United Nations, the World Food Program, UNICEF. We heard by the January 14th that the World Food Program was already feeding 3,000 in the port town of Jacmel, on the southern coast. The large private agencies - Mercy Corps, Salvation Army, Red Cross - are on the ground too. Still, there are enormous gaps. Dr. Sanjay Gupta personally went to the airport go obtain medical supplies; the supplies were already available in warehouses or out in the open, but distribution was poorly organized. 120 flights were arriving daily with food, water, relief supplies and personnel.

Notables - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, President Bill Clinton - have all come to assess the situation and to give assurance that aid is forthcoming. President Obama has pledged $100 million in American support, and Michelle Obama has sought to raise funds for the American Red Cross. Aid agencies, the U.S. Government, the United Nations, and the many many mission organizations and non-governmental organizations that are the backbone of Haitian life, are all trying to ramp up their abilities to provide supplies, personnel, road clearance and transport. This is a massive undertaking, hampered by an airport with a single runway and a seaport that will take weeks or months to re-open.

We've learned of diplomats being flown to Santo Domingo, and missionary flights that daily bring in supplies and remove 50 missionaries at a time. I personally know of a 19 year old college student, who was volunteering in a mission station in the hills above Petionville. Her family was gladdened to hear from her, the house where she was staying was not affected, and she was evacuated to the U.S. via one of the missionary flights to return to school. At the same time we hear of the exodus of people from Port-au-Prince to the countryside, including toward the Dominican border. From my experience with Afghan refugees in Pakistan, I know how problematic an influx of refugees would be to the neighboring country. We hear of plans to create tent camps away from the capital but within the Haitian border, so that distribution of relief can be systematized and so that clearing of rubble can begin.

The Dominican Republic, for its part, is serving as a staging area for aid to Haiti, for large meetings to assess needs and determine future multilateral actions, and also for providing immediate health care in overworked, stressed, hospitals and clinics in border towns. Tensions are likely to grow even more, as Haitians press into the relatively safety of the D. R.

WHAT IS NEXT?
Almost everything is left to be done. The outpouring of pledges of assistance from around the world must be translated into food, water, heavy machinery, doctors, nurses, architects, urban planners and educators. Journalists will be needed to keep alive the telling of the story and communicating the gaps in aid.
It will be important to control in some manner the outpouring of people who want to travel to Haiti to help. An article on the MSNBC website discusses the problems that occur when inexperienced but well-meaning people try to help. See: Disaster do-gooders can actually hinder help: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34958965/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/

WHAT CAN INDIVIDUALS AND SMALL ORGANIZATIONS DO?
1) Continue to donate to the United Nations and to reliable non-governmental organizations with experience working in Haiti. The United Nations Association of the USA recommends giving funds to UNICEF, the World Food Program, the World Health Organization / Pan American Health Organization and the Central Emergency Response Fund.

2) Remember the ongoing needs, as days, weeks and months go by.

3) Remind policymakers of the crucial long-term actions that will be needed.

4) Support the United Nations and the UN System in its ongoing work in Haiti.

5) Learn about disaster relief from experts and from the following resources:

The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/hpu/conflict/epidemiology/media/Sphere_Handbook_2nd_Edition_2004.pdf

The Center for International Disaster Information
http://www.cidi.org/

Nuclear proliferation: an existential threat | DailyTidings.com

Nuclear proliferation: an existential threat | DailyTidings.com

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How to Support the United Nations

If you're an American, or live in the United States, you have a great opportunity to support the work of the United Nations through membership in the United Nations Association of the USA. UNA-USA supports the UN through offering programs to the general public, giving individuals a way to learn about important global issues, and providing a way to advocate for vital actions by the international community and by the U.S. Government.

These are exciting times, with a US President and Congress willing to work multinationally, and winning the respect and admiration of countries around the world.

Why join? Because the United Nations is the only global body that brings together 192 countries for mutual understanding, interest, interaction and policymaking.

Why join? Because the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the UN Population Fund, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Development Programme, the UN Institute for the Training and Advancement of Women, and many other parts of the United Nations System help countries work on areas of mutual interests. WFP feeds refugees and starving children. UNICEF provides programs that help improve children's lives; FAO helps farmers with new agricultural methods and knowledge. The United Nations itself works through principal bodies including the Economic and Social Council, the Security Council and the General Assembly, to give voice to the opinions and ideas of countries around the world.

Why join? To become part of the global conversation!

Why join? To help all Americans to learn about the work of our country in the international arena, and to help the United States have a positive impact on multilateral decisionmaking, go to: http://www.unausa.org/ and go to "Join us" -- fill out the form or print a .pdf, fill it out and mail it.

UNA-USA has many local chapters - if there is not one in your area, you can start a group or a chapter. If you area at a school or college, you can join or start a Student Alliance.

For information in Southern New York State, go to: http://www.unasouthernny.org/

Best wishes for a better world in 2010. Be an active part of it!

US State Department Supports Adoption of CEDAW

The US State Department spokesman issued a press release on December 18th, the 30th anniversary of the UN's Adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, known as CEDAW, supporting its ratification by the US. Only the US and a handful of other countries have not ratified this treaty. Although Secretary Hillary Clinton's position has been known for some time, the press release should be good news to all who support CEDAW's ratification by the U.S. Senate. It is now important to make sure CEDAW gets on the agenda of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by John Kerry, (D - Mass), who has indicated that he supports the bill. Senator Barbara Boxer, a strong supporter, chairs the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues, where the bill will be debated.

According to the statement, "President Obama’s Administration views CEDAW as a powerful tool for making gender equality a reality. We are committed to U.S. ratification of the Convention and look forward to joining the countries that have adopted it as a central part of their efforts to ensure that human rights are enjoyed fully and equally by all people."

It takes 67 Senators to vote for ratification, and it will be necessary for strong grassroots pressure for this to be achieved in a political climate of partisanship.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey named International Family Planning Hero

l to r: Cecile Richard (PPFA), Reina Schiffren (PP HP), The Hon. Nita Lowey, Dr. Gill Greer (IPPF), Kathy Bushkin Calvin (UN Foundation)

I was very happy to attend a breakfast at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County, at which Congresswoman Nita Lowey received the first "International Family Planning Hero" award offered by the UN Foundation and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, as well as Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic. About 90 community leaders, politicians and Planned Parenthood supporters attended. Brenda Smith, board member of UNA Westchester and former Superintendent of Schools of Mount Vernon, Noema Chaplin, board member of UNA Queens and I made up the UNA-USA contingent.

I had a chance to talk with Kathy Bushkin Calvin of the UN Foundation, Amir Dossal, Executive Director of the UN Office for Partnerships, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator from my district (Greenburgh, Yonkers), Representative John Hall of the 19th Congressional District, Reina Schiffrin, President of PP Hudson Peconic, and Dr. Gill Greer, Director-General of IPPF. Adequate funding and U.S. support for family planning services and education, as well as linked issues such as women's economic rights and human rights, and education for women and girls, are very important to me.

I worked for many years as an international family planning consultant, beginning my career in family planning with Planned Parenthood's Washington office, and later worked in the IPPF Western Hemisphere Office in New York. I also consulted with the UN Population Fund. I'm a strong supporter of family planning- not only because for its implications for women's personal choice, but also for its impact on family health & economics and community & national development.

Through her position as the chair of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Lowey has worked to increase the level of funding for international reproductive health programs to an all-time high of $648.5 million in the Fiscal Year 2010 House Appropriations bill. The 2010 appropriations bill also expands funding for the UN Population Fund. Mrs. Lowey has also fought consistently against the Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush Mexico City policy that barred any foreign organization receiving U.S. foreign assistance from using its own funds or funds from other donors to perform abortions; advocate for the liberalization or decriminalization of abortion in laws and policies; or provide information, make referrals, or counsel women on the procedure—even in countries where abortion is legal. That policy was overturned by the Clinton Administration, reinstated by the Bush administration in 2001, and repealed by President Obama this year.

Madagascar's Youth - a UNICEF Study

Nombone, 26, has six children, with whom she lives in a rickety hut in Anjado village. Many Madagascans have been left without a livelihood amid the turmoil and economic decline since a coup in March. (Graeme Williams / UNICEF/ World Food Program / October 14, 2009)

Madagascar was a "least developed country" and one of the poorest in the world when political unrest began in January 2009. Now, nearly a year later, conditions are worse and worsening for the majority of its people. Especially hard-hit are children and youth.

I've just read a report for UNICEF published in June called "Pandora's Box: Youth at a Crossroad," which assesses the status of youth in relation to the socio-political crisis in Madagascar. It's a disturbing picture of societal breakdown related to political unrest, reduced jobs and income, and the hopes, fears, beliefs, expectations and experiences of the mainly urban youth who were interviewed. Worth a read. It will take some while for the country to be restored to peace.

Robyn Dixon of the L.A. Times has also reported on the status of youth in her Los Angeles Times article "Madagascar's children face hunger, abuse and neglect."

Perspectives on the International Criminal Court & US Membership

UNA Westchester will present a discussion on the International Criminal Court in cooperation wih Pace Law School on December 1, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. John Washburn, Director and Convener of the American NGO Coalition for the ICC and Prof. Jide Nzalibe, Visiting Professor at NYU and Professor of Law at Northwestern School of Law, will speak. Prof. Alexander Greenawalt of Pace Unversity Law School will moderate the meeting, which will focus on the different views of the advantages and disadvantages of the Interational Criminal Court and US membership in it.

Co-sponsors include Pace Law School,Citizens for Global Situations, Unitarian Universalist UN Office and the Westchester Bar Association. The meeting will be held at Pace Law School - Preston Hall - Tudor Room, at 52 North Broadway, White Plains, NY. All are welcome. A question and answer period will follow the pogram and refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact: philreynolds60@hotmail.com ; call him at 914-472-5490.

Exciting Times / Challenging Times

I'm grateful and honored to be the President-Elect of the UNA Southern New York State Division, and to work with the team that includes Catherine D. White and Marcia Brewster, Vice Presidents, Margaret Shannon, Secretary, and Lee H. Bloom, Treasurer, as well as the rest of the UNA Southern New York State Division Board.

I've been approached in the last few weeks by several prospective UNA volunteers who are offering their time and talent to the UNA Southern New York State Division. In this new era of U.S. multilateralism, it's exciting to meet people who have found us on-line and want to become part of the UNA-USA mission to support the United Nations.

Ambassador Tom Miller, who has been President of UNA-USA just since May, has asked Chapters, Divisions and individual members to step up their volunteer support as well as financial support, so that we can together bring to the American public the important news of the important work of the UN. Tom's remarks and Jeff Laurenti's remarks to the Annual Meeting of the UNA Southern NY State Division are posted on our new Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/UNAsouthernNYStatedv

Several of us will be calling UNA friends to encourage greater involvement as well as the needed financial support. I hope you will step up, volunteer your time and enthusiasm, and lend your strong support to the United Nations. Email or call me to become part of this volunteer effort or just to learn more. jinka.stillman@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

UNA Connecticut Division and Connecticut Post Publish Supplement for the Schools

The Connecticut Post has published a supplement "The United Nations and You" for UN Day 2009. This Newspaper in Education supplement was spearheaded by Division member Mary Keane and includes a welcome letter from Division president Dr. Joseph Baxer. Lafayette College senior Alina Stelman served as editor. The supplement has been distributed to schools in Bridgeport, as well as electronically. Hard copies distributed by the Division included the excellent annual Peace Calendar. Congratulations to all involved!

I particularly enjoyed a recipe for "Peace Pudding", which starts with "In a large bowl, gently sift 1 c. tolerance, 1 c. respect, 1/2 c. empathy, 1 tsp. patience...."

The Supplement includes articles on the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, US Ambassador Susan Rice, and pieces on a number of Connecticut people who have devoted their time to global issues and the United Nations. Other articles are on Sports and Peace, Model UN, UNA-USA Student Alliance, and UN Peacekeepers. Some articles first appeared in supplements produced by The Journal News Newspaper in Education program.

If the supplement becomes available on-line, this blog will let you know!

Development jobs

I came across a very interesting resource for international development jobs that might be of particular interest to UNA Young Professionals for International Cooperation, or anyone seeking employment in the international development area. There seems to be a broad range of positions, in the US and UK and generally internationally.
http://www.indevjobs.org/subscribe.htm

UNA-USA Southern New York State Division Elects Officers

At its Annual Meeting on October 20, at the National Arts Club in Manhattan, the UNA-USA Southern New York State Division elected officers for 2010-2011. Elected are: Jeanne Betsock Stillman, President; Catherine D. White and Marcia Brewster, Vice Presidents, Margaret Shannon, Secretary, and Lee H. Bloom, Treasurer. The two-year terms begin January 1, 2010.
You can double click on the photo to get a larger size.

Ambassador Tom Miller, President of UNA-USA, spoke of his vision for UNA-USA and especially work with the Chapters and Divisions. He mentioned that the strength of UNA-USA is in its 12,000+ members, and its 135 chapters. The challenge is to educate the American people about the UN, and to work on certain policy issues. He concluded by saying, "We have the wind at our backs, with an administration that 'gets' multilateral diplomacy, and the challenge for us is to take advantage of this."

Jeffrey Laurenti, UNA-USA Board member representing the Mid-Atlantic Region, spoke on international policy issues before the Obama administration as well as how chapters, divisions and individuals can be strong advocates for a positive US policy vis-a-vis the United Nations. Laurenti is senior fellow and director of foreign policy programs at The Century Foundation.

Dr. Joseph Baxer, president of the UNA Connecticut Division, spoke about his travel to South Korea to attend the International Plenary of the World Federaion of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), held in Seoul from August 10-12, 2009. He, Ambassador Miller and Jeff Laurenti were part of a 10-person U.S. delegation to the conference. He gave some of the history of WFUNA, and UNA-USA's important role in it. He urged that chapters and divisions should consider partner relationships with other countries' UNAs. Bilateral relationships were good, but chapters and divisions could also become involved. For example, the Connecticut Division had for some time partnered with the Dominican Republic.

Patricia Sacristan, Chair of the Division's Young Professionals for International Cooperation group, spoke of the upcoming travel by YPIC members to Haiti, as part of their flagship program, The Haiti Expedition Project. The group planned to fly on UN Day to Port-au-Prince, and to return to New York on November 1. They planned to meet with UN, Inter-American Development Bank and other officials and to volunteer with several non-profit organizations.

For more and links to photos, see the UNA Southern New York State Division website.

UNA-USA Student Alliance Program

The very exciting UNA-USA Student Alliance Program is successfully re-launched, with groups starting up at colleges, universities, high schools and middle schools around the country, including in Westchester County and elsewhere in New York State.

The program is designed to meet "the needs of today’s globally minded middle school, high school, and undergraduate college students. UNA-USA Student Alliance is dedicated to educating, inspiring, and mobilizing American students to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations, strengthening the United Nations system, promoting constructive United States leadership in that system, and achieving the goals of the United Nations Charter. With the spirit of change in the air, UNA-USA's Student Alliance seeks to engage students in a nationwide network of motivated individuals, student advocacy groups, international affairs clubs, and Model UN teams who stand poised to collectively sound their voices and make their opinions heard amongst their peers, in their communities, across the nation and around the world! President Obama and his top officials have pledged to strengthen America’s global leadership through a renewed emphasis on international cooperation, diplomacy, and active participation at the United Nations."

The four areas of focus currently are: "Human Rights and International Justice," "Building a Consensus on Climate Change," "Strengthening the United Nations," plus a UNA-USA Student Alliance group can identify a priority interest of their own. Setting up a group is easy, and student leaders can participate in leadership training through periodic telephone calls with UNA-USA leaders and others. For more information, go to: http://www.unausa.org/studentalliance#

Michael Lapsley (South Africa) to Speak in Ossining

Fr. Michael Lapsley will speak on November 15 at 7:30 pm at St. Paul's-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church, 40 Ganung Drive, Ossining, NY 10562-3936(914) 941-6627 . All are welcome.

I've received a note from Lisa Rosenbloom, who writes:

Bob and I had the privilege to meet Michael Lapsley at the Institute for the Healing of Memories when we were in Cape Town last year. He is truly a remarkable man and an international leader in addressing the "post traumatic" stress of ordinarily people who have survived great injustice - in South Africa, Rwanda and elsewhere. By coincidence, he is living at Maryknoll for awhile and is going to be speaking at St. Paul's, Ossisning, on Nov. 15 at 7:30.

Lapsley is an Episcopal priest whose own road to recovery, from a South African security forces-inspired package bomb, was clearly informed by his own belief system, but his project is a secular one. He is a friend of Bishop Desmond Tutu, has been praised by Nelson Mandela and is linked on Wikipedia to Albie Sax, another leading light of the anti-apartheid movement.

LIsa further writes, "He's very much worth the effort [of coming to hear him.]"

US-UN interactions on Climate Change; also some great resources

Historic meetings on climate change took place on Monday, September 22 -- one led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, where national leaders spoke at the United Nations, or addressed the issue through videos available on YouTube -- and a luncheon program with roundtables organized by the UN Global Compact and President Clinton, which brought together business leaders, members of civil society and others to address their commitment to climate change.

On that day President Obama stated, "No nation, however large or small, wealthy or poor, can escape the impact of climate change. Rising sea levels threaten every coastline. More powerful storms and floods threaten every continent. More frequent droughts and crop failures breed hunger and conflict in places where hunger and conflict already thrive. On shrinking islands, families are already being forced to flee their homes as climate refugees. The security and stability of each nation and all peoples -- our prosperity, our health, and our safety -- are in jeopardy. And the time we have to reverse this tide is running out."
More of the President's speech is available on his weblog:
http://obamaweblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/no-nationcan-escape-impact-of-climate.html

I've been impressed by the excellent articles on these topics from UNA-USA. The UNA-USA World Bulletin reports on UN and US relations and important global topics. The October 23 issue includes Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's UN Day message, as well as many other articles. It's worth looking at back issues from September 23 and October 7 which highlight renewed US involvement with the UN, including President Obama's.
Also, Jeff Laurenti of The Century Foundation writes consistently interesting and erudite articles about UN issues and US actions. Read them and entries by others here .

Another excellent resource for UN-related material comes from Dr. Max Stamper, Editor of MaximsNews Network - You can subscribe and get regular updates. MaximsNews is rich with materials by many contributors, many videos, and other resources.

Hillary Rodham Clinton Previews the US Role vis-a-vis the UN

In preparation for the United States role in the work of the UN General Assembly and the Security Council, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC on Friday, September 18 on US and UN relations, and President Obama's upcoming speech at the United Nations. The US is chairing the Security Council during September. Her commentary on the United Nations is refreshing for those of us who have cringed the past 8 years on the US stance toward the UN. She noted,


"As President Obama leads our U.S. delegation at this year’s General Assembly, I hope we can demonstrate that the United Nations does not have to be just a diplomatic talk shop on First Avenue. At its best, it can be an institution that brings the world’s nations together to solve global problems through adherence to rules and principles set forth in the UN charter. And it is the responsibility of the 192 member nations during the General Assembly and beyond to capitalize on the opportunity for global cooperation and progress that the United Nations affords to each of us."


Secretary Clinton's speech discusses the revamping of the Bush-era missile defense program, to counter any threats from Iran's nuclear program. She broadly discusses human rights, climate change, nuclear nonproliferation, and her leadership of a U.S. delegation to a conference on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Conserving Energy - Saving Our Planet

We Americans love big fast cars, big fast highways, bigger and bigger houses, and bigger and fancier kitchens. Our principal population growth areas are in the South, where we expect and demand ready access to air conditioning. And we're always grumbling about the high cost of gas and the high cost of electricity.

Government programs such as Energy Star are helping us start to save on some of our wasteful habits, and new rebates for buying these contribute an economic simulus. The Department of Energy is newly enabled by the Economic Stimulus Act of 2009, which extended renewable energy tax credits, and is focusing on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. We have a long way to go, and I hope we can persuade our lawmakers at all levels to support work toward the Copenhagen climate conference this December. We need to educate ourselves on the urgency of purpose and to challenge ourselves to meet goals of reducing carbon outputs.

Europe has long been ahead of the U.S. in conserving energy. This came out of coping with relative poverty and finding ways to save money in daily living. When traveling in France many years ago I learned of the hall switches in hotels and apartment buildings that turned on just long enough for a person to reach his or her room. Flash heaters attached to showers and kitchen faucets heated water only when it was needed.

Sergio Trippi, who publishes "Good News Agency," an email on international development, in his 12 September 2009 issue gave information on two programs I think are inspiring for us here in the U.S.:
Two new programs have websites that encourage conservation: the European Union-based website Flick the Switch offers projects and actions children and adults can take, and is available in many languages. The website Topten presents the best products of Europe, and focuses on laws to end use of incandescent bulbs and their newer alternatives. This is the equivalent of a Consumers Report on energy saving appliances, vehicles and other household and office equipment. While these don't transfer directly to the U.S. the concept is welcome. (To subscribe to the Good News Agency emails, write to Mr. Trippi at: s.tripi@tiscali.it )

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UNDP's New Framework for Measuring Democratic Governance

I have long been interested in policy frameworks and indicators to measure progress related to women. David Stillman's doctoral dissertation on "Population-related Policies in Togo and Ghana: A Framework for Analysis" identified some 70 types of policies that influenced fertility, mortality or migration, whether or not that was their intended consequence. He went on to carry out research at the United Nations on policies relating to the advancement of women. I was a member of a WHO Committee on Family Health Indicators, and also worked on research methodology for quality of care. I was therefore very interested to read about the new UNDP framework for selecting "pro-poor" and "gender sensitive" indicators, to be used at the national and sub-national levels. Sixty-pages long, it is intended to assist policymakers to monitor and evaluate democratic governance at the country level. The full title is:
Measuring Democratic Governance: A Framework for selecting pro-poor and gender sensitive indicators One question is -- How does this framework relate to the MDGs and monitoring of achievement of MDGs #1 on poverty and # 4 on gender equality?

Well laid-out and clearly written, the framework starts with two basic principles of democracy drawn from International IDEA’s Democracy Assessment Framework (the State of Democracy Project), which have been used to identify the democratic values that underlie pro-poor and gender sensitive indicators. The values are: 1. Popular control over public decision making and decision makers and 2. Equality between citizens in the exercise of that control. Mediating values include participation, representation, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, efficiency and equity.

Two definitions are important: Pro-poor monitoring focuses on those living in poverty. The authors note the following governance indicators that might be considered pro-poor: (i) Disaggregated by poverty status (ii) Specific to the poor (iii) Implicitly pro-poor and (iv) Chosen by the poor. Gender sensitive monitoring should track changes in women’s empowerment and in gender equality. The following ndicators might be considered gender sensitive: (i) Disaggregated by sex (ii) Gender specific (iii) Implicitly gendered, and (iv) Chosen separately by men and women.

The framework then gives examples of application to parliamentary development; electoral systems and processes; human rights; justice; decentralised governance for development; and public administration reform and anti-corruption. A final section discusses the process for selecting indicators, including stakeholders to be involved.

UNDP has long experience with its Human Development Index, which results in its annual Human Development Reports, and with country-level sub-reports and the regional Arab Human Development Report (2002). It will be interesting to learn how the new framework for measuring democratic governance stacks up, how it will be used, and by whom.

CEDAW - the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Today I called my Senator's office -- that of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, one of only 17 women in the US Senate. I was stunned to learn that the staffer who answered the phone had never heard of CEDAW - the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women - whether the acronym or the full title. He was sure the Senator would support something having to do with women, and knew that it was Women's Equality Day (must have received phone calls about that???). This made me wonder how many constituents had called the office in support of CEDAW, and whether I had happened to chance upon someone ignorant on the issue.

I explained the Treaty to the staffer, gave him my name, address and email address at his request, and hope to hear from the Senator sometime soon. This underlines how very important it is for all of us to make our voices known where policy is made, as well as among the general public.

A colleague at the Queens Chapter of the United Nations Association of the USA has created a video about CEDAW and uploaded it onto YouTube. (Thanks, Arnold!) You can view it here.