September 2022 Global Connection: Letter from the President
Dear UNA Members and Friends,
Thank you for again electing me President of the Westchester County chapter of UNA-USA at our Annual Meeting in May. It has been a pleasure working with immediate past President J. Yuhanna Edwards over the last few years, and I look forward to passing the baton to the younger generation in the near future. I am also delighted to welcome our new Officers: Vice Presidents Demetrios Mihailidis and Lilli Schindler, Secretary Karen Rockwell El-Badry, Treasurer Victor Petenkemani and Nominations Chair Dr. Brenda L.G. Smith. The full Board of Directors is listed later in the newsletter. The entire board is sad to see the departure of Professor Joan Katen, who has been on the board for over 20 years. She has been an integral part of everything we have done, and we look forward to her continuing contributions as an ordinary member of UNA-Westchester.
In June 1945 the United States was one of a 26 countries that brought the United Nations into being; its main task was to prevent another war such as World War II ever again. Thus, right up front, the United Nations Charter says: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state…”. Now we experience President Vladimir Putin, in his invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, defying the charter and ignoring General Assembly calls on him to withdraw his forces from the sovereign nation of 43 million people.
The General Debate in the General Assembly, held in September every year, is a time to reflect on what the United Nations stands for and why it was created. Despite regional conflicts, because of the UN, world leaders normally come together to discuss peacefully the most pressing issues of our times. While the topics at hand are certainly overwhelming, we value the role of the UN in providing a space for cooperation, even in the most challenging of situations. The majority of member States, led by the Secretary-General, have voiced their opposition to the unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and we should hope that diplomacy and negotiation can play a role in reducing the level of violence there.
As the General Assembly meets, we are reminded of just how vital the work of the UN is to the stability of the world. We have to depend on multilateralism to triumph over threats of destruction from conflict, climate change and global pandemics.
Here at UNA-Westchester we value our connection to the United Nations and to the UN Foundation. Several members of the board are former UN staff. Vice President Demetrios Mihailidis and I enjoyed escorting two of our most outstanding young members to the UN for a visit in August (an article follows in this issue). I was also delighted to hold a session at the UN in July with a brilliant group of high school students participating in the School of the NY Times Summer Academy course, “Inside the UN”.
As the nation’s largest group of advocates for the United Nations, the UNA-USA community plays a key role in garnering support for the UN in Congress. Advocacy Chair Yuhanna Edwards met with our Congressman Jamaal Bowman on September 26 to discuss the work of the UN, and gain his support for implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Westchester County and in the U.S. We need to let our congressional representatives know that full support of this organization is essential for world peace and human rights.
We encourage all of our members and friends to join us for our celebration of the 77th anniversary of UN Day on October 23rd at 3 pm via Zoom platform. This year’s theme will emphasize “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”, SDG #16, and will focus on innovative global and local programs for youth.
—Marcia Brewster
Dear UNA Members and Friends,
Thank you for again electing me President of the Westchester County chapter of UNA-USA at our Annual Meeting in May. It has been a pleasure working with immediate past President J. Yuhanna Edwards over the last few years, and I look forward to passing the baton to the younger generation in the near future. I am also delighted to welcome our new Officers: Vice Presidents Demetrios Mihailidis and Lilli Schindler, Secretary Karen Rockwell El-Badry, Treasurer Victor Petenkemani and Nominations Chair Dr. Brenda L.G. Smith. The full Board of Directors is listed later in the newsletter. The entire board is sad to see the departure of Professor Joan Katen, who has been on the board for over 20 years. She has been an integral part of everything we have done, and we look forward to her continuing contributions as an ordinary member of UNA-Westchester.
In June 1945 the United States was one of a 26 countries that brought the United Nations into being; its main task was to prevent another war such as World War II ever again. Thus, right up front, the United Nations Charter says: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state…”. Now we experience President Vladimir Putin, in his invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, defying the charter and ignoring General Assembly calls on him to withdraw his forces from the sovereign nation of 43 million people.
The General Debate in the General Assembly, held in September every year, is a time to reflect on what the United Nations stands for and why it was created. Despite regional conflicts, because of the UN, world leaders normally come together to discuss peacefully the most pressing issues of our times. While the topics at hand are certainly overwhelming, we value the role of the UN in providing a space for cooperation, even in the most challenging of situations. The majority of member States, led by the Secretary-General, have voiced their opposition to the unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and we should hope that diplomacy and negotiation can play a role in reducing the level of violence there.
As the General Assembly meets, we are reminded of just how vital the work of the UN is to the stability of the world. We have to depend on multilateralism to triumph over threats of destruction from conflict, climate change and global pandemics.
Here at UNA-Westchester we value our connection to the United Nations and to the UN Foundation. Several members of the board are former UN staff. Vice President Demetrios Mihailidis and I enjoyed escorting two of our most outstanding young members to the UN for a visit in August (an article follows in this issue). I was also delighted to hold a session at the UN in July with a brilliant group of high school students participating in the School of the NY Times Summer Academy course, “Inside the UN”.
As the nation’s largest group of advocates for the United Nations, the UNA-USA community plays a key role in garnering support for the UN in Congress. Advocacy Chair Yuhanna Edwards met with our Congressman Jamaal Bowman on September 26 to discuss the work of the UN, and gain his support for implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Westchester County and in the U.S. We need to let our congressional representatives know that full support of this organization is essential for world peace and human rights.
We encourage all of our members and friends to join us for our celebration of the 77th anniversary of UN Day on October 23rd at 3 pm via Zoom platform. This year’s theme will emphasize “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”, SDG #16, and will focus on innovative global and local programs for youth.
—Marcia Brewster
