Page 11: UN and History
From SI Exco News
History
- Lydia Tabor - ‘creator of Servas Poland’
Lydia Tabor at “92 and a half” years old, was not only the oldest participant at the Polish meeting last summer, she was also given a certificate for her years of devotion to Servas. “You, Lydia, created Servas in Poland. It would not be what it is today without your friendship and love,” she was told. For years, many people knew her only as a name, used as a code in the years when Servas Poland was underground. On my first Servas journey in 1988, I had written to hosts not as a “member of Servas”, but as “a friend of Lydia Tabor”. When I met my host in a village in northern Poland, she exclaimed: “Lydia Tabor is a friend of mine! How is she?” And when she introduced me to people in the village: “She knows Lydia Tabor!” they replied: “Lydia Tabor is a remarkable woman, isn’t she!” I felt like an impostor, for I was unable to explain that I had never seen Lydia Tabor and knew only that she was a Polish American woman living in New York. Four years later, at the Servas international conference in France, I met Lydia, who was delighted with my story. She is indeed a remarkable woman. I became one of the hundreds of visitors she took on a tour of the United Nations where she was the Servas NGO delegate. She also gave me a tour of Lower Manhattan, stopping to chat with shop clerks, waiters, and passers-by about Servas and Esperanto. Ten years later, on my way to the summer university, I stayed with her in her large flat on the outskirts of Warsaw, where she is still very happy to receive Servas travellers young and old.
Lydia moved from Poland to New York in 1962. While working for KLM, she dealt with the International Institute. One day she picked up a Servas brochure and thought,
“You know, this sounds like something for me.”
Because she could get reduced fares, she was able to visit Poland every summer and promoted Servas among her friends and others she happened to meet, helping to create a Polish host list. In New York, she interviewed about 50 hosts and travellers, many of then Polish people who could not find an interviewer at home. One of these was the present national secretary of Servas Poland.
Lydia also attended many international conferences and many people will remember her earnest pleas for Esperanto.
Sitting by the lakeside last summer, we talked about Servas past, present and future. Lydia remains enthusiastic.
What is the best thing about Servas now?
“That they can organize something like this”, waving her arm over the wide grounds, “where so many people from all over the world can come together.”
Sharon Belden
UNITED NATIONS
From the United States Servas Web Page:
United States Servas, as a Peace through Travel organization is a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) accredited at the United Nations. NGO’s are required to share their expertise with the UN. Servas made a contribution holding a briefing on Responsible Tourism in New York in November 2000, and Sharon Wallenberg, US Servas Main UN Rep gave a presentation on US Servas at the World Summit on Peace through Tourism in Geneva in February 2003. Noema Chaplin and Sharon Wallenburg attended the conference “Human Security and Dignity: Fulfilling the Promise of the United Nations” in September 2003. “The Conference brings together new voices from around the world. Together, UN experts, world leaders, and others are demonstrating a keen spirit of cooperation in the rapidly evolving relationship between the UN and civil society. Strengthening the UN - NGO relations contributes to the achievement of human dignity and human security. Questions of human security always fall within the framework of universal rights. Respect for human rights is the best way to ensure human security….” Individual members of United States Servas can become involved by visiting the United Nations. Please make arrangements well in advance of your visit to join our Reps at a Thursday morning briefing. Information on active participation in issues, such as writing to elected officials is published in the US Servas newsletter.
If you would like further information, or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Cordially, Sharon L. Wallenberg, Main Representative, Post Office Box 45, Sea Cliff, New York 11579, USA, e-mail: sharonw77@hotmail.com.
International visitors can contact the US Servas office in New York to see if there is someone who has time to take them to the UN.
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS FIFTY-NINTH SESSION
(Geneva, 17 March - 25 April 2003) Our Servas rep in Geneva sends a report on the 59th session of the Commission on Human Rights, attended by the 53 states of the commission, some 100 observer states and more than 200 NGO’s. High Commissioner Sergio Vieira de Mello opened the Commission’s annual session noting that the Commission was meeting at a time of unusual convulsion in world affairs and went on to say that at such times it was important to remember day-to-day human rights difficulties, such as the fact that many people lacked even the basics - water, sustenance, elementary education, health services-for a dignified life. He also said the world could not compromise hard-won human rights to give States a free hand in fighting terrorism. On “Rights of the child”, Servas International participated in a joint oral statement with the five other NGO´s, saying that at the time when the Commission was debating the item on the rights of children, numerous children continued to die in Iraq as a result of the bombings of the belligerents… In all, the Commission adopted 86 resolutions, 18 decisions and three Chairperson’s statements. Dates for next year’s session, the Commission’s sixtieth, were set for 15 March to 23 April 2004. The 56th session of the Sub-commission on Human Rights will be held from 26 July to 13 August 2004.
Hilda Bürer
If you are in the area and would like to attend contact Hilda.
Hilda Bürer, 139 Rue de Lausanne, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland, phone: 41 227326367
e-mail: h-m.burer@bluewin.ch
