SI NEWS 2006 eng Servas And UN Comments
From SI Exco News
New United Nations Institution -- a major UN initiative
A new institution of the UN is being established:
1) a global Human Rights Council, likely to be announced at the end of the current General Assembly of the UN
2) a major initiative: "High-Level Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor" was to be announced 13 September, 2005.
The New Human Rights Council, to be centred in Geneva, is part of the UN Reform. It would strengthen the UN focus on Human Rights.
Unlike the Human Rights Commission, which now meets only 3 months annually, the Human Rights Council will be an all year UN activity. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, is making rapid progress.
As an official ECOSOC non government organization (NGO), Servas can accredit observers, if there is any interest.
This means organizing work, linking with other observers, meetings with interested Servas people and organizers, attending discussions -- including discussion of the founding documents of the Council -- reviewing its agenda, networking with other observers in Servas and others, such as those in CONGO and introducing Servas to them.
Because Servas is not specialized in Human Rights, our observers do not require the expertise indicated at the web site below. But some knowledgeable Servas people would certainly be helpful -- both in Geneva and Servas Human Rights "ambassadors" in other regions of the world.
http://www.ishr.ch/about%20ISHR/Training/AGTC/AGTC-presentation_2006.htm
Servas observers may focus on, say, a limited range of rights identified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (which however leaves out some recentlyrecognized rights, such as "environmental rights"). For instance, we may be interested in the rights to travel and migrate, the rights of Youth, or in the Rights of the Poor. This could contribute to the new Commission on the Poor.
Alternately, Servas Human Rights observers, might ask national secretaries across Servas to suggest priorities. 2) High Level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor. Norway, with support from the governments of UK, Canada, Egypt, Guatemala and Tanzania proposed this to the UN. The Commission would continue for 2 years. It would be headed by former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and centred in New York.
Please let me know whether you are interested in assisting in the birth and nurturing of the Human Rights Council, a new UN institution, or give me the names of those you think would be interested.
Also let me know whether you would like to monitor and network and report to Servas on the Commission on the Poor.
Please send me your advice. Please also note: for youth and others qualified and interested in career advancement there may be some new positions and internships at the UN, as a result of these initiatives.
Gary Sealey, peacesecretary[at]servas.org
Servas and United Nations Some varying view points
following from Gary Sealey's article
Against:
Servas and the United Nations are two different organisations. One is a non-political organisation and the other is a political one consisting of all rich and powerful nations of the world. One promotes peace through people contact, be they rich or poor, throughout the world, while the other tries to bring peace to the governments of nations at war through political discussions.
I think Servas should not get involved with the activities of the United Nations. Just because the current Peace Secretary of Servas and his predecessor were able to be representing Servas at UN meetings doesn't mean that Servas members should abide by the UN decisions.
S.C. Sundararaj (Malaysia)
For:
I think that it is very important that Servas is a part of the United Nations. The United Nations is our best hope for peace in the world. When there was no United Nations or it was ineffective, we ended up with World War I and II. If at least, the countries' leaders (or their representatives) are talking to one another, there is less of a chance of war. If there was no place for all the world leaders to communicate, work things out and be susceptible to world pressure, we would likely head down the path to war again. For example, when US President George Bush took his idea of invading Iraq to the UN, the majority of countries refused to go along with Bush's plan to invade Iraq -- so it is not a UN sanctioned war/invasion.
As well, the UN does noble things like working towards eliminating poverty.
The United Nations is our only hope for world peace. As a Servas member I am very pleased that we are associated with this peace making body.
Sylvia Krogh
