Consular Information Supports United Nations Day
Theme is ‘Environmental Sustainability: an Essential Tool for Poverty Alleviation’
October 24, 2008
Consular Information joins the world in the celebration of the 63rd United Nations Day Celebration at the FLTS Campus Grounds on October 24,2008.
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U. N. Day Theme for 2008
The theme for the 2008 observance is Environmental Sustainability: an Essential Tool for Poverty Alleviation. This theme speaks to Millennium Development Goal No. 7 (Opens new window): To Ensure Environmental Sustainability.
The U. N. has set four targets to facilitate attaining environmental stability. They are
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Target 1: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources. The U. N. has identified several problem areas needing attention: Deforestation, especially in biologically diverse regions; An increase in single-species tree “plantations” and a loss of old-growth forest ecosystems; Declining biodiversity; Growing greenhouse gas emissions which continue to outpace advances in sustainable energy techniques, and damage to the ozone layer.
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Target 2: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss.
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Target 3: Cut in half the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Half the developing world is currently without basic sanitation.
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Target 4: Improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. The rapid expansion of cities complicates reaching this target.
This year's theme encourages us to learn, discuss and act to support policies and initiatives to attain these targets and thus to ensure long-term environmental stability.
A degraded environment contributes to poverty. A healthy environment helps alleviate poverty. A healthy environment leads to better nutrition, less disease and fewer violent conflicts over scarce resources. A healthy environment makes sustainable development possible. It is the poor of the world who stand to benefit most from environmental sustainability.
History of U. N. Day
October 24, 2008 is the 63nd birthday of the United Nations. Delegates from 50 of the world's countries, large and small, strong and weak, and in different stages of political and social development, worked together to develop the U. N. Charter. They envisioned an organization which would preserve peace, advance justice and be a permanent structure for international cooperation.
Most of those 50 countries had ratified the Charter by October 24, 1945. In a ceremony on that date, the new organization offically came into being. Two years later the U. N. General Assembly designated each October 24 as United Nations Day. The General Assembly asked that this observance be “devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations, and to gaining their support for the work of the United Nations.”
Although not all of the hopes and dreams of the organization's founders have been fully realized, the U. N. has done much to bring together the peoples of the world to work for the elimination of disease, for access to education for children and an improved rate of literacy for adults, for human rights, and for a more just society.
The UN Millenium Development Goals
Whereas, the United Nations was founded in 1945, and the anniversary of the day on which the UN Charter came into force is observed each year on October 24; and
Whereas, the central role of the United Nations is to promote peace and security, development and human rights around the world, and is vital now more than ever; and
Whereas, in September 2000, 189 nations, including the United States, agreed upon eight Millennium Development Goals to meet the needs of the worlds’ poorest; and
Whereas, the seventh Millennium Development Goal seeks to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs, and reverse the loss of environmental resources and biodiversity; and
Whereas, the Goal also seeks to reduce by half the proportion of people living without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, and achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020; and
Whereas, the United States has demonstrated its commitment to sustainable development partnership efforts with other countries to create and implement development strategies in areas that include access to clean water and sanitation services; conservation and environmental stewardship; and protecting marine and freshwater resources; and
Whereas, the United States must continue to work with the United Nations and other UN agencies in order to provide a coordinated, multilateral effort to assess the loss of environmental resources and achieve further progress towards global sustainable development; and
Whereas, the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), in cooperation with other organizations, has declared “Environmental Sustainability as an Essential Tool for Poverty Alleviation” as its theme for the 2008 United Nations Day commemorations;
Whereas, ________________________ has been appointed Chair of UN Day in the state of ________________ to work with the local UNA-USA members and community leaders to organize events and activities to educate citizens about the continuing need for the United Nations, and the importance of undertaking efforts on the local and international level to promote global cooperative initiatives toward a more healthy and sustainable world;
Whereas, the citizens of _______________ should participate in all activities related to UN Day;
NOW, THEREFORE, I _____________________________ officially proclaim October 24, 2008 as
UNITED NATIONS DAY
In witness whereof, I have set my hand and caused the seal of ____________________ to be affixed on this ______ day of ___________ in the year 2008.
Seal Signature
