William Hague UK Foreign Secretary Speaks About His Time As a UNA Member in Wath-On-Dearne
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News and comment on the United Nations and UNA-UK Spring 2011 | £3.00 NEW WORLD !"#$% &'&()*)+,--,'. EXCLUSIVE: William Hague UK Foreign Secretary speaks about his time as a UNA member in Wath-on-Dearne Cancún climate Nuclear view: Building a global comeback? Des Browne ‘Big Society’ page 10 page 24 page 18 PLUS Outlook for 2011 page 5 UN and the UK page 20 UNA Westminster Film Festival page 28 World Food Programme’s Josette Sheeran at UNA-UK youth event page 32 Young Professionals Network interview: Marianna Franco in Haiti page 34 UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF THE UK | 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL | www.una.org.uk FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN Donate to the UNA Trust The United Nations works for peace, development and human rights, and coordinates global action on issues ranging from climate change to HIV/AIDS, which no country can address alone. On the ground in every continent, it reaches out to people whom others cannot or will not, making a profound difference to the lives of millions around the world. The UNA Trust (registered charity number 256236) supports the UN’s work through education and public information. We are independent of the UN and are not funded by it. Donations and legacies are vital to our work. Visit www.una.org.uk/support or contact us on 020 7766 3456 or [email protected] to !nd out more UNA!UK 2 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2011 | UNA-UK © UN Photo/B Wolff NEW WORLD Contents DIRECTORY 4 IN BRIEF 5 From the Editor 2011 outlook OPINION We are delighted to feature in this !rst 2011 issue of New Making the MDGs inclusive 7 World an essay by William Hague, UK Foreign Secretary, Haji Saghir Alam who describes how membership of the UNA-UK branch R2P: leadership required 8 in Wath-on-Dearne gave him his !rst taste of international Abiodun Williams politics (pages 12-13). Re"ecting on the challenges facing Putting refugees on the development the UN then and now, Hague writes “a young member of agenda 9 UNA-UK in this country today will still grapple with many Laura Padoan of the same issues that preoccupied my peers when I !rst joined – including the struggle for human rights and politi- TALKING POINTS p.5 cal freedom in many parts of the world and how to make Cancún: climate comeback? 10 the UN more representative and more e#ective”. MAIN ESSAY To mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Refugee Agency, William Hague 12 Laura Padoan makes the case for mainstreaming refugee con- cerns in international development e#orts (page 9), while Haji CHAIRMAN’S VALEDICTORY Saghir Alam argues that the UN Millennium Development David Hannay 15 Goals must put more emphasis on persons with disabilities Chairman’s COVER STORY valedictory: (page 7). On page 8, Abiodun Williams calls for renewed Population: seven billion 16 Lord Hannay bids leadership to make the ‘responsibility to protect’ operational, farewell and on page 24, former UK Defence Secretary Des Browne DO SOMETHING 18 outlines the year ahead for British parliamentary e#orts on THE UN AND THE UK 20 nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. In our cover story, I o#er my re"ections on global population, due to LETTERS AND RESOURCES 26 breach the seven-billion mark later this year. UNA-UK It is with sadness that we feature our Chairman’s valedic- Grassroots inspiration 28 p.15 tory on page 15. Lord Hannay of Chiswick completes his Dates for the diary 31 remarkable !ve-year term as UNA-UK Chair at the end of January. He has overseen a period of great transformation for UNYSA: UNA-UK YOUTH UNA-UK and has been a tireless advocate for the UN; while ‘Get the Goals’ launch 32 we look forward to working with his successor, Sir Jeremy Youth challenge to Security Council 33 Greenstock, he will be sorely missed. YPN New World too is undergoing a transformation. $is issue Young Professionals interview 34 Josette includes some of our new features and launches our online Marianna Franco Sheeran, version. $oughts? Write to me on [email protected]. head of WFP at UNA-UK youth Natalie Samarasinghe launch event From the archive – 22 years ago A “people’s fund” for the environment “Our Common Future”, received widespread p.32 A proposed UNA campaign on sustainable support at General Council. development and the environment, based on the We plan to launch it as soon as possible – and arguments of the Brundtland Commission Report, have invited the UN Secretary-General to be involved when he visits the United Kingdom in June. It will include parliamentary lobbying, education work and the establishing of a people’s fund for the environment in support of the UN’s Interview: my work and of our campaign. year in Haiti We have already helped to produce two working Marianna Franco booklets on the Brundtland Report and it is hoped to have a third – concentrating on industrialised country responsibilities – published as soon as possible. From New World, July-August 1988 To read the full article, visit www.una.org.uk/newworld p.34 | Spring 2011 | NEW WORLD | 3 © UN Photo/B Wolff Contents UNA-UK This issue’s contributors 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL Haji Saghir Alam OBE, Chair of the Trustees, Action on www.una.org.uk Disability and Development International EXECUTIVE OFFICE Executive Director Lord Browne of Ladyton, Convenor of the Top-Level Phil Mulligan 020 7766 3457 Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear [email protected] Disarmament and Non-proliferation Executive Assistant Georgina Banks Marianna Franco, Programme Development Manager, 020 7766 3457 ACTED in Haiti [email protected] MEMBERSHIP & FINANCE Rt Hon. William Hague MP, UK Secretary of State, Deputy Director (Finance & Governance) Carol Hodson Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs 020 7766 3455 [email protected] Lord Hannay of Chiswick, Chair of UNA-UK (2006-11) Finance Manager and former British ambassador to the UN Ajay Vasa 020 7766 3454 [email protected] Laura Padoan, External Relations Associate, UN Refugee Membership & Fundraising Officer Agency London Office Rich Nelmes 020 7766 3456 [email protected] Dr Abiodun Williams, Vice President, Center for Conflict POLICY & ADVOCACY Management, US Institute of Peace Head of Policy & Communications Natalie Samarasinghe 020 7766 3451 [email protected] Join us . Peace & Security Programme Coordinator James Kearney 020 7766 3446 The United Nations Association of the UK (UNA-UK) is the UK’s leading [email protected] independent policy authority on the UN and a UK-wide grassroots membership organisation campaigning for a strong, credible and effective United Nations. UNA Wales | CCU Cymru Every member of UNA-UK receives a free subscription to New World, containing news and comment on the UN. By joining you will also be invited to take part in The Temple of Peace/Y Deml Heddwch campaigns and to attend conferences, seminars and other events. Cathays Park/Parc Cathays, Cardiff/Caerdydd CF10 3AP Current membership offers: www.wcia.org.uk/una_wales/514 t6/"6,JTEFMJHIUFEUPBOOPVODFUIBUJUXJMMDPOUJOVFJUTHJGUNFNCFSTIJQ promotion throughout 2011. Do you know someone who wants to make a OFFICERS/SWYDDOGION difference? UNA-UK gift membership costs just £25 for 12 months and can Acting Chief Executive / Prif Weithredwr Dros Dro spark a lifetime’s interest in the work of the United Nations. See page 35 or Martin Pollard visit www.una.org.uk/perfectpresent for more details. 029 2022 8549 t"MM6/"6,NFNCFSTDBOOPXSFDFJWFBQFSDFOUEJTDPVOUPOTVCTDSJQUJPOT [email protected] to the prestigious international relations journal ‘Foreign Affairs’. Visit www.foreignaffairs.com/unauk to take advantage of this exclusive offer. Programme Coordinator / Cyd-Lynydd Rhaglenni Naomi Blight 029 2022 8549 New World is published by To advertise please call Natalie Subscription: [email protected] UNA-UK, 3 Whitehall Court Samarasinghe on 020 7766 3451 Copies of New World are London SW1A 2EL included in the membership www.una.org.uk The deadline for submission fee for UNA-UK of material for the next issue This issue of New World is printed using Editor: of New World is noon on The United Nations vegetable-based inks on 100 per cent Natalie Samarasinghe, 7 March 2011 Association of Great Britain recycled chlorine- and acid-free paper. [email protected] and Northern Ireland is a The next issue will cover the period company limited by guarantee Research, drafting 1 April 2011 to 30 June 2011 (registered no. 2885557) When you are finished with the and copy-editing: magazine, please recycle it or, better Georgina Banks All submissions should be typed Designed by yet, pass it on to a friend. James Kearney and sent by email where possible to soapbox Rich Nelmes [email protected]. Photos www.soapboxcommunications.co.uk should ideally be 300 dpi resolution 020 7930 3166 4 | NEW WORLD | Spring 2011 | UNA-UK In brief January UN Women: operational since 1 January, this new body is headed by former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and combines the mandates of the four previous UN agencies and A resident of the National Tapajos Forest collects wild foliage for preparing a meal. o%ces working on women’s rights and © UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe gender equality. With increased fund- ing for gender issues, it is hoped UN Women will be able to make the UN’s devastating earthquake struck the coun- Arms Trade Treaty: the !rst of two work in this area more e#ective. try on 12 January 2010 (see page 34). preparatory meetings for a 2012 confer- At the beginning of the year, the UN ence on an Arms Trade Treaty will take Côte d’Ivoire: the UN called for and its partners launched a 20-year, place at the UN in New York from 2,000 extra troops to bolster its Ivorian $200 million environmental recovery 28 February to 4 March.