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DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20200918T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20200918T124500
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CREATED:20200917T151549Z
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UID:28274-1600423200-1600433100@www.unaoc.org
SUMMARY:High-Level Meeting Preventing Violent Extremism through Sport Values
DESCRIPTION:Within the framework of the United Nations Global Programme on the Security of Major Sporting Events\, and Promotion of Sport and Its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism \n \nThe United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) was mandated by the General Assembly to enhance coordination and coherence across the UN System’s counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism work to ensure the balanced implementation of the four pillars of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The Office coordinates and implements technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives to support Member States’ efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism (PCVE) conductive to terrorism\, including through leveraging sport and its values as a tool to prevent violent extremism. Sports have historically played a significant role in the dissemination of positive values throughout the world and across civilization and cultures\, especially for the youth\, and is a powerful vector for the development of efforts aimed at preventing and countering violent-extremism and radicalization\, promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls\, and facilitating integration at large. \nWith this vision in mind and within the framework of the “United Nations Global Programme on the Security of Major Sporting Events\, and Promotion of Sport and its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism”\, UNOCT is convening a two-hour High-Level Meeting on the Prevention of Violent Extremism through Sports\, in partnership with the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)\, the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI)\, and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS). The event will precede the launch of a series of initiatives which include\, inter alia\, the development of a guide for policymakers\, a training handbook\, a global campaign and a grant-awarding mechanism for local civil society organizations (CSOs) working on sports-based prevention of violent extremism (PVE).\nThe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Security Council resolution 2419 (2018) on Youth\, Peace and Security recognizes the “growing contribution of sport and culture to the realization of development and peace in the promotion of tolerance and respect as well as the contributions sport and culture make to the empowerment of youth and women\, individuals and communities as well as to health\, education and social inclusion objectives”. More recently the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2535 (2020) calling on United Nations entities to improve capacity-building by integrating the Youth\, Peace and Security agenda into their technical assistance plans. \nThe virtual high-level meeting will feature discussions between senior United Nations Officials\, Member States and international organizations representatives\, policymakers\, and sports personalities committed to the fight against violent extremism. The event will be followed by a technical level International Expert Group Meeting where representatives from governments\, international and regional organizations\, sport bodies\, academia and CSOs will share experiences and discuss actionable good practices of sports-based interventions aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism that can inspire the inclusion and further acknowledgment of sports within national and regional action (PCVE) action plans.
URL:https://www.unaoc.org/event/high-level-meeting-preventing-violent-extremism-through-sport-values/
LOCATION:Online
CATEGORIES:UNAOC Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20200929T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20200929T190000
DTSTAMP:20260421T050611
CREATED:20200908T133610Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200929T212119Z
UID:28243-1601370000-1601406000@www.unaoc.org
SUMMARY:UNAOC high-level Group of Friends meeting\, followed by 2 interactive panel discussions
DESCRIPTION:Annual High-Level Meeting of the UNAOC Group of Friends\n“Shaping a Better World: Building Cohesive and Inclusive Societies in a Challenging COVID-19 Environment” \nOn 14 July 2020\, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) turned fifteen. The Alliance of Civilizations was created as the special initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General\, Mr. Kofi Annan\, who launched it in 2005 at a time when the United Nations recognized an urgent need to fill a policy gap in the governance of cultural and religious diversity\, which was threatened by growing divisions between communities and polarization of attitudes triggering the rise of violent extremism\, terrorist attacks and the exacerbation of frequent manifestations of intolerance\, xenophobia and racism. \nEven before the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled\, there was a strong push-back on cultural diversity\, religious pluralism and human rights. Rightly described as a global human crisis\, the pandemic threw under a magnifying lens critical issues that lingered on and metastasized over the years. It laid bare entrenched inequalities and fractures. Societies are divided across cultural\, ethnic and religious lines. We see it in the resurgence of Neo-Nazis organizations and anti-Semitism. Manifestations of hate speech\, racism\, xenophobia\, and all forms of discrimination against vulnerable communities continue\, leading to a vicious circle of extreme violence and terrorist attacks. Youth and women were further marginalized depriving communities of significant potential sources of resilience. \nCoincidentally as we mark the 15th anniversary of UNAOC\, the international community also celebrates this year the United Nations at 75. It is worth recalling that the existing multilateral governance structures emerged from a devastating global war and the world-wide depression and a pandemic that preceded it. Only events of such global consequence could generate the solidarity\, resolve and vision necessary to create those structures.  \nEvents as such remind us of our common fragility and our interconnected fate. If a neighbor\, family member\, friend\, or country is not safe\, none of us is safe. History taught us that our well-being and safety are linked to what happens to our neighbor. There is no alternative to standing together in unity and solidarity in cohesive and equitable societies. Fulfilling Goal 16 “Promote just\, peaceful and inclusive societies” of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is more imperative now than ever before. It is the raison d’être of UNAOC. \nThe current dark moment in the history of humanity also presents a rare opportunity to emerge from this pandemic closer delivering as one. After all\, sustaining peaceful\, inclusive and just societies requires an integrated and coherent approach through strong collaboration across the different sectors in any society. \nIn this context\, the overarching theme of the opening plenary session of the annual high-Level meeting of the UNAOC Group of Friends “Shaping a Better World: Building Cohesive and Inclusive Societies in a Challenging COVID-19 Environment” will serve as an occasion to mark the 15th anniversary of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and take stock of what has been accomplished. It will be also an opportunity to present to the Group of Friends\, which has grown to 124 member states of the United Nations\, along with 27 international inter-governmental organizations and 1 non-member state\, the progress made by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations since September 2019 across the different pillars. The High Representative will also present the new initiatives launched in the areas of prevention and mediation\, as well as the new actions taken to address challenges posed by the global pandemic of the coronavirus in 2020. \nThe opening plenary of the meeting will provide the Group of Friends with the space to express their views regarding these underlying questions: What future do we want for our societies\, and how do we get there? What can the UNAOC Group of Friends do to support UNAOC in its endeavors? \nThe opening segment will start at 09:00AM (EDT) and conclude by 11:30AM (EDT). It will be followed by 2 interactive webinars\, each for 90 minutes\, focusing on: 1) “An Intergenerational Conversation: The Future They Want”\, and 2) “Racism\, Xenophobia and Discrimination: The Tearing of Our Societies”. The concept note and format of the webinars will be shared in due course.\n \n\n  \nTentative Programme \n\n09:00AM-09:40AM Opening segment \n H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos\, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations\, chairs the meeting\, welcomes participants and delivers remarks and presentation \n Remarks by H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres\, Secretary-General of the United Nations (video message) \n Remarks by H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkır\, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (video message) \n Remarks by Spain and Turkey \n Video on commemorating the 15th Anniversary of UNAOC \n\n 09:40AM-11:25AM Plenary segment \n Statements by Member States\, Observers and International Organizations (per the list of speakers; interventions are limited to 3 minutes) \n\n 11:25AM-11:30AM Closing segment  \n Concluding remarks by H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos\, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations \n\n 11:30AM-11:45AM Intermission 1  \n\n 11:45AM-01:15PM Webinar 1: “An Intergenerational Conversation: The Future They Want”  \n Panel discussion among experts\, civil society and senior United Nations officials\, moderated by UNAOC (Read more about Webinar 1) \n\n 01:15PM-03:00PM Intermission 2  \n\n 03:00PM-04:30PM Webinar 2 “Racism\, Xenophobia and Discrimination: The Tearing of Our Societies”  \n Panel discussion among experts\, civil society and senior United Nations officials\, moderated by UNAOC (Read more about Webinar 2) \n\n\n\n\n\nConcept Notes and Programmes (please wait for the documents to load)\nPlenaryWebinar 1Webinar 2\nPlenary Session: High-level Group of Friends Meeting\nDownload (PDF\, 380KB) \n\n\n\nWebinar 1: “An Intergenerational Conversation: The Future They Want”\nDownload (PDF\, 361KB) \n\n\nWebinar 2 “Racism\, Xenophobia and Discrimination: The Tearing of Our Societies”\nDownload (PDF\, 361KB)
URL:https://www.unaoc.org/event/group-of-friends-2020/
LOCATION:Online
CATEGORIES:Group of Friends Meeting,UNAOC Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20200929T114500
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20200929T131500
DTSTAMP:20260421T050611
CREATED:20200923T171651Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200926T163342Z
UID:28299-1601379900-1601385300@www.unaoc.org
SUMMARY:An Intergenerational Conversation: The Future They Want
DESCRIPTION:An Interactive webinar on the margins of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly \nThe current youth generation is acknowledged as the largest in history with 1.85 billion young women and men 10 to 24 years of age in the world\, 90% of whom live in developing countries and one in four affected by violence or armed conflict. Africa and the Arab region have a wealth of young people who account for two thirds of the Arab region’s population and 65% of the African continent. \nIt would be stating the obvious to say that young women and men are critical agents for social change\, economic growth and development. They actively contribute to the resilience of their communities and represent an important pool of talent\, ideas\, energy and passion. Young people are a key asset which can leverage unparalleled multiplier effects with their ability to mobilize their peers and implement innovative solutions to address challenges. \nAt the same time\, young people continue to suffer disproportionately from conflict and poverty and have been traditionally facing systemic challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated those challenges for most young women and men. Millions lost their jobs and hundreds of thousands remain without education due to partial closures of educational institutions. Failure to address those challenges leads to alienating young people and eroding their trust in the political establishments. Such environment provides an open space for extremist groups to exploit youth’s anger and despair to fan the flames of hatred and radicalization. Extremists and radical groups are taking advantage of the proliferation of digital platforms to double down on social media spreading hatred and offering youth a twisted sense of purpose based on lies. \nYet\, during the pandemic\, young people had also been in the front lines volunteering and providing support to their communities. They found ways to engage\, demand change and fight for peace\, inclusion and justice. It is\, therefore\, essential to recognize young people at the center of our recovery efforts and as we chart the re-building of peaceful\, resilient and inclusive societies. \nOn 27 April 2020\, the UN Security Council marked the 5th Anniversary of the adoption of the groundbreaking resolution 2250 (2015) by holding an open debate to take stock of the progress made in the previous five years and identify actions that the Security Council could take to ensure the meaningful participation of the youth in peace and security efforts. During the open debate\, the UN Secretary-General presented the key findings of the first report focused on the youth\, peace and security agenda mandated by UNSCR 2419 (2018). In his statement\, the Secretary-General noted that notwithstanding the progress achieved\, the Youth\, Peace and Security agenda still faces formidable challenges. Participation opportunities remain inadequate\, particularly in the decision-making processes. He called to action on youth\, peace and security agenda and to address these challenges guided by the findings of the Independent Progress Study on Youth Peace and Security. \nIn July 2020\, the Security Council adopted resolution 2535(2020)\, which in its first operational paragraph “calls on all relevant actors\, to consider ways to increase the inclusive representation of youth for the prevention and resolution of conflict\, as well as in peacebuilding\, including when negotiating and implementing peace agreements\, and to ensure the full\, effective and meaningful participation of youth\, recognizing that their marginalization is detrimental to building sustainable peace”. \nIn February 2019\, the UN Security Council welcomed Africa’s initiative of the “Silencing the Guns” and called for international support and cooperation to achieve peace in Africa. In order to achieve (STG) agenda and article 17 of the African Youth Charter\, the AU Youth Envoy launched a continental platform for conversation among young people to exchange views on the challenges and solutions towards to achieve a peaceful and prosperous Africa. \nFraming the Conversation: \nYouth is one of the five pillars of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) together with education\, migration\, media and the role of women as mediators and peacemakers in conflicts with cultural and religious settings. Through education\, capacity building\, training and many other opportunities for innovation and creativity\, UNAOC empowers young women and men and youth-led civil society globally and recognize them as powerful agents for social change. Over the years\, UNAOC has developed programming that recognizes young people as essential partners in fostering mutual understanding between peoples of different cultures and religions\, highlighting the will of the majority to reject violent extremism and embrace diversity. Youth-led organizations that foster peaceful and inclusive societies have been supported since 2008 through the Youth Solidarity Fund (YSF). Seed funding and technical support are given to projects\, led by and focused on young people\, that demonstrate innovative and effective approaches to intercultural or interfaith dialogue. Financial support for recent editions has been provided by the Government of Finland. An independent evaluation report was produced in 2018\, of ten youth-led organizations supported by YSF in 2016 and 2017\, which includes best practices and lessons for similar youth-focused donor programmes. \nIn line with the theme chosen to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and in the spirit of keeping the UN75 dialogues going\, this interactive conversation between UNAOC young alumni and senior officials will present an opportunity to further engage young people and amplify their voices around the importance of youth engagement in the peace and security agenda. \nObjective: \nThrough an interactive\, intergenerational discussion\, the panel will identify key challenges that youth are currently facing as a result of the pandemic and will make recommendations to strengthen their engagement and amplify their voices as the world gears-up for recovering from the pandemic and re-building a better world. \nFormat: \nThe virtual event will take place on 29 September\, 11:45AM – 1:15PM (EDT) in the form of an interactive conversation between UNAOC youth alumni.  \n\n\n\n\nParticipants:\n\nLeading the conversation: \n Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos\nHigh Representative\, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) \n\nPanelists: \n Mr. Vladimir Voronkov\nUnder-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism\, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) \n Ms. Diene Keita\nDeputy Executive Director for Programme\, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Assistant-Secretary-General \n Amb. Sima Sami Bahous\nPermanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations \n Ms. Corinne Momal-Vanian\nExecutive Director\, Kofi Annan Foundation \n\nSpecial Guest\n Ms. Aya Chebbi\nYouth Envoy\, African Union \n\nUNAOC youth alumni panelists \n Ms. Sif Heide-Ottosen\nFellowship Programme 2019 EUNA\, Denmark \n Mr. Tomas Horvath\nFellowship Programme 2017 EUNA\, Slovak Republic  \n Ms. Ahlem Nasraoui\nIntercultural Innovation Award 2017\, Tunisia \n Ms. Magdalen Amony\nIntercultural Innovation Award 2019\, Uganda \n Ms. Theresa Saade\nIntercultural Innovation Award 2014\, Lebanon \n Mr. Syed Ali Abbas\nIntercultural Innovation Award 2017\, Pakistan \n Ms. Louise Kanza\nPLURAL+ Youth Video Festival 2017\, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa \n Ms. Sivatharsini Raveendran\nYouth Solidarity Fund 2019-2020\, Sri Lanka \n Mr. Mohammed Ghanem\nYoung Peacebuilders 3rd edition\, Egypt \n Ms. Farah El Alami\nYoung Peacebuilders 3rd edition\, Jordan \n Ms. Afaf Lamkoutar\nYoung Peacebuilders 3rd edition\, Morocco
URL:https://www.unaoc.org/event/an-intergenerational-conversation-the-future-they-want/
LOCATION:Online
CATEGORIES:UNAOC Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20200929T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20200929T163000
DTSTAMP:20260421T050611
CREATED:20200923T173906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200925T211937Z
UID:28311-1601391600-1601397000@www.unaoc.org
SUMMARY:Racism\, Xenophobia and Discrimination: The Tearing of Our Societies
DESCRIPTION:An Interactive webinar on the margins of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly \n\nThe COVID-19 pandemic has torn across the world\, affected all segments of the population indiscriminately regardless of race\, religion\, ethnicity\, or gender\, and continues to have far-reaching health and economic consequences. But for many\, the impact extends beyond medical and financial concerns. The pandemic has exposed social and political fractures within communities\, with discriminatory responses to fear\, disproportionately affecting communities on the basis of their real or perceived national origin\, skin color\, or religion. Several political parties have latched into the COVID-19 crisis to advance anti-immigrant\, white supremacist\, anti-Semitic and xenophobic conspiracy theories that demonize minorities on the sheer basis of their religion\, belief\, or ethnicity. \nOutbreaks create fear\, and fear is a crucial ingredient for racism\, xenophobia\, and discrimination to thrive. This phenomenon manifests differently in different contexts and populations. Yet\, there is a pattern in discriminatory acts: the target is generally the “other\,” i.e.\, the migrant\, someone belonging to a religious or ethnic minority\, etc. These behavior patterns\, not uncommon before the pandemic\, often lead to the fragmentation of society. Racism and discrimination have detrimental effects not only on the safety and human dignity of those who are targeted but also on development\, peace\, and social cohesion. The United Nations Secretary-General has warned of the repercussions of these discriminatory manifestations urging for an inclusive\, equitable\, and universal response in addressing the pandemic. \nThe position of the United Nations on racism and all its manifestations is crystal clear: this scourge violates the Charter of the United Nations and debases the core values upon which it was founded. The prohibition of racial discrimination is enshrined in all core international human rights instruments. It places obligations on States and tasks them with eradicating discrimination in public and private spheres. Therefore\, it is imperative to promote tolerance\, inclusion\, and respect for diversity and stand up against racism\, xenophobia\, hate speech\, and all forms of discrimination. The United Nations Secretary-General has made this a priority through launching initiatives such as the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites\, the UN Guidance Note on Addressing and Countering COVID-19 related Hate Speech3 \, which builds on the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech4. \nFraming the discussion: \nCOVID-19 is attacking societies at their core. The pandemic has devastated many lives and upended livelihoods. But we should not let it destroy our core humanistic values. Allowing the pandemic to tear apart the fabric of our societies would be one of the most severe upheavals of COVID-19. Inclusion of and dialogue with communities and marginalized groups helps in rebuilding trust and enhancing social cohesion. In this context\, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is organizing a webinar to explore ways to scale-up a whole-of-society approach to prevent and counter the scourge of all forms of discrimination\, xenophobia\, and racism. \nFormat: \nThe panel will be convened in the format of an interactive discussion with speakers representing relevant UN entities\, human rights experts\, and other stakeholders\, including the media. Speakers will give brief introductions (three minutes)\, and the moderator will conduct a tour-de-table.\n \n\n\n\n\nParticipants:\nLeading the Conversation: \n H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos\nUnder-Secretary-General and High Representative for UNAOC \nPanelists: \n Ms. Pramila Patten\n@USGSRSGPatten\nSpecial Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC)\, Acting Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide (UN-OSAPG) @UN_GP_RtoP \n Dr. Ahmed Shaheed \n@ahmedshaheed\nSpecial Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief \n Mr. Jason Isaacson\nChief Policy and Political Affairs Officer\, American Jewish Committee @AJCGlobal \n Ms. Nayeli Chavez-Geller\n@nayelichavezg\nNew York Correspondent\, Primer Impacto\, Univisión \n Ms. Alex Walden \nGlobal Head of Human Rights\, Google \n Mr. George Salama (tbc)\nHead of Public Policy\, Government\, and Philanthropy – MENA Region\, Pakistan\, and Afghanistan\, Twitter
URL:https://www.unaoc.org/event/racism-xenophobia-and-discrimination-the-tearing-of-our-societies/
LOCATION:Online
CATEGORIES:UNAOC Events
END:VEVENT
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