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Dear UNA Members and Friends,
As I was writing this, the news was filled with rampant flooding happening across Westchester County, and more was expected the following day. In my many years as a resident of this County, it’s difficult to recall local weather extremes like the ones we have seen over the past few years. Those hyper-local impacts sit in a broader global context—one in which climate-change-related impacts continue to be felt so acutely.
Thankfully, the focus this year of the Global Goals Summit was climate
change; indeed, it was held during Climate Week in New York City on September 18th and 19th. It was preceded by the Climate March to end Fossil Fuels in New York City on September 17 th, which brought together more than 75,000 people in New York City to demand action to address our on-going climate emergency. I hope many of you were able to participate. I was thrilled to get messages from many of UNA’s partners about their active support of this historic event.
This has been a season of many climate-related disasters – the fires in Maui, the earthquake devastation in Morocco, floods in Libya, hurricanes, typhoons and drought. Could we ever have imagined living in a time that the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called the “Summer of Boiling”? Let me be clear: these horrific events were caused or exacerbated by human activity, and humans have an obligation to help quench the fire we have ignited. It is more critical than ever that young people—like our Chapter’s impassioned Young Professionals--are speaking out about how humans have been destroying the planet for more than 200 years. They—and we—must continue to hold governments, businesses and individuals accountable for this destruction. It is time for us as a society to work together to halt the deterioration and take responsibility for saving our blue planet.
September is normally a particularly busy month for the United Nations, and this year was even more intense. The annual General Debate of Heads of State, which began at the General Assembly on September 19 th , is a time to reflect on why the United Nations was created and how to keep its foundational principles relevant today and for decades to come. Despite regional conflicts, because of the UN, world leaders normally come together to discuss peacefully the most pressing issues of our times. While the topics at hand are certainly overwhelming, the UN provides a space for cooperation, even in the most challenging of situations. The majority of member States, led by the Secretary-General, have already voiced their opposition to the
unprovoked attack by Russia on Ukraine. Now with the additional devastation resulting from armed conflict between Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Israel, promises of peace look even more remote. We should advocate for diplomacy and negotiation to play a role in reducing the level of violence in such conflict zones. As the General Assembly meets, we are reminded of just how vital the work of the UN is to the
stability of the world. SDG16 says it most succinctly: “promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.” We have to depend on multilateralism to triumph over threats of destruction from conflict, climate change, global pandemics and myriad other challenges we face as a global human family.
The United Nations observed two other important days in September: The International Day of Peace, on September 21 st , which the UN General Assembly declared as a day to devote to strengthening the ideals of peace through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire; and the International Day for the Complete Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26th. We are facing the threat of nuclear war today, as we see threats from Russia similar to those we faced during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. That we are alive today is a function of luck and
inspired diplomacy, the latter of which is dangerously absent today. At present, the themes of peace and non-violence are very much in harmony with environmental justice.
UNA’s most important anniversary each year is UN Day, the commemoration of the signing of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945. UNA-Westchester and its partners are gearing up for a very exciting celebration of UN Day 2023, the 78 th anniversary of the United Nations and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. This year’s timely theme is “Appreciating Peace and Non-Violence: The Role of the UN and Local Youth Movements.” The event, which will be held in collaboration with Mercy University’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Global Engagement, will be held in the beautiful Rotunda at Mercy’s Dobbs Ferry Campus on Sunday 22 October from 2:00 to 4:00 pm (registration and networking begin at 1:30 pm).
We will have excellent speakers and representatives of Westchester youth movements that promote peace and non-violence. We are thrilled to have so many fabulous partners as cosponsors this year; they are listed in the flyer for the event in this newsletter. Youth activists will give us an update on their programs to promote peace and non-violence. They include: Peace Action New York State; 914 United; WESPAC Foundation; Westchester County Youth Councils; Combatants for Peace; Manhattanville College; and others.
It can be very easy to become despondent or apathetic when we realize the magnitude of the challenges we face; sometimes, I feel it myself. Then, I am exposed to the many remarkable people and organizations devoted to making life better for everyone; those dedicated to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals; those passionate about protecting and fulfilling human rights, and so much more.
Please JOIN US for this important UN Day event and be inspired, not deflated! Register at UN Day Registration or at unawestchester.org. We look forward to seeing you there!
- Marcia Brewster
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