THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS: THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE (44/13) 2 December – 7 December 2013 (and beyond) This document is for planning purposes only and is subject to change. Please check also our website for latest changes http://www.unric.org or call + 32 2 788 84 84 / + 32 476 215 485
VIP Visits
Janez Potočnik, EU Commissioner on Environment: Montenegro (till 2 Dec.).
Algirdas Šemeta, EU Commissioner on Taxation, Customs, Statistics, Audit and Anti-Fraud; Tonio Borg, EU Commissioner on Health: Australia (respectively till 3 Dec. and 2-6 Dec.).
Robert Dussey, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Togo: Brussels (2 Dec.).
Dacian Ciolos, EU Commissioner on Agriculture and Rural Development; Algirdas Šemeta, EU Commisioner on Taxation, Customs, Statistics, Audit and Anti-Fraud, Karel De Gucht, EU Commissioner on Trade: Bali (2-7 Dec.).
Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against women, its causes and consequences: Azerbaijan (till 5 Dec.).
Martin Kobler, The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Head of MONUSCO: Brussels (5 Dec.). Nickolay E. Mladenov, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of UNAMI: Brussels (5-6 Dec.). TBC
Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food: Malaysia (9-18 Dec.).
---------------------------------------------Monday 2 December France assumes the monthly rotating Presidency of the Security Council Australia begins G20 Presidency International Day for the Abolition of Slavery http://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryabolitionday/
The European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) enters into force. It will address the challenges of cross border crime, the loss of lives of migrants at sea and irregular migration. Brussels: - Competitiveness EU Council - - internal market - industry and research - innovation space (till 3 Dec.). -European Parliament: Committees and political groups meetings. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdfs/news/expert/agenda_week_by_day/50-2013/50-2013_en.pdf
- Young Leaders' Forum of the Eastern Partnership (till 4 Dec.). http://www.europarl.europa.eu/intcoop/youngleaders/east_en.html.
-European Parliament- Subcommittee on Security and Defence: Ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty. -European Parliament -Committee on Development: Discussions on the EU response to typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and The fight against malaria and other poverty. - “How to achieve a world without hunger: From Food Aid to Food Assistance focus on the Sahel”?.
Press room, Belgian FPS Foreign Affairs. http://www.unric.org/en/events/28877-how-to-achieve-a-world-without-hunger-from-food-aid-to-foodassistance-focus-on-the-sahel Geneva: States parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (till 5 Dec.). - OHCHR: Committee of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights / WG (till 6 Dec.). - Syria Crisis: Launch of the IFRC revised appeals. Lima: UNIDO, General Conference (till 6 Dec.). London: Ciné-ONU: To mark Human Rights, the UN, in partnership withDocHouse, presents: ‘ARTICLE 12’, followed by a Q&A with Juan Manuel Biain (Director), Kirsty Hughes (Index on Censorship CEO), Julian Borger (diplomatic editor), http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/dochouse-and-theunited-nations-present-article-12-panel-qanda/.
Melbourne: The World Diabetes Congress (till 6 Dec). Rome: FAO, Council (till 6 Dec.). The Hague: Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (till 6 Dec.). Tuesday, 3 December Int. Day of Persons with Disabilities: "Break barriers, open doors: for an inclusive society for all" http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=111
Ashgabat (Turkmenistan): WHO European Ministerial Conference on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in the Context of Health 2020 (till 4 December) http://www.unric.org/en/events Bali: -Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) (till 6 Dec.). https://mc9.wto.org/. A delegation of 10 MEPs will attend. The EU Commission negotiates in the WTO on behalf of the EU, authorised by the Council, but any legally binding decisions arising from the deals will have to obtain backing from European Parliament in order to enter into force. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressrelease_MEMO-13-1076_en.htm?locale=en
-EU Foreign Affairs Council (trade issues). http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/139799.pdf
Brussels: - Lunch lecture on UNESCO and the EU: “Working together on the frontlines of peace” Organizer: Belgian Dutch speaking UNA. http://www.vvn.be/ -The EU Overseas Countries and Territories: Valuing a global asset and developing regional hubs. - NATO Foreign Ministers meeting (till 4 Dec.). Catherine Ashton attends the meeting. http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_104939.htm?selectedLocale=en
- The Friends of Europe Balkans Summit. http://www.friendsofeurope.org/Contentnavigation/Events/Eventsoverview/tabid/1187/EventType/EventView/EventId/1237/West ernBalkansFastlaneslowlane.aspx
-The East and South Africa programming seminar (till 5 Dec). -European Parliament -European Book Prize Award Ceremony 2013. Geneva: Human Rights Council, Forum on Business and Human Rights (till 4 Dec.).
Wednesday, 4 December European Tourism Day http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CLDR-13-42_fr.htm Brussels: -The Commission will present a proposal for a Council Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships. -European Parliament: Seminar marking the launch of the report: The Human Trafficking Cycle: Sinai and Beyond, by Mirjam van Reisen, Meron Estefanos and Conny Rijken The report focuses on the journey to Sinai, the modus operandi in Sinai and the realities that refugees who survive meet beyond Sinai, including the recent Lampedusa crisis. Marseille: Better Cities for Better Lives: Bridging national and local policies to deliver growth and wellbeing, Fifth OECD Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers (till 5 Dec.). http://www.oecd.org/urban/roundtable New York: Briefing on “Activities of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF)�, organized by the CTITF Office in the Department of Political Affairs. Thursday, 5 December International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development http://www.volunteeractioncounts.org/en/ivd-2013/ivd2013-actions.html http://www.unv.org/what-we-do/intl-volunteer-day.html
Ankara: EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary meeting (till 6 Dec.). Bruges: UN Model - "Towards a Solution for the Syrian Crisis?. Organizer: Belgian Dutch speaking UNA (till 8 Dec). http://www.vvn.be/ Brussels: -Justice and Home Affairs EU Council (till 6 Dec.). Council will discuss a Commission report regarding the work of the Task Force for the Mediterranean with a view to taking operational decisions. The Task Force is to identify the EU priority actions for a more efficient short term use of European policies and tools in order to avoid major disasters like the one of Lampedusa. In the context of fighting terrorism, the Council will discuss foreign fighters and returnees from a counter-terrorism perspective, in particular with regard to Syria, after hearing a report by the EU counter terrorism Coordinator. -Transport, Telecommunications & Energy EU Council (till 6 Dec.). -European Parliament: On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the UN Convention against Corruption, panel discussion to review progress made on fighting corruption in Europe, co-organised by UNODC. Please register by sending an email to unodc.brusselsregistry@unodc.org mentioning name, birth date and identity card number, by 3 December 2013. http://www.unric.org/en/events - Madariaga conference: Beyond Arms Control: What Next for the EU in Syria? http://crm.friendsofeurope.eu/EFFICY.DLL/guest?page=MDE_onLineReg/form.htm&app=mde&publ=5495&TypeForm=Participant
Geneva: - Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention - Meeting of the States Parties (till -5 Dec.), followed on 6 Dec. by a Preparatory Meeting for the Convention's Third Review Conference in Mozambique London: Conference "Can We Really End Poverty? A Debate on the Future of Development". http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/oecd-debate-can-we-really-end-poverty/? utm_source=OECDdevtopics&utm_medium=oecdorg&utm_campaign=EndPov
Marseille: Regions and Cities: where people and policies meet -ministerial meeting of the OECD Territorial Development Policy Committee (till 6 Dec.). http://www.oecd.org/regional/ministerial/ Paris: Green Growth and Sustainable Development Forum. OECD, (till 6 Dec.). Rome: Conference: "European Strategy for Blue Growth. Conditions for a Blue Economy in the Mediterranean".
Friday, 6 December Brussels: Current Account Imbalances and International Financial Integration (till 7 Dec.). http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/events/2013/20131206_financial_integration/index_en.htm
Paris: Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council will attend the Elysée summit for peace and security in Africa (till 7 Dec). Saturday, 7 December International Civil Aviation Day [ICAO] http://www.icao.int/secretariat/SecretaryGeneral/Pages/aviation_day.aspx Sunday, 8 December Brussels: Group of high-level judges from Libya, organized by UNDP Libya (till 13 Dec.).
And beyond: Other dates to pin
9 December International Anti-Corruption Day http://www.actagainstcorruption.org/actagainstcorruption/ Brussels: -Eurogroup -Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs EU Council (till 10 Dec).
- NATO Post 2014 Conference (till 11 Dec.)
http://www.ata-sec.org/homepage-main-news/461-nato-post-2014-
conference-december-9th-11th-brussels-belgium
Geneva: States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (till 13 Dec.). New York: High level discussion on occasion of 65th anniversary of Genocide Convention. http://j.mp/18oeAH2.
-Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (till 13 Dec.). Strasbourg: European Parliament plenary session (till 12 Dec.). 10 December Human Rights Day: "20 Years: Working for your Rights"
http://at20.ohchr.org/human-right-day.html
Brussels: Economic and Financial Affairs EU Council. - Ciné-ONU: To mark Human Rights Day and the 20th anniversary of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations, in partnership with the European Union and BOZAR, presents: ‘Fruitvale Station’. The screening will be followed by a special performance Shine Your Light and reception, http://registration.cineonu.org/. Geneva: Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees .
11 December International Mountain Day "Mountains - Key to a Sustainable Future" http://www.fao.org/forestry/internationalmountainday/en/
Anniversary of UNICEF - Release of new data on birth registration to focus attention on the world’s most hidden and excluded children. - Friends of Europe Book Launch: Preventing Violent Conflict in Africa – Inequalities, Perceptions and Institutions http://www.friendsofeurope.org/Contentnavigation/Events/Eventsoverview/tabid/1187/EventType/EventView/EventId/1243/BookLaunchPreventing ViolentConflictinAfricaInequalitiesPerceptionsandInstitutions.aspx
12 December OECD statistics news release: G20 GDP Growth Q3, 2013. Brussels: -Transport, Telecommunications & Energy EU Council - Foreign Affairs EU Council (Development). Ministers are expected to exchange views on the post2015 agenda for sustainable development and poverty eradication. Also on the agenda: The Council could adopt conclusions on the related EU report on policy coherence for development 2013. The Council will also be briefed by the Commission on the implementation of the agenda for change, in particular regarding the measurement of results and progress on joint programming. 13 December Brussels: Environment EU Council. 16 December Brussels: -Agriculture and Fisheries EU Council (till 17 Dec.). -EU Foreign Affairs Council. Geneva: Human Rights Council, Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of people to self-determination (till 20 Dec.). Vienna: Social Economy Conference (till 16-17 Dec.). 17 December Brussels: EU General Affairs Council. 18 December International Migrants Day http://www.un.org/en/events/migrantsday/ Global launch of World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014. 19 December Brussels: European Council (till 20 Dec.). 20 December International Human Solidarity Day
http://undesadspd.org/InternationalDays/InternationalHumanSolidarityDay.aspx
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UN Campaigns, Competitions, Apps and Games
Many Languages, One World - Student Essay Contest http://www.unric.org/en/competitions Part of the UN Academic Impact's commitment to multilingual education, ELS Educational services and the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) have launched a global essay contest for university and college students on global citizenship and understanding Submit an essay (2000 words or less) exploring how multilingual ability advances global citizenship and understanding. Your essay should reflect your academic, cultural, and national context. The submission deadline is 21 February, 2014 23rd International Children's Painting Competition http://www.unric.org/en/competitions The International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment is organized every year by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon Corporation. It has been held since 1991 and has received more than 3 million entries from children in over 150 countries. The submission deadline is 15 March, 2014 UPU - 2014 International letter-writing competition for young people http://www.unric.org/en/competitions The theme selected for the 2014 competition is: "Write a letter describing how music can touch lives." The communication supports include a poster and a flyer, which are being updated to reflect the 2014 theme. They will be made available to member countries shortly. The best letter from each country must be submitted to the International Bureau no later than 30 April 2014. The submission deadline is 30 April, 2014
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