WJC Hosted UN NGO Meeting - World Jewish Congress

WJC Hosted UN NGO Meeting

WJC Hosted UN NGO Meeting
Calendar 08 January 2014
On January 8, World Jewish Congress, United States hosted a meeting with Jewish and other United Nations NGOs at its new offices in New York City. The meeting, chaired by Rabbi Joel Meyers, Chair, WJC US, and Gloria Landy, Officer, WJC, US Governing Board and Liaison-Coordinator, Informal Jewish NGO Caucus, was well attended, and guests were warmly greeted by WJC CEO Robert Singer who outlined several of the current WJC activities. The guest speakers from the United Nations were Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Under Secretary General of the United Nations for Communications and Public Information, UNDPI, Kimberly Mann, Manager of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Program, UNDPI, Maher Nasser, Director of the Outreach Division, UNDPI, and Ramu Damodaran, Deputy Director for Partnership and Public Engagement, Outreach Division, UNDPI.
 
Under Secretary Launsky-Tieffenthal discussed a wide range of current United Nations activities including upcoming UN conferences concerning Syria and other regional conflicts, meetings on hunger, climate change and sustainable development, and other global issues. He also discussed the visit of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to Auschwitz, noting how profoundly moved the Secretary General was to be at this site.
 
UNDPI is in charge for outreach not only to NGOs but also to the wider community and is responsible for the programs concerning United Nations observance of the International Day of Commemoration and Memories of the Victims of the Holocaust. Kimberly Mann presented some of the activities of the department’s outreach to further the cause of Holocaust education in many countries around the world, describing her visits to China,
 
Africa, European countries, and others. She gave a preview of the programs that will take place at New York UN headquarters that will be open to the community, including an exhibition, in cooperation with March of the Living, documenting the experience of students who have visited the former Nazi concentration camps, a panel discussion on the rescue of the Jews of Albania, and an exhibition on the remembrance of the Holocaust in Hungary, and many others.
 
The main Holocaust memorial ceremony hosted by UNDPI at this time will be centered around the theme “Journeys through the Holocaust” and will feature a message by the UN Secretary General, the President of the UNGA, and the Permanent Representatives of Israel and the United States to the United Nations. The keynote address will be delivered by filmmaker Steven Spielberg to mark the 20th anniversary of the US Shoah Foundation Institute, founded by Mr. Spielberg.
 
The American Section will continue to partner with the United Nations in its outreach to NGOs, delegations, and the wider community to help spread awareness of these important activities and our advocacy for Israel and fight against anti-Semitism and discrimination in the world body.