On 6 July, the UNIC Moscow hosted a photo exhibit dedicated to prehistoric petroglyphs in the mountains of the Libyan portion of the Sahara desert. The special event was held in the context of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative.
 
The exhibition was part of a project, conceived by photographers Nikolai Sologubovsky, Ilya Sologubovsky and Ambassador Alexei Podtserob, Chief Scientific Associate at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Science.

Welcoming participants, the UNIC Director, Mr. Alexandre Gorelik, pointed out that the Alliance of Civilizations provides a framework for building bridges among cultures, societies and people from different horizons. He added that the UN-led endeavor, seeks to break down prejudice and focuses instead on what unites human beings, regardless of individual beliefs and aspirations.
 
In his remarks, Ambassador Alexei Podtserob, who spent 8 years of his diplomatic career in Libya, offered an overview of the country’s history and culture. He said that the Great Desert - the Arabic name for the Sahara - is known not only for its vast expanse, but also for rock engravings and cave paintings created by unknown artists of prehistoric cultures.
 
The opening of the exhibit counted with the presence of more than 40 experts, mostly scholars, but also representatives of the diplomatic corps, international organizations, NGOs, government agencies, and artists.

On 5 July, the UN Information Centre (UNIC) Moscow hosted a presentation, organized by UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Europe and Central Asia, of a Data Base of violations of human rights of people living with HIV. The project is implemented by two civil society organizations - All Russian Union of People Living with HIV and the Association of Lawyers “AGORA”.
 
While information on the Data Base has been widely distributed among local NGOs networks, the purpose of the presentation was to discuss how it works, what the main hurdles are, and what can be improved.
 
In his opening remarks, the UNIC Director spoke about the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS (8 – 10 June) which became a remarkable event even amid all global tumults. The forum adopted a declaration, which “will guide countries’ responses to HIV/AIDS over the next five years. “The declaration brings forward new ambitious tasks, and the key goal is to fight down this unprecedented human catastrophe,” said the Director. He made an emphasis on the fact that the full realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially for such vulnerable groups as homosexuals, drug addicts, sexual workers, is an essential element in the global response to the epidemic. Human communities and policy makers seem to recognize now that addressing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV is a critical element in combating the scourge, my conclusion was.
 
Then, Olga Feodorova, member of the Association of Lawyers “AGORA”, gave a brief overview of the programme, supported by UNAIDS, and described in meticulous detail the Data Base.

Ilnur Sharapov, a lawyer, shared examples of his colleagues’ efforts to promote and protect the rights of people living with HIV in Russia.

Irina Kostetskaya,  a journalist and one of the authors of the manual entitled “HIV and Human Rights”, talked about a project intended for Russian regions and focused on supporting training programmes and legal consultations for people living with HIV, members of their families, as well for staff of health care entities and agencies of social protection.

Emma Ogarysheva, the Executive Director of the “Rights of the Child” NGO, spoke of their experience with organizing a project to support children living with HIV, and preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. She outlined the rationale behind the programme to ensure equal opportunities for such children.

Following the speakers’ remarks, there was a wide-range discussion on different challenges and obstacles, including access to antiretroviral drugs, discrimination at the work place and legal protection for people living with HIV.

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was mark with a belated march against alcohol and drugs on 2 July 2011.  Officials from UN Information Centre (UNIC) Windhoek, Ministry of Health and Social Services, NawaLife Trust, Jan Jonker Afrikaner High School, Eldorado High School, Concordia High School, the Namibian Police Brass Band and the general public marched through Katurura’s alcohol hub in Eveline Street.

The peaceful demonstrators continued with the walk to Maerua Mall where they distributed information on alcohol and drugs to the public.

Addressing the public and other bystanders, NawaLife’s Programme Officer, Nabukenya Muwonge, said “such activities are aimed to make learners and public at large aware of the different types of drugs and the effects they have on people and society.”

In support of this day a variety the Ministry of Health and Social Services, together with the Ministry of Education, Blue Cross Namibia, NawaLife Trust, the National Art Gallery and other partners run a number of  programmes at schools in the Hardap Region, as well as Windhoek, to alarm the public on the destruction of alcohol and drugs in society.

On 23 June 2011, Azerbaijani Academy of Public Administration (APA), jointly with UN family in Azerbaijan, organized a conference to generate positive interest in the work of the public service and to boost interaction between citizens and the public servants countrywide.  

The event brought together experts and practitioners in diverse aspects of citizen engagement to enhance public service delivery, including public and social accountability, as well as the representatives from the Civil Service Commission, professors/senior teachers from the APA, representatives of different UN agencies and officials from the central executive authorities.

The government of Azerbaijan has been formulating a framework for an integrated e-Government development strategy to exploit the synergies of new technologies in government departments and entities to deliver online services, said the Deputy Minister of Communications and Information on Technologies, Mr. Elmir Velizadeh. He also said that his Ministry encourages the development of local content through partnerships with the private sector, state agencies, non-governmental organizations and the academic/research sector to enable the citizens to go online to access public services.

Echoing the Secretary General’s message, which was disseminated UN Office (UNO) Baku, the deputy of the UNDP Representative, Ms. Alxazishvili, talked in depth on the UN’s perspectives on Public service as well as on the state administrative issues.