BEZGRANIZ.RU

On 9 November 2009, the pilot version of "Bezgraniz.ru" ("Life without borders") was launched in Moscow to an impressive audience of civil society activists, business executives, information technology experts and philanthropists.

The portal (http://www.bezgraniz.ru/), was already accessible for the visually impaired, and is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks and will be undergoing further upgrading according to quite ambitious plans of its creators brought together by the Marketkompas company.

According to them, the Bezgraniz project is intended for people with special needs and focuses on improving the environment they live and work in. Not only it presents new opportunities for communication in cyberspace, but it also "offers a large variety of interactive approaches to like-minded people".

Opening the ceremony, Alexandre Gorelik, Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Moscow, welcomed this highly positive development on behalf of the UN Country Team in Russia. He placed the event into the context of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stressing that 14 out of 32 substantive articles of the treaty mention obligations with implications for Information and Communications Technology (ICT). In continuing on that matter, according to the Convention, states are to adopt appropriate legislative and other measures promoting human rights of persons with disabilities, he said that e-accessibility is among the most pressing tasks internationally. Finally, he noted that the Bezgraniz project is a considerable step forward towards a disabled-friendlier society in Russia.

Introducing the portal itself, Tobias Reisner of Marketkompas stated that Bezgraniz would help many people with special needs break out of isolation, start networking and step with more assurance into the social life. In his words, “the ‘Life without borders’ will assist them in organizing seminars, concerts, sport competitions, exhibits, but also will offer goods and services.”

UNIC Director Will Davis

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Washington Director Will Davis visited Michigan State University (MSU) for UN Day to discuss the benefits of US-UN reengagement, he also got the unexpected bonus of discovering how MSU itself could play a role in impacting global issues.  

Mr. Davis said he was impressed by the efforts of student groups, the presence of international scientists at the Cyclotron and university efforts to work on climate change. Among other things, the Director headlined an event with the MSU Model UN, spoke at a dinner, was a guest speaker at the East Lansing UNA Chapter in Michigan’s Annual Dinner, and gave a speech on the status of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) following presentations from the Head of Michigan Manufacturer’s Association and Michigan States Bus School Global Outreach program as well as faculty presentations on MSU’s work on the MDGs.

Mr. Davis’ goal was to elucidate a clearer idea of what the UN is and is not but was also pleasantly surprised to find his own views of MSU refined, paving the way for a potentially deeper cooperation in the future.

UNIC Deputy Director speaking at the Virginia Model UN Conference

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Washington Deputy Director David Smith spoke to over 750 delegates to a Model UN Conference at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on 6 November 2009.

The event drew high-school students from six Mid-Atlantic States, and he focused on the changing role of the UN, from Peacekeeping to Pandemics to Climate Change and Food Security. “The UN is changing to meet the challenges of a world which has so many problems without passports.” After his keynote speech, he took an hour of questions ranging from Security Council Reform to mediation in the Middle East.

UNIC Director leads a workshop at the Georgetown University

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Washington Director Will Davis spoke to a workshop for the Georgetown University undergraduate students on the UN’s role in development as part of UNICEF-Georgetown International Development Conference on 6 November 2009.  The conference was organized by the UNICEF-Georgetown University, a student club dedicated to supporting the goals of UNICEF, and was capped by a dinner with over 200 participants where the UNIC Director was host for a table of a dozen students interested in hearing more about the UN.