On 25 October, the UN Infor-mation Centre (UNIC) Ankara visited Gazi Anadolu High School and made a UN4U presentation to mark the 65th birthday of the United Nations.
 
The programme started with the showing of the UN4U video and a presentation by the UNIC Information Officer on the establishment, history, mission, priorities and ideals of the United Nations.

The presentation ended with the explanation of Millennium Develop-ment Goals to the students. The students were encouraged to support UN activities and campaigns such as Stand Up Against Poverty.

On 22 October, as part of the UN week of activities leading up the 65th UN Anniversary, UN Information Centre (UNIC) Ankara made a UN4U presentation to grades 6-8 students at Maya Middle School in Turkey. It was the first time that this presentation was being made at that school and comprised of a video and an overview on UN4U.
 
UNIC Ankara and Maya Middle School officials agreed to continue their cooperation to promote UN ideals and mission among the students. A group of students from Maya Middle School will visit UNIC Ankara and observe daily work of UN staff in Turkey.

UNIC Ankara plans to have joint activities to mark UN Day, Stand Up Against Poverty campaign and other UN days.

One hundred young people, representatives of permanent missions and non- governme- ntal organizations, journalists and United Nations staff, observed the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 18 October at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The event, organized jointly by United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Geneva and the non-governmental organization ATD Fourth World, provided an opportunity for children and young people to make their voices heard.  Using speeches, music and artistic presentations, they expressed with strong conviction their views on this year's theme: “From Poverty to Decent Work: Bridging the Gap”. 

A group read a multilingual “Call from European Youth on 17 October”. “We young people from abandoned neighbourhoods, caring for families, without a job or without roots - we claim a future!” they said. “We want to be integrated into and recognized by the world of work.  But to get a place in this world we need structures, places and people who help us grow,” they added.

Concrete projects to help young people were depicted in a film screened during the event. The film showed how ATD Fourth World offers computer training and internships to youth from excluded neighbourhoods in Antananarivo, Madagascar.  Participants explained how these programmes helped them gain confidence, skills and experience and prepared them for their professional future.

With young people three times more likely to be unemployed than adults, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for special attention to be paid to their situation. “Last year, more than 81 million young people were unemployed, the highest on record,” said his message for the Day, which was read during the event. “Decent and productive work is one of the most effective ways to fight poverty,” the message added, underscoring that “One of the best ways for youth to see a future of hope is through the prism of a decent job.”

This focus on decent work was also illustrated by the presence at the event of a representative of the Youth Employment Network, a partnership between the United Nations, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank. 

On 16 October, UN Information Centre (UNIC) New Delhi jointly celebrated World Food Day with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. The theme of this year’s observance was “United against Hunger”, which recog-nised efforts made in the fight against world hunger at nation-al, regional and international levels.

The UNIC NIO read the Secretary General’s message on the Day. In his message Mr. Ban emphasized that unity against hunger becomes real when state and civil society organizations and the private sector work in partnership at all levels to defeat hunger, extreme poverty and malnutrition.  He spoke further about the need for collaboration among international organizations particularly the Rome-based UN agencies Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Food Programme (WFP).

Mr. Ban noted further that these agencies play a key strategic role in directing global efforts to reach the Millenium Development Goal (MDG) Goal 1 – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger – which calls for halving those suffering from hunger by 2015. Food production will have to increase by 70 per cent to feed a population of nine billion people by 2050. With land scarcity, farmers will be obliged to get greater yields out of the land already under cultivation rather than expanding their farms. But intensified food production has traditionally meant increased dependence on pesticides and fertilizers and overuse of water, which can degrade soils and water resources.

The message ended with a call for everyone to reflect on the future and what can be done to help people who are hungry. With willpower, courage and persistence – and many players working together and helping each other – more food can be produced and get into the mouths of those who need it most.