The United Nations staff members in Tanzania joined the world in commemorating for the first time ever World Humanitarian Day on 19 August 2009. The Day is aimed to honor all humanitarians and to increase public understanding of humanitarian assistance activities worldwide.
The observance, which was coordinated by United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Dar es Salaam, was held at the UN compound and led by the Acting UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Ronald Sibanda who hoisted the UN flag and then led staff members to observe a minute of silence in honour of all humanitarians who had lost their lives in the line of duty.
Thereafter the Acting Resident Coordinator, who is also the WFP Country Director, presented before staff, government representatives and the media, the UN Secretary General’s message to mark the Day.
The UN General Assembly established the Day in December 2008 to honour personnel who have lost their lives in the cause of duty and those who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause.
In the last decade, more than 700 humanitarian workers have made the ultimate sacrifice while striving to help those most in need in some of the world’s most hostile environments. Thousands more have endured bombing, kidnapping, attacks, hijacking, robbery and rape.

The Government of the Republic of Tanzania has called for more women to be included in United Nations Peacekeeping missions in order to recognize and promote their position and role in peace and security operations. Addressing guests during the commemoration of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers in Dar es Salaam, the Deputy Minister of Defense and National Service lamented the few number of women in peacekeeping operations and called it an anomaly which needed to be addressed.

The Minister underscored the Government’s determination to heed the United Nations’ call to increase the number of female personnel in UN Peacekeeping operations. “The government will do whatever is necessary to increase the participation of female personnel in our country’s troops for peacekeeping operations in the near future” he stated.

In a statement presented on behalf of the UN Secretary-General by the acting UN Resident Coordinator and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative, the importance of involving more local women in peacemaking, peace building and peacekeeping operations was illustrated. “The point is not to achieve gender parity for its own sake” states the Secretary-General, “the imperative is to draw on the unique and powerful contribution women can make. Female blue helmets, human rights monitors and other mission staff offer new skills and styles of functioning in the ever-evolving field of peacekeeping. Often, they can better communicate with local women, generating a greater sense of security while serving as an example of women’s empowerment.”

Acknowledging that there are still far too few women peacekeepers, the Secretary-General hailed the Security Council landmark resolution 1325 for being “…the first omnibus text to recognize that women bear the brunt of armed conflicts, and should have a commensurate role in their prevention and resolution.”

Among the 132 peacekeepers who lost their lives in the line of duty – the highest one-year total in the history of UN peacekeeping – were ten women, underlining the fact that female personnel are playing an increasingly important and risky role in peacekeeping.

Tanzania is in the process of deploying a battalion to join the UN African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

As part of this year’s commemoration of International Women’s Day, Youth of the United Nations Association of Tanzania (YUNA) in collaboration with the rest of the United Nations system in Tanzania, organized a day long Student’s Gender Conference at Karimjee Hall on 7 March 2009.

The theme of the day was “Women and men united to end violence against women and girls.” The conference was attended by students from different secondary schools and higher learning institutions in Dar es Salaam, youth from a variety of civil society organizations, journalists, government officials, as well as representatives from the diplomatic corps and the United Nations system.

The Ilala District Commissioner, also the guest of honour, encouraged youth to play a proactive role in ending violence against women and girls.

“For violence against women and girls to end it’s crucial that both men and women understand each other. Let’s not allow our relationships to be blinded by the question of who is right or wrong because that attitude is a recipe for violence,” the commissioner said.

He added that the important thing was for men and women to live in harmony while appreciating their differences. He insisted that young people had a unique and crucial role in changing society’s mindset about women.

“It starts with you (the youth), it’s about how you treat women and girls in your family, at school, in your neighbourhood, or anywhere” he emphasized.

The European Commission Head of Delegation urged youth to start thinking about how they could make a difference by being champions of protecting women and girls against violence in their society.

“Boys and girls here can make a difference. Start from what you say to others and how you treat each other… my plea to you is think of what you can do for the well being and prosperity of women and your community,” he said.

In a presentation entitled “The Role of Men in Ending Violence against Women and Preventing HIV/AIDS,” the Technical Director of Engender Health (a non-governmental organization) recognized that men had been part of the gender based violence problem because of certain characteristics associated with masculinity (aggression, dominance, strength) that could easily translate into harmful attitudes and behaviours.

He therefore argued that in order to solve the problem, men should and must be involved in the campaign. “We need to help men understand how current gender and social norms may increase risk for themselves and their partners, and how they can adopt and promote healthier behaviours,” he said.

Presenting a paper on the progress of the “Say NO to Violence against Women Campaign,” the Director of the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, and Children said the campaign that was launched in the country in May 2008 by President Jakaya Kikwete was still on going and that so far about 478,992 signatures had been collected all over the country. The target was to collect one million signatures.

Other papers presented during the conference include the “Establishment of Gender Desks within Police Stations” by the Tanzania Female Police Network (TFP Net), “The Status of HIV/AIDS among Youth in Tanzania” by TACAIDS and “Confidence Building” by the TANZANIA Media Fund.

The conference was punctuated by a testimonial from a young lady living with HIV/AIDS, who encouraged her fellow youth to live a responsible life and protect themselves from HIV.

She shared her story of testing positive in 2000 when she was pregnant with her second child. Even though she gave birth to an HIV-negative baby, she was divorced by her husband who refused to continue living with an HIV positive wife. She was later remarried to a man who is also living with HIV. Their attention to medical advice during and after pregnancy and birth has made possible the birth of their HIV-negative son.

She encouraged those who are HIV-positive not to give up, but to seek professional counseling that could help them to live an optimistic life.

In their colourful army uniforms, the soldiers of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) led the military parade in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of UN peacekeeping and the International Day of UN Peacekeepers at the Mnazi Mmoja heroes ground in Dar es Salaam on 29 May. The ceremony was jointly organized by the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Dar es Salaam and TPDF.

Three wreaths, one for the army, one for the police, and one for civilians were laid by the guest of honour, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the UN Resident Coordinator and a TPDF representative. In his speech the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs highlighted the fact that peace is only achieved in cooperation with sustainable economic development. He also affirmed Tanzania’s continuing support of peacekeeping missions, noting that the country is currently participating in peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, Eritrea and Ethopia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, and Cote d’Ivoire.

Former peacekeepers in their blue berets, diplomatic corps, government officials, representatives of UN organizations, students and the general public attended the ceremony.