The UN Information Centre (UNIC) Panama City has harnessed social media through its Cinu Panamá Facebook page to disseminate UN Messages in Spanish throughout cyberspace. 

UNIC's posts have educated people in a number of arenas, like marking World Days, from Malaria to Intellectual Property. Uploading information explaining that in the last decade the world has made great progress in the fight against malaria, the cite notes that "Since 2000, the mortality rate from that cause has decreased by more than 25 per cent and 50 of the 99 countries with ongoing transmissions were on track to reach the goal set by the WHA, lowering the rate of incidence by more than 75 per cent." 

UNIC’s FB posts on intellectual property encouraged fans to promote the debate on the role it plays by fostering innovation and creativity and utilizing the Day as a unique opportunity to meet with others worldwide and demonstrate how intellectual property contributes to the flourishing of music and arts and advances technological innovation.

Asking “What are your priorities?”, UNIC let fans and followers alike know that 1.4 million people still live in extreme poverty. Every four seconds a child dies from preventable causes, and in particular women and young people suffering from chronic hunger. The FB page encourages everyone to make Governments listen and act on what matters to people everywhere… to the World We Want 2015.

Six million Jews exterminated by Nazi Germany during the Second World War were remembered on Wednesday, 30 January in a Solemn Session at Panamanian Senate.  

The session opened with a minute of silence in memory of the victims, followed by the Secretary-General’s message delivered by the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Panama City, stressing that "an act like this cannot be forgotten by the world".

Israeli Ambassador Alexander Galilee, said  that "with this commemoration, we pay tribute to the men, women, children and infants who suffered unimaginable forms of aberration and denigration to extermination. It also pays tribute to those who risked their lives by hiding, and saving, millions of Jews".

Ambassador Galilee called on education authorities to deepen the Holocaust in school the curricula so “that through knowledge, human beings can avoid a cruel fact like the holocaust".

The Senate's President ended the Solemn Ceremony reminding the public in general that the theme selected by the UN this year "Rescue during the Holocaust: the Courage to Care”, reminds everyone widespread barbarism, it not everyone’s heart was polluted “fear and indifference of the majority did not stop some people with courage and values who refused to remain with arms crossed". 

The formal session ended with the lighting of the candles ceremony with musical background alluding to the Holocaust.

The acts of remembrance culminated in the transfer of a traveling plaque commemorating the victims, as a living testimony of Holocaust survivors, to the United Nations through UNIC.  

The plaque, shaped as a star of David, contained the handprints of Mr Simon Burstein, a Holocaust survivor, and his descendants who have resided in Panama since 1982. 

UNIC will display the plaque throughout the month of February, as it also provides speeches on the Holocaust to a variety of audiences.

The United Nations Information Center in Panamá and the Ministry of Education supported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in conducting the first UN General Assembly Model UN (MoUN) in Panamá. 

On 28 October, approximately 80 young Panamanian ambassadors from each of the country’s nine provinces met in the capital for four days of intense debating sessions.

Mahatma Gandhi’s quote “There is no way to peace, peace is the way” was an inspiration for the students who used negotiations and dialogue as their “weapons” and worked with the feeling that the earth’s future was in their hands. 

Professionally and with much dedication, they debated the central topic of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the illegal transport of nuclear material for the First Commission. Each nation asked the Iranian Delegate about Iran’s nuclear programme and was impressed by the knowledge with which he carefully executed his answers. Non-signatories demanded a number of factors to accept the treaty so that all nations could accept to a peaceful agreement.

The Second Commission discussed food security and nutritional concerns. Delegates embodied the definition of team work as they collaborated to seek solutions. The Third Commission, which debated modern slavery and human trafficking, negotiated a complete resolution giving States a clear method to address and prevent the problem. 

The Fourth Commission debated the recent crisis in Afghanistan and the future of the country after the departure of NATO. The Delegate of Afghanistan, who explained to the other delegates what really happened and what the nation needed, was proud to finally achieve democracy. 

Romulo Roux of MFA advised the young ambassadors: “It’s up to you to continue what you started here and work to solve problems through dialogue. Peace is an everyday thing”. 

Meanwhile Lucy Molinar of the Ministry of Education told the students that her dream was becoming a reality as she encouraged the young delegates to continue in public life as “the world is full of people making bad choices because those that make good ones are not willing to speak”. 

When MoUN ended on 31 October, all present felt that diplomacy and dialogue were the methods of choice to solve problems. Staff members were very proud of the students’ level of commitment as the youth not only exemplified the capacity of a teenager but that they were also ready for any challenge.

To observe the first International Day of the Girl Child, UNIC Panama City supported the Regional Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR, in organizing a forum "Women and Girls: Visible Force of Resilience".  The forum took place at the UNIC premises on 12 October, with boys and girls from primary schools, indigenous leaders, Government authorities, journalists and UN Representatives participating.  The objective was to recognize the fundamental role played by girls and women during disasters, and their resilience in rebuilding their communities.

Jorge Samudio, a fifth grade primary school student of the Puerto Rico School, captured the mood of the event by saying "I have many friends who are girls, that are in risky situations or have gone through disasters. I urge the authorities to educate boys and girls to reduce the risk and to keep in mind that all people, for the simple fact of being a human being, have the right to protection and assistance even in moments when a natural event or other disaster, puts their lives at risk".