United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Pretoria Director and National Information Officer were invited to the launch of the Democracy in Development Report, prepared by the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and the European Union Presidency Project (EUPP).

The report is the culmination of a series of studies and consultations involving key institutions including the African Union, Association of Southeastern Asian Naitions, the League of Arab States and the Organisation of American States and was commissioned by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The launch was thus hosted by the Embassy of Sweden.

The launch provided the opportunity for the authors of the report to discuss the results and main findings of the project, including the African consultation held under the auspices of the AU Commission in February 2009 in Addis Ababa under the title “EU’s role in Democracy building in Africa.”

Ms. Ingrid Wetterqvist, the Director of International IDEA, delivered a presentation on the salient points in the report. She was followed by Dr Patrick Molutsi, the Executive Director of the Botswana Tertiary Education Council. Dr Molutsi used his own country as an example of a successful democracy though he cautioned against complacency and apathy.

Dr Joseph Diescho, the Director of International Relations at the University of South Africa was the additional panelist. Dr Diescho criticized the EU’s past engagement with African countries and questioned the sometimes ‘double standards’ of the EU in its dealings with African countries by turning a blind eye to the excesses of some regimes and only focusing on others.

The discussion period provided an opportunity for a wide range of issues to be raised by the audience which included five EU member state Ambassadors as well as representatives of academic and civil society.

The report and other public information materials by IDEA were handed out after the formal presentations. The NIO made contact with the IDEA colleagues and offered to share information materials with them. A meeting will be set up with the newly-established IDEA office in Pretoria shortly.

On 26 October 2009, the second ordinary session of the second legislature of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) took place at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, outside Johannesburg. In addition to members of the PAP, in attendance were members of South Africa’s government and diplomatic corps as well as local and international media.

Opening statements were issued by the representatives of the PAP from the Arab League, Senegal, Chad, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The majority of remarks addressed the challenges facing the continent, while emphasizing the need for African solidarity in light of the global economic crisis and other factors. The Zimbabwean speaker referred to the current challenges facing the country and elaborated on the SADC mission that was scheduled to arrive in Zimbabwe in a week. The Nigerian representative issued a strong statement against ‘constitution-tinkering’ in Guinea and Chad, and firmly reminded delegates of the dangers of military coups as well as Nigeria’s experience of this in the recent past.

The keynote address was then delivered by the President of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma, who spoke about South Africa’s ongoing commitment to the PAP. The address could be a veiled reference to concerns that the post-Thabo Mbeki government in Pretoria may lessen its involvement in the PAP which was seen as a major focus area of the Mbeki administration. President Zuma, while noting current challenges, also emphasized the strides made by the continent over the past few years.

United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Pretoria Director, Marie-Evelyne Petus-Barry used this event to approach the country representatives and discuss new ways to support UN values and disseminate information as a way to promote the Millennium Development Goals, human rights, climate change and other UN and African priorities.

Students from South Africa and Kenya participating in the Finals of the Model UN in Cape Town, South Africa

United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Pretoria was once again privileged to be involved in the South African Model United Nations International Conference.

After an intensive five months of preparation which commenced with the training of students on Model UN debating, the programme culminated in an Awards Ceremony on Robben Island.  At this ceremony, held on the 19 October 2009, 12 students from each of the 9 provinces in South Africa were selected to participate in an international Model UN Debating conference in the United States in 2010. The entire project was funded by the South African cell phone service provider, MTN.

Each team consisted of four students, two from a resourced school and two from an under-rescourced school as determined by the National Ministry of Education who are partners in the programme along with Education Africa, the Model United Nations of South Africa (MUN-SAS) and the UNIC Pretoria. In addition to teams from all nine provinces of South Africa, there were also students from schools in Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States who participated.

The two topics given to the participants to prepare for debates were: (1) A global responsibility towards failed states, and (2) Developments in the field of Information and telecommunications in the context of international security.

This year, for the first time, an “Emergency session” debate was held which involved the students being informed at the conclusion of the first debate that a global epidemic had broken out and they were expected to convene into separate committees to work out a global response to the emergency. It was felt that this approach is more in line with the international Model UN conferences and affords the adjudicators a more accurate opportunity to assess each student’s participation in an unrehearsed manner.

In addition to participating in the two debates, the South African students underwent individual interviews with representatives of MUN-SA and the UNIC Outreach Officer where they were assessed on their knowledge of national and international affairs, among other issues.

Another new element in this year’s programme was that UNIC Pretoria arranged for the debaters to participate in this year’s Stand Up Against Poverty campaign. The pledge was read by one of the students and every person in the debating chamber then stood up and held up the “Stand Up Against Poverty” t-shirts they were given.

The importance of social and economic justice was made even clearer when all the participants spent a night on South Africa’s famous former prison, Robben Island, with former political prisoners who recounted their experiences on the island. This helped make the Model UN experience a life changing one for the participants.

UNIC Pretoria is actively involved in the Model UN Debate Competition for South African High School students from its inception. This includes in the selection of topics, allocation of participating ‘countries’, selection of tutors and training of students. In addition, UNIC Pretoria arranged for the UN agencies in South Africa to be involved through the deployment of UN staff members to the various provinces to adjudicate the nine provincial competitions which are held in conjunction with each provincial Ministry of Education. Among the adjudicators in the provinces this year were the UNIC Information Officer and the Outreach Officer.

The UNIC National Information Officer (NIO) was one of three adjudicators at the Finals and the NIO delivered an adjudication presentation at the Awards lunch on the Island. Addresses were also given by the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Enver Surtee and the chair of the MTN Foundation, Professor Njabulo Ndebele, who both delivered inspiring messages.

The team that will be going to the United States next year comprised of four students from two schools outside Cape Town, De Kuilen High and Ravensmean Secondary. This team represented North Korea and did a sterling job in portraying the policies of the Pyonyang government. These four young women will be joined by 8 other students from the rest of South Africa. In addition, awards were also given for Best speaker which was won by Mr Kwaku Darkwah from St Georges School in London who’s team represented Italy.

As always, the Model UN programme is an affirming and enriching experience for both the participants and the organizers. It is a tangible and stimulating example of how young people view the United Nations as it continues to inspire and empower tomorrow’s leaders today.

L to R: Loren Landau, Malusi Gigaba, Tegegnework Gettu, Agostinho Zacarias speak to the press regarding the Human Development Report 2009

The UNDP Human Development Report 2009 was launched in Johannesburg, South Africa at a ceremony held at the historic Constitutional Hill. The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Pretoria assisted with securing the venue, devising the programme, liaising with the event management company, editing and disseminating the press releases and inviting some of the guests.

The launch of the report in Johannesburg was one of several launches taking place throughout the world with the main event taking place in Bangkok, Thailand. This year’s report is titled “Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development” and looks at multiple pathways of and barriers to, human movement.

The programme was divided into two parts with the UNIC Director chairing the formal opening. Welcome remarks were provided by the incoming Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Dr. Agostinho Zacarias.

The address was delivered by the UNDP Regional Director, Dr. Tegegnework Gettu who highlighted the report’s message that the ability to decide where to live is a fundamental element of human freedom. Dr. Gettu also stressed that migration in sub-Saharan African should be part of a human development strategy and that government policies should make migration a positive tool for development. Professor Loren Landau, a migration specialist from the University of the Witwatersrand, provided a succinct presentation highlighting the main issues raised in the report.

The keynote address was delivered by the South African Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Malusi Gigaba. In his address, the Deputy Minister recognized that governments need to find ways to making mobility regular, less risky and that the rights of migrants must be recognized. He acknowledged the significance of this report as well as its timing during the global economic recession.
 
During the tea-break, the Deputy Minister, Dr. Gettu, Professor Landau and Dr. Zacarias participated in a briefing with the print and broadcasting journalists present who posed a range of questions to all the panellists. The launch was reported on SABC radio news bulletins during the day and Dr. Gettu also conducted a live interview with SABC International that evening. The national Business Day newspaper carried two feature articles on the report and further press coverage is expected in the coming days. The briefing was held in an adjacent room that used to be the original Fort of Johannesburg in the early 1900s and has been preserved in its original state. Indeed, the whole Constitution Hill area is home to the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the land and the site of a former jail for political prisoners.

The second session, chaired by Professor Landau, consisted of a panel discussion with representatives of civil society, government, and a research institution. The lively discussion focused on the highlights of the report and brought in different perspectives. This was followed by a discussion period where a wide and diverse range of questions were posed to the panelists.