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.

United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Pretoria arranged a regional launch of the World Economic Social Survey (WESS) in South Africa. 

Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram, the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) for Economic Development in DESA delivered the keynote presentation on the report. In order to get an additional perspective, the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General proposed that a South African contributor to the report, Mr. Stephen Thorne from the Cape Town-based NGO, NorthNorth South, also delivered a presentation.

Hard copies of the reports as well as copies of the detailed press release were disseminated to the attendees.

Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram, the Assistant Secretary-General, DESA addresses audience at the launch of the World Economic and Social Survey 2009

The launch was held at a hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg as that proved to be more accessible for the media than Pretoria. Among the approximately 30 people in attendance were representatives of media, diplomatic missions and research institutions. The briefing was chaired by the UNIC Director, Ms Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry.

In his speech, Mr. Thorne highlighted issues of clean energy and the need to switch to low-emissions in order to meet the development and climate change challenges. ASG Jomo Kwame Sundaram delivered a twenty-minute powerpoint presentation highlighting the salient issues raised by the report while emphasising the framework for a global green new deal that the UN Secretary-General had urged.

The presentations were followed by a discussion period where questions were posed to the two speakers by the assembled journalists and others. Issues raised included the upcoming Copenhagen Summit as well as the efforts of African countries to meet the MDG’s in light of climate change considerations.

The day after the presentation, ASG Jomo was interviewed by Channel Africa radio in a pre-recorded 15 minute interview that was broadcast throughout the continent. The relatively small number of journalists can be attributed to the timing of the launch – a late afternoon is passed the submission deadline for many in the press – however the presence of and presentation by ASG Jomo in particular, enhanced the event.

UNIC Pretoria has received subsequent interest in the report from media, academia and government departments and was thanked by the ASG for arranging the launch.   

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Pretoria  and the Nelson Mandela Foundation supported the creation of an official Mandela Day in South Africa. The Day is to be commemorated annually on 18 July, which is Mandela’s birthday.

According to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the purpose of calling on the world to observe Mandela Day was that it would be an opportunity for the people around the world, particularly in troubled areas, to use the Day to do something good and meaningful for the society. UNIC Pretoria shared information with the Foundation and assisted in disseminating its material that was also relevant to UNIC’s mandate.

Ms. Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry, UNIC Director delivering a speech at the commemoration

UNIC Pretoria further promoted the Day by enlisting the support of other UNICs around the world, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa, to disseminate information from the Foundation to their local constituencies who could also have special events related to their specific mandates.

UNIC Pretoria also encouraged UN agencies in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa to dedicate 67 minutes of their time on Mandela Day by holding official functions around projects that promote the common good in connection to their respective mandates (governance, humanitarian assistance, development, human rights, social justice, inclusive political dialogue, gender, people living with disabilities, etc). As part of its commitment to support the Day, UNIC agreed to participate in events organized by the Foundation and to encourage the participation of other UN agencies in South Africa. 

UNIC Pretoria, along with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights accepted invitations to participate in the inaugural Mandela Day activities commemoration held in Johannesburg on 18 July 2009 and hosted by the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Service for the city’s homeless and the destitute.

UNIC Pretoria Director Marie-Evelyne Petrus-Barry told more than 600 people gathered at the commemoration that most of the ideals being promoted by the Mandela Day also coincide with the issues with which the UN is grappling, including human rights, economic and social justice, gender, xenophobia, racism, and HIV/AIDS.

A moment of silence in honour of those who lost their lives in the service of peacekeeping

For the third consecutive year, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Pretoria commemorated the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. This year’s event was held at the symbolically important venue, Freedom Park, in Pretoria and the commemoration had even more resonance as South Africa was now a major contributor to UN peacekeeping operations.

The event was organized in collaboration with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and UNIFEM offices in South Africa. In addition to a formal commemoration, a short film on women in peacekeeping was screened and a photo exhibition on the history of UN peacekeeping globally was on display.

The ceremony took place on 29 May 2009 in an auditorium at Freedom Park called the Sanctuary, which provided a suitably solemn and serene venue for the event. It was attended by diplomats, academics, members of civil society and UN staff. A moment of silence was observed for those peacekeepers that had lost their lives in the service of peacekeeping. The Acting UN Resident Coordinator and Representative of UNHCR in South Africa, Mr. Sanda Kimbimbi, read the Secretary-General’s message for the Day. The keynote address was delivered by the Head of MONUC in South Africa, Mr. Mujahid Alam, who paid tribute to peacekeepers globally and South African peacekeepers in particular. He spoke about the challenges facing peacekeepers and the role of South Africa in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.

The short film on Women in Peacekeeping highlighted the theme of this year’s commemoration, namely “Women in peacekeeping: the power to empower.” The eight-minute film provided a concise and pertinent insight into the role of women peacekeepers in several missions. At the end of the official proceedings, participants viewed the photo exhibition.

View film "Women in Peacekeeping: the Power to Empower" on the United Nations channel on YouTube