On Saturday, April 6, fellows from the UN Information Center (UNIC) in Washington, D.C. participated in a tree planting initiative at the Congressional Cemetery. Together with Information Coordinator, Liam Murphy, the group spent the morning helping to restore and sustain a site of historical and local significance.

With the guidance of Casey Trees, a local non-profit, UNIC volunteers enthusiastically donned gardening gloves to safely shovel out tough earth to plant Juniper and Serviceberry saplings. These trees will add to the beauty of the cemetery and will contribute to the overall effort to return the tree canopy of Washington, D.C. to 40%.

Spring 2013 fellow, Prisha Gaddam, said “in addition to promoting the UN’s mission to combat deforestation, we were able to give back to the community together and bond as a UNIC family”. Coinciding with the UN Forum on Forests starting April 8 in Istanbul and following International Day of Forests, March 21, the UNIC’s effort promoted the UN’s goals of managing, conserving, and sustaining development of all types of forests.

The UN Information Center (UNIC) in Washington fellows spent the morning cleaning up the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Together with interns from the UN Environmental Project (UNEP), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and junior ambassadors from the Anacostia Watershed Ambassador Youth Program (AWAYP), these groups worked together all morning to clean one of the most ecologically diverse sites in all of Washington DC.

Under the direction of the Anacostia River Keeper, the groups donned cleaning gloves, grabbed some garbage bags, and cleared the litter that was scattered across the aquatic gardens. After the volunteer event, the UNIC fellows enjoyed a National Park Service’s tour of the aquatic gardens.

On Monday, March 26, Lisa Carty, Director of the UNAIDS Washington DC office, spoke at the UN Washington interns’ weekly seminar. She explained the role UNAIDS plays in preventing and combating HIV/AIDS around the world. Ms. Carty shared her insights on the creation of U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the progress made in the last decade. She answered interns’ questions on the challenges of representing UNAIDS in Washington and her past work experience on global health issues.

On March 14th, over 200 people attended the 2012 International Women’s Day Luncheon in Washington DC organized by the UN Foundation, Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and UNIC Washington. Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s Director General, proposed that gender equality was everyone’s job. Marie Okabe from UNIC Washington noted that every day should be International Women’s Day and introduced Assistant Secretary-General for UNWomen, Sahksmi Puri.  Ms. Puri added that women around the world need to not only break the ceiling barrier, but also raise the floor for other women to stand on.  Ms. Bokova concluded that there can never be an equitable or just society without gender equality.