2008 June Una-tampa Bay Newsletter

Inside this issue Public Service Day ..................... 1

UNA-USA United Nations Association Tampa Bay Chapter www.unatampabay.org

“Working Together for Peace, Freedom and Justice”

Latest UN News .......................... 2 Arrested in Iran........................... 3 Join UNA .................................... 4

Volume XXXII, No. 6 June 2008

THE UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION PUBLIC SERVICE DAY DATE: MONDAY JUNE 23rd 2008 TIME: 6:00PM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA FLETCHER HALL, GRAND BALLROOM 401 W. KENNEDY BLVD. TAMPA, FL 33603 TO RSVP PLEASE at [email protected] or go to www.unatampa.org APPETIZERS WILL BE PROVIDED –THE COST IS FREE MAYOR PAM IORIO WILL BE ADDRESSING THIS EVENT

An international day to commend and to encourage exemplary public service will be marked for the first time by the United Nations Association in Tampa Bay.

PUBLIC SERVICE DAY TAKES PLACE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA Monday June 23rd 2008

Declaring that improvements in governance require courage, curiosity and innovation from the public sector. The United Nations Tampa Bay Chapter will recognize international and local organizations that have pioneered ways to make services more efficient and accessible to all members of society-and engage active participation in their design. In an address to mark UN Public Service Day 2008, The Day recognizes that democracy and successful governance are built on the foundation of a competent civil service. The ability of a society to maintain safety and essential public services, protect human rights, maintain an efficient framework for market activities and to hold free and fair elections draws on the skills and sense of purpose of public servants working as a team. Without an effective civil administration, democracy and prosperity are virtually unattainable.” The idea of an international day to commend public service was first proposed by the Committee of Experts on Public Administration, an independent panel of experts from both government and academic institutions. The General Assembly established the Day in 2002, by means of resolution A/RES/57/227. Source: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/note5797.doc.htm

Tampa Bay Chapter

THE SPREAD OF NUCLEAR CAPABILITY FEARED At least 40 developing countries from the Persian Gulf region to Latin America have recently approached U.N. officials here to signal interest in starting nuclear

WORDS TO LIVE BY…

THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

“When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?” -Eleanor Roosevelt

Recognizing Public Service is important in order to revitalize our local governments by inspiring a new

power programs, a trend that

generation to serve. Public Service day

concerned proliferation experts

helps in embracing the community by

say could provide the building blocks of nuclear arsenals in some of those nations. At least half a dozen countries have also said in the past four years that they are specifically planning to conduct enrichment or reprocessing of nuclear fuel, a prospect that could dramatically expand the global supply of plutonium and enriched uranium, according to U.S. and international nuclear officials and arms-control experts.

“Reverence for Life affords me my fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, assisting, and enhancing life and that to destroy, harm, or to hinder life is evil. Affirmation of the world -- that is affirmation of the will to live, which appears in phenomenal forms all around me -- is only possible for me in that I give myself out for other life”. -Albert Schweitzer

helping transform the way government works for the welfare of the public. Public services tend to be those considered so essential to life that for moral reasons their universal provision should be guaranteed, and they may be associated with fundamental human rights (such as the right to water). Historically, the widespread provision of public services in developed countries usually began in the late nineteenth century, often with the municipal development of gas and water

Much of the new interest is driven

services. Later, other services such as

by economic considerations,

electricity and healthcare began to be

particularly the soaring cost of

provided by governments. In most

fossil fuels. But for some Middle

“Be ashamed to die until

Eastern states with ready access

you have won some victory

still provided by local or national

to huge stocks of oil or natural

for humanity”.

government, the biggest exceptions

gas, such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,

-Horace Mann

developed countries such services are

being the U.S and U.K. where private provision is more significant

the investment in nuclear power

In developing countries public services

appears to be linked partly to

tend to be much less well developed.

concerns about a future regional

Water services, for example, may only

arms race stoked in part by Iran's

be available to the wealthy middle

alleged interest in such an

class. For political reasons the service is

arsenal, the officials said.

often subsidized, which reduces the finance available for expansion to

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24572 974/

poorer communities. Source: www.wikipedia.org

UNA Events & Dates

SIGNATURE REQUIRED FOR FIFTY-FOUR BAHÁ'ÍS ARRESTED IN IRAN NEW YORK (24 May 06) –Iranian officials have arrested 54 Baha’is in the city of Shiraz, the Baha’i International Community has learned. They are mostly youth and were all engaged in humanitarian service when they were arrested. It is one of the largest number of Baha’is taken at once since the 1980s. The specific charges are not clear, though in the past, Baha’is have been arrested summarily on false charges. The arrests occurred on Friday, 19 May, while the Baha’is, along with several other volunteers who were not Baha’is, were teaching classes to underprivileged children in a school as part of a community service activity conducted by a local non-governmental organization. At the time of the arrests, they had in their possession a letter of permission from the Islamic Council of Shíráz. They also carried the letter of permission in each of their classes. The nature of the charges against the Baha’is is unknown at this time. The day following the arrests, a judge told family members that the detainees would be freed soon. As of today, it appears that all of the non-Baha’is and one Baha’i junior youth have been released without having to post bail. “These new arrests in Shiraz, coming after more than a year of ‘revolving door’ detentions, bring to a total of more than 125 Baha’is who have been arrested without cause since the beginning of 2005,” said Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. In the 1980s, some 200 Baha’is were killed or executed. Thousands were arrested and hundreds were imprisoned, many for long periods. In recent years, in the face of international monitoring, the executions and long-term imprisonments have stopped. Since 1948, the Baha’i International Community has been accredited as an international nongovernmental organization of the United Nations. It was granted special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council in 1970.

The Baha’i U.S./U.N. Office represents the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Office collaborates with a variety of U.N offices and specialized agencies. It also engages the U.S. Baha’i community in UN.-related advocacy campaigns and works with nongovernmental organizations on issues related to human rights, social justice, sustainable development, the advancement of women and U.N. reform. PLEASE SEND THIS INFO. TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE -HELP SAVE LIVES WITH A FEW MINUTES OF YOUR TIME. http://www.freedomtobelievefoundation.com

UNA-USA Council of Chapters and Divisions (CCD) Annual Meeting 2008 Washington, DC June 8-10 For registration & more info. go to: www.unausa.org

Tampa Bay Chapter

DIRECTORS Kelly Miliziano -President Dr. William McReynolds-1st VP VP Advocacy & Gov’t Rel Rajeev Ratra –VP Technology Jill Isaac - VP Education (interm) Kimberley Williams-VP Programs

The Tampa Bay chapter is ranked one of the top three chapters in terms of membership. Our programs such as Global Classrooms, the prestigious Ambassadors Luncheon and our monthly UN Speakers Series with international speakers has made our chapter one of the most active and recognized chapters in the country.

Roslyn Linnen -VP Membership VACANT -Treasurer Kelly Reynolds-Secretary Dr. Mark Amen Susan James Dr. Tim Kennedy Maja Lacevic-University Rep. Ryan Nevel – YPIC Chair

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