2009 March April Una-tampa Bay Newsletter

United Nations Association of the USA

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Tampa Bay Chapter http://www.unatampabay.org “Working Together for Peace, Freedom and Justice” [email protected] Tel: 813-453-5003 From the President’s Desk

Dear Members, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about the many programs our Chapter is working on. First, I would like to thank his Honorable Maurice Williams, former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN World Food Council, for his presentation, and for all of you who attended our February program at the lovely Columbia Restaurant at the St. Petersburg Pier. It was moving to hear from such a distinguished individual whose experiences go back before the formation of the United Nations. He gave us much to think about as we plan our chapter activities. April 14, 2009 is the date of the UNAUSA Tampa Bay Area Global Classrooms Model United Nations Conference. This year marks the first year our chapter is responsible for facilitating the conference. As many of you know, the Tampa Bay Chapter’s luncheon is held in conjunction with the model UN conference. Both of these events will be at the Marshall Center, on the Tampa campus of University of South Florida. I hope you will attend this luncheon in support of our Global Classrooms Program. Details can be found in this newsletter and on our website. Mark your calendars! It is with great enthusiasm that I ask for you help with our first golf tournament fundraiser on May 31, 2009 at the Bay Palms Golf Course on MacDill Airforce Base. You can participate even if you don’t golf. We are in need of sponsors, prize donations, and many volunteers to help. If you would like to volunteer, please call John at 813962-8058. Regards, Kelly Miliziano

Vol. XXXV No.2 MARCH/APRIL 2009

Ambassador’s Luncheon You are cordially invited to attend our Annual Ambassador’s Luncheon, which will be held on Tuesday, April 14, from 11:30 a.m. until at the Marshall Center, located at the University of South Florida. The $22 registration fee includes a buffet lunch. The featured speaker is Daniel D. Barks, Esquire. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, he spent the first two years of his life in Hamburg, Germany, where his father was pursuing a Doctorate of Divinity from the University of Hamburg. From the age of 8, Mr. Barks grew up on the college prep school campus of the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where his grandfather and father spanned 60 years of service as Headmasters of that institution. He attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a Middle Eastern concentration, majoring in political science, with a minor in Asian and Russian language studies. After college, he entered the United States Navy, serving on active duty and in the reserves until 2000. Designated a Naval Aviator (pilot) in 1986, then Lieutenant Barks flew the A-6E Intruder Attack Aircraft. After serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he returned from the Middle East, leaving active duty as a decorated Lieutenant Commander to pursue a legal degree. Mr. Barks attended law school at the University of South Carolina, and was awarded a Juris Doctorate with Honors. He was recruited by the law firm of Speiser Krause Nolan and Granito in its Metro Washington, DC, offices. Mr. Barks practiced as a partner with Speiser Krause in the New York and D.C. offices, litigating in the fields of Aviation and International Law. Mr. Barks worked with a broad range of aviation concerns and sovereign nations during his time at the firm. In 2005, Mr. Barks left Speiser Krause to pursue broader interests in both the public and private sectors relating to security and economic growth in emerging markets. Since then, Mr. Barks has worked in the field of international consulting, handling a diverse client base ranging from U.S. Departments of State and Defense to numerous governments of our NATO Allies, new and old. Mr. Barks currently works in Russia, South Africa, Jordan, Ukraine, the United States, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Austria, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, Cyprus, and Belize, both with commercial and public interests.

RSVP and pay online by April 9, 2009 at

RSVP by email at [email protected] or phone 813-453-5003 Mail check to: UNA-USA Tampa Bay Chapter Carol Zavarella 1238 East Kennedy Blvd., Unit 601 Tampa, Florida 33602 For a map and directions to the Marshall Center, University of South Florida Go to http://msc.usf.edu/directions.htm

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Night of A Thousand Dinners: Cook for Cartagena! t’s that special time of year again to join the global community by hosting your very own Night of A Thousand Dinners® (N1KD) event. N1KD is an annual initiative that brings thousands of individuals together to raise awareness and funds for minefield clearance and survivor assistance. 2009 is a special year for UNA’s Adopt-A-Minefield (AAM) Campaign as it marks the 10th anniversary of the Campaign as well as the 10th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty. As planned and in alignment with the 10th anniversary, UNA-USA will successfully cross the finish line and conclude its Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign on December 31, 2009. There are lots of reasons to celebrate! UNA -USA is very proud of AAM's accomplishments over the past ten years, accomplishments that were only made possible because of the unfaltering support of our donors, UNA chapters, friends and advocates around the world. Together, we have raised over $26 million for mine action, cleared over 1,000 minefields, and helped thousands of survivors regain their lives. Globally, the landmine casualty rate fell to 5,000, down from 25,000 when we first started. And, 156 countries have signed the Mine Ban Treaty—that’s 80% of the world’s nations! Only two countries used landmines last year—rather than the previously widespread use in over 80 countries. To celebrate our final year, we made N1KD a bit different. This year, in an effort to galvanize massive action for the 10th Anniversary of the Treaty, these dinners will not occur on a single night – or even over a month. Instead, N1KD events will be hosted from March 1 until December 4, when world leaders meet in Cartagena, Colombia to review the progress made over the last 10 years of the Mine Ban Treaty. Now more than ever we need you by our side. Please help us finish out the last year of AAM with the greatest show of support yet. Click here to register to host your own dinner or to donate, and help the world fulfill one of the most important disarmament treaties in history. Here’s to a world free of landmines! For more information, please visit http://www.unausa.org//view.image?Id=498

Equal Sharing of Care Giving Roslyn S. Linnen of the GFWC, Woman’s Club of Tarpon Springs attended the 53rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women that was held at the United Nations in New York from March 2 to March 13, 2009. The theme was ―Equal Sharing of Care Giv-

Help us with our membership drive! It's that time of the year again to remind all members, friends and community of our annual membership drive which will go on until May 31, 2009. Two ways to enter the contest: 1) For each member who brings a guest to a UNA event your name will go into a drawing for a prize. The more guests you bring the more times your name will be added for the drawing. 2) Any guest that comes to a UNA event will also be entered into a drawing for a prize. Two drawings will be held at our Ambassador's Cup Golf Tournament on May 31st, in which a “member prize and a guest prize” will be given away for two lucky winners. This has already proved to be a very busy and enthusiastic year for our chapter. We have been successful in adding to our membership, we have held a series of interesting and well attended programs and we are looking forward to continuing to increase our membership throughout the Tampa Bay community. Please refer your colleagues, friends, and family as your membership or recruitment to our membership will allow us to extend our message deeper within the community and also support the UNA and the UN organizations. Feb./March Renewed Members: Alana Cefaratti Marjorie Hile Alexandra Koutsogiannopoulos James Knox

Shirley Gingery Michael Pulos Christiane Peckdenere

Feb./March New Members: Susan Thomas Mireille Torjman David Varela Kimberly Williams

ing Between Women and Men Including in the Context of HIV/AIDS‖. She was a delegate for the National Council of Women and also represented the Women’s Club of Tarpon Springs and the United Nations Association of Tampa Bay. The Work Shops that Roslyn attended included women from Africa, Sweden, North and South America,

Japan and many other countries. The discussions were enlightening and positive concerning resolutions to the problems facing women around the world as they pertain to the theme of the session. Thank you Roslyn for representing the Tampa Bay Chapter at this important conference.

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The UNAUSA Tampa Bay Chapter First Annual Golf Tournament

public. Miramar is a community within Miches, in the May 31, 2009 at Bay Palms Golf Complex, province of El 1803 Golf Course Avenue Seibo, one of the MacDill AFB, FL 33621-1604 poorest provinces in the Dominican Funds raised from this event will enable our chapter to Republic. Curcontribute to programs and organizations that support rently, the resithe fulfillment of the dents of Miramar Millennium Development Goals. Children gathering water at local water have no estabtower in Miches. 04/08 lished water A portion of the proceeds will source. Many directly benefit Water for Miches gather water flowing from fractures in a distant water tower, despite this untreated water being a source of disease and Engineers Without Borders at USF is currently engaging unsuitable to meet the needs of these families. The purpose in an effort to develop a clean water supply for an underde- of the project is to design and install a potable water source veloped community in the Dominican Republic. The goal in Miramar capable of meeting World Health Organization of this project, titled “Water for Miches,” is to bring clean (WHO) standards by providing 20 liters of clean water per water to the 500 residents of Miramar in the Dominican Re- day to each of these 500 people.

UN Peacekeeping Shortchanged Yes, the world is in a financial crisis, and yes, valuable projects are losing funding the world over. Some priorities, though, aren't going to diminish in urgency even if it's hard to find the money to pay for them. Fighting is going to continue in Congo, Haiti is going to continue to build its nascent government, and Lebanon is going to continue to try to ward off destabilization, no matter how far the markets plummet. And UN peacekeepers, in these countries and a dozen others, are still going to be trying to do their jobs, in some of the hardest hit areas of the world, even if donor nations do scrounge up the money to pay them. That's why it is discouraging that the United States, by far the wealthiest country in the world, and the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping, is again going to fall behind in paying its dues. It's extra frustrating because the Obama Administration, and its UN ambassador, Susan Rice, have stressed at great lengths the importance of supporting UN peacekeeping, of reengaging with the rest of the world, and of ending conflicts in places like Congo and Sudan, where blue helmets are the only ones working to hold tenuous peace. Hell, the United States has Advocacy in Action

even made noise (ill-advisedly) about creating new UN peacekeeping missions. If it's going to vote for these missions in the Security Council, it's going to get billed for them, plain and simple. Despite this rhetorical support and the fact that the bills are going to come, even if the government keeps deferring payment, the U.S.'s 2009 budget request will shortchange UN peacekeeping by $669 million. That may seem like small potatoes in these days of $800 billion legislation, but when you're talking about the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which runs on a shoestring yearly budget of just $7 billion, those missing U.S. funds will hit hard, in places that need them the most, to protect the people that most need protection. Congress will have a chance to make up this funding gap later, through what's called a supplemental funding bill, but it's disheartening to see the U.S.'s long-standing policy of paying its UN dues late continue, with an administration so committed to improving America's image and taking up a strong leadership position in the world. For the sake of peacekeeping missions everywhere, struggling with the rest of the world in this economic downturn, and to live up to the administration's own commitments, the United States will have to provide this crucial funding as soon as possible.

of specially treated mosquito nets, a total of last four hurricanes caused most damages with more than 4000 dead. That area is the This is just an example of how we 90 nets weighing 30 pounds each. Center of Malaria in Haiti after Hinche and can use the proceeds of our events. Franck Maissade. Then, I will have to go to differSimon, M.D., is the new 1st Vice President A message from Dr. Franck Simon This trip I plan to cover the villages ent remote villages each trip, using a mofor the UNAUSA Fl Division. The Tampa Bay Chapter board approved a donation of of St. Marc ( north ) and Jacmel ( south ). If bile clinic system ( my Toyota Truck ). I will there is any left over, I will do the same in bring you pictures. Once more, thank you $400 to purchase mosquito nets and maFort Liberte and Ouanaminthe ( north so very much to the Tampa Bay Chapter. laria medications. He is travelling this west ) and Cayes ( south ). Another big -F.Simon month to Haiti. Dr. Franck Simon has inproblem is Gonaives ( north ) where the formed me that he now has in hand 3 boxes

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TAMPA BAY CHAPTER United Nations Association-USA 5309 Redfield Lane Tampa, Fl. 33624

Board of Directors Kelly Miliziano, President Sara McMillan, VP-Membership Dave Randle,VP-Advocacy Alexandra Koutsogiannopoulos, VP- Programs Allison Cuffaro, VP-Technology Carol Zavarella, Ph.D., Treasurer Kelly Reynolds, Secretary Mark Amen, Ph.D., Director Timothy Kennedy, Ph.D., Director Paul Yingst, Director Einar J. Velarde Marin, Director Javier Alamillo, Director Jimmy Suarez, Director-Univ. Rep. CherylBorman, Director-Newsletter Ed. Vacant, VP-Education

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION TAMPA BAY CHAPTER UNA-USA Membership Categories Name_______________________________ Introductory (1st yr. only)/Fixed Inc. $ 25 please print Member (Individual or Household) 40 Organization 40 Address_____________________________ Limited Income (Indiv or Family ) 25 Student 10 ___________________________________ Sponsor 100 city state zip Patron 500 Lifetime (one time payment ) 1,000 Tel. No.____________ Fax No.____________ E-mail _____________________ Send application to: UNA-USA Membership Services 801 Second Avenue New York, NY 10017-4706 Phone: 212-907-1300

My check for $______ is enclosed Make check payable to UNA-USA (Dues are tax deductible)