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Heather Tregoning from Canberra's National Arboretum spoke to us about the importance of the Arboretum to Canberra's people, environment and as a habitat for the diverse biodiversity of the region. The conversation took place to celebrate International Day of Forests on 21 March which is particularly apt given that this year's theme is "Forests and Cities". She also explains how story telling goes hand in hand when teaching children about forests and how important it is to conserve them.

#International Day of Forests

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#TimeIsNow International Women’s Day is marked on 8 March every year to reflect on the extraordinary roles that women play in their countries and communities, calling on everyone to advocate for the empowerment and participation of women in peace and development processes worldwide.

UN Peacekeeping as a community understands the important contributions women make on a daily basis. We also acknowledge that more support and involvement of women is critical both within and outside our ranks.

As part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the international community supports the initiative to have equal employment between women and men by 2030. At the moment, only 47.1 % of working age women are represented in the labour force globally, compared to 72.2 % of men. The time is now. #IWD2018

Learn more about women in peacekeeping: http://bit.ly/2zcNBCX

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#TimeIsNow 1,081 women police officers from 87 countries serve in UN Missions around the world. However, United Nations Police - UNPOL needs more women officers with specialized capabilities to help address important issues such as: sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), community policing, planning, operations, serious and organized crime.

They act as role models in the local environment, inspiring women and girls in often male-dominated societies to push for their own rights and for participation in peace processes. #IWD2018

Learn more about women peacekeepers here: https://peacekeeping.un.org/en

In perhaps what was a first in Australia, representatives from four UN different UN agencies spoke together at a public event on their work in the Pacific. The representatives, Resident Coordinator Osnat Lubrani from UNDP; Sheldon Yett, UNICEF; Bruce Campbell, UNFPA; and, Nicolas Burniat, Deputy at UNWomen, spoke as one on the new UN Pacific Strategy 2018 – 2022 and how it would support Pacific countries in attaining the SDGs. The seminar which included an outline of the Strategy and then a panel discussion moderated by the UNIC Canberra Director, provided specific examples of how the UN aims to meet the six outcome goals it contains. Discussion generated between the panellists and from numerous audience questions ranged from the importance of data collection, gender issues, climate change, health and welfare, and governance, all key aspects of the UN’s work and to development in the region.

#Pacific #United Nations #GlobalGoals

The International Women’s Club invited the UNIC Director to address them as their keynote speaker on the Sustainable Development Goals. The presentation described the importance of the SDGs and the impact they have on everyday life. With International Women’s Day a week away, the presentation focused Goal 5: Gender Equality to help explain how the Goals worked. To demonstrate how they are all interconnected, the audience were asked to hold up a card for a specific goal that had been placed on their seat, and then to connect with someone who had a goal that was linked to theirs. There was a lively Q&A session after the presentation, with a variety of questions ranging from climate change and abolishing plastics, to reducing weapons and upholding peace.

#Globalgoals #UNICCanberra

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UN PEACEKEEPING: #YEARINREVIEW2017 In 2017 UN Peacekeeping has seen some remarkable successes and some significant challenges. We convey our gratitude to the more than 110,000 UN peacekeepers deployed in 15 missions across the world for their service and sacrifice. Take a look back at this year’s key moments in our #YEARINREVIEW: bit.ly/2oWOwTR

STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

Video: Dr Michael Pulch, EU Ambassador to Australia and our Director Mr Christopher Woodthorpe call for action to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls and ask you to join the Spotlight Campaign Background: The European Union and the United Nations are embarking on a new, global, multi-year initiative focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls – The Spotlight Initiative. The Initiative aims to place this issue in the center of efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

#SpotlightEndViolence

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The last three leaders who have held “the most impossible job on earth” met today at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Diplomats Advocates Civil servant

As Secretaries-General, Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon and now António Guterres, have taken on challenging responsibilities in the interest of people everywhere, in particular the poor and vulnerable.

Want to know more about the role of the UN chief? ➡️ un.org/sg/en/content/role-secretary-general

📷: UN Photo

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Even in the darkest times and most trying circumstances, powerful ties of human kindness bind people together.

In collaboration with photographers in various locations, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) created the WhatWeShare project. It sheds light on what people share when they are forced to flee their homes or choose to become host families for refugees and internally displaced people.

Take a look at the images created throughout the project demonstrating solidarity and generosity: http://bit.ly/2yqaZJx

📷: UN OCHA

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In case you missed it: Addressing the UN General Assembly in September, Secretary General António Guterres stressed the need for political solutions to today’s conflicts:

“It is possible to move from war to peace, and from dictatorship to democracy. Let us push ahead with a surge in diplomacy today and a leap in conflict prevention for tomorrow.”

Read his full speech here: http://bit.ly/2yp5WIq

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“I have been in areas torn by conflict. In my own country, I have seen earthquakes, I’ve seen storms… I have never seen such a high-level of devastation like the one that I witnessed in Barbuda… The people of Barbuda urgently need help to rebuild their lives and a more resilient future.” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited Barbuda where he saw first-hand the destruction wrought by Hurricane Irma and met with people evacuated from Barbuda to Antigua. “The link between climate change and the devastation we are witnessing is clear, and there is a collective responsibility of the international community to stop this suicidal development.” More here: http://bit.ly/2yOPce4

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The unsung heroes of the United Nations General Assembly: the security dogs who worked hard all week at UN Headquarters in NYC.

Thousands descended upon New York for the annual meeting of world leaders and hundreds of related activities this week, where progress was made and action taken to achieve safety, health, human rights, equality and dignity for all.

We thank all the security personnel – both canine and human – for their work to keep visitors and residents safe at the #UNGA.

📷: UN Photo / Mark Garten

Great photos of the SDG Media Zone at the UN General Assembly Leaders Week Session!

#Flickr

Gender Equality and the Together Campaign promoted in Canberra through a partnership between UNIC Canberra and the Canberra Multicultural Women’s Forum.

On the 6th of September in Canberra migrant and refugee women together with UNIC Canberra held the first of two seminars focusing on the skills sets and strategies that migrant and refugee women need in order to strengthen their gender equality advocacy skills.

One popular strategy was to ensure that young people and families had access to education on the rights of women and girls.

Another was for the host community to understand the balancing act that some women undertake between balancing their role of gender equality advocates while at the same time respecting their individual cultural identities.

What was apparent during the evening was the enthusiasm of all participants to work together to find solutions that would enable women to continue to enhance the lives of all women in Canberra. More information on the Together Campaign https://together.un.org/

#Jointogether #UNICCanberra