Issue: 41
With her left hand on the UN Charter, she pledged to follow the ideals of the United Nations as laid out in the Charter.
Helen Clark, of New Zealand, was unanimously approved by the UN General Assembly to head the UN’s development agency on 31 March 2009 for a term of four years. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon nominated Helen Clark to replace outgoing Administrator Kemal Derviş of Turkey.
As a strong supporter of development and the achievement of the MDGs, Helen Clark said that becoming the Administrator of UNDP is a big and exciting challenge.
"I am looking forward to leading UNDP at this critical time. I have a commitment to tackling poverty and injustice, and I regard it as an enormous privilege to tackle these issues at the international level.
Helen Clark was selected amongst a group of excellent candidates, for her outstanding qualifications and numerous accomplishments in her long career, said Michelle Montas, the Secretary-General spokesperson, in an official statement.
Miss Clark has the needed leadership and international recognition that would allow her as the new Administrator to build on her predecessors legacy, said Montas. In addition, she will bring a strategic perspective coupled with fresh thinking and impetus for change.
Helen Clark has assumed her post on April 20th, 2009.
Clark has been a member of the New Zealand Parliament since 1981, and was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008. Concurrently, she held a number of other portfolios including Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage.
In government Helen Clark led her country’s policy debate on a wide range of economic, social, environmental, and cultural issues, including sustainability and climate change, and the development of an inclusive multicultural and multi-faith society. She was also a very active leader of her country’s international relations at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.
Between 1984 and 1987 she served as Chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee. From 1987 - 1990, she served as first Minister of Housing and Minister of Conservation, and then as Minister of Health, Minister of Labour, and Deputy Prime Minister.
In these capacities, she prioritised affordable housing, protection of New Zealand’s unique biodiversity, primary health care and public health, and gender equity in employment. Born in 1950 in New Zealand, Helen Clark is married to Professor Peter Davis. Miss Clark was educated at Auckland University where she studied Political Studies and History. She graduated with a BA in 1971 and an MA (Hons) in 1974.
Partners of the Life Plus Youth Programme (UNDP and the Coca-Cola Team), YADA Foundation, Coca-Cola Bursa Factory employees, the people of Nilüfer and students of the Uludağ University also participated in the opening.
The first demonstration area, which provides the experience of life with solar energy-run systems conists of 2 hobby houses and a greenhouse as part of the “Cycling for 100%” project that aims to disseminate the use of renewable energy resources.
The project is realised by Başka Association and Nilüfer Yerel Gündem 21 with the support of the Life Plus Youth Programme, formed in 2005 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Coca-Cola Turkey to support and promote youth initiatives that focus on the creation of innovative, creative, participatory and sustainable environmental projects aiming to positively impact and benefit society.
"Cycling for 100%” is a project that offering the experience of living with systems that produce while they consume, without having to completely giving up daily habits.
Within the Cycling for 100% Houses, 1040 watts of electricity can be produced via 8 photovoltaic batteries that produce 130 watts of electricity per hour. The facility’s refrigerators, computers, water heaters, cameras and lights function with this electricity. The Cycling Greenhouse obtains 70% of the heating energy it needs from solar energy. The 100 square metre area of the greenhouse is heated with solar energy systems in the winter. Thanks to the solar energy it uses to meet its heating and electricity needs, the Cycling for 100% House prevents 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission a year.
In addition to “Cycling for 100%” the “Life Plus” Youth Programme has been supporting 6 projects in its fourth phase. Among ongoing projects, “Seyfe Dryland Becomes a Lake,” “Manyas Demands its Clean Water Back” and “Clean Gediz Pace by Pace” aim to preserve water resources and wetlands.
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Photo: Hakan Çınar
The questionnaire findings from a total of 1021 judges and prosecutors were presented by UNDP’s Democratic Governance Manager Leyla Şen during a seminar on the 16-17th of April. Survey results indicated 73% of judges and prosecutors do not see the current membership structure of the HSYK as representative of the entire judiciary.
According to the findings, 80% of those who support the restructing of the judiciary said they want members of the HSYK chosen from among all judges and prosecutors. 82% of the respondents indicated that the authority of and appointments to the Council must be open to inspection. Almost all of the participants, 98%, agreed that HSYK’s decisions should sit on solid legal ground. More than half the participants stated dissatisfaction with HSYK’s current procedures in appointments, promotions, assignations and disciplinary actions and 46.5% said the existing procedures in selecting members to the HSYK must be changed.
All of the participants concerted to a transparent and accountable HSYK and reacted strongly against the fact that HSYK rulings cannot be overturned by the courts. 94% of the judges and prosecutors who particapated believed that disciplinary decisions should be regulated by the judiciary. Another compelling result which came out during discussions at the seminar was the divided opinion regarding the Justice Minister’s and the Ministry of Justice’s undersecretary’s exclusion from the Council. The percentage of both those who favored their membership in the board and those who believed they should be excluded was nearly equal. Despite the difference of opinion, however, the participants found the criteria used in selecting members for the Court of Cassation and the Council of State to be inappropriate.
Following the presentation of the results, the first day of the seminar witnessed important debates regarding the role of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors. The participants and the panelists comprising of law professors and UNDP international consultants discussed the possible structuring and responsibilities of the Council in comparison with the European experience.
The second day of the seminar hosted panels by academicians Prof. Dr. Mithat Sancar and Assistant Professor Eylem Ümit from Ankara University who assessed the results of the questionnaires from gender, age and occupational perspectives. The analysis indicated that the younger generation of judges and prosecutors were more fervent supporters of the restructuring of the current judicial system than their older counterparts.
Swiss-UNDP Fund for Youth is a grant and technical assistance programme that has been implemented by the General Directorate of Youth and Sports and UNDP. As a direct response to support Turkish Government’s efforts to support social integration of young people, the Fund was entrusted to UNDP by the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency.
The S-UN Fund for Youth Project supports young women and men’s initiatives in the areas of social integration of young migrant populations, youth employment in culture and tourism sectors and effective utilization of information and communication technologies in three pilot provinces; Konya, Kocaeli and Muğla. Young people from 15 to 26 years of age were invited to submit project proposals in cooperation with corporate partners or youth centers acting as a corporate partner in all of the three pilot provinces.
During the application period between February and March 2009, young participants were supported by project development trainings. 21 projects (4 from Kocaeli, 6 from Konya and 11 from Muğla) out of a total of 55 project applications were selected.
A total amount of $319 thousand has been allocated to the awarded projects of approximately which $158 thousand was granted to Muğla, $91 thousand to Konya and $70 thousand to Kocaeli, respectively. 56 young women and 58 young men are taking part as project team members. (For the list of awarded projects, please click here.)
On the first week of May, young project owners will meet in project development trainings in Ankara to facilitate the project implementation phase. The participants will have the opportunity to learn about project management concepts, team work, communication, time management and developing and maintaining partnerships.
Project owners will meet again on the third week of May, during Youth Week organized by the General Directorate of Youth and Sports to showcase their work to a sizeable audience of 5 thousand young women and men from 70 different countries.
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Among all of the equipment in his backpack, Jensen included two unusual items which he intends to take to the top of Mount Everest: the UN flag and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The expedition will take place toward the middle or the end of May. Before the ascent, Jensen will participate in a ceremony with more than 60 Danish mountain climbers. On April 17th, he completed one of the partial aims on the expedition making it to the base camp at 5380m.
At a press conference held at the beginning of April in Copenhagen , Jakob Simonsen, the Head of UNDP's Nordic Office, gave Jensen a copy of the Declaration and flag.
“It is a great honour for me to cooperate with the UN and bring the Human Rights to the top and commemorate the anniversary. Human Rights affect us all and should never be taken for granted. For me it is a huge motivation factor bringing the Human Rights to the top of the world,” said Jensen
Jensen gained international fame when he attempted to climb Mount Everest in 2006 and 2007 without any oxygen despite his asthma. In 2006 he had to give up climbing only 350 metres from the top due to safety reasons. On 22 May 2007, he reached the top by using his oxygen reserve above 7,500 metres.
“Human Rights are universal. They count for all people and in all parts of the world. This is why we got excited when Mogens Jensen recently contacted us and asked if we were interested in the idea of bringing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the top” said Jakob Simonsen.
He further added: “It has only been little more than three months since we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. I can hardly imagine a more outstanding way to mark the anniversary than to climb the highest mountain in the world to celebrate the rights of all people.”
Mogens Jensen hopes to be able to talk with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on a satellite phone in a possible visit to Copenhagen in May.
Jensen’s expedition will be published on his blog for the next two months.
The majority of applications were received from Ankara and Istanbul from Project Groups, NGO – Legal Entities, Youth Groups and Vocational Secondary Schools.
After the Competition Jury’s meticulous evaluation, 80 projects qualified for the second stage. The competitors will have the chance to introduce their projects to the Competition Jury by filling out the Final Application Form with assistance from the Technical Support Team.
The projects were executed under 4 main themes: Stepping into Our Career: More and Better Jobs for the Youth, Developing Our Skills More and Better Education for the Youth, Making Our Voice Heard: Youth Participation, Inclusion and Work, Building Bridges for Our Future: Working with Partners. The highest percentage of applications were received under the Developing Our Skills More and Better Education for the Youth theme.
On May 21st, 2009, The World Bank will organize a “Youth Fair” to bring together competitors and Jury members in the SantralIstanbul Campus of Bilgi University where competitors will be allocated booths to introduce their projects. Jury members will finalize their evaluations based on project application forms, and with face-to-face interviews with competitors.The projects will be evaluated under the following criteria: Innovation, Growth Potential, Outcome, Realism, Sustainability. Awards will be given out at the Sutluce Cultural Center in Istanbul on the same night.
The winning project may receive up to $200 thousand in grant funding for implementation over two years.
Aside from the World Bank, the program is sponsored by various entibies such as the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Istanbul Bilgi University, Akbank, and the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV).
As a supporting organization the UNDP is providing asisstance in Project selection and visibility.
Human security is briefly defined by The Commission on Human Security (CHS) as protecting the vital core of all human lives in ways that enhance human freedoms and human fulfillment while bringing together the ‘human elements’ of security, rights and development.
The report analyzes the concept of human security in Post-Conflict Situations and in Situations of Food Insecurity. Over the last decade, approximately 60 countries have been identified as countries in conflict or emerging from violent conflicts. The urgency and the costs in failing to secure peace, makes success in post-conflict situations critical not only to the achievement of human security but also to the attainment of regional and international security. In 2007, there was an estimated 923 million people, an increase of more than 80 million since1990 (FAO, 2008), who faced persistent hunger and food insecurity. Despite widespread impact in both developed and developing countries, the communities most heavily impacted by food insecurity reside in countries located largely in Africa and Asia.
By concentrating on the concept of Human Security in various countries such as The Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador and Kosovo, the report outlines an integrated inter-agency approach involving the UNDP among other agencies like the FAO, UNICEF, WHO, ILO, UNV,UNFPA, OHCHR and UNHCR. These agencies are providing institutional support. to address human security needs of the targeted communities in the areas of public safety, coexistence and reconciliation, health, education, training, employment, poverty, displacement, conflict prevention and the protection of minority rights.
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Photo: Tuğçe Togay
The tour aimed to support the Ministry of Justice’s efforts towards the improvement of restorative justice and victim offender mediation (VOM) practices by comparing the different practices in Turkey and in Austria.
Ten participants from the Ministry of Justice comprising of provincial and ministerial judges and prosecutors, the Vice Rector of Gazi University Mr. Cumhur Sahin, the Dean of the Istanbul University's Faculty of Law Mr. Adem Sozer, and two UNDP representatives took part in the study tour.
The programme agenda included meetings with the representatives of the Austrian Ministry of Justice to develop alternative methods of dispute resolution in criminal justice and interviews with practitioners of mediation in criminal cases in Austria.
The participants were given the opportunity to gain an overview on the practical application of diversion and the positive effects of mediation as one of the methods of diversion in Austrian justice system from notable Austrian legal authorities such as the General Director of Criminal Affairs Dr. Wolfgang Bogensberger and Dr. Werner Pleischl, the chief prosecutor of upper Vienna state, who introduced the system of mediation in criminal justice in 1980s.
The study visit further constituted of observation of activities in the field of restorative justice and community sanctions, different methods of mediation and trainings provided for mediators through meetings with the representatives of Neustart, Austria’s legal institution where all mediation cases are transferred. The meetings outlined ways in which Turkey could apply Austrian methods on mediation in general, and the activities of Neustart in particular, to its own practices of mediation in criminal cases.
Justice actors who are the main authorities promoting victim-offender mediation practices in their respective courthouses were highly satisfied with the outcomes of the visitwhere important inputs for the project were generated and practice related challenges were debated extensively.
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On the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, United Nations officials reminded the world that landmines and explosive remnants of war are continuing to kill or injure thousands of people every year.
Today, as many as 78 nations are affected by landmines and about 85 by explosive remnants of war. There are an estimated 500 thousand landmine and explosive remnants of war survivors today, of whom three-quarters are civilians.
“Conditions may vary from Iraq to Sudan, from Lebanon to Zimbabwe, from Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo”, said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “What doesn’t change”, he added, “is the threat to life and limb”.
Meanwhile, mine action workers have continued to risk their lives to eliminate mines in all affected areas.
UNDP is continuing to assist mine-affected countries to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war by helping them to develop national mine-clearing programs.
The organization has been helping national authorities in all areas of mine action, including demining, mine risk education, victim assistance, advocacy, and stockpile destruction through tailored strategic and operational advisory support and training for mine action programme managers.
Beyond removing weapons, mine action means ensuring a safe environment for civilians, developing local capacity and restoring dignity to survivors through job opportunities and other reintegration programmes.
UNDP has ensured that mine action addresses the socio-economic impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war on all development sectors, including agriculture, health, education, water, infrastructure, tourism, and domestic and foreign investment.
Since 1999, more than 4 million antipersonnel mines, 1 million anti-vehicle mines and 8 million items of unexploded ordnance have been cleared. In 2006 alone, over 450 square kilometers of contaminated land was cleared of over 217 thousand antipersonnel mines.
In addition, UNDP has supported States Parties to meet their Mine Ban Treaty obligations by helping them to identify mined areas and develop and implement national plans to address them. For example, UNDP helped Albania develop a plan to complete clearance of mines and explosive remnants of war by 2010, and has, together with implementing partners, assisted Malawi with identifying the extent of its mine problems so it could fulfill its commitments under the treaty.