Dear UNA-UK member or friend

It is with some sadness that I write to you today, recently three of our members have passed away.

On Tuesday, 5th July, Nora Kingbourn died. She was a very helpful member of our flag day collection team, Nora helped with the street collections for UNICEF, whatever the weather she stood in the street with her tin and then later in the day helped to count the donations.

Nora’s funeral service will be held on Wednesday, 20th July, at 12.30 pm at Chichester Crematorium. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to Friends of St. Richard's Hospital.


A few days later on Friday, 8th July, Wendy Ellis died. For many years she was a valuable member of this branch’s committee as well as the Southern Region committee. She used to organise our annual programme of events and regularly attended the regional and national conferences.

Wendy’s funeral service will be held on Tuesday, 26th July, at 2:30pm in St Mary's Church, Easebourne. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to Christian Aid.


Today was the funeral of Agnes Pennington at Chichester Crematorium, donations to Humane Research Trust. She died peacefully at Augusta Court, Chichester in her 104th year. Agnes had been a long term sponsor of UNA-UK, although in recent years she had been a quiet member.


Future events

On Saturday, 3rd September we have a flag day in Chichester city centre. We will be collecting money for UNICEF and UNA Trust. Further details from Derek Wales, Chichester UNA treasurer on 01243 527291.

Our annual general meeting is on Wednesday, 7th September at 7:30pm in Christ Church, Old Market Avenue, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1SW. Full details will be circulated nearer the time.

Yours sincerely


Viv Williams
Chairman
01243 378353

Dear friends and members,

Our branch treasurer Derek Wales has arranged two Saturdays this year to collect money for UNICEF and UNA Trust. All the money raised on our collection days (minus a small amount for stamps) is donated to UNICEF and the UNA Trust.

UNICEF is the world's leading organisation protecting the rights of children and young people. Around the world, children's rights are being denied on a daily basis, including in emergencies such as natural disasters and conflict. UNICEF was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II.

Today UNICEF is urgently appealing for funds to meet the needs of children affected by the violence in Libya.

The United Nations Association Trust (UNA Trust) strives to make reality of the UN's aim to promote peace, justice and development for all. The UNA Trust is a registered charity. They are independent of the UN and are not funded by it.

We will be collecting in Arundel town centre on Saturday, 30th April and in Chichester city centre on Saturday, 3rd September. Our street collections usually start at 9am and are finished by 5pm. You can sit or stand while chatting to the passing people and hopefully collect donations from them. Derek will provide you with your own personal collection tin.

In Arundel we usually meet in The Red Lion's lovely garden which usefully backs onto the River Road car park.

If you would like to help to collect money for UNICEF and the UNA Trust then please contact Derek on 01243 527291 or here.

Last year our team of collectors raised £1,151 from two street collections.

In the immediate future we have arranged a special meeting with local organisations 'with whom we work' to formulate motions to our national policy-making conference. Policies agreed at our conference are presented to the Foreign Office and also decide the future direction of UNA-UK.

This meeting is at Friends' Meeting House, Priory Road, Chichester at 19:30 on Wednesday, 16th March. This years policy-making conference is being held at The Temple of Peace, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF10 3AP on Saturday, 18th June.

I hope you can attend this special open meeting and also help us raise money for UNICEF.

Yours sincerely


Viv Williams
Chairman
01243 378353

Dear Member,

Three of your committee, Deborah Hennessy, Nita Gupta and I, recently visited Oxford University to hear Ban Ki-moon deliver the Cyril Foster Lecture on "Human Protection and the 21st Century United Nations". Unfortunately, even those that had queued from 16:30 did not get in, so we cannot report on what I think would have been a memorable lecture!

We do however, have an opportunity to discuss with Phil Mulligan the new Executive Director of UNA–UK, how we believe this organisation should develop and what his plans for the organization are, at a meeting organized by our Southern Region in Newbury on Saturday, 26th February starting at 13:00, at the Friends Meeting House, Mayor’s Lane/Highfield Ave.

As we are the second largest branch in the region we are hoping for a good turnout. We have received quotations for a coach to leave Chichester at 11:00, returning from Newbury at about 17:00. The price depends upon the number of people who use the coach, a 16 seater minibus will cost about £20 per person and a larger 37 seater coach is about £10 per person.

Perhaps you could contact me as a matter of urgency if you think you can come in order that we can make plans accordingly.

I really do think this will be a worthwhile exercise, as I feel it is vital that our new executive director understands our concerns, over membership or other matters which are so important if our organization is going to prosper and be effective.

In addition, we have organized a special open meeting with other organizations with whom we work, to draft motions for our 2011 Conference. This open meeting will take place on Wednesday, 16th March at the Friends’ Meeting House, Priory Road, Chichester starting at 19:30. NB: Resolutions to Conference have to be submitted by 15th April and the conference is being held at the ‘Temple of Peace’ in Cardiff on 17th and 18th June.

We very much hope you will also be able to come to this meeting.

Yours sincerely


Viv Williams,
Chairman

Tel: 01243 378353

Multi-national Corporations: Bane or Benefit

Are multi-national corporations a positive influence on developing countries?

Wednesday, 3rd November 2010, The Assembly Room, North Street, Chichester

The Chichester and District Branch of UNA-UK together with the Quakers, Amnesty International, the Peace Council, FairTrade and the Soroptimists are hosting a joint discussion/dinner with Michael Woolley, Mayor of Chichester and President of Chichester UNA-UK in attendance.

UNA Chichester have been promoting the concept, which we have termed 'UN Link', of combining more closely with other organisations which also rely on the UN to implement their aims.

Join us for an evening of food and interesting conversation. You will meet caring and concerned people discussing the role of multi-nationals and development. Suzanne Ismail from the Quakers, Peter Frankental from Amnesty International and a speaker from a multi-national will discuss their perspectives of the impact of multi-national corporations on developing countries.

Arrive from 6.00pm for a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink and nibbles. The panel discussion will be followed by a sit down main meal and coffee. This is all included in the price of only £10.00.

The United Nations Association (UNA-UK) is a membership based, voluntary, non-governmental organisation. It is the UK's leading independent policy authority on the United Nations. We campaign, educate and fund-raise to turn the ideals of the UN into reality.

Although totally independent of the UN system and not funded by it, we aim to ensure that the UN is used more effectively and creatively in all areas where it works. UNA-UK is deeply committed to the ideals of the UN and also works for its strengthening which often means pressing for reform and working for positive change.

Following a legacy from Ruth Hadley, Chichester UNA-UK holds an annual lecture in her name. The first lecture (in 2008) was presented by Andrew Tyrie MP (Chichester) who discussed "Extra-ordinary Rendition". Last years lecture was presented by The Very Reverend Nicholas Frayling, The Dean of Chichester with the title "Reconciliation".

To book your place at the third Ruth Hadley lecture you can download an application form here or complete an online application form here.

Viv Williams

Chairman,
Chichester UNA-UK

Dear member,

I am delighted to be able to invite you to some interesting UNA functions coming up very soon.

Attached is the programme for the UNA Southern Region Conference to be held in Chichester from the 20th to the 22nd of August at the University. We will need to know if you can come in the next few days if you want to come to any of the meals - just coming for the talks and work shops is not so much of a problem. We do hope you can attend at least some of the sessions.

On Wednesday, 8th September we will be holding our AGM at Friends' Meeting House, Chichester, at 19:30, when we shall be showing a video of the address by Helen Clark, ex New Zealand Prime Minister and now Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, that she recently gave to the UNA Outreach Forum in London that was attended by some 1,200 people. Her address was the highlight of the day and is definitely worth seeing.

We plan to hold the annual Ruth Hadley Memorial Lecture and Dinner on the 29th October this year during UN Disarmament Week. Although the details are not yet confirmed, perhaps you would like to make a note in your diary and we will give you more details in due course.

Members and friends alike are welcome to all these functions although non members will not be able to vote at the AGM. Please spread the word and invite along as many as you can.

While writing, the branch urgently needs an efficient secretary to help improve our communications so if anyone knows someone interested in International Affairs that may be interested, please let me know.

We all hope you can come to these events and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Viv Williams. Chairman.

Dear Friend

London based US Diplomat Jock Whittlesey will visit Chichester on Wednesday 3rd February to address a public meeting organised by the United Nations Association on the theme of ‘Climate change negotiations at Copenhagen and in 2010’.

This highly topical meeting follows the recent Copenhagen Summit, which brought together world leaders seeking agreement on ways to tackle climate change. Of particular interest were the positions taken by the Obama US Administration and the Chinese Government. Mr Whittlesey is a senior State Department diplomat currently serving as the Counsellor for Environment, Health, Science and Technology at the US Embassy in London. He also serves as the Permanent Representative of the United States to the International Maritime Organisation and so will offer a frontline insight into the sometimes complex world of international environmental negotiations.

Prior to his current posting, Mr Whittlesey served as the Middle East Regional Environmental Officer in Jordan and participated in negotiations between the US and Chinese Governments working at the US Embassy in Beijing. He has also worked for the US Government on environmental issues in Jamaica and Greece.

According to Viv Williams, President of Chichester and District United Nations Association “The United Nations Association locally aims to raise awareness of the role played by international organisations in tackling the most important issues affecting humanity. This meeting provides a wonderful opportunity to hear from someone who has worked at the cutting edge of environmental negotiations and we would encourage anyone with an interest in the future of our planet to come along and join in the discussion”.

The meeting is scheduled for 19:00 on Wednesday 3rd February at Friends Meeting House, Priory Lane, Chichester. It is open to all and there is no admission charge.

Yours

Viv Williams, Chairman
Chichester and District UNA-UK

UN Day Celebration Dinner
Friday, 23rd October 2009
7pm Assembly Room

Guest Speaker – The Very Reverend Nicholas Frayling

Dear Friend,

The Chichester and District Branch of UNA-UK invite you to attend an evening in the presence of the Mayor of Chichester, Councillor Michael Woolley our President.

Our guest speaker the Very Reverend Nicholas Frayling, the Dean of Chichester Cathedral will give a talk titled "Is the Culture of Pardon and Peace Achievable?".

The United Nations Association (UNA-UK) is a membership based, voluntary, non-governmental organisation. It is the UK's leading independent policy authority on the UN. We campaign, educate and fund-raise to turn the ideals of the United Nations into reality.

Although totally independent of the UN system and not funded by it, we aim to ensure that the UN is used more effectively and creatively in all areas where it works. UNA is deeply committed to the ideals of the UN and also works for its strengthening which often means pressing for reform and working for positive change.

Join us for an evening of food and interesting conversation and meet other caring, committed people to help celebrate UN Day.

Arrive from 6.30pm, receive a glass of complimentary wine or soft drink and mingle with the other guests. Then enjoy a sit down dinner, all inclusive in the price of £25.00 per person.

If you are interested in our work and the events that Chichester UNA-UK organise, but have other commitments on the evening, please tick the box on the order form and return it.

Yours

Viv Williams, Chairman
Chichester and District UNA-UK

Dear Friend

It is some time since we had our dinner in Chichester on UN Day, 24th October. We hope you felt the evening was worth while and that it encouraged your interest in the United Nations Association.

Since then we have had a fascinating discussion led by two people from the Institute of Development Studies, attached to the University of Sussex. We are taking forward several proposals from this meeting to ensure that pressure is put on the members of the G20 when they meet in England later in 2009 to honour the commitments already made.

In addition, we are bringing together a proposal for this years UNA-UK Conference. We have a resolution for the UN Security Council – to improve its procedures when dealing with matters of genocide and gross violation of human rights.

These initiatives reflect weighty matters, which are put into perspective when considering that they concern those individuals who are being tortured or driven out of their own country. In our country our Government still has influence on the international scene – this year we Chair the G20 – we should encourage this influence to be used wherever possible.

The United Nations Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UNA-UK) is the UK's leading independent policy authority on the UN, and is a UK-wide grass-roots membership organisation. It is a non-party political organisation, with a head office in London that provides policy expertise to support the advocacy work of UNA-UK members. The head office maintains an ongoing dialogue with the UK Government and the media on issues relating to the UN. Branches such as ours influence national policy by submitting proposals to UNA-UK's head office, which they convey to the appropriate Government Minister.

Although these discussions stretch the mind in ways, which are unusual in our normal, comfortable and privileged lives in this country, when meeting and discussing these ideas with other like-minded people, there is a real feeling that perhaps any effort on our part is not entirely wasted and could make a difference.

We need to expand our membership base, broaden the age range and interest base and encourage some new and keen members to help us capitalize on the reputation that the branch already has. We hope very much that those of you who are not yet a UNA-UK member will become one and work with us in the branch to carry these debates forward and influence future Government policy.

If you would like to join the UNA-UK please click here.

Our next event is How Robust is the International Human Rights Regime? by Natalie Samarasinghe on Wednesday, 11th February, 7.30pm at Friends' Meeting House, Priory Road, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1NX. She will be talking about international rule and its relation to implementation of human rights policies, including some examples.

Natalie is the UNA-UK Human Rights Coordinator and Executive Assistant. She is also responsible for coordinating the human rights outreach of UNA-UK.

Prior to joining UNA-UK, Natalie worked as a personal assistant to senior managers in the public, private and education sectors. A national of Austria and Sri Lanka, she has campaigned in those countries on minority rights, discrimination, poverty and welfare rights. She has also written for the Sri Lankan English-language broadsheet, The Sunday Leader. Natalie has an MSc in human rights from the London School of Economics and a BA in modern history from the University of Oxford. She speaks fluent German and has a working knowledge of French.

In March, renowned local musician Rebecca Grove with some of her friends will be delighting us with an evening of singing, music, poetry and readings, the evening has the title Protect Your Local Planet. Rebecca will be performing for one night only on Friday, 13th March, 7.30pm at St. Paul’s Church Hall, Churchside, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 6FT. Following the entertainment, refreshments will be available. Tickets are £6.00 each, they are available from June MacBride 01243 527201 or Barbara Bubb 01243 535244.

On Wednesday, 8th April, 7.30 pm, at Friends' Meeting House, Priory Road, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1NX - Tim Hart will be talking about International Law, a Force for Good or Evil in the World? He will track developments in international law and question whether it can provide a mechanism to secure international justice.

Tim has been a barrister since 2001, he previously worked extensively in business and as a senior academic. He has published conference papers and journal articles on environmental management, employment and humanitarian law.

Still to be finalised, Trisha Rogers, the director of the Jubilee Debt Campaign, will be talking at Friends' Meeting House, Chichester on Wednesday, 3rd June, 7.30pm.

This year's UNA-UK Annual Conference is being held at Edinburgh University, Friday 5th – Saturday 7th June. This important yearly meeting was last staged in Scotland nearly three decades ago.

Our branch Annual General Meeting is on Wednesday, 9th September 2009 at Friends' Meeting House, Chichester.

Also in September, we have the welcome return of The Southern Counties Annual UNA-UK conference. For many years they have held a two day conference in the Bishop Otter Campus of Chichester University, with a different theme each year. Last year they focused on Human Rights, 60 Years On.

Yours sincerely


Viv Williams
Chairman,

UNA Chichester and District Meeting 14th November 2007 at 7.30pm

At Friends' Meeting House, Priory Park Road, Chichester

The Peacekeepers - A DVD

Narated by Karen Feiertag and directed by Paul Cowan.

The DVD addreses the challenges faced by the United Nations and the international community in promoting peace in conflict-ridden areas, using the UN's Congo operation as a case study.

The subject includes the difficulty of finding troops for dangerous missions, the political debates, the enormous money involved, the logistic nightmare of running a failed state.

Do hope that you will be able to join us.