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November Annual Celebration 2020 ​
Speaker:
 Tia Nelson - Climate Program Director, Outrider Foundation 
​March 2020 Public Lecture: Wisconsin Women's Prison Health
March 10 (Tuesday) 7:00 PM
3rd floor, Downtown Public Library
201 W Mifflin Street, Madison WI 53703
Speaker: Mary Muse
“Still They Rise: Opportunities for Health, Hope, and Programming at Taycheedah’s Women’s Prison”
December 2018 Public Lecture: Let Us Learn Madagascar
December 10 (Tuesday) 7:00 PM
3rd floor, Downtown Public Library
201 W Mifflin Street, Madison WI 53703
Speaker: Tamara Hagen
Tamara Hagen will present on the joint UNICEF and Zonta “Let Us Learn Madagascar” project, including video of two Wisconsin Zontians‘s visit to Madagascar.
Tammy is a member of the Zonta Club of Madison, which was chartered in 1940 and serves all of Dane County.  It is part of Zonta International, an organization of executives and professionals working together to empower women worldwide through advocacy and service in 63 countries.  The name “Zonta” is derived from a Native-American Lakota Sioux language, means honest and trustworthy.  Building on the name, the Zonta emblem is a composition of several Sioux symbols that collectively signify a group of loyal, honest and trustworthy individuals. Zontians embrace these values and are inspired by the radiance of each person to empower women.
Photo Credit: theberkshireedge.com
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November 2017 Public Lecture: Refugee Crisis
November 12 (Tuesday) 7:00 PM
3rd floor, Downtown Public Library
201 W Mifflin Street, Madison WI 53703
Speaker: Hannah Koury
UNA Dane County’s Annual meeting will be held at the start of our monthly program.
Hannah Koury who has worked in the Middle East and Europe with refugees and asylum seekers and relocated to Madison just over a year ago to work with refugee resettlement here will be giving a presentation on the migration crisis facing our world.  
Photo Credit:
theberkshireedge.com

DREAMING OF FREEDOM: 

Palestinian Youth Under Siege and Occupation
With Yousef Aljamal, Gaza Writer and Activist

Sunday, October 27, 2019
2-4 pm
Christ Presbyterian Church,
944 E Gorham St, Madison, WI 53703


Meet Yousef Aljamal, a young writer who grew up in a refugee camp in Gaza and lived through the three devastating Israeli military assaults between 2008 and 2014. He will share his experiences and insights about the lives of youth there and elsewhere in Palestine, including tens of thousands imprisoned by Israel's military regime in the West Bank since 1967.

A contributor to the anthology Gaza Writes Back: Short Stories from Young Writers in Gaza Palestine,  Aljamal has recently translated into English the book Dreaming of Freedom: Palestinian Child Prisoners Speak. 

Yousef's talk will be preceded by brief remarks from Rep. Mark Pocan.

Free, but donations gratefully accepted to fund another Maia Project clean water filter for Rafah kids.

Local Sponsors: Madison-Rafah Sister City Project; Jewish Voice for Peace-Madison; UW-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine; Playgrounds for Palestine-Madison. Tour sponsored by Just World Educational. Welcomed by WORT Radio.

Note: Yousef is scheduled to be a guest on WORT Radio's A Public Affair with host Allen Ruff on Thursday, October 24 from noon - 1 pm. Call in at 608-256-2001 or listen live online at WORT 89.9 fm.

For more information, visit http://www.madisonrafah.org or follow MRSCP on Face Book.
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Circle of Care and Communication for Global Health and Human Rights:
Training in Spain and Morocco to Combat Sex-Trafficking

Dr. Alonso ( Co-Director of UNESCO Chair on Gender, Wellbeing and Culture of Peace) has offered to share with us the fascinating new techniques she has developed this summer working with Nigerian women in Casablanca. She took UW students with her as she has in the past, but this year they went a bit further using the humanities (her unique "Theater of the Oppressed" process) to identify not only victims of trafficking but also to assist them with rehabilitation through the performing of collected narratives that depicted all the stages of Nigerian trafficking from when the moment women/girls leave Benin City to the moment they arrive in Casablanca (where they wait to migrate north, to Europe).

You won’t want to pass up this opportunity to hear about Dr. Alonso's latest work and her new methods and tools while the memories and results are fresh!

Read more on Unesco Chair on Gender, Wellbeing, and a Culture of Peace:
https://unesco.gws.wisc.edu/

This Event is Co-Sponsored By:

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Since 2008, the Freedom Flotilla movement has sent 35 ships attempting to break Israel’s illegal, US-backed military blockade that has devastated Gaza and denied 2 million people –half of them children -- access to food, clean water, fuel, medicine, employment and basic human dignity for 13 years.

On Wednesday and Thursday July 24 and 25th, the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP) welcomes the Gaza Freedom Flotilla’s North American Boat to Gaza campaign to Madison with two days of activities.

On Wednesday evening, a pontoon will give visibility to the crisis in Gaza on Lake Mendota offshore from the Union Terrace and The Edgewater. We will also be leafleting the crowd on shore. (Anyone interested in helping with this, please email rafahsistercity@yahoo.com)

On Thursday, former flotilla participants Kathy Kelly (Voices for Creative Non-Violence) and Kit Kittredge (NA Boat to Gaza Campaign) will talk about Gaza, the importance of the flotilla and plans for the next international sailing in 2020 at 7 pm at James Reeb Unitarian Congregation, 2146 E. Johnson Street, Madison. 

This free event will feature a display of Gaza children’s artwork as well as refreshments & dessert including baklawa; donations to benefit the Flotilla and another Maia Project clean water system for kids in Rafah will be appreciated.

For more information, contact MRSCP at rafahsistercity@yahoo.com , www.madisonrafah.org, or check out the face book event.

Welcomed by WORT RADIO. (Kit Kittredge and Kathy Kelly, fresh from the Freedom Flotilla's activities in Chicago, will be interviewed live on WORT's A Public Affair by host Allen Ruff from noon-1 pm on Thursday 7-25. Kathy Kelly will also be a guest on The Morning Buzz with Jan Miyasaki between 8 and 8:30 am on Wednesday 7-24 … tune in at 89.9 fm or listen live on line.)
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Note: If you can't attend but would like to support either the Flotilla or the Maia Project, you can donate as follows:

Flotilla: Online donations here. 
Or send a check payable to Nonviolence International with "US Boat to Gaza" in the memo line to:

Nonviolence International (for Ship to Gaza 2020)
4000 Albermarle Street, NW, Suite 401
Washington D.C. 20016.

Maia Project: Online donations here.
Or save the online fee and send a check payable to MRSCP marked "water" to:

MRSCP
P.O. Box 5214
Madison, WI 53705

Both MRSCP and Nonviolence International are 501(c)(3) organizations.
Note: If you can't attend but would like to support either the Flotilla or the Maia Project, you can donate as follows:

Flotilla: Online donations here. 
Or send a check payable to Nonviolence International with "US Boat to Gaza" in the memo line to:

Nonviolence International (for Ship to Gaza 2020)
4000 Albermarle Street, NW, Suite 401
Washington D.C. 20016.

Maia Project: Online donations here.
Or save the online fee and send a check payable to MRSCP marked "water" to:

MRSCP
P.O. Box 5214
Madison, WI 53705

Both MRSCP and Nonviolence International are 501(c)(3) organizations.

Global Citizen Award 2019: Call For Nominations!

For the twelfth year the United Nations Association of Dane County will honor one or more persons who have worked to improve the lives of others internationally or have worked to highlight the mission, value and goals of the United Nations.
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Click Here to Learn More

CEDAW Was A success!

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Click below to watch footage of the event!
Watch Here!

Come Show your support! April 30th @ 6:30 Pm

6:30 pm, City Council Chambers (Second Floor)
Martin Luther King Junior Blvd

Come to the city council chambers at 6:30 PM on Tuesday April 30th to support the CEDAW resolution.

We ask that everyone who attends register in support of the resolution. The forms are available on a table outside the council chambers starting at 6:00 PM. Note: You only need to fill out the registration form of Support, not the form to speak.
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Sign Petition to the Madison Common Council:

Sign Petition
Click above to sign the petition for the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Goals:
  • Affirm the principles of fundamental human rights and equality for women in our community, and
  • Eliminate barriers to political, social, economic and cultural discrimination, including issues of domestic violence, trafficking, affordable health care and child care, economic security, pay
    inequities, paid family leave, and educational and vocational opportunities.
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International Women's Day Celebration!
Friday, March 8th @ 7pm
Wisconsin Union South
1308 W Dayton Street Madison, Wi

(check on TITU or at front desk for room #)Program:
Learn how you can actively petition the Madison Common Council to join over 40 cities in support of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
This is the UN treaty known as the ”international bill of rights” for women. CEDAW affirms the fundamental rights of women and girls and sets out a comprehensive framework to combat gender inequality and eliminate gender discrimination.
Movie to be shown:
"A Girl in the River The Price of Forgiveness"
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“The Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon: Historical Background, Conflict Dynamics and Proposals for a Way-out”
Ivor Fung
Deputy Director, Secretary of the Conference on Disarmament
United Nations Office, Geneva
When:
March 6, 2019 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Where: 206 Ingraham Hall
Cost: Free
Web Link
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Madison's Annual Tribute to Rachel Corrie Feat. Ahmed Abu Artema

Ahmed Abu Artema is a 34-year-old Palestinian journalist, poet and peace activist. He is the author of the book "Organized Chaos" and his writings have been published in the New York Times, 972 Magazine, The Nation, Common Dreams and Mondoweiss. One of the founders of the Great March of Return, he has been interviewed by NPR, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, and CNN. His family was forced from Al Ramla village in Palestine in 1948 and he was born and grew up as a refugee in Rafah Camp in the Gaza strip, unable to even visit his ancestral home in what is now Israel. He lives in Gaza with his wife and four children. He is on a speaking tour of the U.S. during March 2019 at the invitation of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).
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UNA February public lecture: Steve Wallace, Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company
Co Sponsored: UW MAdison African Studies Department

Facebook Event
Tuesday, February 19th 2018: Madison Downtown Public Library 7:00PM
Join us February 19th  to learn more about Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company headquartered in Milwaukee that works closely with chocolate production in Ghana.

 *If you have a copy of Steve Wallace’s book, “Obromi  and the Chocolate Factory: An Unlikely Story of Globalization and Ghana's First Gormet Chocolate Bar”( Skyhorse Publishing, 2017), please bring it with you. He will be signing books at the event!!
 Relationship to UN Program Goals:
8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
12: Responsible Production and Consumption
15: Life on Land

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UNA January Public Lecture: Liberian Assistance Program

Tuesday, January 8th 2018: Madison Downtown Public Library 7:00PM
Presentation by Liberian Assistance Program (The Winner of the 2018 Global Citizen of the Year Award) on their work in Education.
Relationship to UN Program Goals:

2: Zero Hunger
4: Quality Education;
8: Decent Work and Economic Growth;

Human Rights Day Event!

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Trump Administration & Palestine Conflict

Read Here
September 18, 2018
Meg Skinner, Advocacy Chair of UNA Dane County
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Sink or Swim; Slavery or Salvation: The UN Response to the Crisis
November 13 (Tuesday) 7:00 PM
3rd floor, Downtown Public Library
201 W Mifflin Street, Madison WI 53703
Speaker Coleen Higgins
UNA Dane County’s Annual meeting will be held at the start of our monthly program. Nominating Committee Chair Anita Pradhan will present a slate of officers for 2019 and candidates for board seats that will be open that year; approval of the revised bylaws approved by the board.
Speaker Coleen Higgins will report on problems facing those on the high seas, environmental/pollution issues, and dramatic events at sea at the UN's International Maritime Organization meeting in London in June 2018.  
UN Day Luncheon: "The Role of Human Rights in Achieving Peace and Stability in The Great Lakes Region of Africa"
October 28 (Sunday), 2018
Monona Terrace, 1 John Nolan Drive, Madison WI
Guest: Russ Feingold, Former US Senator and U.S. Representative to the Central African Region
Music by
Kikeh Mato Afro-Pop
See more information about the silent auction below!
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Learn More
Registration Closed
UNA Members – you can be part of the 2018 Silent Auction Project!

The Silent Auction will take place at the annual Luncheon: Celebrating the 73rd anniversary of the United Nations

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Here’s what you can do to participate:
1) You can donate a treasure from one of your travels – …or offer the donation of a ‘service’ – for example, preparing a Chinese dinner for 6 in your home – or offering your summer cabin for a weekend retreat! 


2) Tell us about your donation – and write a few lines about it – Tell us where your item comes from – and add any specifics about minimum bids you’ll accept… or when the ‘service’ is available, or any other details.

3) Send this information to unausadanecounty@gmail.com


4) If you have an ITEM to donate, please attach a photo to your e-mail, so we can post it the UNA Dane County website.

You can explain in your email how and when you would like to donate the item, and we can work with you to find a time and place.

5) And then, finally… come to the Fall Luncheon October 28th and place your BID!! 

PAST EVENTS:
"Global Health Programs: Big Successes in the Midst of Big Transitions"
May 10 (Thursday) 5:30-7:00pm, 2018
AT&T Lounge, Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St, Madison
Ambass
ador John E. Lange, Senior Fellow, Global Health Diplomacy, United Nations Foundation
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Over the last twenty years, bilateral and multilateral global health programs have greatly expanded and have saved millions of lives.  Many of these are “vertical” programs focusing on a single disease or condition, such as the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  There now is a greater emphasis on “horizontal” programs to strengthen health systems.  The new Director General of the World Health Organization has made universal health coverage, one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, his top priority.  And the new Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria says, “If we work together to mobilize funds, build strong health systems and establish effective community responses we will be able to end epidemics, promote prosperity and increase our global health security.”  Ambassador Lange will discuss the many successes of global health programs as well as the challenges ahead in strengthening health systems.
"Back to the Village: Woman in Contemporary Togo, West Africa"
May 8th (Tuesday) 7:00 PM, 3rd floor, Downtown Public Library - Madison
UNA Public lecture and product display by Presenter Elisabeth Karpov, with information on Alaffia products by Julie Neitzel of Community Pharmacy;  one of the retailers in Dane County selling the products of this women's collective.
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Register Here

Earth Day Benefit Concert
The UNA-USA, UW-Madison Chapter is presenting an Earth Day Benefit concert to promote both local and international sustainable development goals! 

Date: EARTH DAY- Sunday, April 22nd, 6-9pm
Location: Der Rathskeller, Wisconsin Memorial Union
Lineup: Guozhan: 6:00pm - 6:45pm
The Panoptics: 7pm - 9pm 

We are encouraging attendees to: 
contribute to our GoFundMe for the River Alliance of Wisconsin: 
https://www.gofundme.com/unauwm-earth-week-fundraiser
and to voice their support for US-UN relations to their U.S. Representatives:https://phone2action.com/citizen-tools/ 

We are excited to celebrate the preservation of our beautiful planet with you all!
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ESP presents "Dreaming the World Awake"
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The Eastside Players are proud to present the world premiere production of 'Dreaming the World Awake', May 3-5, in the Margaret Williams Theatre.

'Dreaming the World Awake' is an adaptation of the book by Dr. Vincent Kavoloski written by the Eastside Players and Paul Milisch. Dr. Kavoloski is a Professor of Philosophy at Edgewood College with a specialization in the Philosophy of Peace. In October 2013 Vincent was named Global Citizen of the Year by the United Nations Association of Dane County.

The performances are at 7pm with a matinee on May 5 at 2pm. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults.

Please contact Paul Milisch, Producing Director, with any questions at pmilisch@madison.k12.wi.us

The April 21st Run for Refugees has been cancelled due to a lack of registrants.Those who registered will be reimbursed ASAP! Thank you for your support.
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Enjoy dinner with the UNA-USA Dane County community chapter and the UW-Madison GenUN chapter to help educate children in the UNHCR’s Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps in Kenya
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When: Tuesday, March 20th, 7 – 9 p.m.
Where: Christ Presbyterian Church social hall, 944 Gorham St. (on the lake at the corner of Gorham and Brearly – free parking in church lot)
 

This Adopt-A-Future dinner is part of a national UNA-USA program, launched in 2016, for chapters to raise funds to build classrooms in the Dadaab and Kakuma UN refugee agency camps in Kenya. Learn more athttp://www.unausa.org/programs/adopt-a-future.
 
As of February 23, 2018, UNA-USA chapters had raised $130,000 for this project. These funds and any raised in 2018 will be matched through the Educate a Child Fund of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser of Qatar and other philanthropic partners, doubling the impact of the money the UNA chapters raise.
 
For the Madison intergenerational program, in recognition of International Women’s Day – an annual March 8 celebration promoted worldwide by the UN since 1975, special guest Chef Francesca Hong, co-owner of Morris Ramen at 106 King Street, Madison, will talk about being a woman chef.  National UNA-USA Emerging Leadership Fellow and active member of both the Dane County and the UW-Madison chapters Prasangi Attapattu will discuss the refugee situation. Before their remarks, attendees will share a potluck meal of dishes prepared by GenUN members and their families.  Please bring a dish to pass, if it is convenient. But know that EVERYONE is invited and should attend whether or not they bring a dish to pass.
 
Donation of $10 or more requested

 

UNA UW-Madison Newsletter

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Join UNA-USA Dane County for a new, different and informative February Meeting​
Where: Swagat Indian Restaurant, 707 N. High Point Roadhttp://www.swagatindianrestaurant.com/
 
When: Tuesday, February 13
What: 6 to 7 PM       Dinner (optional and dutch treat)
            7 to 8 PM      Sumudu Anopama Atapattu, Director of Research Centers and Senior Lecturer at UW Law School. She will give a presentation on Sri Lankan culture and current events.


Dr. Atapattu teaches in the area of International Environmental law and climate change and human rights . She holds an LL.M. (Public International Law) and a Ph.D. (International Environmental Law) from the University of Cambridge, U.K., and is an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.  Her books include:  "Human Rights Approaches to Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities" (2015, Routledge, U.K); "International Environmental Law and the Global South" (2015, Cambridge University Press) (co-editor); and "Emerging Principles of International Environmental Law" (2006, Transnational Publishers, New York). She is affiliated with UW-Madison's Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, the Center for South Asia, and the 4W Initiative and was a visiting professor at Doshisha University Law School, Japan, in summer 2014 and Giessen University, Germany in summer 2016. She also coordinates the Human Rights Program at UW-Madison.


Recipient of 2017 Dane County UNA Global Citizen Award: Margaret Hawkins
"Global StoryBridges: Connecting Youth Across the Globe"


UNA Public Lecture: January 9th, 2018 @ 7pm, 3rd floor, Downtown Public Library

Margaret Hawkins is a professor of Curriculum and instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Hawkins has developed the Global Storybridges Program that connects under-resourced, english-learning youth across the globe using current technology. She has worked in Uganda, Kenya, India, China and Mexico. *Cake and coffee will be provided*

“Transitional Justice in Colombia: A Recipe for Peace with Justice?”
​
Nov. 28 (Tuesday) 7:00 PM, 3rd floor, Downtown Public Library - Madison
​
Jack Laun, President, Colombia Support Network

"The Colombian Government and the FARC guerrillas signed a Peace Agreement to end 54 years of armed conflict, in which more than 200,000 people died and more than 7 million people have been displaced from their homes. Implementation of the Peace Agreement is underway, with a system of transitional justice designed to provide penalties for those guilty of crimes on a reduced scale in return for telling the truth about their involvement in the conflict. But.many obstacles to peace and social justice remain. I will report on what a delegation of the Colombia Support Network learned from a series of interviews we conducted in Colombia from November 7-17, and will assess the prospects for a successful conclusion to the armed conflict in Colombia."

​All welcome to this public event.

UNA-USA Dane County Chapter's 2017 Luncheon: "Human Rights in a Time of Conflict"
REGISTRATION!
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UNA Members – you can be part of the 2017 Silent Auction Project!

The Silent Auction will take place at the annual Luncheon:
"Human Rights in a Time of Conflict"

Sponsored by the Dane County Chapter
of the United Nations Association (UNA)
Sunday, October 29th, 2017
Monona Terrace, Madison
11:45am - 2:30pm

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Here’s what you can do to participate:
1) You can donate a treasure from one of your travels – 
…or offer the donation of a ‘service’ – for example, preparing a Chinese dinner for 6 in your home – or offering your summer cabin for a weekend retreat! 

2) Tell us about your donation – and write a few lines about it – Tell us where your item comes from – and add any specifics about minimum bids you’ll accept… or when the ‘service’ is available, or any other details.

3) Send this information to - jdeltoro@wisc.edu

​4) If you have an ITEM to donate, please attach a photo to your e-mail, so we can post it the UN Dane County website.

You can then take your item:
- directly to Joann Elder’s home in Madison anytime in August or September – at 1112 Grant St (near the zoo)608-255-0533

5) And then, finally… come to the Fall Luncheon October 29th and place your BID!! 

You’ll be getting your Luncheon Registration materials soon in the mail – watch for the flyer!

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Request for Nominations for the 2017 Global Citizen of the Year Award

For the ninth year the United Nations Association of Dane County will honor one or more persons who have worked to improve the lives of others internationally or have worked to highlight the mission, value and goals of the United Nations. This award honors global work that improves the health, equality, environment, education, legal rights, living conditions, distribution of resources, rule of law or conflict resolution for people anywhere. It may also honor someone’s work to enhance the knowledge and understanding about the work of the United Nations.

​The award will be presented on October 29, 2017 at the UNA Dane annual luncheon to recognize the founding of the United Nations. The award recipient is not required to be a member of UNA Dane County to receive this award and nominees are not required to live in Dane County, but they must work in Dane County.



Past honorees have been: 
  • 2016 Araceli Alonso for her Health by Motorcycle Project in Kenya
  • 2015 Cecilia Zarate-Laun for her work helping Colombians create a peaceful participatory democracy and an economically just society.
  • 2014 Joseph Elder for his peace keeping in Kashmir, Vietnam, Korea, and Sri Lanka and promoting the work of the United Nations.
  • 2013 Vince Kavaloski for teaching the philosophies of peace and social justice.
  • 2012 Sarith Ou and Roger Garms for the Cambodian School Project
  • 2011 Lisa Fernandez for providing wheelchairs and school supplies to Nicaragua
  • 2010 Norma Berkowitz for assisting the people affected by Chernobyl
  • 2009 Jennifer Lowenstein for her work in Palestine
  • 2008 Mike Boehm for his work in Vietnam

You are invited to submit nominations on the attached Nomination Form by July 1, 2017 to Todd Kummer, 6 Nokomis Court, Madison WI 53711 or by email at finchcrk@tds.net. We prefer that you submit nominations in electronic format.


gc_2017_nomination_form__.docx
File Size: 92 kb
File Type: docx
Download File


Announcing Our 2017 UNA Project 
CARE FOR THE CHILDREN OF CAMBODIA 
The 2017 project of the Dane County Chapter of the UNA-USA 
Goal: To raise $3,000 

Cambodia will be a recurrent Dane County United Nations Association theme in 2017. We have invited Professor Thierry Cruvellier, author of a book on war crimes in Cambodia, to be the speaker at our Sunday October 29 UN-Day luncheon (save the date). We have invited Sothy Tep, a member of the Cambodian parliament, to give a public lecture September 12 here in Madison. And we have promised to provide $3,000 to Edgewood College's Cambodia Service-Learning Program by December 2017. 

Every May and January Edgewood College students, under the supervision of Nursing Professor Claude Rochon, travel to Cambodia to teach and deliver medical supplies to Cambodian clinics that serve children. Our funding goal for the Edgewood College Program in Cambodia is $3,000. We have already committed to give the Cambodia Service Leaning Program an advance of $1,500 (half of our $3,000 goal) to support the May 2017 program. Checks payable to “Dane County Chapter of the UNA-USA” can be sent to: UNA-USA Dane County Chapter, P.O. Box 5155, Madison, WI 53705. You can also contribute by credit card or PayPal at unadane.org. Either way your donation is tax deductible. 

​By giving to our 2017 UNA Project, you will help children and communities in Cambodia in need of medical attention and supplies. You will also help Edgewood College students benefit from international service-learning experiences. You will also help further goal number 3 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” You will also enact the motto: Think globally; act locally.

    

The Kamentsa Indigenous of the Colombian Andes: 500 Years of Exploitation to Our Global Struggle for a Future 
Tuesday, March 14th

3rd Floor, Downtown Public Library (7pm-9pm)
Public Lecture presented by (Steve Bray, former engineer with Caterpillar corporation, who gave up his engineering career to work for the indigenous communities in the Andes mountains of Colombia)
United Nations Association of the United States of America - Dane County Chapter Co-sponsored by the Institute for Regional and International Studies


The United Nations Association Annual Meeting        (and election of officers) 
 7:00 PM, Tuesday, December 13 in Room 301, Madison's 
Downtown Library. 

The Annual Meeting will be followed immediately by 

Edgewood College professor Claude Rochon's presentation on "Edgewood 
College Student Projects in Cambodia" -- free and open to the public
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Dane County Chapter of UNA-USA Achieves its 2016 Goal!
 

November 1, 2016 – Joseph W. Elder, President of the Dane County Chapter of the United Nations Association of the USA, announced today that the Chapter had successfully achieved its targeted goal for 2016 – raising $3,000 to give to the World Food Program. The World Food Program assists the United Nations in feeding the world's refugees and displaced persons. The Dane County Chapter, with the help of many of its members, raised the $3,000 by co-sponsoring a “Run for Refugees,” organizing a UN-Day luncheon, holding a silent auction, and receiving donations.
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 “The World Court: A Conversation by Skype with a UW Grad  Student now Working in the Hague”
7:00 PM,  3rd floor, Downtown Public Library, UNA Public Lecture
Presented by Allison Perlin

                          
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​UN Members – you can be part of the 2016  Silent Auction Project! 
The Silent Auction will take place at the annual Luncheon: Celebrating the 71st anniversary of the United Nations
Sponsored by the Dane County Chapter
 of the United Nations Association (UNA)
Sunday, October 23rd, 2016
Monona Terrace, Madison
11:30am - 2:30pm

Here’s what you can do to participate:
1)  You can donate a treasure from one of your travels –         
…or offer the donation of a ‘service’ – for example, preparing a Chinese dinner for 6 in your home – or offering your summer cabin for a weekend retreat!  

2)Tell us about your donation – and write a few lines about it – Tell us where your item comes from – and add any specifics about minimum bids you’ll accept… or when the ‘service’ is available, or any other details.
3)Send this information to - purvagoel01@gmail.com orjdeltoro@wisc.edu
4) If you have an ITEM to donate, please attach a photo to your e-mail, so we can post it the UN Dane County website.

You can then take your item:
A)     directly to Joann Elder’s home in Madison anytime in August or September – at 1112 Grant St (near the zoo) 608-255-0533
B)     Or, you can bring your item to the September UN Monthly Program Meeting at the downtown Public Library Tuesday Sept. 13, 7 pm, Rm #301.
5)   And then, finally …… come to the Fall Luncheon October 23rd and place your BID!! 
 
You’ll be getting your Luncheon Registration materials soon in the mail – watch for the flyer!

    (If you need a receipt for your donation, let us know!)
 
THANKS!
 
From the UN Dane County Silent Auction Committee:
 
Joann Elder, Board member and founding Chapter member
Jesus Del Toro, UW-Madison intern
Purva Goel, intern

Wisconsin Micro-finance. The Power of Microfinance in the Developing World 
Tracey E Harvey, Executive Director of Wisconsin Microfinance
Tuesday, April 12th @ Madison Central Library/ Bubbler Room

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​    Ms. Harvey earned a Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Environmental Sciences from UW-Milwaukee, and a Master of Science in Marine Science from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research included  freshwater ecology and large-scale
environmental issues including oil spill disasters. She currently works as an Environmental Scientist at Green Seal. Outside of her academic career she has always been involved in volunteer programs focused on economic development. Now, as the Executive Director of Wisconsin Microfinance she hopes to raise awareness of their program and the power of micro-loans in the developing
world and push towards more community engagement and community partnerships.

    Wisconsin Microfinance was created to provide seed funding for small businesses in the developing world. By providing very small loans to very poor individuals, they seek to improve the quality of life of families and the economic potential of communities. Micro-loans empower individuals to take responsibility for improving their lives and break the cycle of dependency which is often created by short-term aid. All loans are made to individuals who are members of a lending group, and no member of a lending group can receive a subsequent loan until everyone has paid back their first loan.  In addition, the majority of their loans go to women, as women are statistically more likely to invest the money into an endeavor that will improve the economic condition of her family. They have already seen the impact of micro-loans in communities in Haiti and the Philippines and hope to spread this impact of micro-loans to other communities.

CRANES ACROSS BORDERS: BRINGING PEOPLE 
TOGETHER
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​       George Archibald, co founder of the International Crane Foundation will speak at the March 8,                               2016 (7pm) meeting of UNA Dane at the Madison Central Library.

Cranes are powerful ambassadors for international goodwill and collaboration. From the wedding kimonos of Japan, to the colorful
textiles in African markets, to the ancient poetry of the Ramayana in India, cranes figure prominently in the lives of people wherever they occur. Red-crowned Cranes are symbols of longevity, marital bliss, and good luck in East Asia. Sarus Cranes are the bridge to spiritual afterlife in Vietnam. Grey Crowned Cranes appear on the national flag, currency, and coat of arms of Uganda.

George Archibald, co founder of the International Crane Foundation, presents Cranes Across Borders. The future of crane was once as fragile as the delicate and graceful birds themselves. George Archibalds visionary leadership in international conservation efforts over the past 40 years has led to crane conservation worldwide. In 1973, when cranes were in peril and on the brink of extinction Archibald, along with Cornell University colleague, Ronald Sauey, PhD.,established the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in Baraboo, Wisconsin as the world center for the study and preservation of cranes.
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Members' Day at the UN
 and the 8th Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
Friday, February 19, 2016 (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM)


​Join fellow UNA-USA members and UN supporters at the UN Headquarters for Members' Day, a day of dynamic and informative discussion on the most pressing issues facing the United Nations. UNA-USA members will get exclusive access to the UN, where they will hear from experts on topics like refugees and sustainable development, and network with community leaders, academics and students, and representatives from think tanks and
like-minded organizations. 


Don't miss out on what is expected to be the largest gathering of UN advocates in the United States--register today! Stay tuned to UNA-USA email and social media communications for more details on the conference program and speakers. Email membership@unausa.org if you have additional questions.
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Thank you to all the folks who came out and joined us to remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. Special thanks to Barbara Nichols for her eloquent speech. 

                             Photo Gallery from October 18th, 2015 Luncheon

                           Previous winners of the Global Citizen Award​
  • 2015 Cecilia Zarate-Laun for the Columbia Support Network. 
  • 2014 Joseph Elder for his peace keeping in Kashmir, Vietnam, Korea, and Sri Lanka and promoting the work of the United Nations. 
  • 2013 Vince Kavaloski for teaching the philosophies of peace and social justice. 
  • ​​2012 Sarith Ou and Roger Garms for the Cambodian School Project 
  • 2011 Lisa Fernandez for founding the Nicaragua Wheelchair Project
  • ​2010 Norma Berkowitz for assisting the people affected by Chernobyl
  • 2009 Jennifer Lowenstein for her work in Palestine
  • 2008 Mike Bohem for his work in Vietnam

Lectures/Programs from 2015

Paris Terrorist Attacks
​
Host John Quinlan holds a discussion on the Paris terrorist attack. Joey Johannsen and Gabi Helfert, who were in Paris in vacations during the attacks, skype in to the show. Franck Meunier, a native of France living in Madison, and Dr. Joseph Elder, UW-Madison Professor Emeritus of Sociology, and an international Quaker peace activist, join us in the studio.




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