Top 10 UNA-NYC Events Not to Miss from 2020
We don’t need to tell you that 2020 was an unprecedented year for the United Nations Association of New York. The Covid-19 pandemic forced us to push all our programming online, cancel our yearly Gala, and delay travel for our Summer Scholars. But the silver lining of this shift is that most of our events, which were held via Zoom, were recorded and are available to view online by all. Take a look below at ten of our most popular events of 2020 — and catch up on those you missed! Check out our Year in Review video for a short summary.
April 16 | Zoonotic Pandemics: How to Prevent Them in the Future
Our first virtual event of the year focused, fittingly, on the pandemic. Dr. Christian Walzer, Executive Director of Wildlife Health at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and Karin Goebel, of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN, came together to answer our most pressing questions on Covid-19 — at the time, a new and frightening global threat for all of us. While we have learned much more about the pandemic since we hosted this webinar, Dr. Walzer and Ms. Goebel’s insights on reducing future pandemics remain as relevant as ever. Watch here
June 3 | Investing in Languages: Why Multilingualism Matters
Multilingualism, crucial to harmonious communication between peoples, has always been of particular importance to the United Nations. So why do many people value it so little? In this fascinating webinar, Antonella Sorace, Professor of Developmental Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh and Founding Director of Bilingualism Matters, shared her research on the benefits of multilingualism, tackled some of the main misconceptions held, and made a powerful case for investing in languages as a crucial part of public policy and international relations. Watch here
July 29 | The Virtual UN: Innovation and Remote Diplomacy in the Era of Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic forced the United Nations to adapt to a form of diplomacy rarely used before last year. How did the different parts of the UN system coordinate this move to virtual diplomacy — and how well did it work? At this Ambassador Series event, we were joined by H.E. Ambassador Mari Skåre, Chef de Cabinet to the UNGA President, Mr. Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, and the Permanent Representatives of Hungary and Georgia to help answer these questions. Watch here
August 27 | Real Life Heroes: The UN's Humanitarian Workers on the Frontlines
We had the pleasure of bringing together four remarkable guests for a webinar panel celebrating World Humanitarian Day. Each was honored by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as part of its #RealLifeHeroes campaign, which recognizes the work of UN humanitarians around the world. OCHA Deputy Spokesperson Jens Laerke moderated the panel which, in spite of some internet connectivity issues, proved insightful and fascinating. Watch here
October 12 | Secrets of the UN (including a Hidden Apartment)
“I’ve always loved the UN — I’ve always found it a fascinating little parcel of New York City,” said journalist Michelle Young, founder of UntappedNY, at this event perfect for anyone curious to learn more about the UN Headquarters. Young took us through several lesser-known facts about the New York landmark, such as the large subterranean complex underneath, its vast and varied art collection, and the secret apartment that was formerly located in the Secretariat building. Watch here
October 21 | Call Me American: A Memoir
In addition to our celebrations of the UN’s 75th anniversary, October saw us launch our newest program, BookClubUNA, in partnership with the world’s leading travel media brand, AFAR Media. The collaborative book discussion space takes UNA-NYC members and book lovers around the world through a selection of books, announced quarterly, and guided discussions with AFAR editors. Our inaugural BookClubUNA meeting focused on Call Me American, Abdi Nor Iftin’s compelling memoir which recounts his journey from war-torn Somalia to the U.S. Watch here
October 27 | UN75 Special Panel: Reflecting on the Past, Building Our Future
Our month of celebrating the UN’s 75th anniversary culminated in this event featuring one of our most distinguished panels of the year, including Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General; H.E. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Permanent Representative of Nigeria and serving UNGA President (2019-20); H.E. Nicolas de Rivière, Permanent Representative of France; and Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF. The important discussion, moderated by MNSBC’s Richard Lui, is one not to be missed.
Watch here
November 19 | Careers in International Development
Our annual careers event — virtual for the first time ever — focused on the field of international development. Michael Dahl, Chief of Recruitment at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), discussed how to approach such a career in what he acknowledged is a tough time to enter the field. But Mr. Dahl also expressed optimism, noting that the work-from-home revolution could expand employment possibilities in the UN system. “We are trying to create new ways of working. It’s very interesting what’s going to come out of this.” Watch here
December 3 | Faith’s World
Our Screening the Issues series saw us host numerous fascinating film presentations last year, the most popular of which featured BYkids’ Faith’s World. In this compelling documentary, 16-year-old Faith Guilbault share her life with cerebral palsy and express her wish for a society that judges us by our similarities, and not our differences. Faith herself, along with supporting filmmakers from BYKids, joined us for a discussion after the screening. Also participating in the event, via video message, was H.E. Luis Gallegos Chiriboga, former Permanent Representative of Ecuador and a prominent voice on disabilities in the UN system. Watch here
December 17 | AIDS, Covid, Women and Children: Global Disparities
We ended 2020 with our most attended event of the year, as Dr. Shannon Hader, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of Programme at UNAIDS, and Dr. Chewe Luo, Chief of the HIV/AIDS Section of UNICEF, came together in honor of World AIDS Day to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the global effort against HIV. The event, which was co-hosted with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and its President Beverly E. Smith, proved one of our most fascinating discussions of the year — check it out if you missed it! Watch here