UN Special (magazine)
Encyclopedia
UN Special is the monthly magazine of international civil servants working in the United Nations
system in Geneva, mainly from the United Nations Office at Geneva
(UNOG) and the World Health Organization
(WHO). Similarly to Ex Tempore
, the literary magazine of the United Nations Society of Writers
, the UN Special magazine functions on a voluntary
basis, representing the joint efforts of staff of the United Nations, the World Health Organisations, and other international organizations and agencies based in Genevainternational organizations and agencies based in Geneva (Switzerland), who collaborate in the magazine in their free time, beyond their formal duties. It is a non-profit, non-commercial magazine. Although the magazine is not a professional media and is not accredited in the Swiss Club de la Presse, it closely cooperated with the Club suisse de la presse (Swiss Press Club) and was recognized by the official media as an outstanding collective volantary example of non-professional journalism.
Its first issue appeared in October 1949. Since then, for more than 60 years it has published 11 issues per year, on average 50 pages, and embodied both the United Nations’ cooperation between people of all backgrounds and its capacity to adjust to changing circumstances. The magazine has not lost sight of its overall objective: being for and about the United Nations and its international civil servants.
A key contribution of a magazine such as UN Special is that it opens windows to international organization
s, diplomatic missions, academia and various other entities in order to promote mutual understanding and foster synergy in the work covered by their respective mandates.
Thus, UN Special offers dialogue and reflection to renew a spirit of cooperation and humanitarianism
, not only for international Geneva, but also worldwide.
, UNOG in 1949) and by Gunnar Myrdal
, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe, UNECE. Another interesting contribution was dedicated to the celebration of the United Nations Day
, announcing public reading of the Preamble of the UN Charter. This first issue contained 22 black and white pages without defined columns and without photos.
Over the years, the UN Special has developed to become a professional 50 page-magazine with an average of 32 articles, mainly in English and French (the six official UN languages are English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese).
Earlier, the content of the magazine tended to focus on UN staff issues, however, with its development and increase in outreach, the magazine covers a broad range of topics related to the work of international organizations and governance, such as peace-keeping, poverty reduction
, human rights
, climate change mitigation, environmental protection
, natural disaster management and the status of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). The recent global discussions on greening the economy and enhancing sustainable development
are reflected in the magazine due to the engagement within these topics of those contributing to the UN Special. Cultural and environmental world heritage sites (listed by UNESCO
), find their coverage in the magazine as well.
In October 2009, the exhibition “UN Special magazine: History over 60 years” was inaugurated in the Palais des Nations
in Geneva. The exhibition traced the development of UN Special from the very first magazine in 1949, highlights key moments in the history of the United Nations, as experienced and told by staff. The exhibition was visited by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon
. The Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva
Sergei Ordzhonikidze
in his opening remarks to mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Special magazine noted: “I believe that UN Special embodies both the United Nations’ unique ability to facilitate cooperation between people of all backgrounds and its capacity to adjust to ever-changing circumstances – without losing sight of the overall objectives”.
The policy of the magazine is to have a broad variety of subject, and at the same time to be politically, religiously and gender neutral.
. Many activities were organized by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) on the Place des Nations, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) opened its doors to the public for the first time.
Based on an idea from UN Special magazine and from its editor-in-chief, the event (also called UN Green Day) was made possible through the efforts of an organizing committee drawn from the United Nations Geneva office, UNEP and WIPO, as well as contributions and assistance from the Swiss Confederation, the Canton and City of Geneva, the permanent missions of Brazil, Denmark, Italy, Japan and Rwanda and other partners..
Director-General to commemorate those who lost their lives for the high ideals of the United Nations Memorial to honour those who lost their lives for the high ideas of the United Nations (see UN Special No.600). The Memorial was inaugurated at the grounds of the Palais des Nations, in the Ariana Park, in 2003.
Today, this Memorial in Ariana Park symbolizes all UN peacekeepers and a celebration of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
takes place at the grounds of this Memorial to remember those who served in the UN peacekeeping operations and to honor the memory of those who died in the name of peace. Each year, at the end of May, UN staff and the Soldier for Peace International Association come to this Memorial to pay tribute to the women and men who serve, or have served, in United Nations peace missions across the globe, to salute their courage and commitment, their dedication and determination to serve fellow human beings in dangerous and difficult circumstances.
Special ceremony is conducted near this Memorial in Ariana Park to honour more than 2,500 civilian and military personnel who have died in the line of duty since 1948. Near this Memorial UN colleagues vow to remember them, and pledge to carry on their efforts, to honour their memory and to ensure that their sacrifice will serve the cause of peace and stability in the world.
2004. The slogan illustrated the significance of rice across the globe, and its importance to nutrition, livelihood, culture, and the natural environment. On the occasion of the International Year of Rice decided by the United Nations General Assembly
, the UN Special magazine together with the United Nations family, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) prepared the an international cookbook "Rice Around the World". From Santiago to Bangkok, from Beijing to The Cape, from Tashkent to Cairo, rice nourishes more than 3 billion people throughout the world. In each of these cities, in each of these countries, from the rickest to the poorest, each one has its own way of accommodating rice, or rices as theere are so many types. The book was prepared by the international civil servants as well as goodwill people from all over the world. The so called "Rice Team" from the UN Special Editorial Board collected, compiled and put such a book together offering to its readers to go around the world with 300 recipes from over 100 countries. The benefits were donated to the UNICEF to help fighting against hunger.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
system in Geneva, mainly from the United Nations Office at Geneva
United Nations Office at Geneva
The United Nations Office at Geneva is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations...
(UNOG) and the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO). Similarly to Ex Tempore
Ex tempore
Ex tempore has two meanings:-Performance:"Extempore" or "ex tempore" refers to a stage or theater performance that is carried out without preparation or forethought. Most often the term is used in the context of speech, singing and stage acting...
, the literary magazine of the United Nations Society of Writers
United Nations Society of Writers
The United Nations Society of Writers is a club for United Nations staff registered with the United Nations Staff Socio Cultural Commission in Geneva, and is known under the acronyms UNSW and SENU, corresponding to Societé des écrivains des Nations Unies...
, the UN Special magazine functions on a voluntary
Voluntary
Voluntary may refer to:* Voluntary * Voluntary or volunteer, person participating via volunteering/volunteerism- See also :* Voluntary action* Voluntariness, in law and philosophy* Voluntaryism, rejection of coercion...
basis, representing the joint efforts of staff of the United Nations, the World Health Organisations, and other international organizations and agencies based in Genevainternational organizations and agencies based in Geneva (Switzerland), who collaborate in the magazine in their free time, beyond their formal duties. It is a non-profit, non-commercial magazine. Although the magazine is not a professional media and is not accredited in the Swiss Club de la Presse, it closely cooperated with the Club suisse de la presse (Swiss Press Club) and was recognized by the official media as an outstanding collective volantary example of non-professional journalism.
Its first issue appeared in October 1949. Since then, for more than 60 years it has published 11 issues per year, on average 50 pages, and embodied both the United Nations’ cooperation between people of all backgrounds and its capacity to adjust to changing circumstances. The magazine has not lost sight of its overall objective: being for and about the United Nations and its international civil servants.
A key contribution of a magazine such as UN Special is that it opens windows to international organization
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...
s, diplomatic missions, academia and various other entities in order to promote mutual understanding and foster synergy in the work covered by their respective mandates.
Thus, UN Special offers dialogue and reflection to renew a spirit of cooperation and humanitarianism
Humanitarianism
In its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution...
, not only for international Geneva, but also worldwide.
History
The first issue of UN Special was published on 24 October 1949. It was handwritten and the cover was signed by the members of the Editorial Committee at that time. Among the articles, essays and UN announcements in this very first issue under the Chief Editor R.J Spencer, we find a welcoming address by Wladimir Moderow, the representative of the Secretary-General, the Director-General of the European Office of the United Nations (this was the name of the United Nations Office at GenevaUnited Nations Office at Geneva
The United Nations Office at Geneva is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations...
, UNOG in 1949) and by Gunnar Myrdal
Gunnar Myrdal
Karl Gunnar Myrdal was a Swedish Nobel Laureate economist, sociologist, and politician. In 1974, he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Friedrich Hayek for "their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the...
, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe, UNECE. Another interesting contribution was dedicated to the celebration of the United Nations Day
United Nations Day
In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly declared 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as which "shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for" its work.In 1971 the...
, announcing public reading of the Preamble of the UN Charter. This first issue contained 22 black and white pages without defined columns and without photos.
Over the years, the UN Special has developed to become a professional 50 page-magazine with an average of 32 articles, mainly in English and French (the six official UN languages are English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese).
Earlier, the content of the magazine tended to focus on UN staff issues, however, with its development and increase in outreach, the magazine covers a broad range of topics related to the work of international organizations and governance, such as peace-keeping, poverty reduction
Poverty reduction
Poverty is the state of human beings who are poor. That is, they have little or no material means of surviving—little or no food, shelter, clothes, healthcare, education, and other physical means of living and improving one's life....
, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, climate change mitigation, environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
, natural disaster management and the status of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). The recent global discussions on greening the economy and enhancing sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
are reflected in the magazine due to the engagement within these topics of those contributing to the UN Special. Cultural and environmental world heritage sites (listed by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
), find their coverage in the magazine as well.
In October 2009, the exhibition “UN Special magazine: History over 60 years” was inaugurated in the Palais des Nations
Palais des Nations
The Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1929 and 1936 to serve as the headquarters of the League of Nations. It has served as the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva since 1946 when the Secretary General of the UN signed a Headquarters Agreement with the Swiss...
in Geneva. The exhibition traced the development of UN Special from the very first magazine in 1949, highlights key moments in the history of the United Nations, as experienced and told by staff. The exhibition was visited by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
. The Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva
United Nations Office at Geneva
The United Nations Office at Geneva is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations...
Sergei Ordzhonikidze
Sergei Ordzhonikidze
Sergei Ordzhonikidze is a Russian diplomat. He was the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva from 2002 - 2011...
in his opening remarks to mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Special magazine noted: “I believe that UN Special embodies both the United Nations’ unique ability to facilitate cooperation between people of all backgrounds and its capacity to adjust to ever-changing circumstances – without losing sight of the overall objectives”.
Mandate and policy
Editor-in-Chief and the Deputy Editor-in-Chief are elected for the period of 2 years from the candidates who present their candidatures voluntary. Today magazine has also two Associate Editors, and Editorial Board, who, in majority, are the international civil servants and who collaborate in the magazine at voluntary basis.The policy of the magazine is to have a broad variety of subject, and at the same time to be politically, religiously and gender neutral.
Columns
- Guest of the month
- World
- Society
- Arts and Culture
- Swiss pages
- Geneva International
Projects
- Humanitarian assistance
- Restoration of the Celestial Sphere Woodrow Wilson MemorialThe Celestial Sphere Woodrow Wilson MemorialThe grounds of the Palais des Nations contain many fine objects donated by Member States, private sponsors and artists. The Celestial Sphere in the Ariana Park of the Palais des Nations is the best-known of these...
as symbol of Peace - UN Special and Geneva International
- UN Clubs
- United Nations Orchestra
- UN Special meets children needs
UN Green Day
On 5 June 2010, the United Nations family sponsored a celebration of World Environment Day. A record number of 6,500 accepted the invitation to visit Ariana Park, which was opened also to mark the International Year of BiodiversityInternational Year of Biodiversity
The International Year of Biodiversity was a year-long celebration of biological diversity and its value for life on Earth, taking place around the world in 2010...
. Many activities were organized by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) on the Place des Nations, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) opened its doors to the public for the first time.
Based on an idea from UN Special magazine and from its editor-in-chief, the event (also called UN Green Day) was made possible through the efforts of an organizing committee drawn from the United Nations Geneva office, UNEP and WIPO, as well as contributions and assistance from the Swiss Confederation, the Canton and City of Geneva, the permanent missions of Brazil, Denmark, Italy, Japan and Rwanda and other partners..
Memorial to honour those who lost their lives for peace
Special attention and tribute is given to United Nations staff and international civil servants who lost their lives under the duties of the United Nations in different parts of the world. A special Memorial has been inaugurated at the initiative of UN Special with the support of the United Nations Secretary General and under the auspices of the United Nations Office at GenevaUnited Nations Office at Geneva
The United Nations Office at Geneva is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations...
Director-General to commemorate those who lost their lives for the high ideals of the United Nations Memorial to honour those who lost their lives for the high ideas of the United Nations (see UN Special No.600). The Memorial was inaugurated at the grounds of the Palais des Nations, in the Ariana Park, in 2003.
Today, this Memorial in Ariana Park symbolizes all UN peacekeepers and a celebration of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
The "International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers", May 29, is "a day to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication, and courage and to honor the memory of those who...
takes place at the grounds of this Memorial to remember those who served in the UN peacekeeping operations and to honor the memory of those who died in the name of peace. Each year, at the end of May, UN staff and the Soldier for Peace International Association come to this Memorial to pay tribute to the women and men who serve, or have served, in United Nations peace missions across the globe, to salute their courage and commitment, their dedication and determination to serve fellow human beings in dangerous and difficult circumstances.
Special ceremony is conducted near this Memorial in Ariana Park to honour more than 2,500 civilian and military personnel who have died in the line of duty since 1948. Near this Memorial UN colleagues vow to remember them, and pledge to carry on their efforts, to honour their memory and to ensure that their sacrifice will serve the cause of peace and stability in the world.
Rice is life
Rice is Life was selected as the slogan for the International Year of RiceInternational Year of Rice
The year 2004 was declared the International Year of Rice by the United Nations, noting that rice is a staple food for more than half the world's population, and affirming the need to heighten awareness of the role of rice in alleviating poverty and malnutrition.This is one of many International...
2004. The slogan illustrated the significance of rice across the globe, and its importance to nutrition, livelihood, culture, and the natural environment. On the occasion of the International Year of Rice decided by the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, the UN Special magazine together with the United Nations family, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
(FAO) prepared the an international cookbook "Rice Around the World". From Santiago to Bangkok, from Beijing to The Cape, from Tashkent to Cairo, rice nourishes more than 3 billion people throughout the world. In each of these cities, in each of these countries, from the rickest to the poorest, each one has its own way of accommodating rice, or rices as theere are so many types. The book was prepared by the international civil servants as well as goodwill people from all over the world. The so called "Rice Team" from the UN Special Editorial Board collected, compiled and put such a book together offering to its readers to go around the world with 300 recipes from over 100 countries. The benefits were donated to the UNICEF to help fighting against hunger.
Featured interviews
- Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moonBan Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
, Secretary-General of the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(http://www.unspecial.org/UNS705/t21.html) - Kofi AnnanKofi AnnanKofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
, former Secretary-General of the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(http://www.unspecial.org/UNS600/UNS_600_T07.html) - Navi Pillay, UN High Commissionner for Human RightsUnited Nations Commission on Human RightsThe United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
(http://www.unspecial.org/UNS679/t23.html) - Sergei OrdzhonikidzeSergei OrdzhonikidzeSergei Ordzhonikidze is a Russian diplomat. He was the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva from 2002 - 2011...
, Director-General of the United Nations Office at GenevaUnited Nations Office at GenevaThe United Nations Office at Geneva is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations...
(http://www.unspecial.org/UNS683/t21.html) - Jimmy WalesJimmy WalesJimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
, The founder of Wikimedia FoundationWikimedia FoundationWikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
(http://www.unspecial.org/UNS694/t21.html) - Jacques RoggeJacques RoggeJacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, President of the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(http://www.unspecial.org/UNS696/t21.html) - Sashi Tharoor, former Deputy General-Secretary of the United Nations (http://www.unspecial.org/UNS667/t3A.html)
- Dr. Margaret ChanMargaret ChanMargaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, OBE JP is the Director-General of the World Health Organization . Chan was elected by the Executive Board of the WHO on 8 November 2006, and was endorsed in a special meeting of the World Health Assembly on the following day...
, Director-General of the World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(http://www.unspecial.org/UNS684/t21.html) - Gordon Martin, OBE, Honorable member of the Swiss Press Club (Club suisse de la presse) (http://www.unspecial.org/UNS666/t21.html)
- Abdou DioufAbdou DioufAbdou Diouf was the second President of Senegal, serving from 1981 to 2000. Diouf is notable both for coming to power by peaceful succession, and leaving willingly after losing the 2000 presidential election to Abdoulaye Wade...
, La FrancophonieLa FrancophonieFrancophonie is an international organization of politics and governments with French as the mother or customary language, where a significant proportion of people are francophones , or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture.Formally known as the Organisation...
International Organisation Secretary-General (http://www.unspecial.org/UNS667/t21.html) - Anders B. JohnssonAnders B. JohnssonAnders B. Johnsson is a Swedish jurist, the current Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union .- Biography :Johnsson was born in Lund, Sweden...
, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (http://www.unspecial.org/UNS697/t21.html)
See also
- United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
- United Nations Office at GenevaUnited Nations Office at GenevaThe United Nations Office at Geneva is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations...
- World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
- Nedd Willard