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United Nations Women’s Guild of Geneva
January - February 2016
New Year Edition
Happy New Year to all our members
We wish you good health, peace and prosperity
From the UNWG Executive Committee
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CONTENTS
UNITED NATIONS WOMEN’S GUILD
Villa les Feuillantines, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Genève 10 Tel: 022 917 33 86 Email: [email protected]
Opening times: Monday - Friday 9.30am-12.30pm Monday & Thursday 2.00pm to 5.00pm
Bank Account No. 279-CA101215.0 Clearing No. 279 IBAN: CH50 0027 9279 CA10 12150
English Newsletter Editor: Karen Rowland
Photographers: Margaret Tomassi, Genevieve Auroi Jaggi, Celia Auroi and Rocio Cornaz
Distribution: Budi Maher & team
Website Management: Olga Mednikova
Dear Members
We have unfortunately been unable to find a new sponsor for printing newsletters. To keep our commitment to our members who do not have internet access, we will send a Listings of Events by post.
Members with internet access will find a copy of the UNWG newsletter at http://www.unwg.ch/
Thank you for your kind understanding. The Executive Committee
3 President’s Welcome 11 Focus on Fribourg
4 Coffee Mornings: All Members & Switzerland 12 Visits & Culture
5 Executive Committee 2015/16 13 Book Club & Cookery Club
6 Nominating Committee: EC Vacancies 2016 14 Language Classes
7 Project News: Nepal 15 Activities List - UPDATED!
8 Project News: Uruguay 16 Notices
9 Guild News: Photos from Bazaar 2015 17 Editor’s Messages
10 Guild News: Photos from Bazaar 2015 cont.
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Dear Members,
The Bazaar, our main annual event, was held successfully on Tuesday, 24th November, with a large participation by permanent missions (66 national stands, 49 restaurant stands) and numerous attendance by members of the United Nations family in Geneva as well as by their friends and relatives.
The net takings of Bazaar 2015 are estimated at 200’000 Swiss francs. The Executive Committee met on 10th December to approve the selection of projects to be financed with this amount. The exact net revenue of the Bazaar and the list of selected projects will be included in the next issue of our Newsletter.
The success of the Bazaar is the fruit of the conjunction of dedication and good mood, cohesion and initiative, perseverance and enthusiasm, know-how and innovation, tradition and adjustment, teamwork and individual responsibility. I warmly thank all members who contributed to this excellent outcome, for a number of them at the cost of long weeks or even months of work with talent and diligence in their respective tasks: lottery and ticket sale; invitations and protocol; photographic reporting; cloakroom; information about UNWG and the projects; lucky dip; coffee, drinks and cakes; other Guild stalls (clothes, books, international stand, handicrafts, jewellery, umbrellas), without forgetting Margrit Hammarskjöld’s little German pig of marzipan, once more ready for cutting on the stand at the bottom of the escalator. We also deeply thank Margrit Hammarsköld for getting the Honda Jazz car for our lottery.
We are most grateful to the President of Bazaar 2015, Mrs Andrea Vazquez de D’Alotto, and to the Co-President, Mrs Eleonora Lucangeli Serra, who led and coordinated the work of the Bazaar Committee, gave it tonus and tempo with tact, inspiration and efficiency. They also added a specific note to the musical animation of the Bazaar. After the opening remarks, the President of the Bazaar offered us a show of tango presented by two dancers from the Geneva Tango School. Before the draw of the lottery, Trio Torello, with Valentina Londino, Tommaso Maria Maggiolini, Nicolas Mottini, invited from Rome by the Co-President, delighted us with duos of flute and piano and with arias from Italian operas. Many thanks also to the jazz ensemble of the UN Music Club, led by Mr Patrice Piguet, and the Paraguayan musician “Paraguai Sapukai” from Lausanne, who kindly boosted the sales through the day.
Because of ongoing works in Building E of the Palais des Nations, we could not install all restaurant stands on the third floor of Building E of the Palais des Nations. Twenty-two of them were hosted in Hall XIV of Building A. For the same reason, the Guild’s stalls that open before the Bazaar (clothes, books, toys, bric-a-brac) were to be moved to the eighth floor of Building A. Only the stall for clothes could effectively be installed there, thanks to the efforts of Zohra Ahmadi, Bernadette Thonnart and their team. At short notice, Sonia Woodcock and Yvonne Ismail Urfer were enabled to open an extension of this garment stall in Building E. Similarly, Latifa Amine Saint Roch courageously held a one-day stall for books in the same building with he help of Noura Magistris. We thank them very much indeed.
We thank all the Missions who participate at our Bazaar and make each year this event so special and so successful.
We are most thankful to UNOG for hosting the Bazaar once more at the Palais des Nations, to Mr. Michael Møller, UNOG’s Director General, for having made us the honour to open the Bazaar as well as to Mr Clemens Adams, Director of Administration, and to the buildings, security and protocol teams for their outstanding cooper-ation.
Waiting for the Guild to resume activities with renovated energy after the holidays, I wish the classes, all other groupings and our monthly and yearly events every success in 2016, with an active, convivial and mutually help-ful participation, including necessary offers of availability for the elective positions that are or will become vacant.
With warm regards and happy New Year to each and every one of you.
Christine Evéquoz
President’s Welcome
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Our sincere thanks to the Guild’s Activities and Language Students
who kindly hosted November’s Coffee Morning and Mme Eleanora Lucangeli Serra, wife of the Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Italy to
the UN and its members who kindly hosted December’s Coffee Morning.
January On Tuesday 12 January, the coffee morning will be kindly hosted by all members of the UNWG. We are delighted to announce that our guest speaker will be Mme Caroline Eichenberger Fuhrer, Director of CAMARADA, a centre which welcomes and offers training and education to migrant women and their pre-school children. For more information: www.camarada.ch February On Tuesday 2 February, the coffee morning will be kindly hosted by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN and our Swiss members. The theme will be ‘Focus on Fribourg’. This coffee morning is offered at no cost. Details for both coffee mornings are as follows: Time: 9.30am - 11.30am Place: UN, Porte 39, Bar Escargot Bus: 8,28,F,V,Z Stop: Appia Cost: CHF3 members only (not for February) Please note that only UNWG members are invited to the coffee mornings held at the UN. For more details contact: Carmen Falaize (Hospitality) or Peta Girod (Welcome). Their contact details may be found in the Guild Members‘ Directory Coffee mornings start promptly at 9.30am and the area must be cleaned and vacated by 11.30am.
Monthly Coffee Mornings
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MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2015-16
Manila Paktian Vice-President for Activities
Ghazala Syeddah Nayyar Education Sibyl de Peic
Membership Secretary
Nora Ministris French Recording Secretary
Catherine d’Arcangues Vice-President for Projects
Latifa Amine Visits & Culture
Lib-by McCutchan
Fatma El Zahraa Kamal Co-Membership Secretary
Carmen Falaize Hospitality
Farida Serir French Newsletter Editor
Vacant Position Co-Treasurer
?
Christine Evèquoz President
Karen Rowland English Newsletter Editor
Diane Vergnaud Treasurer
Peta Girod
Welcoming
Genevieve Auroi Public Relations
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THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE 2016
Gertrud Attar (Chairwoman) Beverley Antille
Elisabeth Kandem
The Nomination Committee welcome applications for the following posts which will become vacant
at the end of June 2016
President Vice President Activities Treasurer Co-Treasurer Membership Secretary French Recording Secretary English Newsletter Editor Education Coordinator Welcome Coordinator Monthly Meetings We remind you that only regular members who have paid their member-ship fees are entitled to vote at the AGA. The vacancies for positions on the UNWG Executive Committee will commence in 2016. For more details on any of the posts listed above, please contact the Nominating Committee: Gertrud Attar: [email protected]/022 788 32 74 Beverley Antille: 022 758 22 72 Elisabeth Kandem: 076 207 14 22
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Our Projects Throughout the World
- Schools in Nepal -
Report by Vice President-Projects, Catherine D’Arcangues
We usually update you on the wonderful achievements of projects supported by the Guild, but this time, it concerns the difficult implementation of a project to support three schools. I want to share with you this heart-breaking letter we just received from a project manager in Nepal describing the situation. “The earthquake put an immediate stop to our planned project, as we had to rethink and re-find schools that we could support. A large proportion of schools in Nepal were completely de-stroyed. The latest UN numbers indicate that 8,376 schools were destroyed or damaged, 47,844 classrooms were damaged and unusable, and as a result 1.4 million children were either totally out of school (999,000) or affected by interrupted classes or only occasional teaching…and many suffer from fear and psychological trauma from the earthquakes. And it’s not as if we had a couple of major quakes and that was it….indeed aftershocks continue up to now although with decreasing frequency now…. there have been 406 major aftershocks with magnitude above 4.0M since the first major quakes in April and May….yesterday’s aftershock was a 4.2M. Hence there is some continuing fear and anxiety from children, teachers and parents about being in damaged classrooms. So major agencies have managed to set up temporary classrooms reaching 270,000 children… mainly under tarpaulins and temporary shelter material, but a huge number of kids still do not have a safe learning space. On top of all this, as if that were not catastrophic enough, for the last three months much of Nepal has been paralysed, especially in our region of the Terai, by awful political unrest, strikes and vio-lence. The result is there is no petrol, diesel, cooking gas, essential medicines, and food prices have rocketed. Worst still, the critically urgent reconstruction and relief work by ourselves and relief agen-cies has stopped for the moment because we cannot get food relief or shelter commodities from across the border in India, and we cannot move or travel because of lack of fuel. This is truly awful, because the cold Himalayan winter is coming, and there are still so many hundreds of thousands of destitute families,…. And schools still not rebuilt, repaired or functioning. This political quagmire was raised last week at the UN in Geneva.” [13 november 2015]
In the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal (above)
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Our Projects Throughout the World
- Adolescents in Uruguay -
Report by Vice President-Projects, Catherine D’Arcangues
Fe y Alegria is a popular movement of integral education and social promotion. In Uruguay, it supports 23 centres, one of which, the Father Novoa Educational Park, developed a special project for teenagers. “Together teen space” provides after school support to 70 adolescents from poor, disadvantaged communities to accompany them in their studies and to promote learning and skill building for a better future. It offers educational support, opportunities for self-knowledge and personal development, work-shops (orchard, music, cooking, art) and personalized attention. In addition, the centre wanted to ensure that these adolescents receive one nutritious meal a day - something that is not provided in public secondary schools in the country and for this, it needed to upgrade its kitchen facilities.
UNWG support enabled the "Together teen space" to meet the State requirements for kitchen facilities at educational centres: tiled walls, tile floors, extractor, aluminium sinks and countertops. The centre hired specialized staff to make the repairs, and centre participants volunteered, together with other young people, to paint the kitchen and leave it ready to be used.
Now, teenagers can receive a daily snack which is prepared in the kitchen, under adequate hygienic conditions. They can also cook foods and sweets for sale. With the money they collected, they were able to fund their year-end camp.
Teenagers at work, rest and play at Fe y Alegria (above)
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Photographs from UN Bazaar 2015
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Photographs from UN Bazaar 2015
Estimated sum raised at the Bazaar CHF 140,402.40
(as recorded on Thursday 3 December)
Estimated sum raised through Bazaar Lottery ticket sales CHF 88,687.50 (as recorded on Thursday 26 November)
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Topic of February’s Coffee Morning: Focus on the Canton of Fribourg
The canton of Fribourg lies in the west of Switzerland. It is bounded to the west by Lake Neuchatel. To the west and the south of the canton lies the canton of Vaud. To the east, the canton of Fribourg is bounded by the canton of Bern The area of the canton of Fribourg is 1,669 square kilometers (644.4 sq mi), including the small enclaves. The city of Freiburg, nestled on a rock promontory, is surrounded on three sides by the Saane River. It is one of the largest medieval towns in Üechtland. Over 200 unique Gothic facades from the 15th century impart incomparable medieval charm to the Old Town.
Ramparts that are over two kilometres long used to protect the city in the past. Remnants of the walls, turrets and bastions are still preserved. Most impressive, however, is the Cathedral of Frei-burg with its extraordinarily beautiful stained-glass windows. Construction started in 1283 and continued in several stages. Dedicated to St. Nicholas, it boasts a 74 metre-high tower that offers a fantastic panoramic view.
Another good viewpoint is the Italian-style early Baroque Loreto Chapel. From the Neuveville district (in the Lower Town), a funicular railway takes you up to the pedestrianised area of the Upper Town. Fribourg is a lively university town, with many students from all over the world, making this a cosmopolitan, multi-faceted mini-metropolis. In the narrow alleyways are tightly packed rows of little boutiques, antique shops, student cafés and restaurants, offering local and foreign specialities. One of the favourite destinations for art-lovers is the "Espace Jean Tinguely et Niki de Saint Phalle", housed in a former tram depot. More works by the two artists can be found on the Sculpture Trail through the town centre. Modern art is on display in the Fri-Art Gallery. Children will love the Puppet Museum and the highly educational Natural History Museum. It is worth making an excursion to Hauterive Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1137, and once a stopping place on the pilgrims' route to Santi-ago de Compostela.
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Tuesday 19 January: Spa at Divonne-les-Bains, France
Details for January’s visit are to be confirmed but please save the date in the meantime!
Tuesday 16 February : Cailler Chocolate Factory, Broc
Details for February’s visit are to be confirmed but please save the date in the meantime!
Sign up for both visits will held at the January and February Coffee Mornings.
Alternatively, call or email Latifa directly.
Visits & Culture
Organiser: Latifa Amine [email protected]/076 568 18 75
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On Friday 29 January 2016 at 2pm in the Villa, we shall be discussing our book of the month: Coastliners by Joanne Harris After ten years spent with her now deceased mother in Paris, Mado returns to her native village, Les Salants, on the small island of Noirmoutier near Le Devin, to care for her aging father. Mado discovers that nothing has changed on the island since her ab-sence: the two rival clans, the Houssins and the Salannais still hate each other. She decides to improve her people's poor standard of living by saving Les Salants from the sea and making it prosperous. Will she succeed against the rival, powerful and rich clan of the Houssins?
On Friday 26 February 2016 at 2pm in the Villa, we shall be discussing our book of the month: The Rock Of Tanios by Amin Maalouf In his novel, Amin Maalouf intertwines the Lebanese history of 1830 and a leg-end passed from one generation to another. A world where intrigues, conflicts and competition between the Ottoman Empire, Egypt and Britain end in battles on Mount Lebanon. All these factors amongst others help to forge the destiny of Tanios, an unusual and mysterious character in this bitter sweet fairy tale. You can read about the books we have previously reviewed and discussed in our monthly Book Club meetings. Also you can view the list of books we will be read-
ing and discussing in the coming months, at my website: http://www.1stbookreview.com
All the best, Chouhrette
On Friday 29 January, let us tempt you with specialities from Jordan then in February, on Friday 26 February, there will be delicacies from Japan. Time: 14h00 Place: Villa les Feuillantines Cost: CHF5
BOOK CLUB Organiser: Chouhrette Bunzl
COOKERY CLUB Organiser: Ilona Mercz
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Day Time Language Group Leader
Mon
09h30-11h00
Arabic French Intermediate & Advanced
Heba Mamish Room 1
10h00-11h30 German Beginners A1 Beate Boehm
11h00-12h30 Arabic French Beginners
Heba Mamish Room 1
13h30-15h30
French B1 Hassiba Oulhaci Room 3
13h30-15h30
French A2 Nadia Mehdi Room 2
14h00-16h00 French A1 Farida Serir (temporary) Room 1
Tue
09h30-11h30 French Conversation Maryse Nicora
10h30-12h00 English Beginner Karen Ransome Room 1
14h30-16h00 Spanish Intermediate Doris Murillo Room 2
Wed
09h30-11h00 Spanish Beginners Connie Castrillon Pilo-pas Room 1
14h00-15h30 Japanese Kyoko Ohkawa Room 2
Thu
09h30 - 11h30 German First hour Intermediate Second hour Beginners
Michaela Hajnoczi Room 2
10h00-11h30 English Conversation
Christine McLean
13h00-14h30 Intermediate English
Bilqueece Alimohamed Room 2
Fri 10h30-12h30 English Conversation Bertha Dubois
Room 3
Please refer to your copy of the Membership Directory for teachers’ contact details To be eligible to register for any course or activity,
you must show your current membership card upon registration.
Bus: 5, 8, 22, 28, F, V, Z Tram: 15 Bus & Tram stop: Nations
LANGUAGES
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Day Time Activity Group leader
Tue
13h45-17h00 Open Bridge at ILO Eda Bankowski Imogen Lewis
14h00-16h00 Handicraft & Quilting Manila Paktian Room 3
Wed
09h00 onwards Hiking Mahroughe Mary Kazazi Denise Maertens
Edith Mayer Wallin
10h15-11h30 Pilates at ITU Sibyl de Peic
1st, 2nd and 4th Wed
of the month 10h00-12h30
Painting & Artistic Techniques
Chantal Andersen Room 3
3rd Wed of the month
10h00-12h30
Painting & Artistic Techniques
Mojdeh Taleghani Room 3
12h30-16h30 Mah Jong Chantal Andersen Room 1
14h00-16h30 Painting/Artistic Techniques Vacant Position Room 3
09h30-13h30 Social Bridge Rosaleen Nassif Room 1
Thu
14h00-15h00 Pilates at ITU Sibyl de Peic
Fri
09h30-10h30 Fitness Training at WHO
Cornelia Schenck
3rd Fri of the month 09h30-11h30
Jewellery Making Nouzha Ottmani-Mersaoui Room 3
Last Fri of the month
14h00-16h00
Cooking Ilona Mercz Room 3
Last Fri of the month
14h00 - 16h00
Book Club Chouhrette Bunzl Room 3
Please refer to your copy of the Members' Directory for contact details of the teachers
ACTIVITIES
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The UNWG Kiosk offers visitors the opportunity to purchase very special gifts. All articles that are sold at the UNWG Kiosk are bought or donated by people representing our International Community. Visitors will find a variety of items from T-shirts to jewellery. Each item sold becomes part of a common contribution in raising funds for various projects particularly, to improve the education of disavantaged chil-dren around the world.
The kiosk is manned by UNWG volunteers and we Always need Guild volunteers to help in sales. No previous sales experience necessary, just a warm, welcome smile and a positive attitude!
The kiosk is open most days of the week from 11.30 to 5:30 pm.
Contact Solange Alonso et Jean Goodship for details of how you can help. Contact details can be found in the Member-ship Directory
Join the Kiosk Sales
Team and raise a smile
on a child’s face!
Above: Photographs of our UNWG Kiosk
UNWG Art Exhibition 2016 at WIPO New Building
From Monday 15 February to Friday 4 March 2016 Information for the artists: Only members who have paid their current annual membership fee and inscription fees (CHF30) will be accepted to exhibit their work. The deadline for registration is Tuesday 22 December. Installation: Monday 15
February 2016 at 10h00.
All artwork must be ready to hang. Opening ceremony: Tuesday 16 February 2016 at 18h00. Removal of artwork: Friday 4
March 2016 at 12h00.
For further information, please contact the following ladies: Manila Paktian Tel : 079 275 17 85 Email : [email protected] Zoubida Franzoni Tel : +33 450 26 14 71 Email : [email protected]
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CONTACTS
CONTRIBUTION DEADLINE for January/February newsletter
Please submit photos in .jpg format only and written text in both English and French in Word
format only, for editing purposes.
Email to [email protected] by
FRIDAY 29 JANUARY 2015
All information received after this date will appear in the following edition.
Thank you for your kind understanding!
You are reminded to bring your membership card to
all course events and activities offered
by the UNWG.
To enter the UN or other international buildings,
you are required to wear your UNWG badge.
If you need a badge to enter the Palace,
please complete the necessary form at the Villa during the following times:
from Monday to Friday 9.30am - 12.30pm Monday and Thursday 2.00pm - 5.00pm
Our membership secretaries will prepare a letter for each of our members which will detail the necessary
information required to issue a UN pass.
Editor‘s Messages
All classes will resume in the New Year from Monday 11 January unless an alternative date has been agreed between the course teacher and their students.
President: [email protected] Newsletter: [email protected] Vice-President activities: [email protected] Public Relations: [email protected] Vice-President projects: [email protected] Recording Secretaries: [email protected] Treasurers: [email protected] Hospitality: [email protected] Membership: [email protected] Monthly Meetings: [email protected]
We are looking for someone who would like to teach Italian language classes. If you are interested, please contact Ghazala Syeddah Nayyar or Manila Paktian for more details. Contact details can be found in the Members’ Directory.
The final figure of money raised from the Children’s Walk held in October was
CHF36,357.40.
