Global Classrooms: New York City student recognized at UNA-USA's Leo Nevas Human Rights Award Luncheon

United Nations Organizations Honor Trinity Student
Trinity College, Trinity News

Ibrahim Diallo ’11 was presented the inaugural Leo Nevas Human Rights Student Advocate Award this week by the New York City-based United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and the Business Council for the United Nations.

A native of Guinea, Diallo, 19, received his award at a luncheon held in the United Nations Delegate Dining Room, where the special guest was Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

Diallo, who now lives in Brooklyn, NY, intends to major in human rights and international studies at Trinity, where he founded the African Development Coalition (ADC), an organization dedicated to promoting human rights programs in African countries. The group, which officially became a student group this semester, has received funding from the College’s Center for Urban and Global Studies and from the Student Government Association, of which Diallo is a member.

“It is…hope that led my friends and I to start the African Development Coalition at Trinity College,” Diallo said in accepting his award. “We may not solve Africa’s problems, but as we commit ourselves to raising money and applying for grants to implement our projects in selected African nations, we are certain that we will become better global citizens for it.”

The mission of the ADC is “to raise awareness of contemporary African culture, politics and economic issues on the Trinity campus and beyond, ultimately bringing together a network of civil servants to work towards peace, education and development on the continent.”

Members of the ADC will attend the Model African Union Conference at Howard University in Washington D.C. in spring 2009, and will meet with the ambassadors of Guinea and Sierra Leone.

William Luers, president of the UNA-USA, said Diallo was selected for the prestigious award because of his efforts to heighten awareness of African development and education issues and the rights of U.S. immigrants, and because of his longtime participation in UNA-USA’s Global Classrooms program.

“We are so proud and honored that Ibrahim's work has been recognized by the United Nations Association. As a student leader at Trinity, Ibrahim is deeply engaged in connecting his academic studies to the world around him. The human rights award is a significant accomplishment, showing how smart and committed students can make a difference,” said Sonia Cardenas, Associate Professor of Political Science at Trinity and Director of its Human Rights Program.

The luncheon in New York was held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The event was hosted by UNA-USA and Newman’s Own Foundation. The keynote address was delivered by Francis Mading Deng, special adviser to the United Nations secretary-general for the prevention of genocide.

The main purpose of the luncheon was to present the second annual Leo Nevas Human Rights Award, which is given to an individual who has worked to promote human rights around the world and is named in honor of Leo Nevas, the longest-serving board member of UNA-USA and a champion of human rights.

This year’s award was presented posthumously to Tom Lantos, who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 until his death in February. Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to be elected to Congress.

During his legislative career, Lantos was chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, where he worked for more than 25 years to protect the rights of the world’s most vulnerable populations. His wife, Annette Lantos, accepted the award on his behalf.

The United Nations Association of the United States of America is a not-for-profit- membership organization dedicated to building understanding of and support for the ideals and vital work of the United Nations among the American people. Its educational and humanitarian campaigns, along with its policy and advocacy programs, allow people to make a global impact at the local level.


Visit our Global Classrooms: New York City site

Global Classrooms in action

Since 2000, UNA-USA's Global Classrooms program has been engaging middle school and high school students by exploring current world issues through interactive simulations and engaging curriculum. The program cultivates literacy and leadership as students explore important topics such as peacekeeping, sustainable development, human rights, and the economics of globalization. At the core of Global Classrooms is Model UN, wherein students step into shoes of UN Ambassadors and debate a range of issues on the UN agenda. Find out more about Global Classrooms at www.globalclassroooms.org.

View the video below, produced by UNA-Minnesota, to see the Global Classrooms program, and Model UN in action.



Global Classrooms is made possible through a dynamic partnership with Merrill Lynch, with the goal of empowering young people from around the world to become active and engaged global citizens. The collaboration between Global Classrooms and Merrill Lynch offers students tangible ways to enhance their understanding of the international economy while they develop global literacy and other important life skills.

Click below to listen to an interview with Dr. Eddy Bayardelle, President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation and Head of Global Philanthropy. Learn more about Merrill Lynch at Global Classrooms at www.unausa.org/mlgcpartnership.

More videos of distinguished speakers at UNA-USA Model UN events across

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• Secretary General Ban-ki Moon addresses students at UNAUSAMUN 2008 at UNHQ
  Secretary General Ban takes student questions   1 | 2 
  
  
• Ban-ki Moon addresses Los Angles students
  
  
• Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte speaks and answeres student questions at the US State Department
  
  
• Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt addresses UNAUSAMUN 2008
  
  
• UNA-USA President Ambassador William Luers addresses students at UNAUSAMUN 2008
  
  
• A great library of U.N. related videos, as well as Student and Faculty related study guides, courtesy of Richland College.
  
  
• Even more UNA-USA videos available here on YouTube

Washington Post - Model UN and HERO Program

Model U.N. Experience Becomes Reality in Africa
Teen Puts Winning Essay to Work

By Jenna Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 7, 2008; Page SM03

Christina Dawson was flipping through a CosmoGirl magazine when a contest caught her eye: Write an essay about what you would do to help African children, and win a trip to the continent with other youth ambassadors.

Dawson, a senior at Chopticon High School when she learned of the contest in the spring, wrote that she would use her artistic skills to "add color to the classroom." She drew on her experiences, such as living in Malaysia and visiting Peru, to explain the challenges faced by children in developing countries.

Click here to read the full article.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte speaks with Global Classrooms Model UN students

The 2008 Global Classrooms: Washington, DC Model UN Conference, held at the U.S. State Department in April, featured an address and Q&A session with Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.  View Ambassador Negroponte's remarks, and his fielding of questions from the Model UN delegates.

Remarks

Student questions pt. 1


Student questions pt. 2

Ban Ki-moon visits Model UN students

Twice in the past eight months, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has addressed UNA-USA's Global Classrooms students. In February, Mr. Ban visited Chicago's Walter Payton Prepatory School, where he and Mayor Richard Daley were treated to a lively Model UN simulation. In May the Secretary General once again addressed student delegates during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 UNA-USA Model UN Conference (UNAUSAMUN), held in the General Assembly Hall of UN Headquarters.

Chicago's ABC News video and report on Mr. Ban's visit to Walter Payton Prep

Ban Ki-moon at UNAUSAMUN 2008, New York


Ambassador William Luers Addresses the 2008 UNAUSAMUN Model UN Conference - YouTube

UNA Photos on Flickr:
UNAUSAMUN 2008 | Global Classrooms: Chicago

South African students win honors at UNAUSAMUN 2008

Model UN Team Wins Honours in New York UN Debate
South African Institute of International Affairs (Johannesburg)
PRESS RELEASE
30 May 2008

The recent xenophobia attacks in South Africa have made it difficult to be proud to be South African. But when four young South Africans recently took part in a Model United Nations competition in New York, they reminded us of what it means to be true ambassadors of the new South Africa and showed us a glimpse of a generation of future leaders that have the potential to take South Africa to new heights.

Abigail Keene (Redhill), Zahraa Khotu (Parktown Girls), Banele Dlamini (Orlando West) and Dominic van Loggerenberg (Redhill), were the 2007 finalists of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) Schools Development Programme. As the 2007 finalists, they competed in the 2008 United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) Globalclassrooms finals in New York on 16 & 17 May 2008. The four finalists, representing the Republic of Tanzania, competed against approximately 2500 scholars from throughout the US and around the world. Abigail Keene and Zahraa Khotu won Best Delegation in the United Nations Development Programme session on Multinational Corporations and Development. Furthermore, Banele Dlamini and Dominic van Loggerenberg competed against 195 teams from around the world in the General Assembly session on Multinational Terrorism both receiving Honourable Mentions. read more...

A second article on the South African delegation here

HERO Student Profiled

Overland Park student to serve as 'hero' in Africa
By: Kelli Bamforth, Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:31 AM CDT
KCCommunitynews.com

While other high school graduates are soaking up the sun poolside, Olath Northwest graduate Layne Anderson, 18, Overland Park, will experience a different kind of heat in sub-Saharan Africa.

As a Hero youth ambassador, Anderson will visit Namibia and South Africa to offer support to children in AIDS-afflicted areas, including feeding programs, clean water, clothing, counseling and recreational activities.

Anderson raised $5,000 for the trip by soliciting family and friends, forgoing traditional graduation gifts.

“I love traveling and experiencing other cultures,” she said. “I’ve been blessed with so many things in life, living in America with a great family, and I knew I wanted to give back. This is a huge opportunity to go to Africa and work with children not as fortunate as me.

“Because it’s graduation time, a lot of family and friends were asking me what I wanted for gifts. I told them that making a donation would be great. I have only $300 to go.”

Anderson will attend Baker University in Baldwin in the fall and hopes to use her experiences in Africa to complement her intended career plans.

“I want to take international studies in college … I want to do something along the lines of traveling to other countries and bringing needed information back to the United States,” she said. “This trip is a great stepping stone toward achieving that goal.” read more...