From the President

Again another year has passed. It is my duty, as president, to report to members the progress of activities carried out by the UNA Florida Division during last year. It is also an occasion to reevaluate our objectives and adjust our work plan for the future.

As for a number of organizations in Florida, the work of the Division was affected by successive devastating hurricanes in 2004. For instance, two quarterly board meetings were cancelled because bad weather created hazardous conditions for driving from the different parts of Florida where board members reside, to Orlando (place of our regular board meetings). To avoid long discontinuity in our work, I have tried to get board members� inputs through E-mail network, but the results were not as satisfactory as those obtained from face-to-face discussions.

There was also a delay in issuing our newsletters, and only three were issued last year. With the help of Editor Steve Baker, around 1000 copies of each issue were printed and sent out to members.

Difficulties were also encountered in the preparation of the Florida Division convention, hosted by the Jacksonville chapter. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of the new chapter president, Andy Bruck, the state convention will be held in Jacksonville on 29-30 April 2005 as scheduled.

Other activities were carried out smoothly thanks to great efforts made by committee chairs and other board members. The Model UN and Global Classroom Committee chaired by Tom Cook has, as in the previous year, made excellent progress, especially in the organization of FHSMUN in Orlando and in the increase of the number of new global classrooms in high schools. The Florida Division has also helped several chapters hold MUN meetings, particularly the Sarasota-Manatee chapter in the organization of SMMUN V, which was successfully held in Sarasota in November 2004 with the participation of 200 students from nine high schools.

The division has completed the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign for the clearance of minefields in Viet Nam (VTM-MAT3). An amount of $19,384, was collected by the Division with the help of chapters and individuals. At the "Night of One Thousand Dinner" (N1KD) in Sarasota alone, the Division collected $8,000 for the minefield project. An award was presented to the Florida Division at the UNA National Convention in March 2005.

The Division has actively participated, for the first time, in the UNA National High School Essay contest with the theme: "How should the US help achieve the Millennium Development Goals?" Fourteen essays were received from three high schools. The essays were read by David Saca, UNA member and former UN director (UNCTAD), and myself. Although none of them was chosen by UNA-USA National for the list of 10 finalists, the essays clearly showed that the students, through reading and research, have learned a lot about the Millennium Development Goals--considered the most important social and economic standards for the world--and most of them have mature opinions about these issues which, in my view, is the main purpose of the contest.

UN Day 2004 was widely celebrated by individual chapters. As encouraged by the Division, Gov. Jeb Bush nominated Amb. Ambler Moss, Professor of International Studies at the University of Miami, as Florida�s Honorary Chair in observance of the 2004 United Nations Day. It should be noted that it was the first time Gov. Bush has agreed to nominate an honorary chair for this occasion. I am glad that UN principles and the role of UN in global issues have been officially recognized by the Florida administration, and sincerely convey my thanks to Gov. Bush for his nice gesture.

The Florida Division submitted to the National Convention, held in New York in March 2005, two resolutions, one on the Earth Charter and another on the Rights of the Child. Both resolutions, with some amendments, were approved by acclamation. These resolutions, initiated respectively by the Sarasota-Manatee and Brevard chapters, and edited by Committee Chair Wade Matthews, had been approved by the last Division Convention in April 2004.

The newly created Membership and Chapter Development Committee, chaired by Ed Cooke, has focused on strengthening weaker chapters and on increasing membership. The total number of UNA members in Florida has not changed much, fluctuating between 1200 to 1300 during the last year. Nor have significant increases or decreases in memberships been observed in individual chapters. The Division has urged chapters to give priority to increasing memberships.

The Chair of the UN Textbook Committee, Shiela Morgan, has continued to work with the Textbook Selection Committee of the Florida Department of Education to include UN and related global issues in high school textbooks.

We are very proud to learn that our First Vice-President Ed Cooke, (also President of the Miami-Dade Chapter) has received the UNA-USA 2005 Earl Eames Award, and our Secretary, Sultana Ali has received the UNA-USA 2005 Global Young American Award (GYAA). As far as I know, it was the first time that two executive officers of the Florida Division were honored by UNA-USA awards, especially in the same year. Congratulations to Ed and Sultana!

We take satisfaction in our modest 2004 accomplishments, achieved despite hurricane disasters, distance problems, and communication difficulties. Special thanks should be given to chapter presidents and other Board members for their devotion, unselfishness and support. I would like to end my message by quoting again, as in my last year�s message, the UNDP Administrator, Mark Malloch Brown�s remark, that volunteerism remains, "one of the so-often forgotten jewels in the UN crown".
Daniel Luu

2005 Florida Division Convention, Jacksonville, April 29-30, 2005

All UNA-USA members and friends are invited to participate in the Annual Florida Division Convention to be held in Jacksonville on April 29-30. The business and other meetings will begin Saturday morning but participants are invited to incorporate that into a mini International Vacation weekend. The 13th Annual World of Nations Celebration runs from April 29-May 1 at Metropolitan Park in downtown Jacksonville. Representatives from Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, French Caribbean, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, India, Italy, Jamaica, Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Martinique, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Peru and Polynesian Islands, Philippines, People's Republic of China, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Scotland, Sicily, South Africa, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, USA, Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zaire will be sharing their food and culture. We recommend you join the folks here for an evening meal on Friday, April 29, at the World of Nations located just across the river from the convention hotel. Admission to this event is free on Friday from 5:00 � 8:00 and you can sample the cuisine from an incredible variety of reasonably priced meals ($3 - $6) and artifacts.

After socializing on Friday night we will have the Annual Meeting on Saturday. The business meeting (beginning at 9:00) will take most of the morning and be followed by a catered lunch combining Middle Eastern delicacies and Thai food; vegetarian options are available with both. The lunch speaker will be Amy Killgallon, Florida Regional Director of Church World Service. She will also present a workshop on community activism to empower coalitions on global justice issues. Next Lesley Vann from UNA headquarters in New York will give a second workshop on chapter development including grant-writing techniques for nonprofits and ways to promote membership. Finally we will have a synopsis of the changes at the UN proposed by Kofi Annan.

A short post-convention Board meeting will wrap everything up and select the site for next year�s convention. All then may either return home or go back to the World of Nations to participate in more international cultural and cuisine experiences. Saturday night (with a $3 admission) will feature the spectacular fireworks over the St. Johns River. The hotel rates for a second night will remain the same for those choosing to spend Saturday night in Jacksonville.

The convention meetings and lunch will be at the Musicians� Association Hall (AFM Local 444) located at 2030 Schumacher Ave. This is quite near the convention hotel where directions will be provided at the hotel (also available at: http://www.jaxmusic.org/directions.html).

This facility is directly across the street from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. For any questions please contact either Andy Bruck 904) 388-9334 or Steve Baker (904) 388-3531.

The convention hotel is Extended Stay America, located at 1413 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, Fl 32207 (904) 396-1777. Rooms reserved under the UNA Convention rate before April 14 will be $65.99 for a single and $74.99 for a double. This is a very good hotel located only blocks from the convention location and directly across the river from Metropolitan Park, the location of the World of Nations; a river taxi will run every 15 minutes. The hotel is also across the street from Treaty Oak, one of the oldest and largest live-oak trees in the country. For details about the facility see:

http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/minisite/default.asp?hotelID=617

There is a 13% hotel tax in Jacksonville. However, since this is an official UNA-USA event, the local chapter can pay for the rooms without the tax. To take advantage of this potential savings you would have to include the hotel payment (without the tax) with your registration and it would have to be received in Jacksonville by April 14. Otherwise you can make a reservation directly through the hotel (see the phone number and rates above) but you will have to pay the hotel tax. In either case the rates are only guaranteed for reservations made by April 14.

Metropolitan Park, the World of Nations location, is in downtown Jacksonville on the St. Johns River across from Alltel Stadium, the site of this year�s Superbowl. The Park address is 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd., Jacksonville, Fl. 32202.

We have kept both the registration ($35 including lunch) and convention fees low to encourage participation. The work of the UNA-USA is extremely important and we hope many will become involved at the convention as well as enjoy the food and fun of the World of Nations. See page 4 for registration details and updates at:

http://www.geocities.com/florida-una or
http://users.ju.edu/sbaker/conv.htm

Directions to the Hotel (Extended StayAmerica)

From I-95 South, take Exit 350B (San Marco Blvd.). Turn left onto San Marco Blvd. and travel approximately 100 yards. Turn right onto Prudential Dr. and travel approximately 1/4 mile. Extended StayAmerica will be on the left.

From I-95 North, take Exit 350A (Prudential Dr.), staying to the right. Turn right onto Prudential Dr. and travel about 200 yards. Extended StayAmerica will be on the left.

FHSMUN Conference & Training

Tom Cook, head of the UNA-USA Global Classrooms Project and Florida Division Second Vice President, offered a training session for chapter leaders on engaging youth in enhancing chapter activities and membership. This was part of the Florida High Schools Model UN Conference on Saturday, March 12 at the Hilton Orlando North in Altamonte Springs. They explored ways to engage youth, including identifying youth segments and adopting effective strategies to reach each segment. This was combined with a tour of the eleven Model U.N. committees simulated at the 26th annual FHSMUN conference. All chapter leaders and Education Chairs were invited to attend.
Tom Cook Greater Orlando

The Greater Orlando Chapter sponsored a presentation by Gillian Sorenson, Senior Advisor at the United Nations Foundation and former Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations to the United Nations. On March16 she spoke on �The U.N. Today: Why It Matters To You� at the Orlando Science Center.
Sultana F. Ali

Gainesville

The Gainesville Chapter had a very successful UN Day with approximately 100 attending. They had a three-person panel in the morning followed by a local author and newspaper columnist as the luncheon keynote speaker. The theme was the national one: the empowerment of women.

The speaker at the annual meeting in January addressed the subject of why the U.S. is hated in many Muslim areas. At this meeting Drs. Mickie Edwardson and Taraneh Darabi were elected president and vice-president respectively. Other elected officers are Janet Tew (Secretary) and Nancy Sever (Treasurer). Both the president and vice-president of the Chapter will be members of the 2005 Florida Division Board of Directors.

The chapter's most important accomplishments this past year were establishing a speakers� bureau and continuing the close relationships with the model UN groups at the University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College.
Robert H. Hornberger

Broward County

The Broward County UN Day Celebration involved a Multi-Cultural Event with Music, Dance, Poetry and Interactive Role Play to provide information about the UN. Dr. Valerie Pellegrini of Nova University also spoke on �Women�s Rights and Empowerment.� The chapter joined members of the Bah�'� in a Night of 1000 Dinners that helped raise $1584 this year for landmine removal. Finally, Bill Miller of the National UNA-USA Board gave two presentations to international relations classes and spoke on �The Role of the UN in the 21st Century.�
Jack Miller

Sarasota-Manatee

The Sarasota-Manatee Chapter is in good shape. Scott Behoteguy as Program Chair, assisted by Thelma Sachs, arranged a series of excellent speakers; the new Program Chair, Conrad Pologe, will continue that tradition. Program speakers included Dr. Jerry Pubantz, Gillian Sorensen, former UN Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, Peter Burleigh, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Dr. Robert Barylski, Associate Professor of International Studies at the University of South Florida, Kenneth Hill, former Ambassador to Bulgaria and Dr. Mohsen M. Milani, Department Chair of Government & International Affairs at USF.

Model UN Committee Chair Daniel Luu conducted the fifth Sarasota-Manatee Model UN (SMMUN V) with about 200 high school students from 9 schools in Sarasota and neighboring areas. In observance of UN Day First Vice-president Dorothy Watson also conducted a Model UN for adults simulating a Security Council Session on the �Role USA in Iraq,� with the collaboration of Daniel Luu, Tom Cook and Brian Sutliff.

Margie Tinsely continued as treasurer while Dr. Elinor Crawford and Elisabeth Ethal manage the administrative part of the luncheons. Dimitra McBride replaced Elisabeth Wery as secretary; Jonna Lininger will continue as Membership Chair and Ed Shapiro as editor of the chapter newsletter, The UNA Reporter.
Robert Coppenrath

Brevard County

On March 23rd the Brevard County Chapter sponsored �The United Nations: From Peace to Prosperity� by Dr. Houman Sadri, Professor of International Relations at the University of Central Florida. They also discussed the formation of a UNA-USA Student Alliance.

Previously Dr. Sadri�s wife, Katya Sadri, described the cultural differences between Russia, Switzerland and the U.S. during the chapter�s annual Christmas lunch meeting. Meanwhile both Marla Brick-Suiter and Bill Suiter have be been working to present interesting programs and increase the visibility of the UNA-USA.>p> The Chapter will have a meeting at Chowder�s Restaurant (Suntree Blvd) on Saturday, April 16 at 11:30 and on April 22 they will meet at the Suntree Library (Melbourne) to hear Dr. George A. Maul, Head of the Department of Marine and Environmental Systems and Professor of Oceanography at Florida Tech to speak on �The Need for a Tsunami Warning System in the Atlantic� at 2 p.m. On May 25 at 2 p.m. Dr. Jim Phillips of that chapter will present �Oil for Food� in pre-war Iraq.
Jean Tweed

Registration

Return to Index

Links to other sites on the Web

Sarasota-Manatee Chapter
UNA-USA National
United Nations
UNDP
ILO
UNESCO