World Bank/International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings & Civil Society Forum (2-7 October)
This is part of the IMF/World Bank’s regular series of meetings to highlight developments within both organizations. Past RI Director Örsçelik Balkan has been appointed by President Kenny to serve as Rotary’s official delegate

UNESCO Partners Forum (5 October)
This is the inaugural meeting for NGOs that work with UNESCO. The Forum’s theme will be: Multiple Partnerships for a Common Ideal and will focus on successful UNESCO partnerships from 1999-2009. Representatives Dervaux and Noirtin are scheduled to attend.

News Updates

Polio returns to Afghanistan
The following is a link to a news story that ran on UN Wire about the return of Polio to Afghanistan. It serves as a reminder of the need to keep up the pressure to eradicate the disease everywhere.
link

Concert to End Polio
As you may have seen on rotary.org, RI is joining with violin virtuoso and polio survivor Itzhak Perlman and the world-renowned New York Philharmonic to present the Concert to End Polio on 2 December at 19:30 in New York City. Polio eradication resonates strongly with Mr. Perlman, who contracted the disease at age four and overcame serious physical challenges to become one of the world’s most celebrated musicians. In this historic performance —his first with the New York Philharmonic in four years —Mr. Perlman will help Rotary in its effort to raise $200 million to match a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

You can learn more about the concert here and tickets are available here.

We’ll share more information about the concert and Itzhak Perlman’s support of polio eradication in the coming weeks.

PRESS RELEASE:

Kimeli Naiyomah at the National Press Club and Library of Congress
Kimeli Naiyomah, Maasi warrior, Rotary Peace Fellow, and author of 14 Cows for America, will speak at the National Press Club in Washington DC on 25 September. Additionally he will participate in the National Book Festival at the US Library of Congress on 26 September.

International Literacy Day follow up

There were two major events scheduled in honor of International Literacy Day

United Nations, New York
The first major event was held on 8 September at the United Nations in New York. Representative Sylvan Barnet made well-received remarks about Rotary’s work on literacy before an audience of about 75 NGOs and diplomats. Barney’s remarks focused on Rotary’s success with the Concentrated Learning Encounter (CLE) method, cooperation relationships with the International Reading Association and Dolly Parton Foundation’s Imagination Library, and projects focused on empowerment of women, girls,
and underserved populations, particularly in parts of Asia and Africa.

Library of Congress, Washington, DC
The second major Literacy Day event was sponsored by the International Reading Association (IRA) and held at the US Library of Congress in Washington. RI Representative Rich Carson graciously filled in for Bill Boyd and spoke about Rotary’s extensive work with Literacy. Rotary was well represented at the event. All three Washington based
representatives were in attendance as well as several Rotarians heavily involved in literacy (including Judy Backlund who is a Rotarian out of Washington state who is working on a joint IRA/Rotary teacher training project in Sudan). The International Reading Association was very pleased with Rotary’s role during the event.

World Food Day
Friday 16, October has been declared World Food Day by the United Nations. The day marks the founding of the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization and serves as an opportunity to highlight issues related to hunger and malnutrition around the world. Rotarians will be asked to help expand awareness of the day and work to alleviate hunger locally and around the world.

You can find out more about World Food Day by going to the FAO homepage. They have handouts and posters available to download and distribute should you choose to do so.