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(L to R) Peggy Kerry, sister of Presidential candidate John Kerry & US Mission's UN NGO liaison; Adrienne Alexanian, AGBU UN Representative; Heidi Kuhn of Roots of Peace; Jeff Masarjian of Armenia Tree Project; ; & Sally Mackle of Rotary Int'l.
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AGBU UN Workshop Targets an Issue Crucial to Armenia and Other Nations
| Date: |
9/14/2004 |
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| Contact: |
AGBU Press Office |
| Phone: |
212.319.6383 |
| Fax: |
212.319.6507 |
| Email: |
agbuwb@agbu.org |
New York — On Wednesday, September 8, 2004, AGBU brought together some of the leading voices in landmine eradication and environmental issues at the largest gathering of non-governmental organizations in the world — the United Nation’s 57th Annual DPI/NGO Conference in Manhattan entitled “Millennium Development Goals: Civil Society Takes Action.” Entitled, “Overcoming Obstacles to Economic Growth & Community Development: The Role of Civil Society,” the AGBU workshop, attended by Peggy Kerry — sister of Presidential candidate John Kerry and NGO liaison to the US Mission of the United Nations — and an audience of international NGO representatives, invited speakers to discuss their grassroots projects in Afghanistan, Armenia and Cambodia that help rehabilitate post-war societies through demining, tree planting and other infrastructure-based initiatives.
AGBU United Nations Representative, Adrienne Alexanian initiated and organized the workshop, a nine-month process involving weekly meetings, extensive planning and networking with various individuals and groups. Alexanian was also AGBU’s representative on the DPI/NGO planning committee and the conference reception committee.
“It is important that Armenian organizations get involved with international institutions like the United Nations, and promote ideas and issues important to our community,” Alexanian said. “With my continuing involvement with the United Nations, I am proud that we can put together professional workshops that engage the world. I was also very happy that as a member of the reception committee I was able to promote HaiArt, an Armenian ensemble that played music by the Armenian composer Gomidas during the opening reception in the Delegates’ Dining Room. The reaction to the music was tremendous and everyone became aware that the well of Armenian music was so rich and moving.”
The workshop drew a standing room crowd of educated activists and concerned NGO representatives. The speakers were Jeff Masarjian, Executive Director of the Armenia Tree Project (ATP), Sally Mackle of Rotary International, and Heidi Kuhn, President and Founder of Roots of Peace, an organization founded to continue Princess Diana’s legacy of landmine eradication. Adrienne Alexanian and her alternate, Hrag Vartanian, moderated the event.
Masarjian’s presentation included a discussion of the realities that confronted a post-war Armenia, including landmines and the blockade, and their impact on the environment. He went on to elaborate about ATP’s work at developing a sustainable countryside that is helped by an ambitious program of tree planting and fruit drying projects that employ countless numbers of Armenian war refugees from Azerbaijan. Now in its tenth year, ATP has planted hundreds of thousands of trees and continues to expand its programming.
Rotary International’s project in Cambodia works with local village residents to demine their fields, purify their water, and provide them with livestock for farming in the heavily-mined regions of Cambodia. The country is home to some of the largest numbers of landmine victims and they continue to struggle with the problem.
The final presentation by Roots of Peace founder and president, Heidi Kuhn, outlined her work that builds on the former Princess of Wales’ vision of a mine-free world. As a result of a partnership with various Californian wineries, Roots of Peace works in post-war countries, like Afghanistan, to clear agricultural land of landmines and replant vineyards that will rejuvenate the local economy. Featured on CNN, NBC and ABC, Roots of Peace has garnered praised from UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, the US State Department and other prominent voices.
The presentations were followed by questions and interactive discussions from an engaged audience that was well versed on landmine and environmental issues.
Feedback from members of the NGO community pointed out the timely nature of the topic and applauded the dissemination of information from experts on these crucial initiatives to the international community.
A member of the UN NGO community since 1993, AGBU is the largest Armenian non-profit organization in the world. The organization’s educational, cultural and humanitarian programs reach over 400,000 Armenians annually. For more information, visit AGBU online at www.agbu.org.
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