Greek Community of Alexandria

Tag: UN

  • Greek volunteers awarded top UN humanitarian honour for efforts with migrants and refugees

    Greek volunteers awarded top UN humanitarian honour for efforts with migrants and refugees

    Γενικά νέαA Greek human rights activist and a Greek volunteer rescue team – Efi Latsoudi and the Hellenic Rescue Team (HRT) – have been jointly awarded this year’s Nansen Refugee Award for their efforts to aid refugees arriving in Greece during 2015.

    “Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict and persecution last year made the desperate bid to reach Europe in search of safety, many risking their lives in unseaworthy boats and dinghies, in a journey which all too often proved insurmountable,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said in a news release on the win.

    “Both the Hellenic Rescue Team and Efi Latsoudi refused to stand by as they witnessed the dramatic humanitarian situation unfolding on their shores, and are fully deserving of the Nansen Refugee Award,” Mr. Grandi added. “Their efforts characterize the massive public response to the refugee and migrant emergency in Greece and across Europe, in which thousands of people stood in solidarity with those forced to flee, and the humanity and generosity of communities around the world who open their hearts and homes to refugees.”

    According to a news release from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since 2007, Greece has been challenged by the arrival of a large number of refugees and migrants, but in 2015 sea arrivals escalated to an emergency. On the island of Lesvos alone, numbers topped 500,000 last year. In October 2015, arrivals peaked at more than 10,000 per day, as conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq continued to uproot people from their homes.

    “For many refugees, the heroic humanitarian efforts of Greek volunteers in 2015 went well beyond pulling survivors from the seas, they helped them to take the first steps towards a normal life,” UNHCR noted in a news release. 

    “During 2015 the HRT conducted round-the-clock operations to save refugees and migrants in distress at sea and Latsoudi showed compassion and care for the most vulnerable refugees arriving on the island of Lesvos through her work at PIKPA village,” the UN agency added.

    The Nansen Refugee Award recognises outstanding service to the cause of refugees and displaced people, and was first handed out in 1954 – Eleanor Roosevelt was its first recipient and other awardees since then include former refugee Hawa Aden Mohamed of Somalia and Sister Angélique Namaika of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is named after Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the first High Commissioner for Refugees at the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations.

    (www.un.org)

  • Egypt nominates Moushira Khattab for UNESCO director-general

    Egypt nominates Moushira Khattab for UNESCO director-general

    Moshira KhattabEgypt decided on Saturday to nominate former Minister of Family and Population Moushira Khattab for the position of director-general of the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

    The decision came after current director-general Irina Bokova announced candidacy for the UN secretary-general position. Citing officials, state-owned news agency MENA reported that Khattab has started visiting top officials from the UNESCO member states to secure their stances regarding her nomination.

    Officials stated that the tour is secretive and far from media follow-ups. However, privately-owned newspaper Al-Youm Al-Sabaa reported that many member states have welcomed the decision and support Khattab’s nomination.

    Rights lawyer Gamal Eid opposed the nomination, saying that he is not against Khattab’s nomination because she is secular, but rather because she is one of the prominent figures of the era of former president Hosni Mubarak.

    The nomination of Khattab came one year after Egypt nominated Ahmed Aboul-Gheit to be secretary-general of the Arab League. Aboul-Gheit served as the Foreign Minister from 2004 to 2011, and his nomination marked a comeback for the prominent figures of the Mubarak era.

    In 2014, founding director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina Ismael Serag El-Din was nominated for the UNESCO director-general position. Uproar amid intellectuals and activists also took place as Serag El-Din was a controversial nominee who was facing several charges in court. He was also a prominent figure of the Mubarak era.

    In 2009, Egypt nominated former Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni to the post of director-general as well, but chances of his appointment declined after anti-semitic statements were made, saying that if there were any Israeli books in the Alexandria library, he would burn them. The comments sparked international concern over whether he would be appropriate for the position.

    Activist Wael Abbas commented on the nomination of Hosni at the time, saying that he was a hypocrite and worked for a dictatorial regime. He also added that his ministry was involved in corruption.

    Earlier in May, Qatar nominated cultural adviser to the Emir, Hamad Al-Kuwari, for the same post, which will level the competition, as both Khattab and Al-Kuwari will attempt to win the support of the seven Arab countries that vote in the UNESCO.

    Khattab was the former Minister of Family and Population during the era of former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq in 2011. She also served as Egypt’s ambassador to South Africa, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. She further served at Egypt’s diplomatic mission in Austria, Hungary, and the United Nations.

    UNESCO is a specialised agency in the United Nations that aims to facilitate peace and security through fields such as education and natural sciences.

    (www.dailynewsegypt.com)

  • “Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin”

    “Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin”

    Λογότυπο Ηνωμένων ΕθνώνThe Resolution on “Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin” was unanimously adopted yesterday by the Plenary of the UN General Assembly, following a Greek initiative. The Resolution is submitted by our country every three years, and the final text was formulated through systematic consultation under the mediation of Greece, pursuant to relevant instructions from Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.

    The Resolution enjoyed wide acceptance, as it was co-sponsored by a total of 74 states, including many member states of the European Union, a significant number of Latin American states, as well as a number of Arab and African states.

    This initiative bolsters the return of cultural property to countries of origin, as well as the effort to protect cultural heritage. These two dimensions of the Resolution are seen as particularly timely, given that the Middle East daily suffers destruction of works and monuments of world cultural heritage, while the link between trafficking in cultural property and funding of terrorism is well known.

    Special mention is made in the Resolution to the “Ancient Olympia Recommendation,” which calls on member states to mobilize for the return of stolen cultural treasures, with express reference to the return of the Parthenon Marbles. Another, equally important, dimension of the Resolution is the condemnation of the destruction of monuments of world cultural heritage in areas of armed conflict, including in occupied territories, and of illegal trafficking of cultural property by armed terrorist groups, such as ISIS.

    As a cradle of knowledge and culture, Greece will always be in the vanguard for protection of world cultural heritage and will continue to promote similar initiatives.