Is Rosmah Mansor's UNESCO award part of Irina Bokova's campaign to be next UN Secretary General?
by Ganesh Sahathevan
Very soon before the end of this year the UN Security Council will put to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon the name of his successor. Among the candidates is the current director general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova of Bulgaria.
The Presidency of the UNSC during this relevant time, from August until 31 December 2016, is being held by Malaysia, whose "First Lady" Rosmah Mansor has just been named a recipient of UNESCO's Lead by Example Award, despite her highly visible and well publicised part in the billion dolar 1MDB money laundering scandal, which the FBI and US Department of Justice have described as the biggest ever case of money laundering they have ever investigated.
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16.09.2016 - ODG
Very soon before the end of this year the UN Security Council will put to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon the name of his successor. Among the candidates is the current director general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova of Bulgaria.
The Presidency of the UNSC during this relevant time, from August until 31 December 2016, is being held by Malaysia, whose "First Lady" Rosmah Mansor has just been named a recipient of UNESCO's Lead by Example Award, despite her highly visible and well publicised part in the billion dolar 1MDB money laundering scandal, which the FBI and US Department of Justice have described as the biggest ever case of money laundering they have ever investigated.
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References
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United States Seeks to Recover More Than $1 Billion Obtained from Corruption Involving Malaysian Sovereign Wealth Fund
16.09.2016 - ODG
UNESCO contributing to 71st UN General Assembly, marked by refugee crisis and rising violent extremism
The 71st session of the UN General Assembly takes place in particularly turbulent times, when the world is facing the largest refugee and displaced person crisis in decades, as well as enduring conflicts and humanitarian crises. This is throwing a shadow over entire regions, and placing pressure on societies and governments. In this context, the UNESCO contribution to the overall action of the United Nations focuses on advancing the empowerment of individual women and men and societies, through education, through social inclusion and respect for diversity on the basis of human rights. These are the foundations for stronger societies, more sustainable development and lasting peace.
The Director-General will make a strong case for investing in education as a transformative force to achieve all new global goals, to prevent violent extremism and to build more inclusive and peaceful societies. As a co-convener of the International Commission on the Financing of Global Education Opportunity, she will participate in the presentation of its first report, with Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, President Joko of Indonesia and President Arthur Peter Mutharika of Malawi. She will celebrate teachers by marking the 50th Anniversary of the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Teachers. She will urge for heightened focus on education in emergencies through the Education Cannot Wait High-Level Steering Group meeting and the Global Business Coalition for Education. Irina Bokova will advocate for greater attention to comprehensive sexuality education at an event convened by the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS. Global citizenship and the prevention of violent extremism through education will be given prime focus through several events, including the launch of the Asia Society Center for Global Education of which the Director-General is honorary co-chair, and during a major side-event organized by Albania, Jordan and the Holy See -- H. E. Mr Ditmir Bushati, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, H.E. Mr Nasser Judeh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, The Holy See, Mr David N. Saperstein, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, and Professor Abbadi Ahmed, Secretary General, Muhammadan League of Religious Scholars, Morocco. Irina Bokova will lead the launch of the UNESCO 2016 Global educating Monitoring Report in New York, on 23 September, along with Tone Skogen, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Mr Forest Whitaker, UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, Professor Jeff Sachs, Chair of the Global Education Monitoring Report Advisory Board, Mr Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, and Mr Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA.
In the context of the 2030 Agenda, the Director-General will give a keynote address at the event on “Maintaining the Momentum for the SDGs” organized by the Guardian and UNICEF with the participation of the Commissioning Editor of the Guardian, Ms Eliza Anyangwe, and the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Mr Justin Forsyth. The event is scheduled one year after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to explore how the global community is maintaining the momentum for change and to discuss how to accelerate progress. The Director-General will also participate in a roundtable chaired by the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on “the implementation of the 2030 Agenda – the Global Process and the Chinese Practice”.
In this context, Irina Bokova will also take part in the ECESA Plus Principals Retreat on the implications of the 2030 Agenda across the UN system.
The Director-General will raise the flag in New York for protecting cultural heritage and cultural diversity as well as the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural objects as a security imperative, essential for peacebuilding and sustainable development. She will take part in an event on “Today’s struggle to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of religious minorities” organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the US Department of State. She will also participate in a high-level event at the initiative of Jordan and Italy, on “Protecting cultural heritage – an imperative for humanity”, co-organized with UNESCO, Interpol and UNODC.
The Director-General will also participate in a high-level entitled “A Tribute to heroes in the global campaign against violent extremism”, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This celebration of True Hero Awards is led by nine champions for human rights, dialogue and peace, including the UNESCO Director-General, with Sarah Bloomfield, Director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Tina Brown, Women in the World, Ambassador Esther Coopersmith, Meera Gandhi, Founder and CEO, The Giving Back Foundation, Arianna Huffington, Francine Lefrak, Harvard Women’s Leadership Board, Deborah Lehr, Chair of the Antiquities Coalition and Catherine Reynolds, Founder and CEO of Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation. Hero Awards will be presented to a wide range of women and men who are role models in leading the fight against violent extremism across the world. These includes Ayub Mohamud (Kenya), Nicholas Kristof (USA), Turki Al-Dakhil (Saudi Arabia), a team of students at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Nadia Murad (Iraq), Hafsat Mohammed (Nigeria), Neil McGregor (UK): Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti Emeritus of Egypt, Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Founder and President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, Serge and Beate Klarsfeld (France and Germany), Emanuel Jal (South Sudan), May Makzoumi (Lebanon), Li Yongjun (China). The “Lead by Example” Award will be presented to President Macky Sall of Senegal and Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, First Lady of Malaysia.
The Director-General will participate in high-level events addressing the migration and refugee crisis in Europe, including the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants and the Concordia Summit Private Sector Forum on Migration and Refugees. She will also take part in a high-level event on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.
As Co-Vice Chair, Irina Bokova will also participate in the meeting of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Digital Development, on 26 September, with the President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Mr Paul Kagame, President of the Carlos Slim Foundation, Mr Caros Slim Helú, and the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Mr Houlin Zhao, and a wide range of Commissioners.
The Director-General will take part also in events advancing UNESCO’s advocacy and leadership in gender equality and the empowerment of women for sustainable development and lasting peace. In this context, she will participate in the high-level meeting jointly organized by UNFPA and the World Bank on “Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project” alongside a number of Presidents and Heads of State, including HE Mr Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, President of Burkina Faso. She will take part in the Inaugural Launch of the HeForShe University 10x10x10 Parity Report. The event will take place in the presence of high-level participants including Heads of States and UN representatives, including UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson, as well as 10 world leading universities that will launch reports on achieving gender parity within the various dimensions of academia. She will participate in the meeting organised by the Asian University of Women on “In Times of Rising Terror: New Solutions Stemming from Women’s Education and Empowerment” with the First Lady of Japan, Ms Abe.
The Director-General will also participate in an event to hand over the final report of the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary-General, for which UNESCO hosts the Secretariat.
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