NEW YORK, Jun 25 2024 (IPS) – In Part 1, I outlined how our shared existence is challenged not only by simultaneous crisis, but also by the notions – and realities – of perceived ‘holy wars’. I point out that ‘holy wars’ are not only perceptions within, or of, monotheistic faith traditions, but actually enacted by members of diverse belief systems.

I note how these ‘holy war’ dynamics are part of the vicious cycle of polarisation and sorrowful lack of social cohesion in most societies, while also coexisting with an increasing realisation amongst several decision-making entities (governmental, non-governmental and intergovernmental) of how important religions have been, and continue to be.

Religious institutions, religious leaders and religious (or faith based) organisations, are indeed the original social service providers, community mediators, social norm upholders and changemakers, and actually, historically, also the original human rights’ defenders.

I emphasize how the toxic mix with narrow political interests (might that be tautological?) means that in the minds of some who hold decision making positions, and/or have access to arms, and/or control laws and their implementation, and/or impact on beliefs, behaviours and attitudes through unparalleled pulpits (or all of the above), ‘holy war’, is justified.

In the age of ‘holy wars’, we are called upon to understand that part of our social disconnect resulting in the polarisation and significant weaking of our civil societies, may well be furthered by the manner in the current interest in and on religion.

Elsewhere I have argued that appreciating the ‘good’ powers of religious institutions and leaders, and the remarkable reach of religious social services and positive changemakers, is necessary, but by no means enough.

In fact, seeking to emphasize, support and identify the religious as the panacea, is harmful – in the same ways that marginalising the religious as evil, anti-human rights, unhealthy, misogynist, unnecessary, parochial, etc. has been, and remains, harmful, to the very same fabric of the civil societies we all uphold.

It is not all about good religion or bad religion. Rather, it could be about how to generate, nurture, protect, and yes, honour, civil societies.

Neither our governments (including even the elected ones), nor our religious institutions (including those which have survived centuries) nor our corporations (including those with the highest ranking of CSR and ESG) can, alone, change the dramatic junction of our collective human and planetary realities.

The late Wangari Mathai, a Kenyan woman environmental activist who won the Nobel Peace prize in 2004, demonstrated remarkable foresight when she highlighted the interconnectedness of our challenges, thus: “[I]n a few decades, the relationship between the environment, resources and conflict may seem almost as obvious as the connection we see today between human rights, democracy and peace.”

We need to begin to investigate what it will take to identify, understand, and activate, a poetics of solidarity. The Oxford Reference explains that “poetics are the general principles of poetry or of literature in general, or the theoretical study of these principles. As a body of theory, poetics is concerned with the distinctive features of poetry (or literature as a whole), with its languages, forms, genres, and modes of composition.”

If we use the term ‘poetics’ to refer to solidarity, not merely as an aspect of literature and/or theory, but as lived realities, what are the “languages, forms, genres and modes of existence” that this would entail? In the following paragraphs, I do not propose definitive answers. I merely share some thoughts to engender and provoke each of us, to reflect – and to engage.

A poetics of solidarity needs to have as a premise of its existence, an understanding that working ‘alone’ to solve the problems which impact all – whether as a lone multifaceted institution, the United Nations, corporation(s), religion/religious or multi-religious entity, secular NGO or umbrellas of NGOs, judicial actor(s) or bodies, cultural agents or entities, financial or military behemoths, etc., is clearly not enough.

We have landed here in these very challenging spaces and times, even as so many have laboured for so long in almost all domains of human existence, and even after many movements of solidarity succeeded in overcoming and righting and fighting the good fight. Yet, here we are.

A poetics of solidarity needs to hold accountable all our ways of thinking and doing, so far. I am not implying, by any means, that we have all failed. Rather, we all stand on the shoulders of many who have given their lives to make this a better world for all. We must acknowledge that loud and clear and take responsibility for what many are doing, and have done, that contributes to our shared existence.

This alone would be unlike many leaders who take office and make a point of undermining, or worst still, undoing, all that was done before them or by their predecessors. Or those who hold offices and invest so much in decrying, complaining, unravelling, and withering critiques of those trying to work alongside. Or those who claim to be part of a team, but cannot and will not support one another when things get tough.

A poetics of solidary demands that we put our money, and other resources, including activating our so-called values – where our mouths are. It is not good enough to speak about human rights, and/or the glory of our respective faiths and/or “interfaith peacemaking”, or even building edifices to such ‘co-existence’, when we do not contribute to the efforts of those who fight for these rights.

It is hard to justify killing, maiming, criminalising, imprisoning and in other ways, silencing, those who ask for their rights, and struggle for the rights of others. It is also hard to justify those who pretend to fight for the rights of others, when the going is good, and are silent or notably absent, when the going is tough.

What if, rather than undermine, constantly critique, systematically oppose, complain, or even just remaining silent (and hide behind claims that the particular issue at hand is not their business or endeavour), when we see our fellow humans give – what if we praise, give thanks, reach out to share a kind word, and better still, ask how we can help…? What if we give of the ‘little’ we have? Don’t all our faiths say that? You think this sounds too simple?

Did Einstein not say at some point something like the only difference between stupidity and genius, is that genius has its limits, and that everything should be made as simple as possible – but not simpler? Kindness, praise, and giving of what we value, to those we would normally not (want to) see or deign to appreciate, giving to those who speak and work and live differently – but aim for the collective good, is not simple. It is genius. Working together with those who may bear a different institutional flag, rather than seeking to create or consolidate your own, is also genius.

A poetics of solidarity may require us to acknowledge that solidarity is fundamentally about how we relate to one another, with kindness, empathy and willingness to serve – in words and deeds. But it is also to humbly realise that even as some of us try our best to relate and to “support”, “empower”, “engender”, or “enable”, we may well end up hurting one another, and/or even damage parts of our environment that some of us, including future generations, will need, to just survive.

When it comes to the poetics of solidarity in the age of ‘holy wars’, we cannot afford to now see anything ‘religious’ as a saviour, or the only source of our interrelated salvation. Nor can we afford to ignore the religious realms altogether, thinking we know our welfare best, or keep the religious at bay. Instead, we need to take responsibility for the fact that our faiths – including our faith in human rights – demand us to be accountable for ourselves, one another, and our planet.

What we need is a poetics of solidarity which does no harm – but this may well mean sacrificing something dear to us. We have lived – and still do – in an age where we think it is possible to have it all. Perhaps we may just have to come to terms with the fact that we each, and all, need to let go of something valuable to us – and to give, in service, instead.

All our institutions, groups, communities and our individual selves, bear a responsibility. Our long-established religious institutions, faith-based and interfaith initiatives in their mushrooming multitudes, need to be held accountable to what we give of our most valuable, to those who are not religious, those who come from different religions or religious organisations, and especially, to those who uphold all human rights for all peoples at all times.

Secular rights’ bearers and duty holders too, need to take responsibility for how we marginalise even as we ‘advocate’, how we maim as we seek to ‘protect’, and how we silence as we vocalise the ‘like-minded’. We speak of alliances and partnerships, but we walk, and work, in silos, seeking our own profit(s).

A poetics of solidarity may well be about cultivating and deliberately working alongside those we dislike, and giving the best of what we have, and of whom we are.

Professor Azza Karam is President and CEO of Lead Integrity; an affiliate with the Ansari Institute of Religion and Global Affairs at Notre Dame University; and a member of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism.

IPS UN Bureau

The post The Age of Holy War & Poetics of Solidarity – (Part 2) appeared first on Good News!.

By Azza Karam

NEW YORK, Jun 24 2024 (IPS) – “Holy War” is how the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church referred to the Russian war on the Ukraine, and indeed, on “the West”¹ . “Holy War”, aka “jihad” is a foundational principle of “the Base” or “al-Qaeda”, which has grown into a non-state hydra with too many names and atrocities to list here (but if you are curious, one of the hydra faces is ISIS).

In a recent opinion piece published in Foreign Policy, columnist Caroline de Gruyter noted that “Israel and Palestine Are Now in a Religious War”, in her attempt to argue why the Middle East conflict has been getting increasingly brutal, and increasingly hard to solve.

The intersection between holiness and war is even more nuanced in Zvi Bar’el’s Opinion piece in Haaretz, when he notes that “the war in Gaza is no longer about revenge for the murder of 1,200 Israelis or the hostages.

If they all die, along with hundreds of more soldiers, the price would still be justified for the Jewish Jihad waging a war for Gaza’s resettlement” [emphasis added]. Hamas’ own name –the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement) – needs no elaboration. Neither does Lebanon’s Hizbullah (Party of God).

In India, a report by the Indian Citizens and Lawyers Initiative (in April of 2023), entitled “Routes of Wrath: Weaponising Religious Processions”, notes

Indian history is rife with instances of religious processions that led to communal strife, riots, inexcusable violence, arson, destruction of property and the tragic deaths of innocent residents of the riot-hit areas. There have been horrific riots and bloodletting caused by other factors too, most prominently the anti-Sikh pogrom of 1984 and the Gujarat pogrom of 2002, but no cause of interfaith riots has been as recurrent and widespread as the religious procession. This is as true of pre-Independence India as during the 75 years since we became a free nation…Post-Independence, we have faced numerous communal riots in diverse parts of India, under different political regimes, and the vast majority of these have been caused by the deliberate choice of communally-sensitive routes by processionists, and the pusillanimity of the Police in dealing with such demands, or even their collusion and connivance in licencing such routes.²

Already back in August of 1988, in an article entitled “Holy War Against India”, explicitly speaks of “Sikh terrorism” in the Punjab, noting that it “took about a thousand lives in 1987 and more than a thousand in the first five months of 1988.

If it continues at the present rate, Sikh terrorism in the Punjab will have cost more lives in two years than the IRA campaign in Northern Ireland has cost in twenty.” ³ Speaking of Northern Ireland, the marching season remains a flashpoint among Catholics and Protestants.

Politicised religion, or religionised politics – whence religious discourse is part of political verbiage, tactics, expedient alliances, sometimes informing foreign policy priorities, occasionally used to justify conflict – are not new phenomena. In fact, they may well be one of the oldest features of politics, governance – and warmaking.

The Crusades against Muslim expansion in the 11th century were recognized as a “holy war” or a bellum sacrum, by later writers in the 17th century. The early modern wars against the Ottoman Empire were seen as a seamless continuation of this conflict by contemporaries. Religion and politics are the oldest bedfellows known to humankind.

What is relatively new, is that after the 100-year war in Europe, and the subsequent moves towards secularisation or the so-called ‘separation of Church and State’ (again, really only in parts of Europe), provided a false sense of the dominance of secular governance in modern times.

Yet, even in the citadels of secular Western Europe, a relationship binding Church and State always existed, for the religious institutions and their affiliated social structures, remain critical social service providers – and humanitarian actors – till today. A reality now understood to be relevant in all parts of our world.

Nevertheless, what we are seeing today is a resurgence of religious politics, and the politics of religion, in almost all corners of the world. Before the Russian Orthodox Church proclaimed its “holy war” narrative, the reference to religion and politics almost always focused on Muslim-majority contexts, specifically on Iran, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

Other realities would often go unnoticed, or somehow deemed as ‘odd’ or one-time phenomena – for instance the fact that the 2016 US elections delivered a Trump administration with full and public backing by a significant part of the Evangelical movement (many of whom are backing a potential comeback of him now); or the fact that related Evangelical counterparts backed Bolsenaro’s rise to power in Brazil; or the fact that religious arguments against abortion remain a key US electoral feature for decades; or the fact that a number of right-leaning anti-immigrant political discourses and blatant white supremacist politics have religious backing in parts of Europe and Latin America.

Was it perhaps that since these took place in ‘white’ and Christian-majority polities, somehow set these aside from being factored as part of the global resurgence of religious politics?

Whatever the case may be, it is time to smell that particularly strong brew of coffee, now. And as we do so, we are also obliged to note that it is no coincidence that this ‘brew’ is taking place at a time of remarkable social and political polarisation in many societies.

Indeed. we speak of multiple and simultaneous crisis (e.g. climate change, catastrophic governance, wars, famines, rampant inequalities, soaring human displacement, nuclear fears, systemic racism, rising multiple violence, drug wars, proliferation of arms and weapons, misogyny, etc.) and we also acknowledge the wilting multilateral influence to confront these. But as we acknowledge these, we must also recognise that social cohesion is a lasting and tragic victim.

Some governmental, non-governmental and intergovernmental entities have turned to religion(s) as a possible panacea. Religious leaders are being convened in multiple capitals (at significant cost) in almost all corners of the world.

Regularly touting the peacefulness and the unparalleled supremacy of their respective moral standpoints. Religious NGOs are being sought out, supported and partnered with more regularly to help address multiple crisis – especially humanitarian, educational, public health, sanitation, and child-focused efforts.

Interfaith initiatives are competing among each other, and with other secular ones, for grants from governments and philanthropists in the United States, Europe, Africa, many parts of Asia (with the notable exception of China), and the Middle East. Engaging, or partnering with religious entities is the new normal.

But just as the largely secular efforts we lived through (and some of us served for decades) in the 1960s to the 1990s, did not realise a brave new world, religious ones, on their own, cannot do so either. Especially not with the kind of historical baggage and contemporary narratives of holy war, we are living with now.

It is time we re-consider, re-engage and re-envision a poetics of solidarity rooted an abiding adherence to (and re-education about) all human rights for all peoples at all times. What would that entail?

¹ https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/88aug/obrien.htm
² Connor O’Brian, https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/routes-of-wrath-report-2023-2-465217.pdf
³ Connor O’Brian, https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/routes-of-wrath-report-2023-2-465217.pdf

Part 2 follows.

Dr. Azza Karam is President and CEO of Lead Integrity; a Professor and Affiliate with the Ansari Institute of Religion and Global Affairs at Notre Dame University; and a member of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism.

IPS UN Bureau

The post The Age of Holy War & Poetics of Solidarity – (Part 1) appeared first on Good News!.

Listen to “Resilience 2020, David Dodd” on Spreaker.

March 2-6, 2020, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles
United Nations International Public Private Partnership Center of Excellence Comes to Louisiana
Television Interviews with Presenters and Key Participants
for local Television Stations
This is a private event, produced by the International Sustainable Resilience Center (SDRC), is not open to the public. We are offering live interviews to local television stations in each city during this unique, international event, featuring working sessions with the United Nations International Public Private Partnership Center of Excellence (ICoE) and twelve regional organizations that work with Louisiana businesses involved in larger public projects around the state, along with eight specialist centers working under the direction of the ICoE, including centers from Portugal, Spain, France, Lebanon, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo, who will hold sessions together in bringing knowledge of “people first” public private partnerships to enhance resilience and provide for robust infrastructure in Louisiana.
We will have an experienced broadcast crew at the event that will be recording interviews. Your station can simply provide a reporter and we will give you a copy of the interview when it is completed. If you wish, you can set up a remote broadcast in front of the venue to provide additional coverage.
Regional organizations in Louisiana taking part in the working sessions include:
• Port of South Louisiana
• Louisiana Economic Development
• Committee of 100
• World Trade Center New Orleans
• University of Louisiana System
• Tulane Bywater Institute
• Water Institute of the Gulf
• Baton Rouge Area Chamber
• Greater New Orleans, Inc.
• New Orleans Business Alliance
• South Louisiana Economic Council
• Southwest Louisianan Economic Development Alliance

The event is being coproduced by the International Sustainable Resilience Center (ISRC), one of the eight specialist centers of excellence that will be convening in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles from March 2nd to 6th, 2020.
The ISRC, is headquartered in New Orleans and will be your point of contact for this event. Bruce May, Chief Content Officer for the ISRC, will coordinate any activity between your station, the event and the on-site production company (Dynamic Global Media).
This is a private event and is closed to the public. Please keep information about the event under embargo until the first day of the sessions (March 2nd, 2020).
A press release about the event is attached which is under embargo until March 2nd, 2020.
Contact Bruce May to make arrangements for covering the event.
For Network Television and Broadcast Information, contact:
Bruce May
Chief Content Officer
International Sustainable Resilience Center
bruce@hbmayco.com
936-242-9264

EMBARGO until:
Release March 2nd, 2020
Resilience 2020
March 2-6, 2020, New Orleans, Baton Rouge

THE WHO
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe International Public Private Partnership Center of Excellence (ICoE) and its’ affiliated Specialist Center for Disaster Resilience and Recovery, the International Sustainable Resilience Center (ISRC) are coproducing a first of its kind ever event in Louisiana. ISRC is one of eight specialist centers of excellence that will be convening in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles from March 2nd to 6th, 2020. ISRC, headquartered in New Orleans, will welcome centers based in Portugal, Spain, France, Lebanon, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo who will hold sessions together in bringing knowledge of “people first” public private partnerships to enhance resilience and provide for robust infrastructure in Louisiana.
These centers have realized that the value of their work could be leveraged by acting together and have chosen Louisiana as the location for a pilot project that can be replicated worldwide. The ICoE , a unit of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe division of Economic Cooperation and trade will also attend, and will be represented by its chief Geoffrey Hamilton and Chief Tony Bonnici. Both have committed to assist Louisiana in any way possible regarding trade and foreign direct investment as well.
THE WHAT
This spring thought leaders from all around the globe will gather in three key Louisiana cities to make connections and brainstorm ways to improve our state’s ability to enter into public private partnerships that will work for everyone.
Co-produced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the International Sustainable Resilience Center based in New Orleans, this first-of-its-kind ever event will feature experts from France, Spain, Portugal, Lebanon, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and the U.S.
Sessions will center around “people first” public private partnerships in the following areas, with all focusing on the overriding importance of resilience:
• Transportation
• Water and Sanitation
• Smart, Sustainable Cities
• Ports
• Law and Policy
• Local/Regional Governance
• Disaster Resilience and Recovery
HOST ORGANIZATIONS
This event is very fortunate to have leading organizations as hosts, each of which has pledged their support. Hosts include:
— Port of South Louisiana
— Louisiana Economic Development
— Committee of 100 for Economic Development
— Water Institute of the Gulf
— World Trade Center New Orleans
— University of Louisiana System
— Greater New Orleans, Inc.
— Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce
— Southwest Louisianan Economic Development Alliance
— South Louisiana Economic Council
— New Orleans Business Alliance

Leaders of these organizations have granted interviews with event co-producer International Sustainable Resilience Center, available at www.sustainableresiliencetv.com

WHAT’S IN IT
FOR LOUISIANA
There are multiple benefits for Louisiana. Having global expertise in public private partnerships that emphasize transparency inclusion and equity will only help Louisiana’s efforts to become a more resilient and competitive state. Forming relationships with two critical leaders within UNECE can enhance trade and foreign direct investment opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, hosting a visit of this magnitude will set Louisiana apart from every other state in the nation, and lead to worldwide recognition through the 84 nation governing body of the ICoE.

#resilience #david #dodd #bruce #dino #paternostro #may #international #sustainable #center #michael #olivier #transportation #water #louisiana #sanitation #smart #sustainable #disaster #recovery #lee #gary #organizations #france #spain #portugal #lebanon #hong #kong #china #japan #us #united #states #economic #cooperation #new #orleans

The post Resilience 2020 appeared first on Good News!.

The idea to create the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood [PHF] came from our profound need to carry the message of Philippe’s life. Those of us who knew him, know that his time on earth was different than for most of us. And all of us, adults and children, all learnt something from this little boy, who seemed to be wiser than most. His loving and compassionate spirit was so magically contagious, that we decided it needed to live on no matter what. His life may have been short, but it was meaningful, and PHF will carry his message of hope, smiles and compassion wherever the Foundation takes us.

The PHF aims to make less fortunate children of the world happier, and to regain the desire to live and mature into good people. As misery sweeps through children’s lives in all kinds of ways, we want to help make a difference. We don’t naively believe we will eradicate human misery all by ourselves… but we do believe that even one person fighting for children can change another’s life, and that one organization could help thousands more.

And so we set on to develop projects and programs that will make a real, tangible impact, one smile at a time. We will focus on what makes children happy, without any kind of discrimination. We also want to bring awareness to children’s situation, in Lebanon and around the world, especially with other children. Some of our programs will involve children directly, so that a fortunate child can help a less fortunate child, with love and compassion. Teaching children how to care for those who are less fortunate will contribute to making them more responsible and caring adults, another lesson we learned from Philippe.

• The Board of Directors of the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood set a series of principles to abide by in taking any decision related to PHF’s work.
• Live up to Philippe’s standards, and be inspired by his life.
• Focus on making children happy, today, one smile at a time.
• Strive to be different and innovative.
• Focus on making a real/tangible impact.
• Strive to teach children to also be happy from within.
• Actively involve fortunate children in making less fortunate children happy.
• Help children with no discrimination whatsoever of their race, religion, nationality or political affiliations.
• Maximize the use of funds for the benefit of those in need.

A child is a child, no matter where he is from, where he is born, and where he lives. At PHF, we believe it is our responsibility, as citizens of the world, to reach out beyond frontiers and across borders. PHF was established in Lebanon on 13 April 2010 to cover the activities of the Foundation throughout the Middle East; in order to fulfill our international objectives, we are currently working on establishing the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood in the United States of America and in Africa, both of which will become a reality before the end of 2011.

• Teddy-Georges Hatem, Founder and President

  Teddy-Georges Hatem is Philippe’s father. He is Founder and President of the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood. He is also the Chairman, Chief-Executive-Officer and Founder of CDS, a leading management consulting firm active in the Middle-East region since 1994. With more than 20 years of management consulting experience, his work has covered a wide variety of industries in the private sector as well as for non-profit organizations. Prior to establishing CDS, Mr. Hatem worked…
  Read more

• Carol Nader, Vice President

  “It is unthinkable to watch human misery unfold, and not react. Every one of us, to his/her own scale, should give back a little of what he receives. This is what I based my children’s education on. Try and make the world a better place.”   Carol Nader is Philippe’s mother. She is Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood. Prior to Philippe’s death, Ms. Nader spent nine years teaching sewing in prisons…
  Read more

• Me Fady Ziade, Secretary

  Me Fady Ziade is the Secretary General of the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood. He is also Founder and Managing Director of the Fady Ziadé Law Firm for more than 30 years and member of the Beirut Bar since 1969.   Fady Ziadé Law Firm has established a solid reputation for offering a full range of quality legal services and cooperates with prominent law firms in Europe, the USA and the Middle East. The firm is favored by major and mid-sized clients from Lebanon…
  Read more

Website: http://www.forahappychildhood.org/index.php

The post Teddy-Georges Hatem appeared first on Good News!.

The PHF aims to make less fortunate children of the world happier, and to regain the desire to live and mature into good people. As misery sweeps through children’s lives in all kinds of ways, we want to help make a difference. We don’t naively believe we will eradicate human misery all by ourselves… but we do believe that even one person fighting for children can change another’s life, and that one organization could help thousands more.

And so we set on to develop projects and programs that will make a real, tangible impact, one smile at a time. We will focus on what makes children happy, without any kind of discrimination. We also want to bring awareness to children’s situation, in Lebanon and around the world, especially with other children. Some of our programs will involve children directly, so that a fortunate child can help a less fortunate child, with love and compassion. Teaching children how to care for those who are less fortunate will contribute to making them more responsible and caring adults, another lesson we learned from Philippe.

• The Board of Directors of the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood set a series of principles to abide by in taking any decision related to PHF’s work.
• Live up to Philippe’s standards, and be inspired by his life.
• Focus on making children happy, today, one smile at a time.
• Strive to be different and innovative.
• Focus on making a real/tangible impact.
• Strive to teach children to also be happy from within.
• Actively involve fortunate children in making less fortunate children happy.
• Help children with no discrimination whatsoever of their race, religion, nationality or political affiliations.
• Maximize the use of funds for the benefit of those in need.

A child is a child, no matter where he is from, where he is born, and where he lives. At PHF, we believe it is our responsibility, as citizens of the world, to reach out beyond frontiers and across borders. PHF was established in Lebanon on 13 April 2010 to cover the activities of the Foundation throughout the Middle East; in order to fulfill our international objectives, we are currently working on establishing the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood in the United States of America and in Africa, both of which will become a reality before the end of 2011.

• Teddy-Georges Hatem, Founder and President

  Teddy-Georges Hatem is Philippe’s father. He is Founder and President of the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood. He is also the Chairman, Chief-Executive-Officer and Founder of CDS, a leading management consulting firm active in the Middle-East region since 1994. With more than 20 years of management consulting experience, his work has covered a wide variety of industries in the private sector as well as for non-profit organizations. Prior to establishing CDS, Mr. Hatem worked…
  Read more

• Carol Nader, Vice President

  “It is unthinkable to watch human misery unfold, and not react. Every one of us, to his/her own scale, should give back a little of what he receives. This is what I based my children’s education on. Try and make the world a better place.”   Carol Nader is Philippe’s mother. She is Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood. Prior to Philippe’s death, Ms. Nader spent nine years teaching sewing in prisons…
  Read more

• Me Fady Ziade, Secretary

  Me Fady Ziade is the Secretary General of the Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood. He is also Founder and Managing Director of the Fady Ziadé Law Firm for more than 30 years and member of the Beirut Bar since 1969.   Fady Ziadé Law Firm has established a solid reputation for offering a full range of quality legal services and cooperates with prominent law firms in Europe, the USA and the Middle East. The firm is favored by major and mid-sized clients from Lebanon…
  Read more

Website: http://www.forahappychildhood.org/index.php

The post Philippe Hatem Foundation for a Happy Childhood appeared first on Good News!.

Good News did this interview last year in July, the work continues on – Good News. Dr. Eddy Bayardelle, President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation speaks to us. The Global Classrooms program brings international issues and the Model UN experience to students in traditionally underserved schools and urban communities. It builds their conflict resolution, research, presentation and analytical skills. Global Classrooms students typically spend a year or semester studying all aspects of an assigned country and then role-play its position on key UN agenda items at the annual conference. Global Classrooms enriches students’ knowledge of world affairs and the global economy, developing them as business leaders and politically empowered individuals.
2,300 Student Ambassadors Visit From China, Germany, Israel, India, Lebanon, as Well as From Other Overseas and US Cities to Debate Global Warming, Poverty and Peace in the Middle East at the United Nations, May 17th through the 19th. The United Nations Association of the USA’s Innovative Program, Global Classrooms, in Partnership With Merrill Lynch, Brings Global Economy and Global Citizenry Into Urban Public Schools. Sponsored by the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and Merrill Lynch, the event is held at the United Nations headquarters. The conference mobilizes students to tackle world issues such as globalization, terrorism, Darfur, AIDS, Koreas nuclear capabilities, and other pressing problems.
Speakers at the opening ceremony include: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Permanent sentative of the United States to the United Nations, Ahmass L. Fakahany, Vice Chairman and Chief Administrative Officer of Merrill Lynch, the program’s global sponsor and Ambassador William H. Luers, president of UNA-USA. The keynote speaker will be NBA Legend and Olympic gold medalist Sam Perkins. After 18 NBA seasons, Perkins retired in 2001 with more than 15,000 points and 7,000 rebounds. Through NBA Cares, he has traveled to Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Nigeria and South Africa. Perkins now serves as a spokesperson for the Nothing but Nets campaign which works to distribute bed nets to children and families throughout Africa. Some students will travel more than 10,000 miles to participate, which includes young people from: China, Miami, Lebanon, Boston, Germany, Chicago, South Africa, Washington DC, United Kingdom; Tampa, Brazil, New York City, Israel, Houston, Japan, Los Angeles, Spain, St. Paul, Mexico, India, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Global Classrooms is made possible through the financial and employee volunteer support of Merrill Lynch. “Global Classrooms brings the Model UN program – which is nearly 60 years old – from Ivy League colleges to middle school and high school students of public schools in urban areas,” said Ambassador William Luers, president of UNA-USA. “Student delegates are enriched by the process of researching and writing position papers, negotiating with others, addressing committees through speeches, caucusing, and navigating the UN’s rules of procedure.” “Seeing the world from a global perspective is one of the most critical insights that young people can acquire for business and for life,” said Ahmass Fakahany, Merrill Lynch Vice Chairman. “This extraordinary gathering inspires our youth to develop the skills and perspectives needed to compete in a global economy and to be good global citizens.
Global Classrooms helps today’s youth to become tomorrow’s global ambassadors and business leaders.” “Global Classrooms is successfully exposing students from diverse backgrounds to a more inclusive way of thinking, understanding and interacting,” said Dr. Lucia Rodriguez, vice president of education for UNA-USA. “Armed with this new perspective, students feel empowered to actively shape their own future.” Though the Model UN will involve over 400,000 students globally in 2007, it has only recently expanded into urban public schools. Since 2000, Global Classrooms has touched tens of thousands of young people.
This past year, 25,000 students were exposed to Model UN in US classrooms, and more than 100,000 participated via the Internet. Merrill Lynch and UNA-USA have also teamed up to develop a new curriculum on The Economics of Globalization. The goal: to help youth better understand economic conditions and the role of the global economy in all major world issues, from health to environment to security. The new curriculum will bring to life the finance, trade and development aspects of globalization and challenge students to analyze complex issues and articulate their positions accordingly. Materials will reflect the guidance of Merrill Lynch researchers and experts from around the world, and will be aligned with educational standards for classroom use, including a teacher and student resource book and a guide for volunteers.
The curriculum is designed to provide a foundation of global economic knowledge that will be applied and built upon as the students role play as UN delegates and ambassadors. “”While globalization is bringing people closer together, it is also requiring young people to develop skills and perspectives that enable them to understand the interconnected world,” says Dr. Eddy Bayardelle, President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation. When you see these young people in action negotiating across cultures, languages and economies, you know that they have already begun to shape a new world.” Merrill Lynch, as the global sponsor, made a five-year, $7.5 million commitment to the program.
More About Dr. Eddy Bayardelle:
As President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation and Head of Global Philanthropy, Dr. Eddy Bayardelle manages Foundation, corporate and employee contributions and directs the firms philanthropic initiatives worldwide, including fundraising, employee campaigns, volunteerism and gifts-in-kind. Over the past decade his unique projects have funded over a quarter-billion dollars in scholarships, innovative programs, curriculum development, and head starts on careers and entrepreneurial ventures for American youth. Prior to joining Merill Lynch, Bayardelle served as Chief Operating Officer of the United States Committee of UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund). Dr. Bayardelles tenure in education encompasses notable leadership positions, including Superintendent for the Hempstead Public Schools in Long Island, New York; Superintendent for Monitoring & School Improvement; and Executive Director of the Division of Special Education for the New York City Public Schools. At the Graduate School of Bank Street College of education, Dr. Bayardelle held several posts including Associate Dean for Planning and Development. Before that he worked for the New York State Education Department, which establishes and monitors statewide educational standards.
With the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Educational Leadership, Dr. Bayardelle co-founded the New York Education Policy Fellowship Program, which offers mid-career public and private sector professionals a comprehensive understanding of public policy and leadership. Dr. Bayardelle co-directed the program for 15 years. Dr. Bayardelle has served on numerous boards, including: Governor Bushs Advisory Group on Haiti, Mayor Bloombergs Cultural Affairs Commission, NYC & Company the NYC Bureau of Trade and Tourism, Wall Street Rising, Foundation for Investor Education, National Guard Youth Foundation, The Independent Sectors International Task Force and the Conference Boards Contributions and Business & Education Councils. Dr. Bayardelle attended elementary school in Haiti and Africa and high school in New York City. After serving in the U.S. Army, Bayardelle received his B.A. from Marymount Manhattan College, his M.S. from Bank Street College and his Ph.D. from New York University.
About UNA-USA:
The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a center for innovative programs to engage Americans
in issues of global concern. Its educational and humanitarian campaigns, along with its policy and advocacy programs, allow people to make a global impact at the local level. UNA-USA a non-profit, encourages US leader-ship in the UN. With 175 chapters, it has 20,000 members nationwide. http://www.unausa.org” target=_blank>http://www.unausa.org About Merrill Lynch’s Global Philanthropy: Merrill Lynch was founded on the idea that the world is full of opportunity. Opening the door to that opportunity for underserved children and youth is the focus of the firm’s global philanthropy. In 2006, the firm’s giving totaled more than $40 million, with education receiving nearly one-half of that support.
In 2005, Merrill Lynch launched its multi-million dollar Young Ambassadors initiative to cultivate the next generation of global education for young people and taps Merrill Lynch volunteer efforts, the expertise of leading organizations and educators across the sectors, and educational resources available free of charge at: http://www.volunteer.ml.com
Learn more at: http://volunteer.ml.com/index.asp?id=66319_67036
To view video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk0WFdsiLNQ

The post Dr. Eddy Bayardelle Explains Global Classrooms appeared first on Good News!.