1. law, govt and politics
2. legal issues
3. human rights

Message from Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact
Dear friends,
The United Nations Department of Public Information, in
cooperation with the UNHATEFoundation, launched the
UNHATE NEWS initiative as part of its efforts to create a
world without hate and where human rights are
recognized. As a powerful and thought provoking digital
initiative, its objective is to invite people to create news
"stories" they would like to see come true, stories whose
inherent ideas provoke thought and actions.
The stories were uploaded on the UNHATEFoundation
website where a youth UNHATEcommunity chose the 100
most liked stories; these were evaluated by an
UNHATEFoundation jury which selected 10 stories
subdivided as follows:
5 stories selected on broad and influential human rights
and development themes.
5 stories specifically on women's rights.
These stories are at the end of this announcement.
We now invite university/college students and
members of faculty ,between the ages of eighteen and
thirty, around the world, to develop, prepare, and
present a specific initiative at the local or community
level that clearly promotes the ideal of tolerance,
respect for diversity and harmony within and between
peoples as part of the UNHATE Foundation's/UNAI
International Diversity Contest (the "Contest"). The
Message from Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact
project should relate to one or more of the general
themes of the attached stories; please note that the
specific "stories" listed below are only illustrative and
it is their broad thrust, purpose and intent that the
projects should focus upon. Entries may be submitted
by individuals or by groups of individuals who have
collaborated in defining the project.
The project should be clearly related to the community in
which the Entrant(s) reside and aimed at promoting the
global goals of the Contest among the members of the
said community.
The project should have practical relevance and its impact
must be clearly measurable. In submitting a proposal,
entrants are advised to include definable measurements
with various stages of implementation,clearly identifiable
by time period. Specifically, entrants are advised to take
into account the following elements:
a. Who is the target audience of the project?
b. What is the time-frame for its implementation?
c. How will this improve diversity and tolerance?
d. What is the estimated cost?
e. Does it require the participation of other partners
(for example, university administration)? If so,
how will their participation be ensured?
f. Can this be replicated elsewhere?
The proposal must clearly spell out the financial
requirements for the implementation of the project. All
Entrants are advised to include suggestions on future
Message from Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact
resource mobilization to support the project beyond the
initial period for which grants will be available from the
UNHATE Foundation.
Proposals submitted for consideration should not be
longer than 1,000 words. However, supplemental material,
containing detailed analysis with suggested time-frames
and financial analysis, are welcome. All project proposals and supplemental material - must be submitted in English.
Entries
should
be
e-mailed
by April
30,
2015 to [email protected] with
"Diversity
Contest" in the subject line. Please note that we
recognize that the deadline is approaching quickly.
Proposal writers should do their best to address all
proposal guidelines but should know, too, that good
ideas which need minor revisions will be considered
by the judges.
Entries should be accompanied by two attachments.
(i) An institutional representative will have to attest
that the Entrant is either currently enrolled as a
student or a faculty member of the institution, and that
the project proposal is the original, unaided work of
the Entrant.
(ii) Proof of age (between 18 and 30 as on April 30,
2015.)
Message from Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact
A panel of judges, who are volunteers, will decide upon a
total of 10 winning Entities of the Contest (i.e. the
Finalists), each of whom will be awarded 20,000 Euros by
the Foundation to translate their conceptualized project
into action.
All Finalists will be given certificates of participation by the
UNHATE Foundation, signifying they are one of the ten
winners of the International Diversity Contest arranged in
cooperation with the United Nations Academic Impact.
While Entrants shall retain the rights to their submissions,
by participating in the Contest they grant the UNHATE
Foundation and the UN a worldwide, exclusive, royaltyfree, and irrevocable license to use the content of their
proposals in whole or in part. In addition, the Entrants
grant the UNHATE Foundation and the UN permission to
use in whole or in part their proposals for promotional
purposes through all media, in perpetuity, to promote
diversity, tolerance and global understanding.
With thanks, and regards,
Ramu
([email protected])
Message from Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact
UNHATE NEWS Shortlisted News – 10 final news Themes -­‐
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5 on women’s rights o 1 on maternal health o 1 on violence against women o 1 on women and unemployment o 1 on women’s empowerment o 1 on women’s health 5 on sustainable development and human rights, as identified by UNDPI. In particular: o 1 on religious tolerance o 1 on the right to water o 1 on LGBTI rights o 1 on the right to housing o 1 on the right to education The 10 news come from all over the world: -­‐
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3 from Europe (2 from Italy and 1 from Romania) 3 from Asia (India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan) 2 from Africa (Kenya, Morocco) 1 from South America (Honduras) 1 from North America (USA) News on collateral themes 1) Ioana Serban (Romania) -­‐ Christians and Muslims Come Together in Celebration! (Sustainable development and human rights – religious tolerance) A group of young Christians and Muslims have come together in celebration to fight against modern stereotypes about their religions. They have celebrated their most important holidays together: Ramadan and Easter; together respecting the religious traditions of each other’s culture. Firstly they visited Romania for the celebration of Easter; where the group of young Muslims had to keep fast in the Christian Orthodox tradition, by not eating anything that comes from animals.They visited Churches and learned about the Christian religion and traditions. Easter was prepared and celebrated together. The young Christian group had the same program in Turkey for Ramadan. For one week they had to get used to fasting in Muslim way: not eating or drinking during the day, only by night. They visited Mosques and learned about Muslim Message from Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact
religion and traditions. The young Christians and Muslims have learned to be more tolerant by understanding that diversity is richness for our society. 2) Anna Laura Beretta (Italy) -­‐ Free access to clean water in every remote area (Sustainable development and human rights – right to water) Clean water stations are spreading all over South America and Sub-­‐Saharan Africa. Built in a way that resambles oil stations, in these areas people can "fuel" clean water, assisted by doctors and nutrisionists who provide check-­‐ups and give advices for an healthier living style. Clean water stations are built where access to clean water is critical, meaning in remote rural areas and in high-­‐populated slums. Making the access to clean water so easy in the targeted areas will dramatically reduce child mortality and the spreading of waterborne deseases in the next decade Photo by Sara Angela Beretta. 3) Samuel Alvarado (Honduras) -­‐ Honduras open the first line of complaint for LGBTI (Sustainable development and human rights – LGBTI rights) Honduras has been one of the countries in Central America that has had major problems in demanding human rights for people of sexual diversity . From the period 2009 to 2013 have been more than 40 gay , transgender , transvestites, transsexuals and lesbians who have been the victims of this great wave of killings hate, stigma and discrimination. This was until the year 2014 where with the help of multilateral agencies and sexual diversity committee to Honduras , has opened the first telephone line and denunciation of people who incite hatred in public and private spaces against LGBTI This line is intended to provide legal advice with expert lawyers in the area of human rights and track hate crimes carried out since 2009 , that to punish perpetrators of violent crimes towards LGBTI This gives the country a large gap that opens the way for us as a country to progress on human rights and advocacy continue to reform laws and to open spaces in the decision making for LGBTI" 4) Aarati Sharma (India) -­‐ Reducing slums, one home at a time (Sustainable development and human rights – right to housing) Housing has never been more affordable since the advent of houses made from shipping containers. In the slums of India, where poor families often find themselves crowded out of livable space, the shipping container homes have become immensely popular. The government of India is experimenting with certain districts of Mumbai, collaborating with volunteer architects and developers as well as local families to create stacks of shipping container homes to house some of India’s most destitute. Each neighborhood will consist of twenty homes that will also have shared amenities. Each neighborhood will also contribute together to pay for these amenities. Families are encouraged to help each other and share their resources to maintain their living space. If this project is successful, the government of India plans on establishing more such neighborhoods to reduce the need for its poorest to live in slum-­‐like conditions. They hope Indian slums will be reduced by 50% in 2015. Message from Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact
5) Zeus Ombeva (Kenya) -­‐ The entire African countries to embrace inclusive education (Sustainable development and human rights – right to education) In the wake of its development, most African Countries have previously been facing trouble in terms of education facilities. The case has drastically changed now. Inclusive education is being facilitated across all the schools in Africa, meaning that the marginalized persons, such as those with disability, will have equal educational opportunity as the others. Most of the Western Countries came up with the Initiative dubbed, "Educate the African", where an estimated $100 Billion was collected through grants and loans. The funds, which are currently protected under the World Bank, shall be used across the African Countries to acquire facilities and equipment so that the disabled can freely indulge and study with other students in schools. This has been seen to have given those living with disability a new hope, and an affiliation to the public. The funds shall also be used to train African teachers on the general issue of Inclusive Education. Indeed, light is at the tunnel end. News on women’s rights 1) Enrico Testa (Italy) -­‐ Disabilities can be Eradicated from Birth (Maternal health) A network of teams of experts with medical skills has already covered the area of Central American and African countries. It is expected that by 2025 there will be a considerable reduction in the number of children born with disabilities. This project is targeting a huge number of cases of children affected with disabilities, especially at their hands or they feet, non because of any syndrome or congenital diseases, but because of lack of assistance or inadequate care during delivery and postnatal. Trainings are provided to teams of a midwife and a physiotherapist based in dispensary in areas where acess to health care is difficult (due to socio-­‐
econimic or environmental conditions. Photo copyright: N.Rouault/Handicap International Belgium 2) Jawaher Zahran (Saudi Arabia) -­‐ It's the end of violence (Violence against women) After spreading awareness about the horrible effects of violence in the world through social media, it has declined dramatically that it almost became unnoticeable. The world witnessed the end of this horrific catastrophe. In Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria and Sub-­‐Saharan Africa, where violence against women was evident, the governments of these regions finally passed a strict legislation to punish those who commit violent acts against women and to install a clear reporting system of such incidents. Statistics of violence have been dropping ever since, according to the recent international violence survey. Physical violence, bullying, sexual harassment and rape also decreased. After this lawsuit, men who used to be violent amended their attitudes towards women where no future incident was ever reported, and they became friendlier towards them. Moreover, former victims of violence were given support sessions about post-­‐violence trauma to regain their confidence and power. Message from Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact
3) Nassima Ezzaoui (Morocco) -­‐ Muslim women in Europe, for a job via a website: with or without the veil (Women and unemployment) Photo, age, name, residence in Europe, working abilities, our dreams, our studies, if we are married or not, if we have children. I dream about a beautiful website to offer ourselves in the labour market. Coloured, nice, that let see our faces, my friend's face including mine: with or without the veil. We are muslim women, we live in Europe and we are looking for a job... I think it would be wonderful if we are joined in a unique website: what do you think about? I believe it could be a symbol of openness between the East and the West. I am Maroccan from Settat, 80 km south from Casablanca. I have been living in Italy since 2001, I have 2 children and my husband. I work a bit, I love it and I would like to help the other muslim women that like me have the same dream. The title of the newspaper? I would like that it would be in all over the world, for all the Muslim women, actually ! 4) Nida Shahab (Pakistan) -­‐ Empowering the powerless (Women’s empowerment) It was Rita’s wedding day and she was deeply enthralled, yet a bit concerned about her possible marital life. She had heard about and witnessed the injustice and ill treatment of women and girls by their partners, fathers and brothers. Gender discrimination was in the very roots of her culture and community. Fortunately, she was different from her fellow women on account of being an active participant of the Women Rights awareness programs. She was an advocate of gender equality in her workplace and endeavors to create awareness and recognition about the significance of family planning, equitable nutritional treatment of boys and girls, health care, inheritance rights, primary education and women’s sexual and reproductive rights. Her efforts have motivated and convinced many families to undertake careful measures to avoid gender discrimination and declining maternal and child morality. Including Jay (her fiancé), she has counseled other men about safe and responsible parenthood and family planning. She felt someone clasping her hand warmly; it was Jay, murmuring lovingly, “Together, we will plant the seed of love, tranquility and equality”. 5) Dan R. (USA) -­‐ At the forefront of women's health awareness movement (Women’s health) The movement for the well-­‐being of women has taken a significant leap forward due to the efforts of local activists targeting rural communities in Asia and the Middle East. In these countries it is often taboo to speak of topics such as child-­‐birth, sex and menstruation. This often leads to confusing and incorrect information being disseminated that could, in turn, lead to health risks that could have been avoided. Thanks to the efforts of volunteer health care workers, local women were sponsored to participate in workshops. They were trained to understand how to treat these topics in a healthy way that can be understood while respecting their own cultural beliefs. These local women then returned to their communities to become representatives in leading the discussion on women’s health. Now, every month, women are participating in local forums lead by their trained representative where they can discuss and learn about these taboo topics without fear of stigma.