Category: News and Events

Click on the image above to open. New issue of WCPUN publication, CENTERPOINT NOW, “Are we there yet?” marking the 75th anniversary of the UN, now available in hard copy, limited edition, and online. Editor-in-Chief, Shamina de Gonzaga.

November, 2020: A fundraising platform and cultural call-to-action to support a global COVID-19 response through the arts, organized by The Future is Unwritten in collaboration with Christie’s, the World Health Organization, WHO Foundation and UN75. The initiative aims to increase awareness around a global path to recovery and raise critical funds to support communities most vulnerable and with the weakest health systems to act effectively in response to the pandemic.

25 June, 2020 – Virtual discussion, hosted by UN75, organized by The Future is Unwritten, bringing together cultural leaders working with First Nation communities in the United States and Canada. The discussion explores native models and values as vital drivers for the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, featuring panelists: Joseph Kunkel (Northern Cheyenne Nation), Director, Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab; Nathalie Bondil, Director General and Chief Curator at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; Aaron Leggett (Dena’ina Athabascan), Curator of Alaskan History & Culture at Anchorage Museum and President/First Chief of Native Village Eklutna; Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota), Writer, Playwright, Director, Choreographer, and the Recipient of the PEN/USA Literary Award for Drama.  Moderator: Shamina de Gonzaga, Executive Director, WCPUN / Editor-in-Chief, CENTERPOINT NOW. Tune in at: Indigenous Voices / Listening for Tomorrow

17 June, 2020 – Medicine Men / The Art of Health in partnership with the World Health Organization brings together physician artists and curators to explore the healing power of art as a driver for improved health, education and social justice at this critical time. It is the third in a series of UN75 Dialogues by The Future is Unwritten, a New York-based initiative by CULTURUNNERS and WCPUN, produced in partnership with UN75 to engage the arts and culture sector in United Nations global policy discussions and implementation efforts. Live Stream 10:00 am EST

11 June, 2020 – Rising Waters / Resilient Cultures in partnership with UNESCO brings together leading voices from the world of art, architecture and advocacy to explore cultural resilience and the need for innovation and imagination in the face of rising sea levels. Following the postponement of the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, the discussion is framed around the dual crisis of a global pandemic and climate emergency, exploring the implications of rising sea levels for low-lying island and coastal communities as well as cultural and natural heritage at risk. This event marks the second of a series of official UN75 Moderated Dialogues organized by The Future is Unwritten, a New York-based initiative by CULTURUNNERS and World Council of Peoples for the United Nations (WCPUN) to engage and support the arts and culture community in sustainable development implementation. More information

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22 April, 2019 THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN /Art in the Time of Coronavirus brings together influential art world voices to explore the role and value of art when facing systemic-level, global threats like COVID-19. This dialogue will be held on Earth Day to highlight Coronavirus’ connection to our ecological emergency. Tune In to the UN75 YouTube Channel at 11:00 AM EST.

More Information

Friday, 18 October, 2019. RSVP required for Non-UN pass holders.

27 September, 2019: Workshop “(education for a) Cosmopolitanism beyond Comfort Zones”. Join us for a dialogue on the meaning and value of cosmopolitanism and ethical competence. 9am-5pm, Sukyo center, 124 E 31st St, New York.

An initiative of the New Humanism Project team, hosted at the Sukyo Center New York and with support of the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations, UNITY EARTH, The Interspiritual Network, the National Ethical Service and the Forum 21 Institute.
https://www.newhumanism.org/happenings/

16 SEPTEMBER, 2019: WCPUN is pleased to present the latest edition of INDOCUMENTALES, A Film and Conversation Series exploring Latin American migrant experiences in the US, featuring a presentation of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL / AL OTRO LADO DEL MURO. (Pau Ortiz, Mexico/Spain, 2017, 68 min. In Spanish with English subtitles).

Winner of the Best International Documentary Award at the Hot Docs Film Festival and the Chicago Film Festival, The Other Side of the Wall tells the story of Honduran teenagers Rocío and Ale, who are left with no choice but to play the role of both mother and father to their two younger siblings after their mother is sentenced to 10 years in a Mexican prison on questionable charges. As apprehensions about the future intensify, Ale must make the difficult decision between keeping the family together in Mexico or breaking them apart to cross the US border for work.  Screening to be followed by Panel discussion with Special Guests, moderated by WCPUN Executive Director and INDOCUMENTALES co-founder, Shamina de Gonzaga. RSVP 

Indocumentales – The Other Side of the Wall

World Council of Peoples for the United Nations is pleased to collaborate with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), the International Labour Organization (ILO),  and University of Bath to hold the briefing:

“Voices from the Mine: Exploring Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 and Decent Work in the Informal Mining Sector”

Date: Tuesday, 18 June 2019
Time: 3 – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Conference room 2, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY

This event is free and open to the public. RSVP required by Friday, 14:00: RSVP

About the event: This session will begin with the presentation of a new 33 minute documentary film, Voices from the mine: Artisanal diamonds and resource governance in Sierra Leone, by Roy Maconachie from the University of Bath’s Centre for Development Studies. Coinciding with the Centennial of the International Labour Organization, this presentation at the United Nations will examine challenges of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, through the lens of the artisanal mining sector, in a conversation with the film’s Director, Representatives of the United Nations, the World Bank, experts in extractive industries and socio-environmental conflicts, as well as leaders in responsible sourcing, moderated by the Director of the International Labour Organisation’s United Nations New York Office.  About the film: Diamond mining is Sierra Leone’s most lucrative export industry, with annual production of up to $US 250 million. But due to the challenges associated with the informal and unregulated nature of the artisanal mining sector, only a fraction of this wealth returns to the areas where diamonds are mined. While international traders reap vast rewards, for those in the mining pits, poverty and hardship remain. Based on two years of fieldwork in Kono District in Sierra Leone, Voices from the mine: Artisanal diamonds and resource governance in Sierra Leone, follows the pathway of artisanal diamonds from mine to market, offers an insider’s perspective of the challenges of formalizing the sector, and explores why exploitation continues to persist at the bottom of the chain. Offering testimony from a wide range of stakeholders both in Sierra Leone and Antwerp, Belgium, one of the world’s oldest and most established diamond trading hubs, the governance challenges in artisanal mining are critically explored.