Message from the President

Vanessa Brooks

United Nations Women’s Association welcomes you to the UN Ball 2003 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

UNWA began as a support group at a time when the concept of support group was neither a standard concept nor part of our everyday vocabulary. The support group created was not fashionable; it was functional. It developed out of a perceived need of women, who were often left to sort out the details of life in Dhaka for their spouses and families, while spouses (primarily men) stepped into a new position, a new country, a new set of employment demands at a new posting and had little time to focus on details of setting up household in a country where in 1980 commodities were scarce, infrastructure was poor, infectious disease rates were high and medical attention by Western standards was scarce. Some of UNWA’s early features, such as the Hospitality Kits, where basic necessities can be rented for a modest fee until shipments arrive, remain relevant. But today we in UNWA see ourselves in a much more diverse role. 

Since the creation of UNWA, the role of the UN itself has changed. The development work extends well beyond addressing disaster and famine, as Bangladesh’s civil society takes greater steps in its social and economic development. The number of UN agencies and partners has expanded.

For example, UNESCO has joined the family of UN agencies represented here in Bangladesh, where it is bringing to life the culture and preserving the antiquities of the country’s rich heritage. UNFPA has joined with UNAIDS and expanded its work well beyond addressing family planning and now looks at greater issues threatening women and women’s health including HIV/AIDS. UNICEF’s agenda includes a wide array of issues that threaten child survival from nutrition to child drownings to child labour and exploitation. In the health arena, WHO has moved beyond smallpox eradication to addressing polio eradication in its final stages and immunization campaigns for childhood illnesses.

These are just a very few examples. Much of the work is done in partnership among the UN Agencies, implementing organizations that provide infrastructure support and the Government of Bangladesh. In short, the UN’s role is broader and more diverse as the needs of Bangladesh change and the impact of a global society takes root.

Not surprisingly, UNWA operates in a very different milieu than the one that inspired its establishment in 1975. The role of women within the UN system and indeed within Bangladeshi society has transformed in the past twenty or more years. Our membership now includes UN Agency country directors and their deputies, other professional women within the Agencies and among the development partners. UNWA members are educators, nurses, physicians, lawyers, artists, scientists, businesswomen, journalists, entrepreneurs and soccer moms. Many UNWA members, like myself, are following spouses. We raise families, we support newcomers to the community and we contribute our skills and talents to improving the environment in which we now live. 

One of the main features of our work is supporting projects that make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalised members of society. We deliberately seek out opportunities to support small projects that will provide for the health needs, education and preserve the livelihoods of women, children and the aged. The contributions of the local and international businesses that support the UN Ball will be directed towards these projects. Therefore, I ask you to recognize the work of our Welfare Committee that spends the time reviewing, selecting and visiting worthy projects in need of our support.

I would like to also acknowledge the superb work of my colleagues on the Executive Board and our UN Ball Chairperson, Marika Vollmann, who have driven this fundraising initiative. Tonight we will share with you some highlights from several projects that are selected for multiyear funding from UNWA. We ask you to enjoy yourselves, take time to celebrate the United Nations and its work in Bangladesh. I encourage you to participate in UNWA’s contribution to Bangladesh by supporting tonight’s fundraising initiative. 

In closing I would like to share with you a quotation from Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahai Faith. 

O Peoples of the World!

Take pride not in love for yourselves but in love for your fellow creatures…

Glory not in love for your country, but in love for all mankind.

I wish all of our Muslim members and friends strength and good health in your month of fasting. 

Vanessa Brooks