This Newsletter is produced by:
The United Nations Information Centre,
2nd Floor, Sanders House, 1st Street,
P. O. Box 4408, HARARE
Telephone: 777060/777047
Fax: 750476

Contents: International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers International Day of Families-"Changing Families: Challenges and Opportunities" International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers:-Education Awareness Campaign UNIC Activities In Pictures World Press Freedom Day Model United Nations UN Agencies in Zimbabwe

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers   M embers of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Defence Forces and United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) staff this year joined hands to commemorate the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. This is a Day that was set aside by the United Nations General Assembly in 2002, to pay tribute to fallen heroes and those still contributing to peacekeeping missions in various countries around the world. The main activity this year was a week-long Educational Awareness Campaign aimed at raising awareness among high school pupils in the country on the role played by Zimbabwean forces in United Nations peacekeeping. The Campaign was undertaken from 22-26 May and involved 75 uniformed Zimbabwe Republic Police officers, members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) staff. Launching the Campaign, Defence Minister Dr Sydney Sekeramayi in a speech read on his behalf by the Secretary for Defence, Mr. Trust Maphosa said that the Campaign will “be assisting in raising an informed generation that will be able to comprehend and even articulate the tremendous contribution of [our] forces in peacekeeping work.” The Campaign teams covered Bulawayo , Harare , Gweru, Masvingo and Mutare. In each area, a maximum of 20 rural schools and 10 urban-based schools were visited. Each of the Campaign Teams spoke about the United Nations and highlighted the Articles of the UN Charter that deal with peacekeeping. These include Articles 39 to 51. The teams gave a basic outline of activities involved in peacekeeping and highlighted some of the do's and don'ts of peacekeeping, as well as the benefits of being a United Nations Blue Beret. Some of the officers shared their personal experiences while in United Nations peacekeeping. Students at most schools displayed a high level of enthusiasm in the subject. A number expressed their interest in becoming United Nations peacekeepers. The week-long Campaign culminated in a reception where the Minister of Home Affairs was represented by his permanent Secretary as the Guest of Honour. This event was also attended by some of the ZRP and Defence Forces officers who participated in the Campaign, government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, NGOs and the media. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces  and Zimbabwe Republic Police’s involvement in UN peacekeeping missions dates back to June 1991 when the Zimbabwean forces assisted in monitoring ceasefire operations in Angola under the auspices of the United Nations Angola Verification Missions (UNAVEM11). Since then, Zimbabwean forces have been involved in peacekeeping operations in countries that include Somalia,, Rwanda, Liberia, Burundi Sierra Leone and Kosovo.                                                                                                                                                                                                               The Charter of the United Nations can be obtained from the offices of the United Nations Information Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe or from any other UNIC office worldwide.   Back to Top

International Day of Families- "Changing Families: Challenges and Opportunities" Scores of women, men and children converged at Netball Grounds in Mbare, Harare to commemorate the International Day of Families held in Zimbabwe on 20 May 2006. This is a Day set aside by the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 47/237 of 20 September 1993, proclaiming that 15 May of every year be observed as the International Day of Families. This annual observance reflects the importance that the international community attaches to families as basic units of society as well as its concern regarding their situation around the world. On the International Day of Families, countries are encouraged to promote awareness of issues relating to families as well as to promote appropriate action. As such in Harare, commemoration of the Day was marked by speeches highlighting issues affecting families in Zimbabwe. There was also a drama on disability, which remains a thorn in the flesh for many families as they grapple to accept people with disabilities. According to the Minister of Women, Gender and Community Development, Oppah Muchinguri, some of the issues affecting families in Zimbabwe include rape, property inheritance and economic empowerment of women. In her wide-ranging speech, Ms Muchinguri encouraged women to venture into income generating projects to enable them to be economically sound and ultimately to fend for their families. She explained that the Ministry of Women, Gender and Community Development has a number of projects aimed at assisting women become economically empowered and encouraged women to tap into them. The international theme for 2006 was “Changing Families: Challenges and Opportunities”. According to the United Nations Division for Social Policy and Development, four trends impact on families around the globe. These are Changes in family structures; Demographic ageing; Rise of migration and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. For example, according to the United Nations Division for Social Policy and Development, the household size has fallen to an average of 3.7 persons in East Asia, 4.9 in Southeast Asia, to 4.1 in the Caribbean, 5.7 in North Africa and to 2.8 in developed regions. The age at first marriage has risen to between the mid to late twenties in all regions of the world, often due to better educational and employment opportunities for women. Women are also having fewer children later in life such that current fertility rates are 1.57 children per woman in developed regions, 3.1 in less developed countries and 5.47 in least developed countries. The fertility rate in Zimbabwe has declined by over 50 percent in the past 20 years, from 6.5 percent children per woman in 1984 to 3,5 percent in 2006. Zimbabwe’s Health Minister attributed the decline to the government's successful implementation of family planning programmes.

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking:- UNIC raises Students awareness to Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking “We have heard that the little black particles found in “Hair Food” are marijuana. We are told that marijuana is put in Hair Food because it makes hair grow. So, why do you arrest people for using marijuana when it can be found in Hair Food?” This was one of the commonly-asked questions during the Educational Awareness Campaign on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking conducted by UNIC Harare in partnership with the Zimbabwe Republic Police.  Each time this question was raised by one student, most of the other students would clap, indicating that this was a commonly-held belief. But Detective Assistant Inspector Kutyauripo of the Zimbabwe Republic Police quickly dismissed the myth. He instead re-iterated the fact that drugs such as cocaine, marijuana and others are illegal in Zimbabwe and in many other countries throughout the world. People caught in possession of such drugs risked being incarcerated, he explained. In spite of the risk of incarceration, many young people are increasingly being lured into the drug trafficking trade. Detective Assistant Inspector Kutyauripo   explained that the law was strict on all drug traffickers, regardless of their ages. According to the 2006 World Drug Report produced by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cannabis (marijuana) remains by far the most commonly used drug in the world. An estimated  162 million people used the drug in 2004, equivalent to some 4 percent of the global population age 15-64. In relative terms, cannabis use is most prevalent  in Oceania, followed by North America and Africa. The Report further states that Africa comes second in terms of herbal cannabis seizures. This may not be surprising, considering that the continent is home to the world’s leading producer of cannabis resin—Morocco—which is the site of the largest known cannabis cultivation area. However, Southern, Western and Eastern Africa contain large cannabis producing countries. Many of the people who abuse cannabis end up addicted to it. The drug has also been linked to precipitating psychosis in vulnerable individuals and aggravating its symptoms in diagnosed schizophrenics. Cannabis can also produce negative acute effects including panic attacks, paranoia and psychotic symptoms. Other drugs also commonly abused globally are cocaine, heroine, ecstasy and amphetamine-type stimulants. The number of drug addicts or problem drug users is some 25 million people worldwide, equivalent to 0.6 percent of the population aged 15-64. Drugs are not child’s play was the global theme for the 2006 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking campaign. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime selected this theme in an effort to increase public awareness about the destructive power of drugs and society’s responsibility to care for the well being of children. The Educational Campaign was taken to five schools in Zimbabwe, namely Epworth High School, Glen View High School, Kambuzuma High,  Kwayedza High School and  Morgan High School.      Back to Top

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers:-Educational Awareness Campaign Above:- The Home Affairs Permanent Secretary, Mr Marumahoko reads his Minister's speech at the commemoration of International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, 29 May 2006 held at the UNIC Harare offices. Above:- UNIC Harare Officer-in-Charge, Tafadzwa Mumba reads the statement of the UN Secretary-General at a commemoration to mark International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on 29 May 2006. This event was held in the UNIC Harare Offices. Above:- Former United Nations Peacekeepers and UNIC Officer-in-Charge, Tafadzwa Mumba pose for a photograph with students of Mutinunura High School in Gweru following a presentation on United Nations peacekeeping. Above: Above:-Mkoba High School students listen to presentations on United Nations Peacekeeping during the week-long Campaign.     Above:- UNIC Harare Officer-in-Charge talks about the United Nations to students at Tafara High School during the United Nations Peacekeeping Educational Awareness Campaign.   Above:- A student from Gweru wins a United Nations folder after answering a question correctly during the United Nations Peacekeeping Educational Awareness Campaign.

UNIC Activities in Pictures Above:- Some of the Model UN delegates Above:- University of Zimbabwe students voting in a Model UN event held on 11 May, 2006 Above:- The Minister of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development (in red) shakes hands in greeting an NGO partner at the International Day of Families. On her right is Tafadzwa Mumba, UNIC Harare Officer-in-Charge. Above:- One of the boards on display at the International Day of Families commemoration held 20 May 2006, shows an array of family planning methods available. Above:- Some of the women who attended International Day of Families. Above:- World Press Freedom Day commemoration on 3 May 2006, with the Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity (third from left). On his right is the UNIC Officer-in-Charge, Tafadzwa Mumba. Back to Top

World Press Freedom Day UNIC Harare joined the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ), local and international media in commemorating World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, 2006. This is an annual commemoration which has taken various forms in previous years. This year, MISA organised a seminar which was officiated by the Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity, Bright Matonga who spoke on a wide ranging issues., including the contentious Access to Information and Public Prosecution Bill largely seen as a Bill violating media privacy. The theme for this year’s commemoration was Self Regulation. UNIC Officer in Charge Tafadzwa Mumba read the Statement of the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to mark this Day. Solidarity messages were also given by the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, Media Institute of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe, and Media Monitoring Project ofZimbabwe (MMPZ), among other media organizations

Model United Nations The University of Zimbabwe Politics and Administration department, under the guidance of UNIC Harare, held a Model United Nations on 11 May 2006. The theme for this debate was  Food Security: The Issue of Humanitarian Intervention. During the debate, students demonstrated a high level of understanding of the workings of the United Nations General Assembly. They were able to demonstrate the positions of the countries they represented vis-a-vis the topic. The activity was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe, UN staff, teachers, lecturers and students.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            i

UN Agencies in Zimbabwe UNDP 9th Floor Takura House Harare Telephone 728691/4, 792681/6 UNIFEM 7th Floor Takura House Harare Telephone 728691/4, 792681/6 Fax 704729 IOM 142 King George Road Avondale Harare Telephone 335044, 303514 Fax 303514 UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Sub-Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa Old Mutual Centre, 6th Floor Third Street/Jason Moyo Avenue Harare Telephone 253655-7, 791407/485/495/597 Fax 700724 WFP 15 Natal Road Belgravia Harare Telephone 252471/4 Fax 799214 International Labour Organization of Southern Africa (ILO) 8 Arundel Office Park Norfolk Road, Mount Pleasant Harare Telephone 369805, 369622-3 Fax 369813/5 UNESCO 8 Kenilworth Road Highlands Harare Telephone 776114/5 Fax 776055 UNAIDS 6th Floor Takura House Harare Telephone 728691/4, 792681/6 Fax 728695, 792978 World Health Organisation (WHO) 1st & 2nd Floors, Kenya High Commission Building 95 Parklane Harare Telephone 792851, 253724/33 Fax 253731, 252683 UNICEF 6 Fairbridge Avenue Belgravia Harare Telephone 703941/2, 721692 Fax 731849, 727662 UNFPA Country Office United NATIONS Population Fund - Country Support Team for Southern Africa (UNFPA/CST Regional Office) 1st Floor Building Arundel Office Park, Norfolk Rd Mt. Pleasant, Harare Telephone 307480-7 Fax 307467 World Bank Old Lonrho Building 88 Nelson Mandela Avenue Harare Telephone 729611/3, 736048/9 Fax 708659 UNIASU 8th Floor Takura House Harare Telephone 728691/4, 792681/6 Fax 728695, 792978 UNHCR Representation in Zimbabwe 2nd Floor, Takura House Telephone 792412/708529 Fax 703974/5 Harare UNFPA/CST Block 8 Arundel Office Building Norfolk Road, Mt. Pleasant Harare Telephone 307480-7 Fax 307467 UN Volunteers Programme C/o UNDP, Takura House Harare Telephone 728691/4, 792681/6 Fax 728695, 792978 African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) 7th Floor, Intermarket Life Centre, 2nd Street Harare Telephone 738520, 790398/9, 700208/10, 702931/2 Fax 702915 IMF 5th Floor Beverley Court Nelson Mandela Ave Harare Telephone 737074/5 Fax 737076 ITU PTC Training College S. Machel Ave/ Hampden Road Harare Telephone 775941 Fax 771257 The Field Security Office United Nations Field Security Office 6th Floor, Takura House Kwame Nkrumah Ave Harare Telephone 728691/4, 792681/6 Fax 705061 Legal Unit UNDP 8TH floor Takura House Harare Telephone 728691/4, 792681/6 Fax 728695, 792978 District Environment Action Plan (UNDP/DEAP) UNDP Takura House Harare Telephone 729711/2 or 792681