| The United Nations Association of Germany Berlin-Brandenburg Branch (LV) can now look back at 50 years of unbroken activity. When the founder generation of our Association first convened on 8 March 1957, they did so with a view to promoting the idea of a meaningful and peaceful world order. The founding fathers of the LV included such outstanding personalities as Willy Brandt, Paul Löbe, Otto Bach, Otto Suhr, Annedore Leber and Ernst Fraenkel. The LV is an independent and non-party association working on a non-profit basis. Since the institutional subsidy by the Senat of Berlin were abolished – meaning that the Land Berlin is no longer responsible for basic financing since 1999 – the LV has been financed primarily through the annual fees of its members, special-purpose donations and sponsorships. Its executive board is staffed entirely by volunteers. Apart from special public functions on selected areas of interest, over the past ten years the LV has mainly focussed on a variety of programme events and on steadily extending the outreach of its youth work. On top of this since 1988 the LV has been responsible for awarding the Otto-Hahn Peace Medal, whilst also acting for the local region as a service provider and advisory body for all questions and issues on topics with a bearing on the United Nations. The LV creates comprehensive sponsorship concepts to launch its projects and use the leverage of partnerships with national and local partners. It has been particularly successful in building up co-operation with the diplomatic representations now present in Berlin. The following gives a brief overview of its activities. Award of the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold International Series International Dialogue Berlin Fireside Talks Kofi Annan in Berlin UNi Groups National Model United Nations “Get togethers” on United Nations Day Information Campaigns on UN International Years Various Publications
Award of the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold Since 1988 the Otto Hahn Peace Medal In Gold has been awarded to persons who have rendered outstanding services to peace and international understanding. Previous award winners were Sandro Pertini, Michail Gorbatschow, Simon Wiesenthal, Sir Karl R. Popper, Hans Koschnick, Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Gerd Ruge, Miriam Makeba, Mary Robinson, Muhammad Ali. and Hans Küng. By tradition the award is presented by the Governing Mayor of Berlin. Top International Series Inspired by the relocation of embassies to Berlin following the switch of the seat of government, in 2001 the LV began to organise its International Series dedicated to showcasing the UN policies of particular member states. The series of events was opened by the Canadian Ambassador HE Marie Bernard-Meunier. Other speakers in this series of events included the Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa, HE Prof. Dr. Sibusiso M. E. Bengu, and Prof. Dr. Franz Ansprenger, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Germany, HE Sergej B. Krylow, the Israeli Ambassador, HE Shimon Stein, and Prof. Dr. Yehuda Z. Blum, the Chinese Ambassador, HE Charong Ma, the Norwegian Ambassador, HE Bjorn Tore Godal, and the Tunisian Ambassador, HE Moncef Ben Abdallah and Dr. Anneke Trux. Top International Dialogue Berlin In partnership with DaimlerChrysler AG, (now Daimler AG), a series of conferences entitled “International Dialogue Berlin” (IDB) was held from 2000 to 2005 featuring keynote speakers such as Reinhard Bütikofer, Eckart von Klaeden, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Wolfgang Thierse and Prof. Dr. Jutta Limbach. The aim of the programme was to bring together participants from some 20 countries in dialogue to develop possible solutions for critical international issues and to establish a networking system for future managerial elites in these countries. The IDB was made possible through generous financial help from DaimlerChrysler AG. Discussions focussed on various aspects of the Global Compact called into being by Kofi Annan in 2000 in the fields of labour relations, human rights and protection of the environment. Top Fireside Talks Early 2003 saw the initiation of an informal series of “fireside talks” for a small group of people with financial support from Dresdner Bank AG. The talks were primarily aimed at leading figures in business, politics, academia and cultural life, and were designed to promote an exchange of views on the areas of operation undertaken by the United Nations. With this series the United Nations Association of Germany and Dresdner Bank sought to create an intimate space where a small group of people could discuss the values, aims and objectives of the UN. Guests included Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, Director of UNEP, Colonel Bernhard Gertz, President of the BundeswehrVerband (German Armed Forces Association), Nane Annan, Hans-Heinrich Wrede, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Germany at UNESCO, Adolf Ogi, UN Special Ambassador, and Otto Schily. Top Kofi Annan in Berlin In summer 2006 during a stay in Berlin, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and his wife Nane Annan were invited by the LV President to attend a concert given by the soul and gospel singer Jocelyn B. Smith in Berlin’s Tränenpalast. The concert was recorded for a new CD of the singer dedicated to the Archbishop of South Africa, Desmond Tutu, with whom Kofi Annan has a long friendship. Top UNi Groups Promotion and development of the next generation in schools and universities is one of the special concerns of the LV which has now organised two UNi Groups (in Berlin/Potsdam and Frankfurt (Oder)) to take charge of this. These groups organise regular events where school and university students become acquainted with international issues through playing strategy games. On top of this, the Berlin UNi Group has established the popular “UNIQUE” lecture series at the Free University of Berlin (FU). Now featuring a variety of lectures with famous speakers, they have become a major fixed point in the calendar of each semester. Top National Model United Nations Since 1995 in collaboration with the FU Berlin the LV has also arranged for a group of students to attend the annual National Model United Nations Conference in New York. This is the world’s biggest simulation of the United Nations involving over 4.000 students from 25 countries. The Berlin delegation has now grown to include 16 - 24 participants. To date Berlin delegations have represented Lithuania, the Syrian Arab Republic, Norway, South Africa, Bangladesh, Turkey, Argentina, Poland, the International Council on Social Welfare, Guatemala, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco and won numerous prestigious awards. Top “Get togethers” on United Nations Day The first “get together” of the UN community in Berlin-Brandenburg to mark United Nations Day was held in 2002. As it proved a highly popular success, get-togethers have been held ever since then on October 24 and regularly attract large numbers of guests as well as representatives of UN and human rights organisations based in Berlin. Top Information Campaigns on UN International Years Since 2004 major information campaigns have been organised focussing on issues highlighted in UN International Years and featuring eye-catching motifs, press outreach and special events. The campaigns were made possible by support from a raft of sponsors including the advertising agency ShanghaiDGM, Wall AG, Koschwitz Plakate and a large number of periodicals and magazines. The themes showcased were “The International Year of Rice 2004”, “The International Year of Sports 2005” and “The International Year of Deserts and Desertification 2006”. Top Various Publications The LV regularly publishes documentation on the award of the Otto Hahn Peace Medal and documentation of the annual National Model United Nations (NMUN), and is also co-publisher of the proceedings of the International Dialogue Berlin. As soon as financing is secured, it also plans to publish documentation of the International Series. In addition to this, regular lectures, rounds of discussions and seminars are also held in Berlin-Brandenburg on topics such as reform of the United Nations, the Global Compact, peace-keeping, protection of the environment, climate change, human rights and international jurisdiction.
As the activities outlined above are continued and developed, the LV will remain true to its key aim of engaging in dialogue with wider sections of public and industry in an effort to spread understanding for the principles and tasks of the United Nations on the local level. Even though the United Nations is now a permanent player on the world stage, its actual achievements frequently do not receive the notice they deserve or even are simply ignored. To communicate the role played by the UNO in a more transparent manner, our Association will make much greater use of the possibilities offered by modern communication technology. These include such developments as live video conferencing on topics of current interest with UN headquarters in New York City which has already been launched in partnership with the FU Berlin. Top | 
