Recent Photographs

President's Message

Interview With Kofi Annan

Literacy/Avoidable Blindness

Club History in Essay Form

Volunteers Needed

Rosie's Run

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

The Theme for Rotary for the year 2003/2004 is LEND A HAND

This week we welcome to our Club , the District Governor Mr. Mike Rennie and his wife Heather.

Mike will be addressing our club at our lunchtime meeting. He will meet with the Directors at 12 noon prior to our meeting.

The people who attended our Xmas in the mountains certainly had a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect for hot air ballooning even though we had to drive through fog from Yungaburra to Mareeba the take off and landing, to see the sunrise and to experience the ride was really wonderful.

Giulia left Cairns on Monday for her Rotary District 2050, and I have heard from her father she has arrived back in Castellione safe and well.

We have a Directors meeting next Tuesday at 5pm in the Hilton Executive Boardroom.

A big thank you to the members of our club who helped at the Careers Expo, it was a great success, and talking to some of the students who attended has openend up some options for them they did realise was available to them.

PRESIDENT ROBYN

Interview with Kofi Annan

This interview with Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations, launches a series of question-and-answer sessions with some of the world's most influential figures.

Each interview will elicit insights and opinions from men and women who are leaders and experts in areas of intense interest to Rotarians, such as international relations, conflict resolution, philanthropy, and humanitarian service.

As head of the most recognizable peace and humanitarian organization in the world - and given the current state of world affairs - Annan is the perfect choice to begin the series. Rotary has ties with the UN that stretch back to the organization's beginnings in 1945, and to this day both entities often serve the same constituencies and purposes. Kofi Atta Annan was born in 1938 in Kumasi, Ghana. He completed his undergraduate work in economics at Macalester University, St. Paul, Minn., USA, in 1961 and earned a master's degree in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1972.

Annan joined the United Nations in 1962 as a budget officer with the World Health Organization. He rose through the ranks and was named under-secretary-general in 1993. In 1997 he became the UN's seventh secretary-general and the first staff member to assume the post. Annan has worked to strengthen the UN's peace and development efforts, protect human rights, and "bring the United Nations closer to the people." In 2001 Annan and the UN received the Nobel Peace Prize (above). Annan is fluent in English, French, and several African languages. He and his wife, Swedish lawyer Nane Annan, live in New York. This interview took place in mid-June.

Who were your early influences, in terms of developing your philosophy of service to others? Who influenced you the most and in what ways?

I suppose I'd answer more in terms of an event than a person. When I was growing up, Ghana was struggling to free itself from colonialism. But our colonial masters had been there for so long, it didn't seem possible that change could come. But it did. When I experienced such fundamental change in my country, it left me with the feeling that change, large change, is possible. And that's been important to me in my work. After all, we are in this business because we do want to change the world.

Did the events of 11 September 2001 alter your approach to your job or your thoughts on the role of the United Nations?

I was shaken, as indeed we all were, by what happened that day. It was an assault on our common humanity. It demonstrated to me the need to forge a united front against terrorism. It convinced me that all states, working together through the United Nations, can and must ensure that terrorists can find no support - financially, politically, or otherwise - for their murderous acts.

What can the UN do to help prevent similar tragedies?

The United Nations has already taken steps to prevent future tragedies, with nations ratifying a series of treaties to end support for terrorist entities and the Security Council taking the lead in placing sanctions on al-Qaida and related organizations and making sure, through the work of its Counter-terrorism Committee, that such sanctions are enforced by all nations.

The fact that the major loss of life that day occurred so close to UN Headquarters must have had a profound impact on you. Were you at the UN that morning?

I was not in the office when the attack happened, but I was expecting to attend a ceremony that morning on the lawn outside the United Nations. Believe it or not, it was the annual day that I ring the Peace Bell at UN Headquarters to mark the beginning of a new session of the General Assembly. It still strikes me as a sad irony. One of the people who appeared for the event was in fact a worker at the World Trade Center, and he was coming because his daughter was participating in the Peace Bell ceremony. So he was fortunate to be at the UN when the planes struck.

What was your personal reaction when you learned what happened?

The attack hit home to me because New York has been my home, as it is home to people from all around the world, and also because all communities were represented in the World Trade Center. That is why I see the events of September 11 as an attack not on any particular people or belief system, but on all of us.

Some people continue to view the United Nations with skepticism. Why does the world need the United Nations?

I am tempted to say that the world needs the United Nations for the same reason that the organization was set up six decades ago: to provide a venue where the governments of the world can collectively resolve political crises and conflicts and cooperate on international problems ranging from disease to global poverty. And to a great extent that is true. But in fact the world needs the United Nations more than ever before. We are, more than ever, one world. And that means we have common problems and common interests. Whether it is the destruction of the environment or the proliferation of deadly weapons or fallout from state failure, we are all affected. States must therefore address these issues together. And when they disagree or when their interests diverge, states must find a way to manage their differences peacefully because we all have a common interest in maintaining the peace in this day and age.

Have human rights improved measurably on your watch?

What remains to be done, and how should it be accomplished? It is hard to say whether human rights have improved in the world as a whole. For every case where the impunity of human rights violators has ended, as with the suspects on trial before the International Criminal Tribunals dealing with Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, there are others - such as the recent horrific killings in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - that urgently need to be addressed. I will become convinced that real progress has been made once it is clear that there is no impunity for anyone involved in serious human rights violations, regardless of where those violations occur.

The UN Security Council has come under scrutiny by some who say that its make-up doesn't accurately reflect the world's population, particularly with regard to Muslim and Arab nations. How do you respond?

There have often been calls to reform the Security Council and to make it more representative. I support that goal. A working group of the General Assembly has been trying for some time to find agreement on the expansion and reform of the Security Council. I hope that whatever consensus that group can obtain on council reform will help to enhance the council's legitimacy and effectiveness.

You tried hard to find a diplomatic solution to the weapons crisis in Iraq. Do you consider it a UN failure that a war was fought, civilian lives were lost, and another potential humanitarian crisis now looms there?

The failure was a failure of the members of the Security Council to agree on how to achieve an objective that everyone shared - namely, ensuring Iraq's compliance with Security Council resolutions. Last November the members of the Security Council came together to pass unanimously Resolution 1441 [which essentially gave Iraq a final chance to comply with UN disarmament requirements], paving the way for the return of UN weapons inspectors.

Perhaps if we had persevered a little longer, the issue of Iraq's weapons programs and its failure to comply with UN resolutions could yet have been resolved peacefully. Or, if not, the world could then have authorized action to solve this problem by a collective decision, endowing the use of force with greater legitimacy and therefore commanding wider support, than what took place.

It is clear to me that as we try to put the divisions of the past behind us, the United Nations has a vital role to play in making sure that the future of Iraq is resolved to the benefit of the long-suffering Iraqi people. I am glad that the Security Council has come together on this point, and my special representative is now on the ground in Iraq. He and his team and the United Nations as a whole have a lot of experience in helping to rebuild countries after conflict and have learned some hard lessons along the way. And while their efforts are often overshadowed by the political controversy, UN agencies have also been working strenuously to avert a humanitarian crisis in Iraq and have garnered considerable support in that effort.

Talk about your vision for the Global Compact you proposed between the UN and the business sector. Some of these global companies have tarnished records regarding the environment, labor, and human rights. How can this be reconciled with your plan for serving the greater good?

I think that, just as peace negotiations are made not between friends but between enemies, it is important to have the companies with questionable records come on board to support the nine principles of labor rights, human rights, and environmental standards that are enshrined in the compact. Only by getting them to support those principles can we move them to improve their records. The Global Compact is not a regulatory instrument; it does not "police" the behavior or actions of companies. It relies on public accountability, transparency, and the enlightened self-interest of companies, labor, and civil society to initiate and share substantive action in pursuing the principles enshrined in it.

The General Assembly has called for a World Summit on the Information Society later this year. What is your vision for this meeting, and how is the UN currently working with the private sector to promote sustainable development through technology?

I hope that the World Summit will help to bridge the gap between the information haves and have-nots, so that all of humanity can benefit from the ongoing revolution in information technology. I have formed a panel on information and communication technology, headed by former Costa Rican President Jose Maria Figueres, which has offered recommendations on ways to bridge the digital divide and use such technology to promote sustainable development. Ultimately, if we can work together to make sure that the benefits of the Internet are available to all, we can make tremendous leaps in education and development.

When did you first become aware of Rotary?

That's a hard question - a bit like asking when I first became aware of the United Nations. I think I was aware of Rotary from a young age. Certainly by the time I came to America to study, I knew about its education scholarships and involvement in the community.

What do you think are the specific strengths that Rotary offers in relationship with the UN? In what ways is Rotary well-suited to work with the UN?

Rotary has helped the United Nations in much of its work in dealing with health crises around the world. Most recently, we were grateful to learn of Rotary International's success in raising more than $88 million over the past year to continue polio eradication efforts. Rotary has the ability to organize campaigns to mobilize support for some of the worthiest causes that exist, and that makes Rotary a precious resource.

This fall, the second class of scholars will begin graduate programs at the seven Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution. Why is it important to direct bright young people to this field?

That's an easy one. We need the best and brightest minds to learn about other nations and other peoples, to understand what causes war and impoverishment and what brings peace and development, and above all to pursue the cause of peace in their lives and in their work. I certainly hope that the students working in peace and conflict resolution will lend their talents to the United Nations someday.

If they do, they will be following the tradition of people like Hans Blix, who came to New York as a student who won an essay contest on UN issues and went on to become the chief UN weapons inspector for Iraq. I myself studied a variety of international topics at places like Macalester College in Minnesota long before I came to this job, and I have always found those studies to be useful.

Literacy/Avoidable Blindness:

At last…. A simple package to enable Rotary clubs and individuals to join the fight against literacy and Avoidable Blindness.

Rotarians and Rotary clubs throughout Australia and New Zealand have been invited to become involved in a new partnership with the Fred Hollows Foundation during the next 12 months.

Rotarian Down Under have the opportunity to embrace the shared commitment to improve literacy levels of indigenous Australians and to help eliminate avoidable blindness throughout the world.

They are invited to become involved by raising funds and awareness of the vital work of The Hollows Foundation in conjunction with Rotary's worldwide programs.

Details for the program are available in brochure form from

Rotary Down Under, PO. Box 779, Parramatta, N.S.W. 2124, or by emailing enquiries@rotarydownunder.com.au

Club History In Essay Form:

As Rotary's Centennial draws near, and Rotary clubs contemplate the need to record their history, it is interesting to note the exceptional historical booklet produced by the Rotary Club of Melbourne South, Vic.

Club historian Henry Frohlich utilized the 40 year history prepared in 1992/93 as a base and has produced another collection of essays rather than a chronological record. Produced in quarto size with a deep gold and blue cover, the book contains and impressive record of projects and achievements.

It is illustrated with historically valuable black and white photographs. Simply titled 50 years of Service 1952 - 2002, the book is a fine example of a quality production within a common sense budget.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: FNQ

Volunteers desperately needs volunteers to fill numerous positions with many community organisations.

If you want to meet new people, learn new skills, add references to your résumé or just lend a helping hand, phone 4041 7400 for an interview. Jobs include shop attendants, office assistants, gardeners, support workers, computer operators and receptionists.

READY FOR ROSIE'S?:

Each year Rosie's Run raises funds for projects that directly benefit the Cairns community.

Be part of the country's biggest female fun run/walk this Sunday and be in the running for fantastic prizes. Registration - $15 for adults - includes a healthy brekkie, finisher's certificate, champagne and entertainment.

Register from 7am. Run/walk over 3k or 5km, starts at 8.30am