Ani Kalayjian

DPI/NGO Relations is pleased to announce that the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information is in support of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee’s recommendation that Mr. Felix Dodds, Executive Director, Stakeholder Forum for Sustainable Future, be appointed chair of the 64th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, which will be held in Bonn, Germany, Saturday, 3 September, to Monday, 5 September, 2011. Mr. Dodds, who possesses an extensive background in sustainability, is appropriately suited to Chair the Conference. As you may already be aware, the theme of the Conference is “Sustainable Societies; Responsive Citizens”. Mr. Dodds has played a critical role in promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue at the UN. From 1997 to 2001 he chaired the NGO Coalition on Sustainable Development at the UN.  He facilitated the setting up of the international NGO Coalition for the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and the UN Habitat II Conference. He has published seven books, the latest, edited with Andrew Higham and Richard Sherman, is called “Climate Change and Energy Insecurity”, and the previous one, with Tim Pipard, “Human and Environmental Security” brought out for the World Summit 2005 and was nominated as best environmental book of 2005. During the months of planning leading to the opening of the 64th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, Mr. Dodds will serve as Co-Chair of the Conference Planning Committee along with Maria-Luisa Chávez, Chief of NGO Relations. Although Mr. Dodds’ NGO only has consultative status with ECOSOC, we look forward to getting to know him better and build a fruitful, cooperative relationship with him in the coming year.

The Health, Transformation and Spirituality (HTS) Working Group of CSVGC-NY at UN 11  November 2010 New York, NY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Week of Spirituality at UN Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld Dr. Ani Kalayjian Phone: 201-941-2266 Email: DrKalayjian@meaningfulworld.com www.meaningfulworld.com What does rapprochement mean to you??. Love, hope, understanding, unity, sharing, compassion, empathy, oneness, and forgiveness. This was the theme of the program organized as part of Week of Spirituality by CSVGC-NY at the UN. Wrapping up the Spirit of the UN Week of Spirituality, Friday October 29 2010, was The Health, Transformation and Spirituality (HTS) -Working Group of CSVGC-NY at UN-program From War To Peace Ancestral Healing Transforming Generational Pain into Meaning-Making. Several insightful examples of healing and forgiveness were discussed: compassionate listening, acknowledgement, validation, and reparation, music, movement, breath, sound and art, the program was able to help the audience heal, transform, and let go of the constricting past and embrace the freedom in the present. Dr. Kalayjian, Founder and Executive Director of Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld, and the Chair of HTS managed to; once again, inspire an audience of over hundred eager listeners with a panel of knowledgeable experts, experiential meditation, drumming for release and empowerment, and art for the aesthetic beauty and the soul. The invocation by Laurie Schwartz-Friedman opened up the morning of events with drums while Katherine Kaze, HTS Secretary, welcomed the audience and introduced Harvey Newman who opened the event with a peaceful mediation. Jennifer DeMucci, the Main UN Representative for ATOP then read the poem entitled Let Love Transform You, written by Dr. Kalayjian, and then Dr. Kalayjian as the chair of the conference presented the theme for the day: Universal Harmony through Rapprochement, from War to Peace. Dr. Kalayjian reinforced the notion of being in touch with our both Emotional (EQ) and Spiritual Intelligence (SQ). Submitting to our SQ can open up a different way of seeing things and going through our daily lives with potentially less conflict both externally and internally. Each audience member was given an index card and was asked to write down what rapprochement meant to them. Each audience member shared their responses which included (among many others): love, hope, understanding, unity, sharing, compassion, empathy, oneness, humility, and forgiveness. The first speaker was Yael Petretti, a Compassionate Listening trainer and facilitator. Yael offered a definition for Compassionate Listening (CL) that can be found on the website “a process rather than a product… [Compassionate Listening] engages the participants in processes that have each seeing the humanity of the other, even when they disagree.” Yael has recently done some work with Compassionate Listening (CL) in Israel and Palestine. A lot of the work she does involves teaching the participants to listen non-judgmentally. She also highlights the importance of being “fully present to the speaker.” The objective is for people to not only be present for the speaker but for themselves and how they are processing the information and how they feel or react to it. Yael wants us to identify issues within ourselves “such as prejudices, rank, fear etc…and raise our awareness of projection and ‘shadow sides’ of our personalities.” So it is important to acknowledge our feelings so that we can work on them rather than negatively displaying them onto ourselves or projecting them onto others. Takeshi Tak Furmoto shared his experience as a third generation Japanese American who was interned and released at the Tule Lake Segregation Center in the 1940s and moved back to Japan shortly after the Hiroshima atomic bombing. Having lost U.S. citizenship after moving to Japan, and later, suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on his return from serving in the U.S. military in Viet Nam, only added to his distress and trauma.  He strongly believes in healing through forgiveness and he made an example of his own life experiences. “For me Vietnam War was a duty and obligation, and I volunteered so I don’t feel resentment toward the US government.” Often times forgiveness begins with forgiving the perpetrator even before they offer there apology. He began that process for himself and not long after was finally given an apology both in 1987 along with the $20,000 restitution, following a letter from President Bill Clinton in 1993. He discussed how the governments’ remorse for what he went through helped the continuation of his healing process, in addition to the unconditional love and support of his wife. While Tak believes in forgiveness as a key part of healing from trauma, he acknowledged that there are still many Japanese people who were not ready to open up and relive the experiences, and to therefore begin the healing and forgiveness process. Acknowledgement and remorse are important in getting over traumatic experiences especially among people who have shared the trauma & humiliation. Tak has attended pilgrimages at Tule Lake Segregation camp where survivors and their descendants can come together and discuss how they are feeling regarding traumatic experiences from 1940s. This helps him tremendously by providing him a safe space where he can release his emotions. An Art Exhibition ‘Namaste Art,’ by healing artist, Joni Rose, was presented next in a slide show. “Inspired by my frequent trips to India, my spiritual practice has given me insight into two key ingredients of creativity: being present in the moment and the cultivation of quietude which allows the inner voice to speak…” She said little and wanted the audience to experience the transformation through experiencing her paintings. Allowing her beautiful, even sometimes considered medicinal, paintings speak for themselves, and she displayed a slide show of her work created on a recent volunteer mission to India to educate the children through the arts. Among the images were photographs of an orphanage she visited in India where she organized a painting workshop. She remarked how touched and inspired she was when she and the children were engaged in the artistic release and at the conclusion of the workshop, instead of keeping their work

          Speakers with a group of participants               Dr Kalayjian on left with officers and intern

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 1, 2010  New York, NY Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention of Meaningfulworld Dr. Ani Kalayjian Phone: 201 – 941-2266 Email: DrKalayjian@meaningfulworld.com www.meaningfulworld.com. A cutting Edge Conference at the UN on Health, Consciousness and Spirituality Health, Consciousness and Spirituality are integrally related to one another, and well-being depends on all three. This was the theme of the recent conference “Health, Consciousness and Spirituality” held on Saturday 26 June 2010, at the United Nations Church Center in New York. A morning panel of experts, a film about the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention’s international humanitarian relief activities, meditation, and an afternoon workshop by celebrated author Andrew Harvey on “Finding Hope in Sacred Activism” completed  the inspiring program. In addition, seven trainees graduated from Meaningfulworld’s Humanitarian Outreach training program. Dr. Ani Kalayjian, Founder and Executive Director of organizing agencies Meaningfulworld and the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention (ATOP), led the day’s events, facilitated the panel discussion, and provided her own expert contributions.  The conference opened with an interfaith prayer and a shamanic drumming session by Peter Maniscalco with  a yoga movement exhibition by Candace Morano.  Dr Kalayjian’s opening remarks were derived from her acceptance speech  from her ANA Honorary Human Rights Award, challenging people to embrace SQ Spiritual Intelligence, which is a universal tenet, just as the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Disease is separation from one’s own nature, and one’s nature is part of a larger whole,” stated panelist Dr. Majid Ali. “So, one cannot talk about individual health without talking about community.” Dr. Ali, an accomplished surgeon and pathologist, presented on the morning panel a speech on “Healing through Consciousness Raising”. According to Dr. Ali, health is the result of awareness of, connection to, and living in accordance with, one’s own nature, on every level of being, from the physiological to the spiritual. Joining Dr. Ali on the morning panel were the Queen Mother of Harlem Dr. Blakely and Appreciative Inquiry organizational consultant Denise Lalonde.  According to Queen Mother Dr. Blakely, “When we speak of health and consciousness, we must speak of sacredness. Life is sacred, life is holy.” “From the beginning to the end of all life, it’s just a journey. How do we respect that journey, interpret that journey, and experience that journey? This journey is a conscious, emotional, human, and spiritual journey.” She urged audience members to “Stay on the sacred journey of life”. Denise Lalonde gave listeners a taste of Appreciative Inquiry, encouraging them to connect to a time they felt most alive, inspired and proud, and to notice their energy level rising in response to these thoughts. Appreciative Inquiry, according to Lalonde, focuses on increasing what is working, raising energy levels and creating positive momentum for individuals and organizations. She urged audience members to pay attention to their daily thoughts, and to the questions they ask themselves, and to notice whether they are ‘energy zappers’ or thoughts that lift them up and invigorate their lives. Later in the day, an afternoon keynote speech and workshop, “Finding Hope in Sacred Activism and Heart Yoga”, was presented by author, teacher, and activist Andrew Harvey.  Harvey’s presentation drew from his books, including Sacred Activism and Heart Yoga. According to Harvey, sacred activism is born from the fusion of two of the most passionate impulses of human beings – the fire of the mystic’s passion for God, and the fire of the activist’s passion for justice.  “When you feel that passion, let it through,” urged Harvey, sweat running down his face in the heat of the urgency of his message. “All are messages from the One to start waking up to why you are here, to live this glorious existence.” According to Harvey, this passion is “a passion for the transformation of the world, on all levels of the world. It is through and with this passion that we are going to birth a new world.” He believes we are now going through a global dark night of the soul, but one that is part of what he calls “the mystical mystery of evolution”, and is “designed to galvanize at a deep level”.  He urges audience members to delve into discovering and fulfilling their individual and collective life missions. “The clue to discovering your mission is to discover your heartbreak,” he said. “Discover your heartbreak, get together with others, and start doing something.” The Institute for Sacred Activism, founded by Harvey, is creating a global Network of Grace, through which people with common concerns and missions can join together for action. “We are dealing with a terminal situation,” stated Harvey. “We have to get going.” Yoga poses were selected to empower, release, and connect with mother earth, as Dr Kalayjian summarized the conference insights as: Commit for a practice involving your body, which is your temple (exercise), commit for a practice on the spiritual level (pray, meditate, engage in sacred activism), and commit to a practice on the emotional level (journal, release, talk with friends or healers).  Dr Kalayjian invited the audience to end in a circle of heart-to-heart connection while words of gratitude were expressed from participants. Participants left the day’s events with new insights and inspiration, freshly recommitted to the intersection of health, consciousness and spirituality, and activism. The conference, “Health, Consciousness and Spirituality” was organized and hosted by Meaningfulworld, the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention (ATOP), UN CONGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns-NY, as well as its working group Health, Transformation and Spirituality, Global Health Institute, Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy, and WBAI. Other supporters were: Flower Power, CandaceMorano.com, Spirituality and Health magazine, Health Harvest, Yoga Sutra, Dr Chan Acupuncture, Siva Rose, Laura Aversano, Hagitte Gal-Ed, Myrna Noble and Harvey Newman. The Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld, founded by Dr. Ani Kalayjian, is a global nonprofit organization with consultative status as a nongovernmental organization at the United Nations DPI (Department of Public Information). Meaningfulworld.com is dedicated to fostering a meaningful, peaceful,

Dear Program Creators, Working Group Chairs, Speakers, Sponsors and Performers for the 2009 Week of Spirituality; 26-30 October 2009 ……..The greatest gift of the week was to be able to attend all 9 programs and to experience the depth, wisdom and authenticity of our shared commitment to integrate mindful spirituality into the UN Agenda.   Each program had its particular strength of focus and each provided poignant expression of our common purpose and theme Global Peace through Reconciliation. The Award Ceremony has become such an important kickoff.   Our awardees embodied that which we seek to nourish at the UN.  Special gratitude to Ichinori Tsmugari and Diane Williams representing the Nominating Award Task force and providing the beautiful crystaline awards to those honored.   The program following gave much food for thought and clarity of principle with regard to which spiritual principles can make a difference with respect to reconciliation.     The eco-spirituality program drew over 70 participants who listened to Michelle Kim’s elegant portrayal about the meaning of eco-spirituality; the Women Rising WG developed an eco-spirituality ritual while Tom Downes of the History of Spirituality and Deborah Moldow moderated a breadth of spiritual traditions who shared their perspectives on ancient sources for eco-spirituality.   The melodic singing by vocalist Ariaa Kathryn Jaegar and Indian Dance Invocation by Vaishali Chaudhuri and Radha Devi Dasi was amazing….three hours whizzed by!  Follow this ceremony and beginning the week Sharon Hamilton-Getz and the Spirituality of Values and Business and Sacred & Transcendental Arts working group flowed through with Reconciliation A manifestation of the Science of Consciousness in Everyday Life. Spiritual Caucus, facilitated by Frances Edwards of Findhorn,  provided refreshment for the busy week and the Campus Peace Center program held at Pace was most moving as students from Brandeis, Wisconsin, Pace, Vassar, Palestine, etc.,  affirmed that the peace movement is alive and well on Campus only it is truly non-violent and strategic in its process and therefore, if it weren’t for such groups as the Campus Student Peace Center Working Group,  we might not  appreciate its variety and organizational savvy.   Time and time again participants reminded us that reconciliation is a cornerstone for peace as so many students have been victims of violence themselves.    Courageous persons who are daily challenged to practice forgiveness were present and the musician was right on target for the program. The Spiritual Council Working Group offered a heartfelt dialogue about bringing reconciliation to the UN and  a good number of participants signed on to continue the dialogue into the future.  Universal Ethics Working Group lead by Martha Gallague broke new ground by holding its program at the Nigerian Mission where Minister Lawrence Obisakin joined with storyteller Laura Simms, Sheku Monastery of Sierra Leone and Celtic harpist Julie Haines to present a Story Bowl Concert.   In Genie Kagawa’s words the UE held an empathy program that launched an initiative to raise funds to feed the hungry.    On Friday,   The Health, Transformation and Spirituality Working Group lead by Dr Ani Kalayjian and co chaired from the heart, Georgina Galanis brought together powerful and integrated resources uniting science and spirituality to demonstrate the healing effects of inner peace, forgiveness and non-violence upon the body-mind-spirit; featuring Karen Trueheart and Duke Duscherer of MK Ghandi Institute, Anne Mincey of the HeartMath Institute, the Dialogue Project and Raccoon conflict resolution groups.   And finally, in the afternoon our closing featured Brahma on the exotic sitar and an amazing children’s dancing troupe Starlite Kids, NJ trained by director Julie Lira.    Audrey Kitagawa brought the week to a close with an ancient powerful invocation that was deeply appreciated and moved those present. The Culture of Peace Working Group distributed over 400 questionnaires with several groups promising to distribute them more widely in their circles. The Spirit of the UN 2009 celebrates that more participants came to the programs on a daily basis.   We had more co-sponsors from UN Agencies and NGO coalitions than ever before, and cumulatively gathered nearly 400 in attendance including those who were returning for more events. The promotional materials, flyers and programs and volunteers reflected a professional level while donations including the awards, flowers and cake illustrated the wide contributions of ever greater numbers of people who seek to be part of this event.   Everyday, there were music, dancing, videos, storytelling that provided holistic portrayals of Global Peace through Reconciliation.    We are especially grateful to Dr. Monica Sharma for inspiring a more coherent series built upon the norms of compassion, equanimity, forgiveness and empathy as the shared tools we would demonstrate during our programs.    She encouraged a greater degree of collaboration among the working groups with programs that would inspire follow-up from year to year.    Each group succeeded at developing such initiatives. And always, we will be grateful for the record that Danilo and Adriana Parmegiani with the Legion of Good Will provide through their pictures and edited copy. This year’s video promises to be stunning if they could only capture one-tenth of the thoughtful determined programming.    We extend our gratitude to the Church Center of the United Nations and Open Center NYC staff for their peace filled space and attentive service.  Colleagues and friends, I am humbled to be part of this all.   Together we are truly blessed.    Together, we will bring our Spirit of the UN to the official calendar as one day the General Assembly proclaims it so. In deep appreciation, brava, through this initiative, the Committee embodies the practice and actuality becoming one  in the context of our beautiful diversity, Martha Gallague cscvgc-ny

New York,  27 June 2012 This morning the Secretary-General chaired a meeting of the High Level Task Force on Global Food Security. The Secretary-General welcomes the strong outcome from Rio+20 on food and nutrition security.  Following the launch of the Zero Hunger Challenge last week, the High Level Task Force will be reoriented to focus on the Challenge’s five objectives as a guide for a coherent UN system approach to food and nutrition security. The Secretary-General noted that since it was established in 2008, the Task Force had made progress in devising a common comprehensive framework for action for the UN system in food and nutrition security, particularly during recent food crises.  It helped forge united positions among its member agencies in Rio and at the G8 and G20 summits.  The High Level Task Force also supports the Committee on World Food Security as the primary governance body for food and nutrition. But with close to 1 billion people still experiencing chronic hunger, he urged agencies, governments, businesses, civil society organizations and the scientific community to eliminate hunger in our lifetimes. Yours Sincerely, NGO Relations, DPI United Nations www.un.org/dpi/ngosection

U N I T E D   N A T I O N S / N A T I O N S   U N I E S THE SECRETARY-GENERAL — MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE RIGHT TO THE TRUTH CONCERNING GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND FOR THE DIGNITY OF VICTIMS 24 March 2012 Today we pay tribute to the memory of Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered in El Salvador on this day in 1980 for refusing to be silent in the face of violence, abuse and injustice. The International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is also a time to laud the brave individuals across the world who have devoted their lives to the protection and realization of human rights despite the many grave risks that their work all too often entails. The dramatic and transformational events of the past year, marked by widespread popular uprisings against long-entrenched dictators, showed yet again the acute need to preserve and reveal the truth about human rights violations committed during periods of repression and conflict. To deny victims this vital knowledge is to deny them justice, dignity and recognition of – as well as reparations for – their suffering and loss. The implications reverberate well beyond individuals who have been directly affected by attempts to cover up human rights abuses. The rights to truth and justice are central to ending impunity for gross violations of human rights. In cases of enforced disappearance, families have the right to know the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. In all instances, honouring this right puts others on notice that violations cannot stay hidden for long. I am proud that the United Nations supports a range of truth-seeking mechanisms that can play a powerful role in documenting gross human rights violations, including truth and reconciliation commissions, international commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions. These are central to our quest for justice and stability. I also welcome the recent decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to appoint a new Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. On this International Day, let us work to help all victims realize their right to truth and to protect all those who fight to see the truth prevail.

U N I T E D   N A T I O N S  / N A T I O N S   U N I E S THE SECRETARY-GENERAL — MESSAGE ON THE 18TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENOCIDE IN RWANDA Today, we mark the 18th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda.  We remember the more than 800,000 innocent people who lost their lives. This year’s theme is “learning from history to shape a bright future”. Rwanda has learned from the appalling tragedy of 1994.  So has the world. Rwanda is making progress towards building a more peaceful and just society.  The international community is striving to ensure that similar tragedies never happen again. The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda delivered the first-ever verdicts in relation to genocide by an international court, and continues to pursue justice and accountability. The International Criminal Court has become an effective deterrent for would-be perpetrators of grave crimes. To all those around the world who persist in suppressing their fellow citizens crying out for dignity and freedom, we send a clear message: justice will be done.  Impunity must become a relic of the past. We are also working to strengthen conflict prevention and mediation, and to uphold the responsibility to protect. Preventing genocide is a collective obligation. Let us continue to work together to ensure a future forever free of genocide. This would be the most fitting way to remember those lost in Rwanda 18 years ago, and to honour the resilience of the survivors.