United Nations

Civil Society Declaration for the UN High Level Meeting on AIDS ZERO DRAFT April 20, 2011 On April 8, 2011 over 400 civil society activists gathered in New York for a one-day hearing with UN Member States on progress toward reaching Universal Access to HIV treatment, prevention, care, and support.   This Civil Society Hearing took place as UN Member States began drafting a new Outcome Document on HIV, to be adopted at a United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS on June 8, 2011. The stark reality is 33.3 million people are currently living with HIV, at least 9.35 million people today are in urgent medical need of, but have no access to antiretroviral treatment (ART), and in 2009 2.2 million adults were newly infected with HIV.  In light of this, advocates are calling for a renewed and urgent commitment from member States to reach Universal Access goals by 2015. During the Hearing, civil society advocates stressed that in pursuing Universal Access goals the international community must prioritize public health over politics. They urged Member States to make available to their citizens the full complement of evidence-based HIV prevention, care, treatment, and support technologies and tools—regardless of possible objections on moral, legal, or political grounds—as a commitment to the human right to health. The Outcome Document that will emerge from the UN High Level Meeting on HIV AND AIDS must acknowledge global failures to reach Universal Access by 2010, re-commit to upholding and implementing priorities in the global AIDS response articulated by key existing global frameworks on HIV, including the UNAIDS 2011-2015 Outcome Strategy, and commit to bold, new targets. HUMAN RIGHTS The UN High Level Meeting Outcome Document must commit Member States to the realization of the human rights to health and non-discrimination for all people, particularly key affected populations and the youth among those populations. These populations include people living with HIV, women and girls, young people, sex workers and their clients, transgender people, men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, migrants and mobile populations, refugees,  prisoners, and people with disabilities. Member States must: 1.      Reaffirm commitments to a human rights approach to addressing HIV and AIDS and to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of people living with, affected by, and vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. 2.      Ensure that the key affected populations listed above play a meaningful role in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support programming. Create an enabling environment that promotes and protects the human rights of women in the context of HIV and AIDS, including by enacting and/or reinforcing penal, civil, labour, and administrative sanctions in domestic legislation to punish and redress the wrongs done to women and girls who are subjected to any form of violence, whether in the home, the workplace, the community or society[1], protects women living with HIV from forced and coerced sterilization, ensures that women can exercise their right to have control over matters related to their sexuality in order to increase their ability to protect themselves from HIV infection[2], guarantees access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, and ensures women’s equal access to property and inheritance. 4.      Repeal laws, policies, and practices that block effective responses to AIDS, including laws that criminalize same-sex relationships, the unintentional transmission of or exposure to HIV, use and possession of drugs (for personal use), and sex work. 5.      Include and budget for programs in national HIV strategies that promote and protect human rights, including programmes to reduce stigma and discrimination, sensitize police and judges, train health care workers in nondiscrimination, confidentiality and informed consent, monitor and improve the impact of the legal environment, know your rights campaigns, legal literacy, and legal services. 6.      Promote laws and policies that protect the rights of young people, particularly those living with HIV from key affected populations, in order to significantly reduce the stigma and discrimination they face and create an environment for safe disclosure and the full enjoyment of their rights. 7.      Recognize the vulnerabilities to HIV experienced by migrant and mobile populations and develop and support linked regional and global frameworks that acknowledge and protect their human rights to treatment, prevention, care, and support. TREATMENT AND PREVENTION Success to date in increasing access to life saving ART, although incomplete, shows that Universal Access goals are within our grasp.  Ten years of experience about how to successfully treat and prevent HIV, and emerging evidence of the prevention benefits of treatment, should energize the global AIDS response to pursue the achievable goal of ending AIDS in our lifetime. Member States must: Reach 100% of the projected 18.3 million people estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as eligible for ART by 2015. Develop and meet new strategies and targets for increased voluntary, consensual, and rights-based HIV counseling and testing with linkages to HIV services including inexpensive, simple point of care diagnostics for adult and early infant diagnosis of both HIV and tuberculosis (TB). 10.  Adopt and maximize utilization of public health flexibilities as described in the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in order to lower the price of essential medicines (including for HIV, TB, and hepatitis C) and reform national laws and reject bilateral and regional trade agreements that exceed the standard for intellectual property rights protection and enforcement set out in TRIPS and hinder access to low-cost, high-quality medicines. 11.  Expand effective, targeted evidence-based prevention to achieve a 50% reduction in sexual HIV transmission by 2015 through the provision of an essential package of HIV and sexual and reproductive health services and education programmes for all communities, including people living with HIV, women and girls, young people, sex workers and their clients, transgender people, men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, migrants and mobile populations, refugees,  prisoners, and people with disabilities. 12.  Increase access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support for women in all of their diversity together with comprehensive sexual and reproductive

Symposium on Preventing Genocide through Embracing our Ancestral DNA: Transforming Generationally Transmitted Restrictions of Ethnicity, Nationality and Belief Systems to Positive Lessons and Wisdom at the United Nations www.meaningfulworld.com 201-941-2266 Press release The Armenian American Society for Studies on Stress and Genocide (AASSSG) held its annual symposium on Preventing Genocide entitled, “ Embracing our Ancestral DNA: Transforming Generationally Transmitted Restrictions of Ethnicity, Nationality and Belief Systems to Positive Lessons and Wisdom,”  on Thursday 7th of April, 2011 at the United Nations, from 3 – 6 P.M. The program began with a warm welcome from Dr. Ani Kalayjian, Chair of the symposium and President of AASSSG and the Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld.  Dr. Kalayjian introduced her new CD, “Ancestral Healing From War to Peace” and instructed everyone to close their eyes and to listen as we took an emotional journey from the Garden of Eden to the present day while processing all the past traumas.  Dr. Kalayjian in her inspiring words on the CD reminded us that shared sorrow is half sorrow while shared joy is double joy; and forgiveness is not only the best revenge, it is the best practice for self-healing. At the end of the CD meditation, Se. Kalayjian presented a photo diary of the dark side of humanity, starting with Genocide of the Armenians to today, challenges in Darfur.  Then Dr. Dan Booth Cohen was invited to speak about “Healing Through Family Constellations.”  He is a Psychologist that uses family constellations to heal his clients. He asserted that trauma is inherited and that the memories of our grandparents and great-grandparents are inside us.  He went on to explain that when we tap into our unconscious mind and work somatically, we will experience the feelings of our ancestors.  He concluded that women need to be encouraged to take an active role in the peace process because they are equal to men in their humanity, intelligence, and compassionate energy. The next speaker Mrs. Sally Kader, Chairperson, US Federation for Middle East Peace, gave her discourse on, “The Role of Women in Healing Generational Wounds.”  She related the impact of September 11th on our lives and how people need to dispel erroneous beliefs about certain religious groups.    She conducts Inter Faith dialogue groups to help people learn about each other’s religion in a safe environment.  She concluded that different religions share the same lessons of love, compassion and forgiveness.    At the United Nations Conference for Women, where 192 countries are represented, all women have the same concerns.  She informed us that United Nations Resolution1325 insists that women be a part of the building of a country and be a part of the government.  In her closing remarks, Ms Kader stated that there is hope for the future. Then, Dr. Edmund L. Gergerian, benefactor of the Krieger essay contest for high school and college students presented a summary of the contest.  He explained that for the past sixteen years, AASSSG has held this contest asking students to write about “What the Legacy of Genocide Means to Me?”  This award was established in honor of his late uncle, Father Krikor Guerguerian, aka Krieger.  Father Guergerian survived the Genocide of Armenians and collected hundreds of documents about the Genocide. The winners of the essay contest read their inspiring conclusions.  One student reminded us that we must continue the work of AASSSG, preventing Genocide and healing the wounds of past Genocides. Then Dr. Kalayjian introduced our final speaker and recipient of the 2011 AASSSG Outstanding Achievement Award, Donald Wilson Bush.  He is President of the Woodrow Wilson Legacy Foundation, Inc. and a descendant of President Woodrow Wilson.  His presentation was titled, “From School Yard to Diplomatic Mission, It Takes Leadership to Stop Bullying.”  In his talk he explained how bullying is not only going on in schoolyards, but is now omnipresent in our culture of technology & leadership.  Bullying can lead to Genocide with perpetrators holding dominance over another group. Mr. Bush urged everyone to say no to bullying and reclaim the space of the public square in nonviolent, and civil terms. The program ended with a question and answer period and a demonstration by Dr. Cohen on family constellations using volunteers from the audience working on the denial of Ottoman Turkish Genocide and inviting volunteers to take on the roles of the Armenians as well as Turks.    It was a transformative journey. At the end of the symposium, the students expressed their desire to become proactive in helping to promote Armenian Genocide recognition.  They asked Dr. Kalayjian, “Where do we sign up to help?” A group of over one hundred diverse people had gathered at the UN (from 14 years old to 84 years young) to witness the commitment to preventing Genocide, learning from the past, acknowledging what we have done wrong, commitment to non-violence, responsibility for self-healing, as well as healing each other. This symposium was co-sponsored by The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations, Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP), AASSSG, Meaningfulworld.com, The Armenian Constitutional Rights Protective Centre of Armenia, Armenian General Benevolent Union of America, Voices for Freedom, and Health, Transformation & Spirituality, a Working Group of CONGO Community on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns – NY (CSVGC) at the United Nations. Your support it appreciated, our organizations are charitable humanitarian organizations and your donations are tax-deductible.  Kindly donate on line at: www.meaningfulworld.com.

ATOP Newsletter 2010 # Committee on Aging The Committee on Ageing (NY) held  its 24th General Meeting  at the United Nations Church Center, 777 UN Plaza (44th  Street & 1st Avenue), New York on 6 January 2011. The meeting was in preparation for the 49th Session of  the Commission for Social Development. The NGO Committee on Ageing works to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of global ageing. The Committee urges all UN member States within the framework of the United Nations to integrate the condition of Older Persons within national policies on Development. Speakers are the meeting included Mr. Steve O’Neil, Treasurer, NGO Committee on Social Development and Ms. Luz Melon, First Secretary, Mission of Argentina to the United Nations.  The Committee expressed appreciation for the continued support of the government of Argentina in furthering the cause of the organization in the United Nations and its Agencies. ATOP of MeaningfulWorld, a not-for-profit origination in consultative relationship with the United Nations was represented by its United Nations Main Representative, Dr. Ozichi Alimole. ATOP’s main service areas include post-conflict interventions, disaster relief and education on mind-body-spirit connections. DPI Briefing: 13 January 2011 Disaster Relief and Preparedness: Haiti: A Year Later The Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization (DPI/NGO) of  the United Nations hosted its weekly briefing on 13 January, 2011. The venue of the event was the North Lawn Building. The purpose of the briefing was to review the situation in Haiti a year after the earthquake that raised Port-au-Prince to the ground  on January 12, 2010.  Guest Speakers at the event included David Garden, Bruno Lemarquis, Denise Brown and Taina Bien-Aime. The Briefing was moderated by Ms. Maria-Luisa Chavez, Chief, NGO Relations, Department of Public Information, and United Nations. While our ATOP tam spearheaded by our President Dr Kalayjian is conducting a one year follow-up in Haiti working on assessing the continued needs, educating the community in healing and empwerment, and training social workers, psychologists, and teachers. The UN was trying to invite Dr Kalayjian to be one of the speakers, but video conferencing efforts wee unsuccessful. The various speakers who had first experience of the Haitian tragedy expressed their regret  that in spite the enormous work that had been done, a lot still needed to be done in terms of disease control, provision of shelter and security. The speakers deplored the high-level of crime in Haiti and inadequate and the large-scale insecurity of which women are the most vulnerable.  Theyemphasized the need for  international support to help rebuild dilapidated infrastructures and restore basic sanitation.  (Photo Available) ATOP of Meaningful World was represented by its United Nations Main Representative, Dr. Ozichi Alimole, and VP Jennifer De Mucci. 14 January, 2011: Pre-Assembly Meeting of the 24th General Assembly of  Conference of Non-Governmental Organization (CoNGO) with Consultative Relationship with the United Nations The pre-General Assembly Meeting was held at the United Nations Church Center on January 14, 2011. The 24th General Assembly meeting proper was help at the Salvation Army from 17 – 20 January, 2011. The highlights of the 24th General Assembly were the election of a new President and Board and the comprehensive review of the challenges facing the organization.  The meeting also discussed procedural and strategic issues including the reduced physical and intellectual access of CoNGO members to the United Nations. The members agreed that “the space for participation of NGO and Civil Society Organizations at the United Nations was shrinking, in terms of both physical space and political participation.” It was resolved the new CoNGO leadership should initiate early measures at the appropriate level in the United Nations to address the issue of access. (Photo available). ATOP of MeaningfulWorld was represented at the 24th Session of the CoNGO by its UN Main Representative, Dr. Ozichi Alimole and the Newsletter Editor, Mr. Oleg Voronov. DPI/NGO, 31 January 2011. Unexpected Saviors: The Role of Turkey in Assisting Victims During the Holocaust This solemn briefing was held at the North Lawn Building on January 31, 2001 instead of the Salvation where it was previously scheduled. It was a solemn gathering in Commemoration of the Holocaust Remembrance. Most the speakers who included Jewish historian scholars and professions recounted the story of a tragic past. Some of also paid tribute to Turkey for its role in saving hundreds of Jews from Hitler’s evil-driven madness. There were heroic accounts of Turkish diplomats and consuls in German occupied countries who used their diplomatic status to save thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. Those brave individuals persistently defied Nazi pressure to deport Turkish Jews to Eastern Europe for extermination. ATOP of MeaningfulWorld was represented at the briefing by its UN Main Representative, Dr. Ozichi Alimole. (Photos Available)

The General Assembly circulated the Declaration at the 63rd Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference that took place in Melbourne 30 August to 1 September, 2010, as the official document A/65/525 for General Distribution, on 19 October 2010. For more details, please click here (pdf file) .

A Briefing Paper OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Prepared by Kristen McNutt, Researcher, Association of Humanitarian Lawyers Presented to The United Nations Commission on Human Rights 2005 Session March Geneva Contact: ied@igc.org Iraqi female detainees have been illegally detained, raped and sexually violated by United States military personnel. Women who stay at home in traditional roles are more likely to be imprisoned as bargaining chips by US troops seeking to pressurize male relatives, according to the New Statesmen (UK)[1]. In December 2003, a woman prisoner, “Noor”,  smuggled out a note stating that US guards at Abu Ghraib had been raping women detainees and forcing them to strip naked. Several of the women were now pregnant.[2] The classified enquiry launched by the US military, headed by Major General Antonio Taguba, has confirmed the note by “Noor” and that sexual violence against women at Abu Ghraib took place. Among the 1,800 digital photographs taken by US guards inside Abu Ghraib there were, according to Taguba’s report, images of naked male and female detainees; a male Military Police guard “having sex” with a female detainee; detainees (of unspecified gender) forcibly arranged in various sexually explicit positions for photographing; and naked female detainees.[3] The Bush administration has refused to release photographs of Iraqi women prisoners at Abu Ghraib, including those of women forced at gunpoint to bare their breasts (although these have been shown to Congress). [4] UK Member of Parliament Ann Clwyd (L) has confirmed a report of an Iraqi woman in her 70s who had been harnessed and ridden like a donkey at Abu Ghraib and another coalition detention centre after being arrested last July. Clwyd said: “She was held for about six weeks without charge. During that time she was insulted and told she was a donkey.”[5] The Italian journalist, Giuliana Sgrena, reports that in the middle of the night, American soldiers broke into the home of Mithal al Hassan and arrested both her and her son. “The soldiers later ransacked the apartment. Denounced as part of a vendetta, Mithal was condemned without trial to eighty days of horror in the company of other women prisoners who, like her, were subjected to abuse and torture. She has since spotted her tormentors on the internet.” [6] A culture of honor prevents many women from telling stories of rapes.  The account given by “Selwa”, illustrates this.  In September 2003,  Selwa was taken by US military personnel to a detention facility in Tikrit, where an American officer lit a mixture of human feces and urine in a metal container and gave Selwa a heavy club to stir it. She recalls, “The fire from the pot felt very strong on my face.” She leans forward and sweeps her hands through the air to show how she stirred the excrement. “I became very tired,” she says. “I told the sergeant I couldn’t do it.” “There was another man close to us. The sergeant came up to me and whispered in my ear, ‘If you don’t, I will tell one of the soldiers to fuck you.’” Selwa could not continue with the story.[7] An Iraqi girl, Raghada, reports that her mother, imprisoned at Abu Ghraib, was forced to eat from a toilet and was urinated on[8] Iman Khamas, head of the International Occupation Watch Center, a nongovernmental organization which gathers information on human rights abuses under coalition rule, has said; “one former detainee had recounted the alleged rape of her cell mate in Abu Ghraib.”  According to Khamas, the prisoner said; “she had been rendered unconscious for 48 hours.”  She claimed; “She had been raped 17 times in one day by Iraqi police in the presence of American solders”.[9] Another woman, “Nadia,” reported that she was raped by US soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison. She continues to be “imprisoned” by painful memories that left her psychologically and physically scarred. [10] Late last year, attorney Amal Kadham Swadi, one of seven female lawyers now representing women detainees in Abu Ghraib, began to piece together a picture of systemic abuse and torture by US guards against Iraqi women held in detention without charge. This was not only true of Abu Ghraib, she discovered, but was, as she put it, “happening all across Iraq”. Amal Kadham Swadi  states that “sexualized violence and abuse committed by US troops goes far beyond a few isolated cases.” [11]  It is unknown as to exactly how many female detainees there are. ‘The International Committee of the Red Cross reports that 30 women were housed in Abu Ghraib last October, 2003, which was reduced to 0 by May 29, 2004”.[12] Swadi visited a detainee held at the US military base a Al-Khakh, a former police compound in Baghdad. The detainee disclosed that, “Several American soldiers had raped her and that she had tried to fight them off and they had hurt her arm”.[13] These and other incidents are being covered up for US domestic consumption. President G W Bush has insisted that these were the actions of a few and were not the result of military policy. However, a fifty-three-page report, obtained by The New Yorker, written by Major General Antonio M. Taguba and not meant for public release, points to complicity to sexual torture by the entire Army prison system. Specifically, Taguba found that between October and December of 2003 there were numerous instances of “sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses” at Abu Ghraib.[14] The cover-up by the Bush Administration appears to include the silencing of victims. Professor Huda Shaker al-Nuaimi, a political scientist at Baghdad University, who is interviewing female prisoners as a volunteer for Amnesty International,  reports that the woman, called “Noor,” who smuggled the letter out of Abu Ghraib, is now presumed dead.  “We believe she was raped and that she was pregnant by a US guard.  After her release from Abu Ghraib, I went to her house.  The neighbors said that her family had moved away.  I believed that she was killed”.[15] It is well known that the US has

General Assembly Distr: General 10 December 1948 Third session Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly [Part A of General Assembly resolution 217 (III). International Bill of Human Rights] 217 A (III). Universal Declaration of Human Rights Preamble Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, Now, therefore the General Assembly proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Article 7. All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8. Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. Article 9. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Article 10. Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. Article 11. (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed. Article 12. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. Article 13. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Article 14. (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 15. (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. Article 16. (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Article 17. (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well

Organized and chaired by Dr. Kalayjian Press Release (April 2007) United Nations Ambassador Mr. Francois Oubida, from the government of Burkina Faso, together with the non-governmental organizations Human Rights Committee, held a unique briefing at the United Nations with invited panelists to discuss human rights violations and recovery issues on February 15, 2007. Entitled Human Rights Violations and Recovery: Mind-Body-Spirit Practices, Ambassador Oubida welcomed attendees and panelists to the first ever combined government/NGO UN program to include examination of mind-body-spirit practices and stated that he was looking forward to hearing from other representatives on how they work to protect the human rights and indigenous rights of their nation’s citizens. In support of Mr. Oubida, Dr. Ani Kalayjian, President of Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP), who organized and chaired the symposium, emphasized the importance of addressing mind-body-spirit interventions to restore individuals and communities. Dr. Kalayjian, who also holds the office of an NGO Representative for the Armenian International Women’s Association, set the stage by identifying a few of the many emails she had received earlier in the day that all related to human rights violations. She brought attention to women “mules” dying in drug trafficking between Mexico and the US; violations to women in the sex-trade industry in Russia; injuries to the Tibetan community in China, child prostitution in Asia, the conflicts between the Tutsi and Hutu in Africa, and she remarked on the recent assassination of her friend, a Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who offended Turkish loyalists by publicly claiming his Armenian heritage. After a moment of silence in honor of Hrant Dink, Dr. Kalayjian introduced Dr. Beth Hedva, a transpersonal psychologist from Calgary, Canada, who, under the auspices of SEFA (Save Emergency For Aceh), trained recovery workers.  In Aceh, which lost 170,000 souls, everyone is a survivor of double trauma due to suffering 30 years of civil war at the time of the Boxing Day Disaster. Dr. Hedva briefed the group on The Bio-Psychosocial and Spiritual Model – case study in post tsunami Banda Aceh. Dr. Hedva showed slides of both human-made and natural disasters, outlined six- steps to recovery based on field research of Dr. Kalayjian’s Biopsychosocial and Spiritual Model, and described how she extended Kalayjian’s model through the practice of using ancient and indigenous cross-cultural rites of passage as described in Hedva’s book Betrayal, Trust and Forgiveness.  Dr. Hedva reported on the experiences of local recovery workers who learned to train themselves and others to use both psychological and intuitive, spiritual resources to recover from shock, loss or traumatic stress, and to renew courage, faith and self-respect for both personal healing and community renewal. With 83 percent of donated funds held back as “already allocated,” mind-body-spirit healing and community renewal in Aceh, Hedva concluded, need to also include a global healing that addresses and closes the “rich-poor” divide between more developed nations and those nations that were hit hardest hit by the tsunami. Dr. John L. Bolling, a psychiatrist who works with at-risk youth from Harlem, New York, briefed attendees about his Soul-Centered-Model – case study with inner city African American youth and how he utilizes his Soul-Centered Model with his clients who do not respond to traditional interventions. Dr. Bolling emphasized the importance of incorporating feminine spirituality as part of ‘soul’ and referred to African and indigenous cultures identification of the Earth as our Mother (Mother Nature) who teaches us to focus on our interdependence upon each other, by understanding the relationship between the individual and the whole. Dr. Bolling discussed how he incorporated traditional, pre-Christian African approaches in his work. He used the example of the African traditions, which honor one’s ancestors, including speaking to one’s ancestors and “hearing” their voices, without being labeled as “crazy” or suffering from a psychiatric disorder worthy of sedation or anti-psychotic medications. Dr. Bolling spoke about the importance of the soul and how its affect on a person’s functioning has been overlooked. He stressed the importance of uniting both a person’s right, more spiritual, side of the brain with their left, more rational or concrete, side of the brain to develop a more complete soul-centered model. After a period of questions and answers, Dr. Kalayjian invited Dr. Hedva to instruct attendees in some of the breathing practices that release anxiety and foster stability and relaxation under stressful conditions.  Dr. Kalayjian concluded the session with the statement “When one helps another, BOTH are strengthened.”

ATOP Of MeaningfulWorld Presents Mind-Body-Eco-Spirit Health is a Basic Human Right: Each one Heal One and ceremony for Meaningfulworld Ambassadors www.meaningfulworld.com 201-941-2266 Michele Gonen, Intern at ATOP of Meaningfulworld Healing bowls, purple scarves, candles, hearts, and colourful and healing art work were dispersed purposefully and aesthetically enticing all around the auditorium, providing a peaceful, comfortable, and spiritually moving environment. The Association for Trauma Outreach Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld held its Annual Conference at the 777 United Nations Plaza in New York City on 18 June, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. The event was Chaired by Dr. Ani Kalayjian, President of ATOP of MeaningfulWorld, with assistance of numerous staff members, volunteers, and interns. The program began with a special love meditation conducted by Jennifer De Mucci, Vice President of ATOP of Meaningfulworld, and afterwards a spiritual sound healing session with Alicia Di Giovanni & Sandee Covey centred the audience. Katherine Kaze, an ATOP Intern, delivered a presentation consisting of the twenty-year history and thirty missions of ATOP. She spoke about the various national and international missions of ATOP utilizing the Seven-Step Biopsychosocial & Eco-Spiritual Model and Youth Empowerment Programs in New York City public schools. Following, a panel of speakers discussed their role in promoting health through an interconnectedness of the mind, body and eco-spirit. The presenters consisted of Majid Ali, M.D., Gabriele Kallenborn, MD, Laurie Nadel, PhD, and Edmund Gergerian, MD, after which a lively and informative Q & A session followed. Dr. Ali, a traditionally trained surgeon, now an integrative practitioner, and WBAI Radio Host, discussed how individuals know themselves the best in terms of their health and the responsibility of being a “primary physician” for oneself. Dr. Kallenborn, a trained naturopathic physician, physical therapist, and nurse practitioner, informed the audience about Neuromodulation Technique (NMT) which she utilizes with clients. During NMT, she uses the power of suggestion and Muscle Response Testing to assess the Autonomic Control System (ACS), “modulate” a person’s condition, and then uses “queries” to reset the ACS to alleviate pain or illness. She briefly mentioned that she practices hypnotherapy, meditation, and Chinese Medicine. Dr. Nadel is the author of a best-selling book, “The Sixth Sense” and a trained hypnotherapist whose clinical work revolves around helping people who faced trauma and developed Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the terrorist attacks on September 11th. She poignantly shared how she had been living with PTSD since 1974 when she was a CBS reporter in Chile and struggled with hiding and running from the Chilean secret police. Since then she has become a human rights activist, founding the Human Rights Committee and Committee to Protect Journalists , as well as a psychologist who assists 9/11 victims and their families of processing their trauma through analysis of their dreams. Her life story was a powerful symbol of the power of post-traumatic-growth after a devastating episode. Dr. Gergerian, a holistic psychiatrist who is trained in techniques of Electromagnetic Field Balancing (EMF), flower remedies, sound healing, among others. He explained how the body can work through various systems, including the biological (i.e. digestive, endocrine, etc.), Chakra, and Biofield systems. According to EMF the Biofield system integrates all the previous ones and involves 12 fibers which are located around a person and its purpose is for self-balancing. He engaged the audience with an experiential exercise of transferring “love energy” from one hand to another. He also emphasized how it is important “to love yourself 1,000% so that you could have a 100% and use the excess to love others.” Dr. Kalayjian supplemented this by stating that it is critical for caregivers to practice self-care before tending to others. A lively Q&A session followed as the audience clarified new concepts, and reinforced their commitment to heal themselves. There was an initiation of seven Meaningfulworld Ambassadors who completed the ATOP Humanitarian Relief Certificate Program. The newly awarded Ambassadors included: Karyn H. Jorgensen, MSW, Katerine Kaze, Michiko Kuroda, Mary-Ellen Lewis, LCSW, Sharon Hope Muja, MA, David M. Pressley, and Rashmi Jaipal, PhD. In the afternoon session, ATOP’s film on humanitarian outreach in Haiti was shown. The afternoon panel discussion, showcasing selective healing centers, included: Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Global Peace Partners, Effective Conversation, and OM Factory. This panel was facilitated by ATOP Intern, Wesley Beeks. The panelists spoke about using active listening, empathy, silence, and meditation to help connect with oneself and with others. A moment of silence was encouraged to allow audience members to feel the impact of the technique. Some words of advice included having fun and unite with one’s “inner child,” looking past what a person is and instead towards the hope of what a person can become, and maintaining respect for others on all levels, from an individual to collective groups, to alleviate conflict. A gourmet cooking workshop was given by renowned chef, Celine, from The National Gourmet Institute, teaching the health benefits of whole foods and its impact on our mood and body. She demonstrated easy steps in creating delicious, healthy recipes. A summer squash soup with some herb puree was served both cold and hot, as well as an acidic black bean salad. Simultaneously, a spiritual sound healing and meditation took place in another corner. A productive raffle was conducted while cosponsors provided gift items from OM Factory to massages, energy healing, educational books and CDs as well as Jewelry. The program concluded with Collective Healing and Heart-to-Heart Healing Circle. A special gratitude to all of our co-sponsors: Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld, WBAI, Voices for Freedom, Joni Rose Fine Art, Armenian Constitutional Rights Protective Centre, Dr. Gabriele Kallenborn Healing Center, Dr. Kazuko Gaia Holistic, Dr. Dardashti Integrative Mental Health, Natural Gourmet Institute, Rithy Chen, Martha Zamora, Sheriyar Cem, The Shine Center for Mindful Awareness, Armenian American Society for Studies on Stress and Genocide, Oleg and Juliya Voronov, Alfred Pena’s Rhythmology, Marty Epstein and Rachel McDavid, Mystic World, Aya Institute of Systemic Constellations, and One-by-One. Gratitude to all of our ATOP staff

Perspectives from vulnerable groups:Children,   women,    refugees,refugees older adults, etc UN Church Center 777 First Avenue at 46th Street, New York City 2nd floor Saturday 18 June, 2011 10:00 AM – 3 PM Opening Meditations: Sharon Hamilton-Getz African drumming: Mc Nair High School Students (TBA) Spiritual Sound Healing: Alicia Di Giovanni & Sandee Conroy Speakers: 1. UNHCHR (TBA) 2. Ambassador of Nigeria (TBA) 3. Dr. Majid Ali, “Science and Consciousness”” 4. Dr. Edmund Gergerian, “Sensing & Directing Love Energy” Initiation of Meaningfulworld Ambassadors: Rashmi Jaipal, Karyn H. Jorgensen, Katherine Kaze, Michiko Kuroda, Mary Ellen Lewis, Sharon Hope Muja, David M. Pressley Afternoon Workshop Showcasing Selective Healing Centers: OM Factory, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, MENLA Tibet House, Long Island Buddhist Meditation Temple, Global Peace Partners, Soka Gakkai International, and others (TBA) Chair: Dr. Ani Kalayjian, Founder and President of ATOP of Meaningfulworld, UN Representative since 1990 Co-sponsored by: *Health Transformation & Spirituality, a Working Group of NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns at the United Nations, NY (TBA) *Permanent Mission *Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention * Voices for Freedom (VFF) * Armenian Constitutional Rights Protective Centre (ACRPC) * WBAI Radio Station * Joni Rose Fine Art * Dr. Gabriele Kallenborn Healing Center * Dr. Kazuko, Gaia Holistic * Dr. Dardashti, Integrative Mental Health For more information visit: www.meaningfulworld.com Contact VP: Ms. De Mucci jenmeaningfulworld@gmail.com

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