UN Day Brooklyn Online with Keynote Dr. Anthony So: Save the Date!
The United Nations Association Brooklyn Chapter is proud to announce that its 6th Annual UN Day event will be held virtually on October 22nd, 2020 at 6:30pm. Save the date!
For the last five years, UNA Brooklyn has held UN Day at Brooklyn Borough Hall. To err on the side of caution, and because NYC’s future coronavirus mitigation strategies are unknown, we are going to hold the next UN Day event virtually. The theme of this year’s UN Day is the role of the UN system in protecting and promoting global health, with a focus on the critically important work of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO).
Please save the date and/or sign-up now to hold your Zoom seating! REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE
UNA Brooklyn Chapter’s UN Day 2020 Online
Date: Thursday, October 22nd, 2020
Time: 6:30pm (EST)
Cost: Free but donations are suggested
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anthony S
It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Anthony So, one of the world’s foremost global public health experts and activists, will be keynote speaker. We could not be luckier to have Dr. So with us this year. UNA’s main rallying cry this year is that in the face of the world’s most devastating global pandemic in modern times, we need the World Health Organization more than ever and to greater empower the UN overall, to effectively tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and other threats to the global public health. Disastrously, the Trump administration has done the opposite by defunding and then moving to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO. Dr. So is uniquely suited to educate and motivate us to rally, in support of the UN and its role in global public health.
Dr. So was a convener of the UN Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance; founding Director of the Innovation + Design Enabling Access (IDEA) Initiative in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and lead organizer of Protect Health Now, a U.S. coalition to rally the American public in support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). He was selected to serve on the Expert Advisory Group of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines and of the Technical Working Group of the Equitable Access Initiative (convened by Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and other multilateral institutions.
Dr. So received his BA in philosophy and biomedical sciences and his MD. He earned his MPA from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Dr. So completed his residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Introductory Remarks by UNA-USA's very own executive director, Rachel Pittman
We are also proud to announce the participation of Rachel Pittman, Executive Director of the United Nations Association of the U.S.A., at this year’s Brooklyn UN Day. She will be waving the UNA flag proudly and introducing Dr. So. From the website of the UNA-USA, “Rachel works to maximize UNA-USA’s advocacy impact by guiding the strategic vision for the organization, overseeing membership expansion, and managing partnerships. Rachel works closely with UNA-USA’s National Council and Affinity Group leadership to spearhead new initiatives that support a strong U.S.-UN partnership.”
Prior to joining UNA-USA, Rachel served on multiple leadership teams for several professional associations that represented lawyers, surgeons, regulators and engineers. In her many accomplishments, Rachel strengthened membership programs, directed rebranding initiatives and secured agreements with national associations representing China, Korea, Argentina, India, Peru, Egypt and Mexico.
Rachel holds a B.S.B.A in International Business from American University and an MBA in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University.
UNA Brooklyn's "Virtual" UN Day" is Shorter But no More Important Than Ever
Short and to the point is also a theme of this year’s UN Day event. UN Day at Brooklyn Borough Hall is usually an entire evening with NGO networking, a formal presentation and event, followed by a dinner reception. That would be hard to capture virtually! This event will be one hour of substance on the key UN global public health issues and what you can do to help. We will have a question and answer period where you can learn even more from Dr. So’s expertise and advocacy.
Over its five year history, UNA Brooklyn’s UN Day event at Brooklyn Borough Hall attracted people from Brooklyn and the surrounding NYC area. Since UN Day Brooklyn 2020 will be an online event, and in the spirit of having Rachel Pittman’s participation, it can and should be accessed by the larger UNA community, nationally. We welcome UNA members across the country to attend our event this year.
Like in past years, there is no fee to attend the 6th Annual United Nation’s Day of the UNA Brooklyn Chapter. We are asking for a voluntary donation, which is tax deductible. Half of the donations will go to the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization; the other half will go to the UNA Brooklyn Chapter to continue its public education and advocacy efforts to support the UN. The recommended donation is $25. If you can give more, it would be greatly appreciated and don’t forget, any donation - no matter how small - matters.
And if you do not donate, we still want your attendance, activism and action to support the UN.
Looking forward to seeing you and hearing you on Zoom at this year’s UNA Brooklyn Chapter’s UN Day 2020 Online.
Gabriel Levitt
President Emeritus
UN Day Co-chair
UNA Brooklyn Chapter
