WW: UN Stamps First Day Cover

I am soooo excited with the latest UN Stamps First Day Cover...

2015 World Heritage - South Asia

Featuring, among others, Borobudur Temple in Indonesia :)

Borobudur Temple

What do you think ?

such a valuable collectible to those who love stamps :)

the complete set...

Join me on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have a wonderful bloghopping experience..

United Nations Rose Garden

"Look at the blue sky, smell the roses and enjoy life at its greatest.. "

Who wouldn't love to see the beautiful garden full or roses...

Well, I love roses..

And the UN Headquarters here in NYC has Rose Garden. 

Yuuup...the United Nations Rose Garden.

Even from its name you can imagine colorful beds of roses of different kinds.

Taman bunga ini tidak seberapa besar, terletak di belakang Gedung Majelis Umum PBB. Karena letaknya persis di sebelah promenade yang memagari kompleks PBB dan Sungai East di kota New York, tidak heran kalau taman ini menjadi tempat favorit banyak orang, termasuk saya :).

Dan mulai akhir musim semi seperti saat ini, Taman mawar ini mulai berbunga dan cantik sekali...

sudah mulai layuuu karena panaaaas...

Overlooking the East River with Long Island City right across its backyard behind the General Assemby Building, this garden is truly a sanctuary for us who spend most of our time in this international institution negotiations wide range of issues from the International security to the right to food.

Imagine that there are more than 1.500 roses grow beautifully here..

The garden was presented by All-America Rose and has been adorning the UN Building since 1946. Quite a long time ago indeed.

And how I enjoy to read all those panels depicting the names of these hybrid roses..

All that jazz...ring a bell :)?

Names such as Singin' in the rain, Easy does it, All that jazz, Peace, Dreams come true, Moondance, Scentimentalia, and more always sucessfully put smile on my face. 

It has the information about the year it was originally planted as well.

Dreams come true...

Using my smart phone, I try to capture these beautiful shades of flaming red, yellowish white, bright orange, yellow, and in-betweeners :)

I love strolling around here...

just simply going out and having a break amidst the never ending meetings.

Rasanya bisa berlama-lama di sini, kalau tidak ingat masih banyak pertemuan yang harus dihadiri, pekerjaan yang diselesaikan dan hal-hal lainnya. 

cheeeers....

For sure, I will always come back here :). 

Usually in August - September, most of the roses are gone...but spring will always be back, so keep those hopes up.
See you around, United Nations Rose Garden...

it smells wonderfuuuuul...

Do you enjoy strolling around the garden as well? What's your favorite flower(s)?

United Nations Rose Garden

Join us on Skywatch Friday and enjoy more amazing photos from many corners of the world..

Rose Garden at the UN Headquarters

Being locked in the meeting room discussing serious matters impacting the world amidst beautiful day can be frustrating sometimes.

And that's what I had last week.
Well..last two weeks, to be precise.

Burying  myself in reports, documents and drafts, while at  the same time committing myself to back-to-back radiation treatment, is not that easy. Fresh air is urgently required and for the first aid to this, I got Rose Garden.

Yuuup...Rose Garden at the UN Headquarters here in NYC.

Located in the back of the General Assembly building, stretching along the banks of East River, this spot feels like the lungs of the UN. Where fresh air is the luxury you deserve. Although ironically, it is also the designated area for smoking.

At this point, the roses are still hiding.
They' re not yet blooming.
Waiting for warmer days.

But the garden is beautifully adorned with lines of cherry blossoms.

Gorgeous..

Don't you think?

And that's what I love about the UN in spring :)...

Perfect combination of clear blue sky, colorful bursts of flowers and fresh air never fail me.

Will get back with more stories about the Rose Garden :)

Join us enjoying the sky wherever you are in Skywatch Friday

You're Grounded ..

It's been such a busy week!

Lucky me indeed...

Series of meetings haunted me, including working lunches and early morning visits to the big guy, my nickname for the radiation machine, constantly. Running around while watching the sun rises is in my agenda.

Well, didn't mean to complain ..

One thing for sure, I am lucky enough to have all these strength, patience and spirit to endure my day-to-day struggle :).

And clear blue sky...

Aaah...clear blue sky.

spending so much time here lately..UN Headquarters, NYC.

My refuge..

Always..

the sphere within the sphere at the UN..

The calming blue sky..

Join us and let's enjoy the calming blue sky from different corners of the world on Skywatch Friday :)

Happy World Wildlife Day...

Happy World Wildlife Day, people... 

March 3rd is celebrated as the World Wildlife Day. 

It is the day when the United Nation adopted the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or commonly known as CITES. Have you ever heard or known this Convention before? It has lists of endangered animals, flora and species that have to be protected as they are threathen to be extinc. My country, Indonesia, is one of the contracting parties along with other 179 countries. We have ratified this convention since 1978.

But instead of a celebration, we have a lot to ponder as sadly, more than 50% of the wildlife population have vanished from earth. 

the elephant...taken in the Parc Safari Peaugres, Lyon, France...

On the very day, the United Nations has conducted an informal meeting involving high-level panel such as the UN Deputy Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Jan Elliasson, as well as the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Sam Kutesa. We also had Mr. John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES, Ms. Chelsea Clintion, the Vice Chair of Clinton Foundation and Ms. Nadya Hutagalung, the Ambassador for the UN Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP).

Photo is taken from http://www.cites.org/eng

Lets Get Serious about Wildlife Crime is the theme and needless to say it's very succinctly put and urgently needed. 

I want my kids and grand kids to be able to meet this bear as well..the one we saw on Lyon, France..

As Wildlife Crime deters sustainable development, unfortunately, this transnational organized crime has also escalated more and more amidst the increasing demands, corruption and weak government. I won't be surprised to see many still boastfully  enjoy the luxury of ivory or rare birds feathers or furs or keep those endangered animals at home as pets for their own selfish life.  Spoken eloquently about the urgent need to #StopWildlifeCrime, the panelists urgently reminded us that concerted efforts still need to be doubled and we all should be on the frontlines for this battle.

Here's the grim reminder that I got from the Facebook page of GRASP 
"The illicit trafficking in live great apes is an increasingly serious threat to chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos in Africa and orangutans in Asia, with seizures averaging 1.3 per week since 2014. It is estimated that a minimum of 220 chimpanzees, 106 orangutans, 33 bonobos, and 15 gorillas have been lost from the wild over the last 14 months, according to the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP)"

You can get more info and read more as well here. 

And I'm so proud that Nadya Hutagalung, a fellow diver and half Indonesian as well as a great TV personality, has become the newly appointed ambassador of GRASP, the UN Great Apes Survival Partnership innitiative.

picture taken from https://twitter.com/John_CITES/status/573265488601604096

Well, I have to say, I literally grow up watching her on MTV and she is still one of my favorite VJs :). Smart, super beautiful, highly committed to the wildlife conservation especially elephants and apes. So cool!

I got a chance to meet this wonderful lady when she stopped by at our Mission in NYC. An avid fellow diver, we shared the same concerns over the alarming phenomenon that . How the beauty of our nature and the wonder of the wildlife world are dangerously tampered by our own behaviour. How our kids and the next generation may not get the chance to see those amazing wild flora and fauna we have encountered now. It's pretty sad to discuss how some underwater scenes we have both enjoy may vanish soon if we don't do something about it. Nadya told me as well about the new found species of apes in here homeland, Tapanuli. That's one of the reasons why she agrees to be the ambassador of GRASP and I sincerely hope this initiative will safe more and more great apes that are left, including in my own beautiful Indonesia.

Cheers from the Library at the Indonesian Mission to the UN in NY

After all, we all should be the best protectors of out own wild fauna and flora!

Learn more about GRASP on http://www.un-grasp.org/  or get the updates from the Facebook page and we can definitely help to conserve all these endangered species.

Happy World Wildlife Day, people..

#seriousaboutwildlifecrime

Project Sunlight for the #BrightFuture...

Do you know that the 19th of November is celebrated as the World Toilet Day?
Yuuup...World Toilet Day...
How cool is that...

Giant inflatable toilet in front of the UN building in NYC
photo is taken from https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152763229500589&set=a.141516105588.143476.669795588&type=1&theater 

I know some of you might be laughing or at least smiling..then start thinking why we need to have world toilet day anyway...

It's astonishing to know how simple thing as having a clean and proper toilet is indeed a luxury! A luxury that not everyone can enjoy.

For us who are lucky enough to live in a better world, sitting in a comfortable toilet every morning is just part of the routine. 
No fuss...just flush...

But as a matter of fact, this particular challenge has long been regarded as one of the issues that require urgent attention from the international community. No wonder the United Nations, together with UN Water and Unilever, which is sponsoring the Toilet Board Coalition (TBC), conducted a series of awareness raising campaign, including by putting giant inflatable plastic toilet in front of the UN headquarter in New York City on the World Toilet Day. 

World Toilet Day, with UN Water

Moreover, an inspiring seminar was conducted and a comprehensive report prepared by TBC was presented. Providing sanitation-related challenges and cases in India, interesting approaches combining creativity and knowledge have produced outputs that are effectively proven to be  working. Very intriguing! 

Another shocking truth that I got from this event is that how statistics show that many, many others, - approximately 2.5 billion people world wide, have not had access to improved and adequate sanitation, including toilets. Even 1 billion people still defecate outside, putting their life at risk of hygiene and health problems like diarrhea. 

In 2013, 1,000 children died every day because of diarrheal diseases due to poor sanitation and hygiene as well as unclean water. Even worse, for women and girls, open defecation also puts them in more risks for sexual harassment and violence. 

The comprehensive report

Can you imagine how many lost of valuables lives that we can actually prevent? 
How many bright lives of agents of change, our children, that we can spare if we address this sanitation issue.

Toilet is not only a home accessory that you probably need most in the morning. It's the necessary means required by everyone of us to live a healthy life. A healthy life that paves the way to our future. #BrightFuture.

Back home in my country, Indonesia, we do face the same daunting problems. With the constant growing population, extra limited space for decent living and lack of attention to important healthy habits, sanitation indeed poses big challenges. 

For sure the Government has taken steps to overcome it, including through the implementation of national program of community-based total sanitation. With its 5 important pillars comprising of the eradication of open defecation;  washing hands using soap; household water management; solid waste management; and liquid waste management, it has served as the main framework in addressing the issue of sanitation. But of course, the Government can not work alone to address this issue. Private sectors and civil societies have long partnered and worked hand in hand with all related stakeholders to come up with the solutions for this problem. 

This is when Project Sunlight, initiated by Unilever Global, steps into the picture. 
Commenced in 2013 at 5 countries, namely Indonesia, United States, United Kingdom, Brasil and India, Project Sunlight is the true realization of Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) aiming at encouraging millions of people all over the world to take real steps and implement sustainable living to ensure the #brightfuture of our children.

In 2014, Project Sunlight in Indonesia focuses on the theme of Healthy Future. And I am more than happy to introduce you to Dira Noveriani. 

Being a volunteer at Sahabat Anak, one of the non-governmental organizations in Indonesia focusing on providing quality education for street children in Jakarta, she teaches English, math as well as the importance of healthy cleaning habits to the kids. At her tender age of 16, she shares her dreams about teaching and raising awareness about the importance of sanitation, which directly links to healthy lives and the #brightfuture of Indonesian children. She also rightly points out that most of the time, the biggest challenge we have is being apathetic with our surroundings. No wonder she is elected to represent Indonesia for the global Project Sunlight. 

We can also contribute more to this global movement. 
Through 4 (four) easy ways, we can be part of these important steps to realize healthy future of our children.

First, VIEW.  Take your time to view this inspirational film at www.projectsunlight.co.id  as Unilever will donate Rp100,00 for every view of the film.

Second, ACT.  There are many ways to take part here, including by writing any ideas for #brightfuture at www.projectsunlight.co.id where Unilever will donate Rp1000,00 for every single idea, and becoming volunteers #brightfuture and directly provide health education and interact with children in many elementary schools at Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Makassar, and Yogyakarta. For this, Unilever will donate Rp100.000,00. Moreover, in cooperation with Lotte Mart, every purchase of Lifebouy, Peopsodent, and Domestos products, Unilever will donate Rp1000,00 to support the educational program and to provide sanitation facilities at Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Third, SHARE. All inspiring stories and videos about children's ideas to save their #brightfuture will certainly worth a share. These will further inspire others in doing the same thing.

And fourth, FOLLOW. Follow those inspirational stories at Project Sunlight and for sure we learn more and more on how to contribute to this noble movement. 

See...Easy steps and it won't take too much of your time to join this cause. You can definitely have more updates and details of this project as well on Unilever Indonesia fan page on Facebook.

And for me personally, all these good habits start from myself and from home.

Yup...starting from myself. 
By ensuring that I apply healthy habits like properly washing my hands, cleaning my teeth regularly, cleaning toilets, drinking plenty of water and living a healthy lifestyle.

2 liters of water or 8 glasses a day..don't forget :)

Not only that I ensure my own health but I also set good examples for my kids, Bo et Obi :).

don't forget to wash you hands properly, Bo :)

Don't forget, sanitation is the magic word. 
Some simple, yet lifesaving healthy habits can spare the lives of many future agents of change. Our children...

Let's show our support to this program and be part of it!

References:
- Project Sunlight Indonesia website https://www.projectsunlight.co.id/
- Fan Page Unilever Indonesia https://www.facebook.com/unileverid
- 'Get a Toilet' Building demand for toilets, a Report prepared for the Toilet Board Coalition sponsored by Unilever
- The Toilet Paper, Global Citizen and UNICEF publication.

25th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

A few weeks ago, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Being one of the most ratified UN Convention with 193 countries are already Parties to this Convention,  CRC has certainly brought many significant changes to the lives of children all over the world. Not only those young generations, I suppose,  but also for all of us, the adults.

The best interest of the child is indeed at the center of our attention when it comes to the fulfillment and the promotion of the rights of the child. Something that looks very managable on paper, but yet proves to be challenging on the ground. Many kids are not fortunate enough to enjoy some basic necessities like staple food, access to health, decent clothes, schools and education, or even the warmth and love of family. And they don't always live in poor or less developed countries nor even in conflict areas, but rather in developed and rich countries as well.

So regardless of that, sometimes I keep thinking that we all know what we have to do to ensure the world we live in is a world fit for children. But in many circumstances,  those simple steps are somehow missing and left  our promises to the children unfulfilled.

Against this backdrop,  UNICEF is tirelessly working on raising the awareness and unifying our efforts in galvanizing the global movement towards the betterment of the children's rights. One of the recent project being initiated is #IMAGINE project, officially launched during the 25th anniversary of the CRC at the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarter here in NY.. 

The 25th anniversary of the CRC...

#IMAGINE is an innovative and the largest sing-along project to raise awareness about the children's rights globally. Digitally powered by TouchCast, we can simply download TouchCast, sing the icinic song of Imagine with John Lennon and many superstars as well as UNICEF Ambassadors, including Katy Perry,  David Guetta and more.  Feel free to click http://imagine.unicef.org/en/ for more details on this lovely project.

I happened to attend the official launch of #IMAGINE program. Starting early in the morning, prior to the official celebration of the 25th anniversary of the CRC at the same venue. 

With my dearest colleague, Rima, during the event...

It was indeed a grand celebration, beautifully opened by mini instrumental quartet solemnly playing Imagine, John Lennon's one and only legendary song.

Imagine beautifully played in the Hall...

Along the way, many have contributed through speeches, songs, video presentation and even dance... all related to the beautiful world of children and how we need to continue our works in ensuring that our children fully enjoy their rights. To grow, to play, to explore their true potentials...

It was indeed a merry celebration and we have so many outstanding guests, including Angelique Kidjo

such an amazing singer!

 We also have Bjorn Ulvaeus, one of the vocalist of legendary ABBA (remember this band? with hits songs like Mammamia, Dancing Queen, Chiquitita, Fernando and moree...). I just found out that the royalty of Chiquitita song, which means little girl, has been donated by ABBA to UNICEF as well!

Then we have Hugh Jackman (yaaa...Hugh Jackman, the Wolverine :) ), welcoming the Executive Director of UNICEF in this event...

say hi to Wolverine...

And of course, Ms. Yoko Ono, the wife of lat e John Lennon, who strongly support the #IMAGINE project I mentioned above.

Ms. Yoko Ono...

All in all, I sincerely hope this message of love and hope for all our children in the world can be disseminated.  If you are interested to donate, head to UNICEF's website and see how we, you and I, can actively contribute to this noble cause. For a better world and brighter future of the children...

WW: Welcome, Mr. President...

We had an extremely busy week welcoming our President, H.E. DR. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and the First Lady, to NY during the High-level Week of the UN General Assembly Meeting..

And Bo, together with Cica, was welcoming them with a huge bouquet of lily :), wearing our traditional attire from Lampung, my hometown ..

Psst... they were interviewed as well :)..

Too bad I didn't really got a good picture...just wait for the photos taken by our official photographer  then ..

Join us on Wordless Wednesday :p...