Activities

Delegation Meet President: President Zail Singh  received a delegation of WEBFUNA at Raj Bhawan, Calcutta. The team comprised of Mr. Vijay Wadhwa, Mr. S.D Pandey, Mr.P.K Chatterjee, Mr. N.G Bangur, Mr. B.R Chakraborty, Mr. MK Verma, Mrs. Parveen Chowdhary and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

Seminar: On February 20, WEBFUNA organized a one day seminar on ‘Role of Non-alignment’. Attendees included Mr. Rajesh Khaitan (MLA), Mr. I.K Gujral,  Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Mr. H.A Halim, Mr.P.R Das Munshi, Mr. Sitaram Sharma and Mr.S.S Mahapatra.

Panel Discussion: WEBFUNA, in collaboration with USIS, organized a panel discussion on ‘UN & Media’ which was addressed by Mr. P.K Roy, Mr. Shiv Sharma (Director, Doordarshan), M. Sudhangshu Dasgupta and Mr. Jolly Kaul.

Delegation Meet President: President Zail Singh received a delegation of WEBFUNA at Raj Bhawan, Calcutta. The team comprised of Mr. Vijay Wadhwa, Mr. S.D Pandey, Mr.P.K Chatterjee, Mr. N.G Bangur, Mr. B.R Chakraborty, Mr. MK Verma, Mrs. Parveen Chowdhary and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

Seminar: On February 20, WEBFUNA organized a one day seminar on ‘Role of Non-alignment’. Attendees included Mr. Rajesh Khaitan (MLA), Mr. I.K Gujral, Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Mr. H.A Halim, Mr.P.R Das Munshi, Mr. Sitaram Sharma and Mr.S.S Mahapatra.

Panel Discussion: WEBFUNA, in collaboration with USIS, organized a panel discussion on ‘UN & Media’ which was addressed by Mr. P.K Roy, Mr. Shiv Sharma (Director, Doordarshan), M. Sudhangshu Dasgupta and Mr. Jolly Kaul.

Felicitation: A felicitation reception was held in March at the 46 Committee Room of the Assembly House for Mr. Sitaram Sharma on his appointment as Regional Director for Asia and Pacific of the World Federation of UN Associations, Geneva. Mr. H.A Halim presided over.

World Environment Day: The day was observed under the Chairmanship of Mr. M.P Narayanan, (Chairman, Coal India Ltd) on June 5.

UN Charter Day: On June 26, a Symposium was organized. Mr. H.A Halim presided over. Speakers were Major General S.R Bahuguna (GOC Bengal Area) Mr. Saugata Roy (MLA), Mr. R.K Handa (IPS) and Mr. M. Tariq Sultan (Director ICCR).

UN Day: UN Day was observed at the lobby of the Assembly House. Hon’ble Speaker Mr. H.A Halim presided over. Speakers included Consul-Generals of USA, USSR, Germany and Nepal. Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General) delivered the Keynote Address.

World Health Day: On April 7, world Health Day was observed at Academy of Fine Arts Hall.

UN Charter Day: ‘UN in New World Order’ was the subject of a Symposium to mark the day on June 26. Mr. HA Halim presided.

Delegation: A WEBFUNA delegation participated in the WFUNA Plenary Assembly at Moscow. Delegates from WEBFUNA included Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Mr. N.G Bangur and Mr.P.K Wadhwa.

Human Rights Day: On December 10, World Human Rights Day was observed with the participation of school children.

Model UN Assembly: MUNA was inaugurated by Mr.  HA Halim at the Council Chamber of the Assembly House.

World Health Day: On April 7, world Health Day was observed at Academy of Fine Arts Hall.

UN Charter Day: ‘UN in New World Order’ was the subject of a Symposium to mark the day on June 26. Mr. HA Halim presided.

Delegation: A WEBFUNA delegation participated in the WFUNA Plenary Assembly at Moscow. Delegates from WEBFUNA included Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Mr. N.G Bangur and Mr.P.K Wadhwa.

Human Rights Day: On December 10, World Human Rights Day was observed with the participation of school children.

Model UN Assembly: MUNA was inaugurated by Mr.  HA Halim at the Council Chamber of the Assembly House.

Seminar: On June 26, H.E Prof. Nurul Hasan (Governor of West Bengal and Patron-in Chief of WEBFUNA) inaugurated a seminar on ‘Does UN Charter Need Revision’ at Assembly House. Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Chief Justice of India) was Chief Guest. Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim presided over.

The Role of Foreign Capital: On July 28, Mr. Biju Patnaik (Chief Minister of Orissa), inaugurated a seminar on The Role of Foreign Capital’ at Hotel Taj Bengal. Mr. Srikant Jena (Union Minister of State for Industry) was the Chief Guest and Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Assembly and Chairman of WEBFUNA) presided over. Mr. Russy Modi (Chairman, Tata Steel), delivered sessions  over. Mr. Russy Modi (Chairman, Tata Steel), delivered the Keynote Address. Speakers in different sessions included: Mr. Erling Dessau (Resident Representative, UNDP, New Delhi), Mr. MatiulIslam (Country Director, UNIDO, New Delhi), Mr. Amitava Ghosh (Dy. Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Bombay), Mr.J.V Shetty (Chairman, United Bank of India), Dr. Abhijit Sen (President, BCCI), Mr. N Sitaraman (Director, ITC Ltd.), Mr.J.M Kaul, Mr.P.K Chatterjee, Mr. Russi B. Gimi, Mr. N.G Bangur and Mr. S.K Datta. Mr. Jahar Sengupta (Chairman, ICI) delivered the valedictory address. Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General) delivered the Welcome Address. 100 delegates representing Indian and foreign companies, chambers of commerce, public sector undertakings, financial institutions, participated in the seminar.

Condolence Meeting: On the sad and sudden demise of Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Chief Justice of India and the President of the Federation, WEBFUNA held a condolence meeting at the Calcutta Chamber Hall.

UN Day: On October 24, Mr. H.A Halim  (Speaker, West Bengal Assembly and Chairman, WEBFUNA), presided over the meeting addressed by Mr. Bruce J. Kreutzer (Consul General of USA) at Assembly House, Kolkata.

Condolence Meeting: On the sad and sudden demise of Mr. Russi B. Gimi (Vice President of WEBFUNA), a condolence meeting was held at Hon’ble Speakers Chamber at Assembly House.

Model UN Security Council: In collaboration with USIS and Rotaract Club of Calcutta, WEBFUNA organized a Model UN Security Council on April 20, which was inaugurated by Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Assembly). Speakers included Mr. Ronald D. Lorton (Consul General of USA in Calcutta), Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA) and Mr.J.M Kaul (Vice President, WEBFUNA).

World Environment Day: Hon’ble H.A Halim (President) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General of (WEBFUNA) addressed a Press Conference on June 5 on the occasion of World Environment Day. On this day, a GOLDEN TREE award was announced for Mr. M.P Narayanan (Chairman, Coal India Ltd )for his extensive work in improving the environment and ecology in mining and associated industry.

UN and New World Order: On June 21, Prof. S Nurul Hassan (Governor of West Bengal and Patron-in-Chief of WEBFUNA) inaugurated a seminar on ‘UN and New World Order’. Justice Ajit Sengupta (Judge, Calcutta High Court) presided over. A panel of eminent speakers including Consul General of USA and USSR participated.

Condolence Meeting: To mourn the sad demise of Shri Rajiv Gandhi, WEBFUNA held a condolence meeting at the Assembly House on June 5. Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker) presided over. Mr. Saugata Roy (MLA), Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Mr. R.K Handa (IPS), Lt. Gen S.R Bahuguna, Mr. Russi B. Gimi, Mr. J.M Kaul, Mr. P.K Chatterjee, Mr. M. Tulsian and Mr. Vijay Wadhwa paid tributes.

Model UN Security Council: In collaboration with USIS and Rotaract Club of Calcutta, WEBFUNA organized a Model UN Security Council on April 20, which was inaugurated by Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Assembly). Speakers included Mr. Ronald D. Lorton (Consul General of USA in Calcutta), Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA) and Mr.J.M Kaul (Vice President, WEBFUNA).

World Environment Day: Hon’ble H.A Halim (President) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General of (WEBFUNA) addressed a Press Conference on June 5 on the occasion of World Environment Day. On this day, a GOLDEN TREE award was announced for Mr. M.P Narayanan (Chairman, Coal India Ltd ) for his extensive work in improving the environment and ecology in mining and associated industry.

UN and New World Order: On June 21, Prof. S Nurul Hassan (Governor of West Bengal and Patron-in Chief of WEBFUNA) inaugurated a seminar on ‘UN and New World Order’. Justice Ajit Sengupta (Judge, Calcutta High Court) presided over. A panel of eminent speakers including Consul General of USA and USSR participated.

Condolence Meeting: To mourn the sad demise of Shri Rajiv Gandhi, WEBFUNA held a condolence meeting at the Assembly House on June 5. Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker) presided over. Mr. Saugata Roy (MLA), Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Mr. R.K Handa (IPS), Lt. Gen S.R Bahuguna, Mr. Russi B. Gimi, Mr. J.M Kaul, Mr. P.K Chatterjee, Mr. M. Tulsian and Mr. Vijay Wadhwa paid tributes.

National Seminar on India’s Foreign Trade: On April 3, at Taj Bengal Hotel this Seminar was inaugurated by Governor of West Bengal Prof. Nurul Hassan. Chief Guest, Union Commerce Minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and keynote speaker was Mr. Russi Mody (Chairman, TISCO). Speakers included Mr. Tarun Dutt (Chairman, West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation), Mr. S.K Daspatnik, (Director (Commercial) Steel Authority of India), Mr. Aditya Kashyap, (Sr. Executive Director, TISCO) Mr. J.V Shetty (Chairman, Canara Bank) Mr. Avijit Majumdar(Chairman & MD, TIL) Mr. Mumtaz Ahmed (Vice-Chairman of Tea Board) Dr. Abhijit Sen (Chairman NICCO) Mr. Solomon Raj (Managing Director, International Banking SBI) Dr. A.C Roy (Chairman, Calcutta Port Trust) Mr. N. Biswas (Secretary, TD & DG-TD) and Mr. Bidyut Ganguly (Commerce and Industry Minister).

UN Charter Day: On June 26, A Round Table Discussion on the role of UN in post-Cold War was inaugurated by Mrs. Justice Padma Khastagir (Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court). Speakers included Mr. Prasanta Chatterjee (Mayor of Calcutta), Mr. S.S Gaurikov (Consul General of Russia), Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Asian Regional Director) and Mr.P.K Chatterjee (Vice President, WEBFUNA).

Prof. Nurul Hassan Passes Away: Condolence Meeting mourn the sad demise of Governor of West Bengal, S. Nurul Hassan who was also the Patron-in-Chief of WEBFUNA, was held on July 20 at 46 Committee Room Df the Assembly House. Tributes were paid by Justice K.M Yusuf, Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Mr. J.M Kaul, Mr. Samir Datta and Mr. P.K Chatterjee.

Goodwill Delegation to Belarus: A 5-member delegation, led by Mr. Anil Mukherjee (Hon’ble Deputy speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly) and :onsisting of Shri Saugata Roy (MLA), Shri J.M Kaul, Shri 3.R Sureka and Shri Rajeev Maheshwari visited Minsk, 3elarus during September 16 to 23, on the invitation of UNA-Belarus under the bilateral exchange programme between the two UNAs.

UN Day: On October 16, WEBFUNA organized a seminar on ‘UN and Peacekeeping’ at Assembly House. H.E K.V Raghunatha Reddy (Governor of West Bengal and Patron-in-Chief of WEBFUNA) inaugurated and Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim presided over. The speakers included Consul General of Germany, Dr. Hans P. Plischka, Consul General of Russia, Mr. S.S Gavrikov, Mr. Justice K.M Yusuf and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

Mock UN General Assembly: Like every year, WEBFUNA collaborated with Rotaract club of Metro East to organize a model UN General Assembly to discuss Role of UN in maintaining International Peace and Security and Human Rights for All’. Mr. Prabodh Chandra Sinha (Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Government of West Bengal), Mr. Robert K. Boggs (Consul General of USA), Mr. Sitaram Sharma and Mr. J.M Kaul addressed the opening session. A large number of students from more than 20 colleges participated in the day-long model UN Assembly.

Visit to Nepal: On the invitation of UNA-Nepal, Mr. Sitaram Sharma (WFUNA Regional Director for Asia Pacific) participated in the UN Day celebration in Kathmandu as guest speaker. The Rt. Hon’ble Prime Minister of Nepal Shri G.P Koirala was the Chief Guest. During his stay in Kathmandu, Mr. Sharma called on the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the Finance Secretary and other officials and held discussions with Dr. Y.P Pant (President of UNA-Nepal) and other office bearers about their activities.

Round Table Meeting: The Iranian Ambassador to India Mr. Ali Raza Sheikh Attar was the Chief Guest at a Round Table meeting on the ‘Role of UN in New World Order’ held at Great Eastern Hotel, Calcutta on January 21. Ambassador of Kazakhstan Mr. M. K Isaev was the guest speaker at a meeting on January 29.

Mr. Sitaram Sharma Felicitated: On his being elected Deputy Secretary-General of the World Federation of United Nations Association, Geneva, Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly and President, WEBFUNA) hosted a dinner-reception in his honour at Calcutta Club on April 7. A large number of distinguished persons including ministers, judges, diplomats and government officials were present.

UN Charter Day: A symposium on’ Challenges before the UN in New World Order’ was organized at Calcutta Chamber Hall on June 26. Speakers included Mr. P.0 Sinha (Minister for Parliamentary Affairs), Justice K.M Yusuf, Mr. Sitaram Sharma and Mr. S.P Kapur.

UNSA Launched: United Nations Students Association, West Bengal Branch was launched on the occasion of UN Charter Day. It was decided to set up units of UNSA in at least 50 schools/colleges in Calcutta. Mr. Indrajit Ghosh Dastidar was appointed Convener of the Ad hoc Committee.

UN Day: On October 24, WEBFUNA launched its yearlong UN 50 Celebrations by organizing a seminar on ‘The Role of United Nations’ which was inaugurated by the Governor of West Bengal Mr. Mr.K.V Raghunatha Reddy. The meeting was addressed by Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker West Bengal Legislative Assembly), Dr. Hans R Plischka (Consul General of Germany), Dr. S.S Gavarikov (Consul General of Russia), Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General of WEBUNA), Mr. A.A Sorokin and Mr. J.M Kaul.

Human Rights Day: WEBFUNA, jointly with Calcutta Association for UN, observed Human Rights Day on December 10. Speakers included Mr. Justice Ranganath Mishra (Chairman, National Human Rights Commission), Justice Mukul Gopal Mukherjee, Justice Chittotosh Mukherjee, Justice Ajit Kumar Sengupta, and Dr. Radharaman Chakraborty. Mr. Kamal Basu (former Mayor of Calcutta) presided over. On the same day, in the afternoon, WEBFUNA, in collaboration with Rotaract Clubs of Calcutta Metro East and Rishra, organized a symposium on ‘Terrorism and Human Rights’ which was addressed by Mr. H.A Halim, Mr. Robert K. Boggs (Consul General of USA) Dr. S.S Gavarikov (Consul General of Russia), Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Mr. Tamal Kumar Sen and Mr. Rakesh Bohra.

Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee: On the request of WEBFUNA, the Government of West Bengal set up a 23-member UN Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee under the chairmanship of Mr. H.A Halim (President of WEBFUNA), Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General) and Justice K.M Yusuf (Vice President) were also nominated on the committee.

MUNA: A Model UN General Assembly was organized by WEBFUNA, jointly with Rotaract Clubs of Calcutta. About 4000 children, from ages 8-14 participated in the competition. The competition was declared open by Shri Prabodh Chandra Sinha (Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Government of West Bengal) and addressed by Mr. Dipak Ghosh, Mr. N.G Bangur and Mr. Anil Datta. Mr. H.A Halim and Mr. S.R Sharma left for Geneva to attend the WFUNA Ex Corn meeting on November 1.

Prize Distribution:  The prize distribution ceremony for the Sit-n-Draw Competition was held on December 10 at the Council Chamber of the Assembly House, and Human Rights Day was observed on the same day.

Book Release: First copy of the book ‘UN: 100 Popular Questions and Answers’ edited by Mr. Sitaram Sharma was presented to the President of India Dr. S.D Sharma at a brief ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi on January 5. ‘ UN: 100 Popular Questions and Answers’ written by Mr. Sitaram Sharma was released by Mr. K.V Raghunatha Reddy (Governor of West Bengal) at a brief ceremony at Assembly House, Calcutta on January 30.

Meeting: A meeting with Mr. Sayed Hasan Khan, a senior journalist based at UK and Mr. Syed Ahmad Hossain, Secretary-General, Bangladesh UN Associations at Iran Society was held on February 18.

Symposium: Symposium on ‘Role of UN in New World Order An Indian Perspective’. Keynote Address was delivered by Mr. Ram Niwas Mirdha (President of IFUNA) at Assembly House on March 15.

MUNA: Model UN Assembly was held on May 30 at Assembly House. About 100 young boys and girls participated in the event organized in collaboration with Rotaract Club. A symposium was addressed by Mr. Albert Chernysher (Ambassador of Russia in India) on July 19 on ‘India and Russia’. Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly) hosted a dinner at Assembly House on August 8 with Soka Gakkai International Japanese Youth Delegation. Mr. H.A Halim, Mr. Prabodh Chandra Sinha and Mr. Sitaram Sharma participated in the World WFUNA Congress meeting at Luxembourg from August 23-25.

Candlelight Vigil: As part of our worldwide programme, WEBUNA organized a ‘Candlelight Vigil to Save UN’ on October 23 in front of the American Centre. It was widely covered by national and international media including BBC and CNN.

UN Day: To mark the 51′ UN Day on October 24, WEBFUNA organized a seminar ‘The United Nations: Facing the Challenges of A New World’ in collaboration :kith Cultural Department of Russian Federation at Gorky Sadan. Inaugurated by Mr. K.V Raghunath Reddy Governor of West Bengal), presided over by Mr. H.A Halim (President of WFUNA), addressed by Mr. Irene. Z. Khan (Chief of Mission, UN High Commissioner for Refugees), other speakers were Dr. Pratap Chandra Chunder and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

Art Exhibition: Bharat Soka Gakkai Boys and Girls Art Exhibition in collaboration with ICCR and Bharat Soka Gakkai was inaugurated by Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA) at the Ashutosh Hall, Indian Museum on December 2.

International Children’s Peace Mural Painting Workshop: Mr. Ram Niwas Mirdha (former Union Minister and President IFUNA) declared open the International Children’s Peace Mural painting workshop at National Council of Educational Bengal, Jadavpur, in collaboration with Art Japan Kyoto on December 21. Kid’s Guernica International Children’s Peace Mural Exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly) at the lawns of Assembly House on December 25. The exhibition remained open to the public for 7 days.

Round Table Discussion: On March 10, a Round Table Discussion on Reservation for Women in National Parliaments’ was held at Gorky Sadan, presided over by Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Assembly). Speakers included Ms. Cheryl Sim (Consul-General of USA) and Mr. S.S Gavrikov (Consul-General of Russia) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

MUNA: Model UN Assembly was held to discuss on ‘Comprehensive Test Run Ban Treaty and UN Reforms’ in collaboration with Rotary Club of Central Calcutta at Assembly House on April 13. Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly), Mr. Prabodh Chandra Sinha (Minister), Mr. Saugata Roy (MLA) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA) addressed the opening ceremony. About 100 students participated in the Model UN General Assembly.

UN Charter Day ‘Role of India in the UN’: On June 26, on the occasion of UN Charter Day, was inaugurated by Mr. K. V Raghunatha Reddy (Governor of West Bengal), presided over by Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly) and Speakers Shri Atish Chandra Sinha (Leader of the Opposition) and Shri Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA).

With Prime Minister Gujral: Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General of WEBFUNA) called on the Prime Minister Shri I.K Gujral on July 1, at Raj Bhawan, Calcutta and invited him to inaugurate WFUNA International Seminar in Calcutta on December 8. Assembly House. Speakers were Shri Ram Niwas Mirdha, Mr. H.A Halim and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

Debate on Refugees: A 2-tier Inter-School Debate on ‘Refugees are an Unwanted Burden’ was held at Assembly House involving 10 schools on August 12 in collaboration with UNHCR and the Statesman.
Mr. H.A Halim, presided over, Chief Speaker Ms. Irene Z. Khan, Chief of Mission UNHCR, Mr. Ravindra Kumar (Managing Editor, The Statesman), Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA) and Mr. Justice K.M Yusuf addressed the meeting.
To mark the 50’h anniversary of India’s independence a Road Rally was organized by WEBFUNA in collaboration with Calcutta Nagrik Sangh about 2000 students from different schools gathered at Mahajati Sadan, flagged off by Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim, speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly and the rally was led by Dr. Sunil Thakur (Sheriff of Calcutta) and Chief Guest, Mayor of Calcutta Shri Prasanta Chatterjee and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

Round Table Discussion: On the occasion of 50 years of India’s independence, UNHCR, Calcutta Doordarshan and WEBFUNA jointly organized a Round Table Discussion on Refugees. Recording took place on August 28 and was telecast by Doordarshan on September 30.

Beijing Conference: On behalf of WFUNA, its President Mr. H.A Halim and Deputy Secretary-General and Director of Asia-Pacific Region Mr. Sitaram Sharma left for Beijing on August 31 to participate in the 6th Asia Pacific Regional Conference.
The IFUNA delegation led by its President Mr. Ram Niwas Mirdha included Mr. Atish Chandra Sinha, Leaders of Opposition in West Bengal Legislative Assembly and Mr., J.M Kaul (Vice President, WEBFUNA). It was the 6`h Asian Regional Conference which was organized by Mr. Sitaram Sharma after he was elected WFUNA Asia-Pacific Regional Director in 1986.
Earlier conferences were held in New Delhi (1986) Tokyo (1988) Ulaanbaatar (1990) New Delhi (1992) and Dacca (1995). Handsome compliments were paid by delegates to Regional Director Mr. Sharma for successfully organizing Regional Conferences every alternate year.

UNHCR Official Visit: A meeting with Mr. J.M Castro¬Magluff (Deputy Chief of Mission, UNHCR based in India) was organized by WEBFUNA on February 26 at Visit of Director, UN Information Centre: WEBFUNA hosted the visit of Mr. Feodor Starcevic (Director UN Information Centre, New Delhi) to Calcutta. During his stay, Mr. Starcevic called on the Governor of West Bengal Dr. A.R Kidwai along with Mr. Sitaram Sharma on February 6.

WEBFUNA Delegation meets President of India: A WEBFUNA delegation led by Shri Ram Niwas Mirdha, with Mr. H.A Halim, Justice K.M Yusuf and Mr. Sitaram Sharma called on the President of India Dr. K. R Narayanan at Raj Bhawan, Calcutta on February 13.

46, Committee Room, Assembly House. Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly) presided over the meeting. Mr. Sitaram Sharma welcomed the guests.

Meeting UN Deputy Secretary-General: Mr. H.A
Halim and Mr. Sitaram Sharma visited New York and me-UN Deputy Secretary and other officials at UN Headquarters during September 7-10.

Visit of representatives of Working Partners: Hosted visit of Mr. Matt-George and Ms. Jan Brownfoot o:- Working Partners, London to Calcutta from Septembe7 22-24.

Symposium on Post Nuclear India: Symposium on ‘Post-Nuclear India’ was addressed by Shri V.N Gadgil. Shri H.A Halim, Shri P.0 Sinha, and Shri Sitaram Sharma on October 14.

Felicitation President Maharashtra-UNA: Mr. S.P Godrej (President of Maharashtra United Nations Association) was felicitated at Calcutta Club on October 17.

Seminar on ‘UN in 21st Century’: WEBFUNA jointly with USIS at American Centre organized a seminar on ‘UN in 21′ Century’. It was inaugurated by the Governor of West Bengal Dr. A.R Kidwai and addressed by US Consul General Ms. Cheryl J. Sim, Russian Consul-General Mr. A.M Zolotukhin, Shri P.0 Sinha and Shri Sitaram Sharma on October 22.

Seminar on Human Rights Day: To mark Human Rights Day, a Seminar on ‘Human Rights: From Words to Deeds’ was inaugurated by Governor of West Bengal Dr. A.R Kidwai. Mr. H.A Halim, Mr. P.0 Sinha, Mr. Saugata Roy, Mr. N.N Gooptu and Mr. Sitaram Sharma addressed the Seminar on December 10.

Meeting of Human Rights Silver Jubilee Committee: Human Rights 50’h Anniversary Committee under the Chairmanship of Justice Chittotosh Mukherjee was formed. The first meeting of the committee took place in Assembly House on January 1.

Model UN General Assembly: A day long Model UN General Assembly in collaboration with Rotaract Clubs of Calcutta Metro East and Calcutta Central was held at Council Chamber of the Assembly House. Mr. H.A Halim inaugurated. Mr. P.0 Sinha was the Chief Guest and Mr. Sitaram Sharma was the chief speaker on January 24.

Conference on Rights of Minorities: National Conference on Rights of Minorities’ was inaugurated by Chief Minister of West Bengal Shri Jyoti Basu on February 14. IFUNA President Shri Ram Niwas Mirdha presided over.
Mr. H.A Halim, Mr. P.0 Sinha, Justice K.M Yusuf spoke. Mr. Sitaram Sharma was the moderator.
The delegate session was addressed by Bishop P.S.P Raju, Sardar Narindar Singh, Maulana Fazlur Rahma, Bal Vyas Manoj Mohan Sastry and Swami Tattwa Jnananan Daji.

Seminar on ‘Refugees and Migration’: A seminar on Refugees and Migration’ on the occasion of UNHCR-AAJKAAL-WEBFUNA Essay Prize Distribution Ceremony was held on July 10. President Mr. H.A Halim inaugurated.
Mr. Augustine P. Mahiga (Chief of Mission, UNHCR, New Delhi) was the Chief Guest.
Mr. Sitaram Sharma moderated. Speakers included Mr. P.K Roy, Prof. Chitta Ghosh and Shri Amitava Choudhury. Eleven essay writers were awarded.

Appointment of Joint Secretary, WEBFUNA: Mr. Amalesh Dasgupta was appointed Joint Secretary of WEBFUNA in place of Mr. Moloy Mukherjee, who was transferred to Mumbai on July 24.

Chairman WFUNA meets CM of West Bengal: M. Malcolm C. Harper (Chairman, WFUNA), accompanied by President Mr. H.A Halim, Secretary-General Sitaram Sharma and Dr. Akash K. Ouchi of Soka Gakkai International called on Hon’ ble Shri Jyoti Basu (Chief Minister of West Bengal) at his residence on August 1.

Workshop and Mock Session of Parliament: WEBFUNA in collaboration with Department of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of West Bengal and Calcutta Junior Chamber organized workshop on ‘Relevance of Following Parliamentary Norms for Strengthening the Democracy’, followed by a mock session of Parliament on August 1.
Speakers included Mr. H.A Halim, Mr. P.0 Sinha, Mr. Malcolm C. Harper, Mr. Sitaram Sharma and Prof. Narayan Jain.

Visit of President and Secretary-General Japan, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok: On the invitation of Soka Gakkai International President Mr. H.A Halim and Secretary-General Mr. Sitaram Sharma, accompanied by Mr. Malcolm C. Harper and Dr. K. Ouchi, left to visit Japan on August 2. M. Halim and Mr. Sharma also visited Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to hold discussions with UNAs of Malaysia and Thailand.

Symposium on ‘Youth, World Peace and New Millenium’: WEBFUNA, jointly with Rotary and Rotaract Club, organized a symposium on ‘Youth, World Peace and New Millenium’ at Rotary Sadan. Speakers included Consul-Generals of Germany, Russia and Nepal. Mr. Sitaram Sharma moderated Rotary District Governor Shekhar Mehta was the Chief Guest on September 3.

Felicitation to Justice K.M Yusuf: WEBFUNA felicitated its Vice President Justice K.M Yusuf on his appointment as Chairman of West Bengal Minorities Commission on October 4.

Inter-school Debate on Refugees: WEBFUNA UNHCR-The Statesman Voices organized the finals of the Inter-school debate on ‘Once a Refugee, Always a Refugee’. Mr. C.R Irani and Mr. Augustine P. Mahiga were the Chief Guests on October 5.

The International Conference of NGOs at Seoul: As the member of Tripartite Steering Committee and the Chief Rapporteur, Secretary-General Mr. Sitaram Sharma left for Seoul on October 10 to attend the 7 day long ‘The International Conference of NGOs’. Vice President Shri P.0 Sinha was WEBFUNA delegate to the conference.

Celebration of UN Charter Day: Symposium on UN and World Peace to mark UN Charter Day was held on October 26. Hon’ ble Mr. Justice S.K Sen (Governor of West Bengal) inaugurated. Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim presided. Mr. Saugata Roy and Mr. Sitaram Sharma addressed the meeting.

South Asian Peace Meet: WFUNA delegates participated in the South Asian Peace Meet held in Calcutta from 18 to 20 January. In the edition of The Statesman of January 20, an article by Abhishek Mukherjee, the first prize winner of WEBFUNA¬UNHCR Inter School Debate on ‘Once a Refugee, Always a Refugee’ was published about his experience of visit to Chennai to meet refugees in a UNHCR Refugee Camp. His visit was arranged by UNHCR as a part of his prize.

Hosting Ambassador of Belarus: Mr. Vladimir A. Sakalouski (Ambassador of Belarus in India) was hosted by WEBFUNA in Calcutta. He met Governor of West Bengal, Shri Viren J. Shah, Chief Minister Shri Jyoti Basu and Minister for Information and Cultural Affairs Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and also addressed members of WEBFUNA. In his meeting with the Mayor of Calcutta Shri Prasanta Banerjee the twin city relationship between Calcutta and Minsk was proposed.

36th Plenary Assembly: WEBFUNA hosted the 36`h Plenary Assembly of the World Federation of the United Nations Associations (WFUNA) for the first time in Calcutta during 15-18 April.
It was a major event and about 100 delegates from over 30 UNAs participated in the Plenary Assembly. The PA was preceded and followed by the meetings of WFUNA Executive Committee.
Leadership of IFUNA led by President Shri Ram Niwas Mirdha and Secretary-General Suresh Srivastava along with leadership of State UNAs actively participated in the Plenary Assembly which was meeting for the second time in India after over 35 years. The first plenary in India was held in New Delhi.

International Conference: WEBFUNA participated and made contribution to the International Conference on Forced Migration in South Asian Region: Displacement, Human Rights & Conflict Resolution held in Jadavpur University, Calcutta on April 20.
55th Anniversary of Great Victory: Secretary-General Mr. Sitaram Sharma was specially invited to attend the grand reception to celebrate the 55′ Anniversary of Great Victory at Russian Embassy, New Delhi, organized jointly by Embassies of Russia and other CIS countries.

The Jammu and Kashmir – A Way Out: A seminar organized by Kashmir Sabha on June 25 was addressed by WEBFUNA Secretary-General Mr. Sitaram Sharma.
United Nations Day was observed by WEBFUNA Secretary-General Mr. Sitaram Sharma. United Nations Day was observed by WEBFUNA on October 25 2000.
Panelists addressed on ‘ Only a Strong UN Can Ensure World Peace’ at Assembly House jointly with Rotary International District 3290.

Meeting: Secretary-General Mr. Sitaram Sharma was the chief speaker at a luncheon meeting organized by Rotary Club of Calcutta Inner City on October 20 at Oberoi Grand Hotel. Consul-Generals of Russia, Thailand and Deputy High Commissioner of UK were other speakers.

Guest Speaker at UNAB: Mr. Sitaram Sharma was invited by United Nations Association of Bangladesh as Guest Speaker to participate in the Seminar on International Year for the Culture of Peace held in Dhaka from November 24-26.

Joint Exhibition: WEBFUNA organized jointly with Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Japan, a 7 day ‘World’s Boys & Girls Art Exhibition’ at Assembly House in March.
Hon’ble Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Chief Minister of West Bengal inaugurated the exhibition. Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim (Speaker and President WEBFUNA) presided over and Mr. Akash K. Ouchi was present on behalf of Soka Gakkai International.

International Mother Language Day: WEBFUNA jointly with Deputy High Commission for the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, observed International Mother Language Day at Sisir Mancha. Hon’ble Mr. Halim inaugurated.

Symposium: A symposium on ‘Indo-Pak Relations: Dilemma & Prospect’ was addressed by India’s former Foreign Secretary Mr. J.N Dixit at Council Chamber on February 24.

Discussion: Dr. H.A Halim (President) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Deputy Secretary-General of WFUNA) visited Minsk in April on the invitation of Mr. V Ivanov (President of UNA-Belarus) to discuss matters regarding co-operation between Belarus-UNA and WFUNA in principle, and to meet the leadership of the country.

45th Anniversary Function: Participation in the 45′ Anniversary Function of UNA-Russia in Moscow by Mr. H.A Halim, President of WFUNA and Mr. Sitaram Sharma on April 28.

Ex-Co meeting at UNA-USA: MR. H.A Halim (President) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Dy. Secretary-General and Director of Asia and the Pacific of WFUNA) attended 178th WFUNA Executive Committee Meeting at New York hosted by UNA-USA.

Joint Discussion: WEBFUNA organized jointly with Rotary Club of Calcutta a Model UN Security Council and discussed on ‘A Resolution of Peace Keeping Operation’ on May 1.

Ambulance Donation: One ambulance on behalf of WEBFUNA was handed over by Rt. Rev. P.S Raju. Bishop of Calcutta to Dighara Suhrid Sangha, Dighara. Duttapukur, 24 Parganas (North) at Bishops House, 51. Chowringhee Road on May 5. Internationally acclaimed film director Shri Goutam Ghose was the Chief Guest.

Book Release: Mr. H.A Halim (President of WEBFUNA) released a book entitled ‘India, Pakistan, Bangladesh – Perspectives on History, Society and Politics’ at Council Chamber, Assembly House on May 24. Prof. A.F. Salahuddin Ahmed, President UNA-Bangladesh and author of the book was the Chief Guest.

Debate: On September 27, the finals of WEBFUNA¬UNHCR- The Statesman Voices debate was held at the lobby of Assembly House. Hon’ble Mr. Halim presided over, Mr. A.P Mahiga UNHCR Chief of Mission delivered Keynote Address ad Mr. C.R Irani, Editor-in¬Chief, The Statesman was the Chief Guest. Mr. Nayan Sarkar (Minister for Refugees and Rehabilitation) gave away the prizes.

Symposium on ‘UN and International Terrorism’: A symposium was held at the lobby of Assembly House on October 19. Hon’ble Mr. H.A Halim inaugurated and speakers included Consul-General of USA, Russia, Japan and Germany. Programme was jointly held with Lions Club Dist. 322B. On the same day, jointly with Rotary Club of Calcutta Victoria, WEBFUNA organized a Mock.

Symposium on ‘West Asian Conflict’: A Symposium on
‘West Asian Conflict’ was held in Council Chamber on April 4. It was presided over by M. Halim and Shri Pradip
Bhattacharya. Shri Saugata Roy addressed.

Interactive Meeting: Secretary-General Mr. Sitaram Sharma attended an interactive meeting with Mr. Ruud
Lubbers (UN High Commissioner for Refugees at New Delhi), organized by UNHCR, New Delhi.

7th Regional Conference of UNAS: As Deputy Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia Pacific
of WFUNA, Mr. Sitaram Sharma organized the 7th Regional Conference of UNAs in Asia and Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand in June.

Felicitation of Mr. Sitaram Sharma: On his appointment as Honorary Consul of Republic of Belarus, Mr. Sitaram Sharma was felicitated at a a ceremony held in Kolkata at Council Chamber, Assembly House on July 31.

World Hiroshima Day: Secretary-General Mr. Sitaram Sharma addressed meeting on World Hiroshima Day organized by World Peace and Friendship Society, headed by Shri P.C Sinha on August 6.

Condolence Meeting: WEBFUNA members organized a condolence meeting to mourn the sad demise of Mr. A.B
Rabadi (Vice President of WEBFUNA) on August 21.

Debate Finals: The final debate on ‘Refugees Contribute to the Society’ was held at Assembly House and prize distribution was done by Mr. Lennart Kotsalainen (Chief of UNHCR in India) on September 12. Mr. Kanti Ganguly (School Education Minister), Justice Mukul
Gopal Mukherjee (Chairman, WB Human Rights Commission) were guest speakers.

Round Table Discussion: A Round Table Discussion on ‘India and Bangladesh’ was organized at 46 Committee Room and UNAB delegation was felicitated on November 14.

WEBFUNA ExCo Meeting at Geneva: Executive Committee member Mr. Sundeep Bhutoria participated in WEBFUNA ExCo meeting at Geneva as observer on November 28.

Goodwill Delegation: A seven-member goodwill delegation from UNA-Bangladesh led by Dr. Muzaffar Ahmed visited Kolkata from December 13 to 16.

AGM of WEBFUNA: The AGM of WEBFUNA was held at Middleton Chambers. Dinner was hosted by Mr. N.G Bangur, Executive Chairman on December 21.

International Mother Language Day: WEBFUNA joined hands with the Deputy High Commissioner for Bangladesh in Kolkata to observe International Mother Language Day at Sisir Manch, Kolkata on February 21.
On behalf of WEBFUNA the meeting was addressed by President Mr. Halim and Secretary-General Mr. Sharma.

IFUNA Executive Committee Meeting: A meeting of the Executive Committee of our national body Indian
Federation of United Nations Associations was held on March 9 at Delhi presided over by our national President Ram Niwas Mirdha. President Mr. H.A Halim, Vice President Mr. P.C Sinha and Secretary-General Mr. Sharma attended the meeting.
During their visit to Delhi, they called on the former President of India Shri I.K Gujral at his residence and discussed with him the role of United Nations in the Iraq Crisis. 
They also called on Mr. Lennart Kotsalainen (Chief of Mission of UNHCR) who invited them at his residence over a lunch.

Joint Press Conference: A joint press conference by President Mr. Halim and Secretary-General Mr. Sharma was addressed on the role of the United Nations in Iraq War. A press statement on this occasion was also issued.
Slum Cleaning Operation: With the support of our national body Indian Federation of United Nations Associations, WEBFUNA observed Global Youth
Service Day on April 21 at Ward No. 4 of Calcutta
Municipal Corporation. The slum cleaning operation was inaugurated by Mr. Md. Salim, Minister for Youth Services and the meeting was addressed by Mr. Dilip Banerjee, Local Councillor and member of our Executive Committee, Mr. Sharma and Additional Secretary-General, Mr. Amalesh Dasgupta. The cooperation of Mr. Dilip Banerjee in the successful execution of the programme was highly appreciated. 3745 Plenary Assembly of the World Federation of United Nations Associations: The 37.5 Plenary Assembly of the World Federation of United Nations Associations was held during 8-11 May in Barcelona, Spain. Due to SARS, the Indian delegation decided not to travel to Barcelona. Hence, along with UNA of India, China and a few others could not participate in the Plenary Assembly. Mr. H.A Halim was elected Honorary President of WEBFUNA in this Plenary Assembly. On June 19, Mr. Halim was felicitated on this appointment. Book Release: On July 15, WEBFUNA jointly with Institute for Alternative Development Research organized a meeting at Council Chamber to release two books ‘Netaji Subhash, Idealogy and Doctrine’ and ‘Daisaku Ikeda’s Peace Cosmetology and Renaissance of Humanism ‘authored by Prof. Amalendu Guha.

Inter-school Debate: Inter-school Debate on Refugees was organized jointly with UNHCR during August-September 2003. The subject was ‘Should Afghan Refugees Choose to Return Home?’. The Statesman-Voices co-sponsored. The finals were held on September 23. UN Day Symposium: UN Day Symposium was held on October 24, jointly with Mahajati Sadan and Lions International. Mr. H.A Halim inaugurated.
Speakers included Mr. Salim (Minister), Mr. Touhid Hussain (Depuy HC of Bangladesh), Mr. Sayeed M. Zabitov (Senior Consul of Russia), Mr. E Zander, (Consul-General of Germany) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Hony Consul of Republic of Belarus).

MUNA: Model UN Assembly was organized jointly with Rotary Club of Calcutta on November 30 at Assembly House.

Round Table Discussion: A Round Table Discussion on ‘India, Pakistan, Bangladesh: Emerging Situations’, was organized on February 6 at 46 Committee at the Assembly House.

International Mother Language Day: International
Mother Language Day was observed at Rabindra Sadan
on February 21, jointly with Bangladesh Mission. Round Table Discussion: Round table discussion on ‘New Central Government and West Bengal’ was held. Mr. H.A Halim presided. Speakers were Md. Salim, MP, Mr. Sudhanshu Seal, MP, Dr. Bikram Sarkar Ex-MP, Mr. Atish Chandra Sinha, MLA, Mr. Robin Deb, MLA. Mr. Sitaram Sharma was the moderator.

Lok Sabha Speaker Mr. Somnath Chatterjee Felicitated: Lok Sabha Speaker Mr. Somnath Chatterjee was felicitated by WEBFUNA at the lobby of the Assembly House. Chief Minister Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya (former Union Minister) Shri Ram Niwas Mirdha, Mr. H.A Halim, Mr. Asit Mitra Chief Whip CLP, Mr. P.0 Sinha (Minister) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma addressed the meeting.
The meeting was jointly organized by Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, West Bengal Branch.

Seminar: Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General) addressed a seminar on ‘World Hiroshima Day’ organized by World Peace and Friendship Society at Council Chamber.

Inter-School Debate: Inter-school Debate on refugees jointly with UNHCR and the Statesman Voices was organized by WEBFUNA. 12 schools participated. The finals were inaugurated by Mr. Lennart Kotsalainen (Chief of Mission UNHCR, New Delhi).

UN Day: UN Day programme was inaugurated by Lok Sabha speaker Mr. Somnath Chatterjee. Ms. Shalini Dewan (Director of UN Information Centre, New Delhi) delivered the Keynote Address.

Speakers included: Mr. George Sibley (Consul-General of USA), Mr. Andrew Hall (Deputy HC of UK), Mr. Ertard Zander (Consul-General of Germany), Mr. S.M Zabitor (Senior Consul of Russia) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General). Mr. H.A Halim presided over.

Condolence Meeting: A condolence meeting to mourn the sad demise of Justice KM Yusuf, Vice President WEBFUNA was held at Council Chamber.
Meeting on India’s Foreign Policy: A meeting on India’ Foreign Policy was addressed by India’s former Prim,’ Minister Sri I.K Gujral. The meeting was moderated by Mr. Sitaram Sharma.
Meeting: Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General) was invited to chair a meeting on Religious Education: Polic,. Challenges and Opportunities’ at Hotel Taj Bengal, as organized by Diversity Matters Forum, Australia.

1 Syed Ahmed Memorial Lecture: UNA-Bangladesh invited Mr. Sitaram Sharma (WFUNA Deputy Secreta:—.– General and Director, Asia Pacific) to deliver 2n’t Syed Ahmed Memorial Lecture in Dhaka, Bangladesh on May 6.

UNA Andhra Pradesh: Mr. H.A Halim addressed a meeting of UNA Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad on May 29.
Meeting: WEBFUNA Executive Committee met under the Chairmanship of Mr. H.A Halim at his chamber on June 27.

ExCo Meeting: On August 6, a WEBFUNA ExCo meeting took place at the Chamber of Mr. H.A Halim. Plans for UN-60 Celebration were drawn up. Mr. Mohammad Salim, MP was appointed UN-60 Programme Committee Chairman.

Inter-School Debate: Inter-School Debate on Refugees have the Right to Stay’ was held jointly with UNHCR and The Statesman Voices from 1 to 15 September and the Final was held on 20 September under the Chairmanship of Mr. P.0 Sinha. Ms. Carol Batchelor (Acting Chief of Mission UNHCR) delivered the Keynote Address.

Joint Meeting: A joint meeting of WEBFUNA ExCo and UN-60 Celebration Committee was held on September 8 at 46, Committee Room of the Assembly House under the Chairmanship of Shri P.0 Sinha and the following programmes were finalized in connection with the UN-60 Celebration:
1. RUN for Peace
2. Peace Concert jointly with Sangeet Natak Academy and Swabhumi
3. UN Day National Seminar
4. Inter-College Debate on ‘UN is Dead at 60’ jointly with St. Xavier’s College.
5. Publication of Revised Edition of book ‘UN: 100 Popular Questions and Answers’ edited by Mr. Sitaram Sharma.
West Bengal Federation of United Nations Associations, an affiliate of international NGO having consultative status with the UN, planned a week long programme in Kolkata to celebrate the 60:” Anniversary of founding the United Nations.
On the eve of UN Day on October 23 a ‘Walk for Peace’ was organized from Citizen’s Park to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, with the participation of Kolkatans from six to sixty. Veteran Gandhian leader Dr. Pratap Chandra Chunder flagged off and administered the oath of peace.
A large number of people from different walks of life will walk for the UN and Peace being jointly organized with Rotary International District 3290. A ‘Peace Concert’ was held in co-operation with Sangeet Natak Akademi and Swabhumi where eminent vocalist of India fame Rajan-
Sajan Mishra performed at Swabhumi.

Book Release: United Nations: 100 Popular Questions and Answers’ by Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Secretary-General, WEBFUNA released by Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal at Raj Bhawan on April 7.

Seminar: A Seminar on the occasion of UN Day on ‘Culture of Peace: With Reference to Tolerance’ was held at Raj Bhawan on October 24.
Dr. (Ms.) Girija Vyas, Chairman of National Women’s Commission was the Chief Guest. Founder of Art of Living Foundation, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar delivered the Keynote Address. Mr. Mohammad Salim MP, Prof. Saugata Roy MLA, Mr. Barry O’Brien MLA, Dr. Syed Sajjad Zaheer Adnan – Chairman of WB Minorities Committee, Swami Prabhananda – Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission, Dr. Syed Manal Shah Alquadri Ashutosh – Professor of Islamic Culture and Prof. Pradip Bhattacharya – Working President of WB Pradesh Congress Committee were the panelists. The seminar was moderated by Mr. Sitaram Sharma.
A talk on ‘The UN Security Council: Boom and Bust: David M. Malone (High Commissioner of Canada in India) delivered a talk on ‘The UN Security Council: Boom and Bust’ on November 7. The programme was presided over by Mr. H.A Halim, Hon’ble Speaker WB Legislative Assembly.

Exhibition: Bharat Soka Gakkai, UNICEF and WEBFUNA jointly inaugurated the exhibition on ‘Seeds of Change: The Earth Charter and Human Potential’ on December 11. Shri Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya (Hon’ble Mayor of Kolkata) was invited as Chief Guest, and the Guest of Honour was Shri Sabyasachi Chakraborty (eminent actor and environmentalist).

Interactions with Students: Prof. Takagi along with 21 students from Soka Gakkai interacted with WEBFUNA members at 46 Committee Room of West Bengal Legislative Assembly on February 23.

Reception in Honour of Mr. H.A Halim: A reception was held in honour of Mr. H.A Halim on his completion of 25 years as Honorable Speaker of WB Legislative Assembly on June 27. Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi (Governor of West Bengal) graced the occasion.

Seminar on ‘Nuclear Free World: First Step towards Global Peace’: Seminar on ‘Nuclear Free World: First Step towards Global Peace’ was held on World Hiroshima Day on August 6.
The seminar was inaugurated by Shri Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya (Hon’ble Mayor of Kolkata). Mr. Muhammad Imran (Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh), Mr. Motoyoshi Noro, (Consul-General of Japan) Mr. Guenter Wehrmann (Consul-General of Germany) and Prof. 0.P Mishra addressed the gathering. The seminar was moderated by Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Hony. Consul of Belarus).

Inter-School Debate Finals: The Statesman WBFUNA UNHCR Inter-School Debate finals on ‘People Displaced Due to Environmental Reasons are Not Refugees’ was held on September 12. It was inaugurated by Mr. H.A Halim, Hon’ble Speaker of WB Legislative Assembly and presided by Prof. P.0 Sinha (former Parliamentary Affairs Minister) Dr. Manas Bhunia, MLA, Mr. Ravindra Kumar (Chief Editor of The Statesman), Ms. Nayana Bose (UNHCR) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Hony Consul of Belarus in Kolkata) were invited as Speakers. 36 schools participated in this debate.

Panel Discussion: A panel discussion on ‘ United Nations has become a Mock Mourner’ was organized by Institute of Engineering and Management on September 14. Programme was moderated by Mr. H.A Halim (Hon’ble Speaker of WB Legislative Assembly).

Human Rights Day: To observe Human Rights Day, a Symposium was held on ‘Human Rights in Today’s World’ on December 10.
Inaugurated by Mr. H.A Halim (Hon’ble Speaker, WB Legislative Assembly) and presided by Mr. P.0 Sinha. Mr. Nanda Gopal Bhattacharya was invited as Chief Guest. Mr. Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya (Hon’ble Mayor of Kolkata) delivered the Keynote Address. Mr. Saugata Roy, MLA, Dr. Manas Bhunia, MLA and Mr. Suresh Srivastava (Secretary-General, IFUNA) participated in the panel discussion. Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA) moderated.

Delegation to Meet Mr. Hamid Ansari: A delegation comprising of Prof. P.0 Sinha (former minister), Mr. Saugata Roy, MLA, Mr. Pradip Bhattacharya (Working President WBPCC), Ms. Gillian Hart, Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Secretary-General) and Mr. Amalesh Dasgupta
(Addl. Secretary-General) met Mr. Hamid Ansari (Vice President of India) at Raj Bhawan on January 18.

Symposium: On the eve of UN Day, October 23, a symposium on Relevance of UN in Today’s World’ was organized at Gorky Sadan, Kolkata, in association with Russian Federation in Kolkata.
The programme was attended by a large number of people. Mr. Alexander V. Mazrika (Vice Consul of Russian Federation), Ms. Nayantara Pal Choudhury (District Governor of RID 3291), Prof. Bharati Ray (Vice President of ICCR), Mr. Suresh Man Srestha (Consul-General of Nepal), Prof. Saugata Roy, MLA and Mr. Amalesh Dasgupta, (Secretary-General)  addressed the gathering. Prof. Prabodh Chandra Sinha (President) presided over the meeting.

Inter-School Debate Finals: In collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UHCR) and The Statesman Voices the UNHCR¬WBFUNA Inter-school Debate was organized.
The topic was ‘Anyone Crossing a Border needs International Protection’. 12 schools participated in the first phase, that is, the Intra-School Debates held during November3-24.
The final was held on December 2 at Don Bosco School. Park Circus, Kolkata. Mr. Jolly Kaul (Exco member), Ms. Gopali Bandyopadhyay (Asst. Features Editor of The Statesman Voices) and Ms. Nayana Bose (Associate External Relations Officer, UNHCR), were the judges. Mr. Amalesh Dasgupta (Secretary-General) delivered the Welcome Address.
Ms. Montserrat Feixas Vihe (Chief of Mission), delivereLi the Keynote Address. Other speakers included Mr. Sitaram Sharma, (Chairman of WEBFUNA), Mr. Vikash Chandra (DIG, Border Secuirty Force), Mr. Ravindri Kumar, (Editor-in-Chief, The Statesman) and Father Sib•: Joseph Vadakel (Rector Principal, Don Bosco School).
Mr. Rajeev Maheshwari, (Addl. Secretary-General), Ms Kusum Musaddi (Secretary) and Mr. Rajendri Khandelwal (Addl. Secretary-General) took active part -I: organizing the debate. Prof. Prabodh Chandra Sine (President of WEBFUNA) presided over.

Round Table Conference: A Round Table Conferee on ‘Democracy Development & Human Rights’ -7, on the eve of International human Rights Day in cooperation with West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC).
Prof. Prabodh Chandra Sinha, presided over. The subject was introduced by Mr. Sitaram Sharma. Justice Chittatosh Mukherjee (Ex-chairman of WBHRC) inaugurated the conference. Four panel discussions on ‘Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights role of Political Parties ; ‘Globalisation, Development and Human Rights Role of Political Parties’; ‘Terrorism and Divisive Movements vis-a-vis Human Rights’; ‘Human Rights: Role of Media and NGOs ‘ were held which were addressed by eminent speakers namely Dr. Bikram Sarkar, Ex MP, Admiral B. Guha; Maj-Gen Arun Roy; Mr. Mohammad Salim, MP; Mr. 0.P Shah; Prof. Narayan Jain; Prof. Duman K. Mukherjee; Rtn. Aniruddha Roy Choudhury; Mr. Aloke Mukherjee; Mr. Mohd. Nessar Khan; Mr. Ashok Aikat; Prof. Dr. Satyajit Chakraborty.

The conference continued through the whole day which was attended by a large number of audiences including delegates from districts of state.

Delegation to meet the Governor: A delegation of office bearers called on the Governor of West Bengal M.K Narayanan at Raj Bhawan on January 27.
MUNA: WEBFUNA participated in the Model UN Conference opening ceremony at La Martiniere for Boys
Kolkata on May 8. Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Chairman) was the Guest Speaker.

Reception to Felicitate Prof. Saugata Roy: A reception was held to felicitate Prof. Saugata Roy on his appointment as Union Minister of State for Urban Development at the Merchant Chamber of Commerce Hall.

Visit to Durganagar: WEBFUNA members visited Durgangar at Pathar Pratima on July 12 and distributed clothes and goods and cash for purchase of medicines.

National Seminar: A National Seminar on ‘Indian Parliamentary Democracy’ was held at Gorky Sadan on July 25, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, ex-Speaker of Lok Sabha.
Shri. P. A Sangma, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Shri Sitaram Sharma, Shri Prabodh Chandra Sinha addressed the seminar.

Inter-School Debate Finals: Inter-School debate finals of the UNHCR- WBFUNA Debate on Refugees, jointly with The Statesman Voices, was held at St. Xavier’s College auditorium on August 20.
Speakers were Mr. Manas Ghosh, Ms. Monteserrat Feixas Vihe, Prof. P.0 Sinha, and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

National Council Meeting of IFUNA: WEBFUNA delegates participated in National Council meeting of IFUNA in Delhi held on October 4. The team comprised of Prof. P.0 Sinha, Shri Sitaram Sharma, Shri Amalesh Dasgupta, Shri Sudipta N. Das and Shri Rajendra Khandelwal.
In the meeting the following office bearers were elected from WEBFUNA in the IFUNA National Executive Committee: Prof. P.0 Sinha, Vice President, Shri Sitaram Sharma Vice President, Mr. Amalesh Dasgupta Secretary, Mr. Rajendra Khandelwal- Member ExCo.

UN Day Symposium: On UN Day, October 24, a symposium on ‘Role of United Nations in a Changing World’ was organized at Gorky Sadan, Kolkata.
Opening Remarks by Shri Amalesh Dasgupta. The speakers included Vladimir V. Lazarev, Prof. Pradip Bhattacharya, Prof. Bharati Ray, Prof. Krishna Roy. Shri Sitaram Sharma, Chairman, WEBFUNA introduced the subject.

Symposium: Hon’ ble Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister of State for External Affairs delivered a Keynote Address in the symposium on Role of United Nations in a Changing World held at Park Hotel on October 30.
Opening Remarks were made by Shri Amalesh Dasgupta and Welcome Address by Mr. Sitaram Sharma. Other addressees included Prof. Pradip Bhattacharya (Working President WBPCC) and Mr. Krishnan Srinivasan (former Indian foreign Secretary). Mr. Rajendra Khandelwal gave the Vote of Thanks.

Condolence Meet: A condolence meet was held on February 6 at Academy of Fine Arts to pay homage to National President Ram Niwas Mirdha. Prof. Prabodh Chandra Sinha presided. Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Chairman, reminisced about his 30 year old relations. Others who spoke were Shri Utpal Chatterjee, Sheriff of Kolkata, Shri N.G Bangur and Dr. Sunil Thakur.

World Environment Day: World Environment Day was jointly celebrated with Friends of Victoria Memorial by planting saplings on Victoria Memorial Hall’s lawns on June 5. Mr. Utpal Chatterjee, Sheriff of Kolkata inaugurated the seminar. Mr. S.K Todi, Prof. Chittaranjan Panda, Mr. Sitaram Sharma and Shri H.P Budhia addressed the seminar.

Symposium: Symposium on ‘UN Needs Restructuring’ at ICCR on the eve of UN Charter Day on June 25. MR. M.K Narayanan, Governor of West Bengal inaugurated. Mr. Sitaram Sharma addressed the seminar.
A report of the symposium was published with the support of SREI Foundation of Mr. H.P Kanoria, Vice President of WEBFUNA.

Inter-School Debate Finals: The Statesman Voices UNHCR-WBFUNA Inter-School debate finals were held at St. Xavier’s College auditorium on September 14. Speakers were Mr. Ravindra Kumar, Mr. Roberto Mignone, Prof. P.0 Sinha and Mr. Sitaram Sharma. Earlier, In-School Debates took place in 12 schools of Kolkata.
Role of United Nations’ was held at Gorky Sadan. Speakers were Dr. Manas Ranjan Bhunia, Mr. V. V Lazarev, Prof. Krishna Bose and Mr. Sitaram Sharma. Prof. P. C Sinha chaired the Discussion.

Kolkata Walkathon 2010: WEBFUNA co-sponsored a Walkathon marking the conclusion of World Diabetes Day celebration week in Kolkata, held on November 14.

Round Table Discussion: A Round Table Discussion on ‘Obama, India and the United Nations’ was held at Academy of Fine Arts on December 14. Speakers were Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Prof. Krishna Bose, Prof. 0. P Mishra, Dr. A. P Chakraborty, Mr. S Datta, Mr. Clinton S Brown and Mr. Sunanda K Datta-Ray.

World Environment Day: World Environment Day was jointly celebrated on June 5 with a Symposium at Victoria Memorial Hall. Shri Debasish Kumar, MMIC was the Guest of Honour. Speakers were Mr. Sudip Bandyopadhyaya, Prof. Saugata Roy, Prof. P. C Sinha and Mr. Sitaram Sharma.

Symposium: A symposium on “Conflict resolution: Role of UN” was organized at Rotary Sadan on June 26. Inaugural Address was given by Shri Jagannath Pahadia, Governor of Haryana. Speakers were Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Prof. Krishna Bose, Prof. 0. P Mishra, Dr. J Sircar IAS and Prof. Saugata Roy.

Delegation Participated in ‘International Conference on Climate Change’: A delegation of WEBFUNA participated on the International Conference on Climate Change organized by IFUNA jointly with UNA- Sweden and UNA-China at Delhi, India.

Debate: WEBFUNA-UNHCR-The Statesman Voices Debate finals were held on September 14 at Kala Kunj Auditorium. Mr. Iftikar Majumdar from UNHCR was the Chief Speaker.
Art Meet: WEBFUNA, jointly with Dimension 4, organized an International Art Meet at ICCR Auditorium on October 23. The event also saw a music and dance recital

Round Table Discussion: On UN Day, October 24, a Round Table Discussion was organized at Gorky Sadan, jointly with Russian Centre for Science & Culture in Kolkata. The speakers were Mr. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (MP) and Mr. Vladimir V. Lazarev (Consul-General for Russian Federation in Kolkata). The discussion was chaired by Prof. Prabodh Chandra Sinha.
Annual General Meeting of WEBFUNA: Annual General Meeting of WEBFUNA held at Hanspukur Gardens, Kolkata on December 18.

MUNA: Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Chairman, was invited to the La Martiniere Model United Nations hosted by La
Martiniere School, Kolkata on May 16.

IFUNA ExCo Meeting: IFUNA ExCo Meeting was held at New Delhi on May 26, and attended by WEBFUNA President Prof. Prabodh Chandra Sinha.

World Environment Day: Observance of World Environment Day and Executive Committee meeting in the Conference Room of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce was held on June 5.

Global Village Programme: Global Village Programme was held at La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata during July 16-21.
The event was a collaborative effort of AISEC, FACES, British Council, American Centre and WEBFUNA.
The event was inaugurated by Prof. Saugata Roy (Union Minister of State for Urban Development and WEBFUNA President).
A UN Quiz was conducted by WEBFUNA followed by a Panel Discussion on ‘Inclusion of Other Countries as Permanent Members of Security Council’.

UN Charter Day: On the occasion of UN Charter Day, June 26, a Symposium on ‘UN in a Changing World” was organized at ICCR.
The discussion was moderated by former Foreign Secretary of India, Mr. Krishnan Srinivasan.
Speakers included Prof. Saugata Roy (Union Minister of State for Urban Development), Ms. Irina K. Bashkirova (Consul-General of Russian Federation), Ms. Abida Islam (Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh), Mr. Jeffrey Reneau (Director, American Centre and Political Officer) and Mr. Sitaram Sharma (Chairman, WEBFUNA).
Mr. Rajeev Maheshwari (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA) welcomed and Mr. Rajendra Khandelwal (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA) proposed the Vote of Thanks.
Ms. Kusum Musaddi, (Addl. Secretary-General. WEBFUNA) conducted the proceedings.

Meet with the Governor: A seven-member WEBFUNA delegation paid a courtesy call to Shri M.K Narayanan (Governor of West Bengal and Patron-in-Chief of WEBFUNA) on June 29, at Raj Bhawan, Kolkata, led by President Prof. Saugata Roy (Union Minister of State for Urban Development).

Meeting with the President of India: On September 16. a WEBFUNA delegation met with the Hon’ ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Raj Bhawan. Delegation members were: Prof Saugata Roy, Mr. Sitarant Sharma, Ms. Bharati Ray, Prof. Krishna Bose, Mr. Rajec.- Maheshwari, Mr. Rajendra Khandelwal, Ms. Kusur_-_ Musaddi and Mr. Sudipta Narayan Das.

Symposium: On October 6, a Symposium on ‘Challenges’ beforeThe United Nations’ was held at ICCR, Kolkata.

Speakers: Prof. Saugata Roy (MP & President of WEBFUNA), Ms Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman (Director, United Nations Information Centre), Mr Jeffrey Reneau Director, American Center) and Mr Sitaram Sharma.

R2P Conference: On October 8, the R2P (Responsibility to Protect) Conference at New Delhi, hosted jointly by the World Federation of UN Associations (WFUNA) and Indian Federation of UN Associations (IFUNA) was attended by Mr Sitaram Sharma (Chairman, WEBFUNA).and Mr Rajendra Khandelwal (Secretary-General, WEBFUNA).

Human Rights Day: On December 9, Human Rights Day was observed at ICCR, Kolkata with a Symposium on ‘Speak Up: Use Your Freedom To Promote Ours’.
Dr. Bikram Sarkar, IAS (Retd.), Former Member of Lok Sabha chaired the Symposium. Other speakers included Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Chairman, WEBFUNA, Prof. Sankar Kumar Sanyal, Mr. Rajeev Maheshwari, Secretary General, WEBFUNA, etc. Justice (Retd.) Ashok Kumar Ganguly, Chairman, West Bengal Human Rights Commission was to deliver the Keynote Address but could not attend due to unavoidable circumstances.
WEBFUNA Souvenir 2012 was also released on the
occasion.
Annual Picnic: WEBFUNA organised its Annual Picnic on December 16, which was hosted by its Executive Chairman Mr. N. G. Bangur at his garden house on the outskirts of Kolkata.

WEBFUNA ExCo Meeting: ExCo meeting was held on February 16 at Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, chaired by Mr. N. G. Bangur, Executive Chairman, WEBFUNA.
Condolences were paid to mourn the death of Shri Kamal Kumar Basu and Dr. Sudhir Bera.

World Health Day: On the occasion of World Health Day on April 7, WEBFUNA and Indian Medical Association associated with Tridhara Sammilani and organised the Swastha Mela 2013.
Leading hospitals and medical establishments set up their stalls to provide free medical services and advise to the participants.
Over 500 people took advantage of the mela. World Health Organisation had declared blood pressure as its theme this year, so WEBFUNA setup a blood pressure checking camp, wherein qualified nurses did the checking. WEBFUNA distributed fruits, biscuits & packaged drinking water to all the participants. Senior political leaders including Prof. Saugata Roy, MP, Shri Subrata Mukherjee, Minister, Shri Sudip Bandopadhyaya, MP, Shri Subrata Bakshi, MP, Smt Krishna Bose, etc also got their blood pressure checked. The program was highly appreciated.

WEBFUNA ExCo Meeting: On June 8, WEBFUNA’s ExCo meeting, chaired by Prof. Saugata Roy, President WEBFUNA, was held at 18 Ballygunge Circular Road.
The high tea was hosted by Vice President, WEBFUNA, Shri H. P. Kanoria.

UN Charter Day: On June 26, UN Charter Day was observed jointly with the Russian Centre of Science and Culture at Kolkata, held at Gorky Sadan with a Symposium on “United Nations: New Challenges”.
Participants included Mr Biman Banerjee, Hon’ ble Speaker WB Legislative Assembly, Lt. Gen. A. K. Chowdhury, GOC Bengal Area, Mr. A. Saygin, Consul Russian Federation, Mr. Alexander Mazirka Director, Gorky SADAN, Mr. Mitsuo Kawaguchi, Consul General Japan, Smt Krishna Bose, Rev Sunil M. Caleb, Principal Bishop’s College, Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Chairman WEBFUNA, Mr Rajeev Maheshwari, Secretary General WEBFUNA, Ms. Kusum Musaddi, Addl. Secretary General WEBFUNA.

WEBFUNA ExCo Meeting: On August 14, WEBFUNA’s ExCo meeting chaired by Mr. Sitaram Sharma, Chairman WEBFUNA. It was decided to hold a Film Fest “We Care” jointly with UNIC and IFUNA and supported by Max Mueller Bhavan and others on 20th September 2013. Numerous schools would be invited.
It was also decided to have a full day national seminar on “Peace and Non Violence” along with IFUNA and jointly with UNIC and Calcutta University.
Mr. Sitaram Sharma was congratulated on his nomination as Chairman of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, under Ministry of Culture, Govt. Of India.