The October RevolutionYe m e n - O c t 1 4

The British have occupied and controlled many differentparts of the world over the centuries including India, Aus-tralia and Canada. Among that list of occupied territorieswas Yemen. However, on a historic October 14, 1963, thepeople of South Yemen revolted against the British occu-pation and drove them out of the country. Now the peopleof Yemen annually celebrate National Day to commemo-rate the historic event.

HISTORYOn January 19, 1839, British East India Company tookcontrol of the port of Aden to utilize it as a refueling pointfor its ships. Afterwards, the British Empire officially ruledAden as part of British India. In 1937, the port of Aden andthe surrounding area was converted into a British Colonyas part of the British Crown. On January 8, 1963 theColony of Aden was merged into the newly created Fed-eration of South Arabia with promises that it would be released from British control in 1968. Finally, having hadenough of the oppression, the two nationalist groups Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY)and National Front (NF) revolted on October 14, 1963 in the name of freedom, justice and equality for the Yemenipeople.While many Yemeni refer to this as National Day, it must be noted that they celebrate three National Days, and it iseasy to confuse them. Many Yemeni will refer to the October National Day simply as the “14 October Revolution”.

TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIESThe status of the traditions and customs followed on this holiday has become murky with the recent crisis in Yemen.The mix of renewedShi’ite revolt in northern Yemen, separatist unrest in southern Yemen, and fresh al Qaeda attacks across the countryhave effectively put any peaceful celebration of the holiday on the back burner.On October 14, 2007 gunmen opened fire on opposition activists rallying for the anniversary of the revolution. Thishas lead to subtle hints by extremists and activists that yet another “October Revolution” may be necessary to taketheir country back from a government rife with corruption and mismanagement.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Re-membrance DayU . S . - O c t 1 5

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is a dayof remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant deathwhich includes but is not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth,SIDS, or the death of a newborn. It is observed annuallyin the United States and Canada and, in recent years, inthe United Kingdom, on October 15.The day is observed with remembrance ceremonies andcandle-lighting vigils, concluding with the InternationalWave of Light, a worldwide lighting of candles at 7:00 p.m.

HISTORYThe Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Movementbegan in the United States On October 25, 1988 when for-mer American President Ronald Reagan designated themonth of October 1988 as ``Pregnancy and Infant LossAwareness Month The October 15th Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remem-brance Day (PAILRD) Campaign began in 2002 as an American movement started by Robyn Bear, Lisa Brown, andTammy Novak. Together, they petitioned the federal government, as well as the governors of each of the 50 states,and by October 15, 2002 (the first observance of PAILRD) 20 states had signed proclamations recognizing the dateas such.As a result of the American campaign effort, Concurrent Resolution H. CON. RES. 222 Supporting the goals andideals of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day was passed in the House of Representatives onSeptember 28, 2006. .To date, all 50 states have yearly proclamations, with Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York,Rhode Island, and South Dakota enacting permanent proclamations.The Director of the Canadian Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Awareness and Remembrance Campaign, Terra-Lynn Coggan, joined the American movement in September 2004 and took on the role as the Canadian Director forOctober 15 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day and began the Canadian Campaign.On October 12, 2005 when New Brunswick received official recognition of October 15 Pregnancy and Infant LossRemembrance Day Terra-Lynn resigned as the Canadian Director for the American Pregnancy and Infant Loss Re-membrance Campaign and independently launched The Canadian Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Awarenessand Remembrance Campaigns. Since New Brunswick’s Declaration of October 15, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Re-membrance Day the province of Nova Scotia has followed suite with a similar declaration. The provinces of Ontarioand Manitoba are currently considering a declaration.

International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remem-brance DayContrary to the popular belief that Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is internationally legislated andobserved as an international day of remembrance this is not the case.Through the legislative campaigns of individuals world wide Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is be-coming an international day of observation. Germany and most other non-English speaking countries do not observethis day.

American Federal CampaignAs a result of the American campaign effort Concurrent resolution H. CON. RES. 222 Supporting the goals andideals of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day was passed in the House of Representatives onSeptember 28, 2006. H. CON. RES. 222 proclaims October 15 of each year to be Pregnancy and Infant Loss Re-membrance Day in the United States.

New Brunswick, CanadaNew Brunswick is the first province in Canada to officially recognize October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Re-membrance Day.Through the lobbying efforts of Terra-Lynn Coggan, a Saint John resident with the assistance of Saint John-Cham-plain MLA Roly MacIntyre, New Brunswick Minister of Health and Wellness, Hon. Elvy Robichaud in a declarationdated October 12, 2005 did declare October 15 to bePregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day across theprovince."Miscarriage and infant death are a source of grief, often silent, for mothers, fathers, siblings and grandparents." Torecognize this loss, Hon. Elvy Robichaud, New Brunswick Minister of Health and Wellness declared October 15 tobe Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance DayHe called on provincial residents to help promote "support, education and awareness for grieving parents who havelost infants during pregnancy or shortly after birth.

International Wave of LightThe International Wave of Light invites participants from around the world to light a candle in honor of PAILRD, start-ing at 1900 hours on October 15 in their respective time zones, and to leave the candle burning for at least an hour.The result is a continuous chain of light spanning the globe for a 24 hour period in honor and remembrance of thechildren who die during pregnancy or shortly after birth.

B o s s D a yU . S . - O c t 1 6

Boss' Day (alternative spelling Boss's Day, also knownas Bosses Day or National Boss Day) is a secular hol-iday celebrated on October 16 in the United States andCanada. It has traditionally been a day for employeesto thank their boss for being kind and fair throughoutthe year. The holiday has been the source of some con-troversy and criticism in the United States, where it isoften mocked as a Hallmark Holiday.One interesting feature of this occassion in India, is thatBoss's present gifts to their subordinates.

HistoryPatricia Bays Haroski registered "National Boss' Day"with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1958. She wasworking as a secretary for State Farm Insurance Com-pany in Deerfield, Illinois at the time and chose October8 because she forgot that the birthday of her boss, whowas her father, was actually on the 16th. Four years later in 1962, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner backed Haroski'sregistration and officially proclaimed the day.National Boss' Day has become an international celebration in recent years and now is observed in countries suchas Australia, India and South Africa and very recently Ireland and the UK.Hallmark did not offer a Boss' Day card for sale until 1979. It increased the size of its National Boss' Day line by 90percent in 2007.

Wo r l d F o o d D a yWo r l d w i d e - O c t 1 6

World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October inhonor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization ofthe United Nations in 1945. It is also the Food Engineer day.The World Food Day theme for 2011 is "Food prices - from crisis to stability".

OriginsWorld Food Day (WFD) was established by FAO's Member Countries at theOrganization's 20th General Conference in November 1979. The HungarianDelegation, led by the former Hungarian Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dr.Pál Romány has played an active role at the 20th Session of the FAO Con-ference and suggested the idea of celebrating the WFD worldwide. It hassince been observed every year in more than 150 countries, raising aware-ness of the issues behind poverty and hunger.

ThemesSince 1981, World Food Day has adopted a different theme each year, inorder to highlight areas needed for action and provide a common focus.Most of the themes revolve around agriculture because only investment inagriculture – together with support for education and health – will turn thissituation around. The bulk of that investment will have to come from the private sector, with public investment playinga crucial role, especially in view of its facilitating and stimulating effect on private investment.In spite of the importance of agriculture as the driving force in the economies of many developing countries, thisvital sector is frequently starved of investment. In particular, foreign aid to agriculture has shown marked declinesover the past 20 years.

EventsEvents take place in over 150 countries to mark World Food Day. Below are example of events held across theworld in recent years.

United States of America:World Food Day has been a tradition in the USA since the first World Food Day in 1981. In the United States the en-deavor is sponsored by 450 national, private voluntary organizations. One example for World Food Day events in2011 is the World Food Day Sunday Dinners that Oxfam America is sponsoring in collaboration with several othernon profits. Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu and author Francis Moore Lappe have teamed up with Oxfam Amer-ica to promote World Food Day Sunday Dinners.

Europe:In Italy, ministries, universities, research agencies, international agencies and NGOs have organized many confer-ences as well as exhibitions and symposia. The Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policies organized ameeting which focused on women's rights in rural areas in 2005.In Germany, the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture have all become involved via pressconferences. Spanish television has been active in broadcasting events. FAO Goodwill Ambassador – Spanish soc-cer star Raul – has taken part in events and helped highlight food-security issues across his country.The UK Food Group has also been active through conferences and media broadcasts. In the emerging economiesof Eastern Europe – i.e., Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Serbiaand Montenegro, and Slovak Republic – a variety of activities have been held.In Hungary, renowned experts have given presentations in the Hungarian Agricultural Museum and FAO, and WFDmedals have been awarded to well-known Hungarian experts by the FAO Sub-Regional Representative.On behalf of the Holy See, Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have sent an annual message for food producersand consumers on World Food Day.

Africa:Angola celebrated WFD in 2005 through the 4th Forum on Rural Women, while in Burundi the second Vice-Presidentplanted potatoes to provide a symbolic example about food production. In Central African Republic, the President ofthe Republic has inaugurated a bridge at Boda to coincide with World Food Day, making the agricultural productionarea more accessible.In Chad, thousands of people have attended debates, conferences and activities including theatre, films, folk dance,visits to project sites and visits by agricultural companies. In Ghana, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has hosteda food security conference, while Namibia has run an awareness campaign through national media.Egypt has hosted a Forum on nutrition issues. Morocco and Tunisia have held seminars and exhibitions.

Asia:The Government of Bangladesh has been involved through organizing a food festival; in China in 2005, celebrationswere organized in Qujing City, where numerous ethnical minorities live, by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Gov-ernment of Qujing City, with the participation of a number of senior officials of the Government.In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, seminars have been held and visits made to various project sites.The Ministry of Agriculture ofIndonesia has in the past organized a major Food Expo in Bandung, West Java, whilea Farmers' and Fishermen's Workshop of NGOs was held in Bali.In Armenia, staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, non-governmental organizations, Armenian State Agriculture Uni-versity, the donor community, international organizations, and the mass media have participated in the World FoodDay ceremony. In Afghanistan, representatives of Ministries, embassies, UN agencies, International Financial Or-ganizations, National and International NGOs and FAO staff have attended the World Food Day ceremony.In Cyprus, special ceremonies have been organized in primary and secondary schools, where teachers explainedthe significance of World Food Day.

Latin America:In Chile, exhibitions of indigenous food products have been prepared by local communities. In Argentina, senior of-ficials of the Government, academics, international organizations and the press have participated in the main cere-mony. In Mexico in 2005, a National Campaign for a "Mexico Without Hunger" was held, with the involvement andsupport of civil society and students. In Cuba, producers have been able to exchange views and experiences at anagricultural fair. The media strongly supports awareness campaigns on World Food Day; for example in Venezuelathere has been national coverage of events.

B l a c k P o e t r y D a yU . S . - O c t 1 7

Jupiter Hammon (October 17, 1711 – before 1806) wasa black poet who in 1761 became the first African-American writer to be published in the present-dayUnited States. Additional poems and sermons werealso published. Born into slavery, Hammon was neveremancipated. He was living in 1790 at the age of 79,and died by 1806. A devout Christian, he is consideredone of the founders of African American literature.

Early life and educationBorn into slavery in 1711 in a house now known asLloyd Manor in Lloyd Harbor, NY -- per a Town of Hunt-ington, NY historical marker dated 1990 -- Hammonwas held by four generations of the Lloyd family ofQueens on Long Island, New York. His parents wereboth slaves held by the Lloyds. Unlike most slaves, hisfather, named Opium, had learned to read and write.The Lloyds allowed Hammon to attend school, where he also learned to read and write. As an adult, he worked forthem as a domestic servant, clerk, farmhand, and artisan in the Lloyd family business. He became a fervent Christian,as were the Lloyds.His first published poem, "An Evening Thought. Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries: Composed by JupiterHammon, a Negro belonging to Mr. Lloyd of Queen's Village, on Long Island, the 25th of December, 1760," appearedas a broadside in 1761. He published three other poems and three sermon essays.Although not emancipated, Hammon participated in new Revolutionary War groups such as the Spartan Project.There on September 24, 1786, he delivered his "Address to the Negroes of the State of New York", also known asthe "Hammon Address." He was seventy-six years old and had spent his lifetime in slavery. He said, "If we shouldever get to Heaven, we shall find nobody to reproach us for being black, or for being slaves." He also said that, whilehe personally had no wish to be free, he did wish others, especially “the young Negroes, were free.”The speech draws heavily on Christian motifs and theology. For example, Hammon said that Black people shouldmaintain their high moral standards because being slaves on Earth had already secured their place in heaven. Hepromoted gradual emancipation as a way to end slavery. Scholars think perhaps Hammon supported this plan be-cause he believed that immediate emancipation of all slaves would be difficult to achieve. New York Quakers, whosupported abolition of slavery, published his speech. It was reprinted by several abolitionist groups, including thePennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery.In the two decades after the Revolutionary War and creation of the new government, northern states generally abol-ished slavery. In the Upper South, so many slaveholders manumitted slaves that the proportion of free blacks amongAfrican Americans increased from less than one percent in 1790 to more than 10 percent by 1810. In the UnitedStates as a whole, by 1810 the number of free blacks was 186,446, or 13.5 percent of all African Americans.Hammon's speech and his poetry are often included in anthologies of notable African-American and early Americanwriting. He was the first known African American to publish literature within the present-day United States (in 1773,Phillis Wheatley, also an American slave, had her collection of poems first published in London, England).

D e s s a l i n e s D a yH a i t i - O c t 1 7

Haiti’s founding father Jean-Jacques Dessalines pro-claimed Haiti’s independence on this day in Gonaives,Haiti. It was a monumental achievement that marked thefirst successful slave revolution in world history and in theestablishment of the independent Republic of Haiti.

HistoryDessalines was born on a plantation in an area calledCormiers, (today, Cormier), in the hills near the town ofGrande Rivière du Nord 25 kms from Cap-Haitien. Thatplantation belonged to a french man named Duclos. Theyoung man was given the first name of Jacques. Hence,he will be called Jacques Duclos, as the practice was thatslaves took their master’s last name. Of Dessalines’mother or father, no one knows for sure, as slaves didnot get birth certificates. The only known parent of his, isa certain aunt named Victoria Montou, that he called af-fectionately Toya. During the war, old Victoria Montoufought against the French in the Cahos mountains of the Artibonite region. She would remain in the house of theemperor until her death, June 12, 1805.At the age of 30 or so, he would be sold off on the market and be bought by a free black man named Dessalines.He changed his name from Jacques Duclos to Jean Jacques Dessalines.In 1791, though, he would join the slave revolt that would ultimately lead to independence. He followed the examplegiven by the Boukman, Jean François and Biassou, early band leaders. He became a lieutenant in the Army of JeanFrançois. He followed Jean François when he lent his services to the Royal majesty of Spain. There, he met ToussaintBréda later called Louverture who was climbing the ranks and gaining notoriety for his successive brilliant victoriesagainst forces far superior to his. When the French Republic proclaimed freedom for all slaves, Dessalines followedToussaint who rallied to the French flag in order to fight the armies of the Spanish and British crowns.Dessalines is widely regarded by Haitians as one of the outstanding heroes in the struggle against slavery and colo-nialism, in this spirit he is also affectionately called: ‘Papa Desalin’ (lit. Father Dessalines). He was the Governor-General of Saint-Domingue from November 30, 1803 to December 31, 1803, the day before the Haitian Declarationof Independence. In contrast many non-Haitian observers have focused on Dessalines treatment of French colo-nialists and less on his achievements in the freedom struggle.

S t . G a l l u s D a yS w i t z e r l a n d - O c t 1 6

Saint Gall, Gallen, or Gallus (c. 550 - c. 646) was anIrish disciple and one of the traditionally twelve com-panions of Saint Columbanus on his mission from Ire-land to the continent. Saint Deicolus is called an olderbrother of Gall.

BiographyGall and his companions established themselves withColumbanus at first at Luxeuil in Gaul. In 610, he ac-companied Columbanus on his voyage up the RhineRiver to Bregenz but when in 612 Columbanus traveledon to Italy from Bregenz, Gall had to remain behind dueto illness and was nursed at Arbon. He remained inSwabia, where, with several companions, he led the lifeof a hermit in the forests southwest of Lake Constance,near the source of the river Steinach in cells.He died around 646-650 in Arbon, and his feast is cel-ebrated on 16 October.After his death a small church was erected which developed into the Abbey of St. Gall, the nucleus of the Canton ofSt. Gallen in eastern Switzerland the first abbot of which was Saint Othmar. The monastery was freed from its de-pendence of the bishop of Constance and Emperor Louis the Pious made it an imperial institution. The "Abbey ofSt. Gall", (not from the name of its founder and first abbot, but of the saint who had lived in this place and whoserelics were honoured there) the monastery and especially its celebrated scriptorium played an illustrious part inCatholic and intellectual history until it was secularized in 1798.From as early as the 9th century a series of fantastically embroidered Lives of Saint Gall were circulated. Prominentwas the story in which Gall delivered Fridiburga from the demon by which she was possessed. Fridiburga was thebetrothed of Sigebert II, King of the Franks, who had granted an estate at Arbon (which belonged to the royal treasury)to Gall so that he might found a monastery there. Another popular story about Gall has it that, at the command ofthe saint, a bear brought wood to feed the fire which Gall and his companions had kindled in the forest.The fragmentary oldest Life was recast in the 9th century by two monks of Reichenau, enlarged in 816-824 by thecelebrated Wettinus, and about 833/884 by Walafrid Strabo, who also revised a book of the miracles of the saint.Other works ascribed to Walafrid tell of Saint Gall in prose and verse. The last is mentioned in Robertson Davies'book The Manticore, where he interprets the legend in Jungian psychological terms. In the final scene of the novelwhere David Staunton is celebrating Christmas with Lizelloti Fitziputli, Magnus Eisengrim, and Dunstan Ramsay heis given a gingerbread bear. Ramsay explains that Saint Gall made a pact of peace with a bear who was terrorizingthe citizens of the nearby village. They would feed him gingerbread and he would refrain from eating them. Theparable is a Jungian exhortation to make peace with one's dark side.

Feast of St. Margaret AlacoqueS t . L u c i a - O c t 1 7

Marguerite Marie Alacoque or Saint Margaret Mary Ala-coque (22 July 1647, Verosvres– 17 October 1690) wasa French Roman Catholic nun and mystic, who promoteddevotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.

Early lifeShe was born at Lhautecour, a village in the diocese ofAutun, now part of the commune of Verosvres in 1647.From early childhood, Margaret was described as show-ing intense love for the Blessed Sacrament (the Eu-charist), and as preferring silence and prayer to childhoodplay. After her First Communion at the age of nine, shepractised in secret severe corporal mortification (includ-ing carving the name "Jesus" into her chest as an ado-lescent) until rheumatic fever confined her to bed for fouryears. At the end of this period, having made a vow to the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to religious life, shewas instantly restored to perfect health.

VisionsShe had visions of Jesus Christ, which she thought were a normal part of human experience and continued to prac-tise austerity. However, in response to a vision of Christ, crucified but alive, that reproached her for forgetfulness ofhim, claiming his Heart was filled with love for her due to her promise, she entered, when almost 24 years of age,the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial on 25 May 1671, intending to become a nun.She was subjected to many trials to prove the genuineness of her vocation. She was admitted to wearing the religioushabit on 25 August 1671, but was not allowed to make her religious profession on the same date of the followingyear, which would have been normal. Finally, she was admitted to profession on 6 November 1672. She changedher baptismal name of Marguerite (Margaret) to her religious name of Marguerite-Marie (Margaret Mary).In this convent she received several revelations of the Sacred Heart, the first on 27 December 1673, and the finalone 18 months later. The visions revealed to her the form of the devotion, the chief features being reception of HolyCommunion on the First Friday Devotions of each month, the Eucharistic adoration during the Holy Hour on Thurs-days, and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. She stated that in her vision she was instructed to spendan hour every Thursday night to meditate on the sufferings of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Holy Hourpractice later became widespread among Catholics.Initially discouraged in her efforts to follow the instruction she had received in her visions, Marguerite-Marie waseventually able to convince her superior, Mother de Saumaise, of the authenticity of her visions. She was unable,however, to convince a group of theologians of the validity of her apparitions, nor was she any more successful withmany of the members of her community. She received the support of Saint Claude de la Colombière, the community'sconfessor for a time, who declared that the visions were genuine. In 1683, opposition in the community ended whenMother Melin was elected Superior and named Margaret Mary her assistant. She later became Novice Mistress,saw the convent observe the Feast of the Sacred Heart privately beginning in 1686, and two years later, a chapelwas built at the Paray-le-Monial to honour the Sacred Heart.

BeatificationAfter Margaret Mary's death, on 17 October 1690, the devotion to the Sacred Heart was fostered by the Jesuits andthe subject of controversies within the Church. The practice was not officially recognized till 75 years after her death.The discussion of her own mission and qualities continued for years. All her actions, her revelations, her spiritualmaxims, her teachings regarding the devotion to the Sacred Heart, of which she was the chief exponent as well asthe apostle, were subjected to the most severe and minute examination, and finally the Sacred Congregation ofRites passed a favourable vote on the heroic virtues of this "servant of God". In March 1824, Pope Leo XII pro-nounced her Venerable (the first step on the path to canonised sainthood), and on 18 September 1864 Pope PiusIX declared her Blessed. When her tomb was canonically opened in July 1830, two instantaneous cures wererecorded to have taken place. Her incorrupt body rests under the altar in the chapel at Paray-le-Monial, and manystriking blessings have been claimed by pilgrims attracted there from all parts of the world.She was canonised by Benedict XV in 1920, and in 1929 her liturgical commemoration was included in the RomanCatholic calendar of saints for celebration on 17 October, the day of her death. In 1969, this date was assigned to asaint of the Apostolic Age, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, and the memorial of Saint Margaret Mary was moved to theprevious day, 16 October.In his 1928 encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, Pope Pius XI affirmed the Church's position regarding the cred-ibility of her visions of Jesus Christ by speaking of Jesus as having "manifested Himself" to Saint Margaret Maryand having "promised her that all those who rendered this honour to His Heart would be endowed with an abundanceof heavenly graces".Her short devotional writing, La Devotion au Sacré-Coeur de Jesus (Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus), waspublished posthumously by J. Croiset in 1698, and has been popular among Catholics.

Quote"And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from thepath of ruin that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy,of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procureHim all the honour and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of whichHis heart is the source." — from Revelations of Our Lord to St. Mary Margaret Alacoque

Popular cultureIn James Joyce's short story "Eveline", part of his Dubliners, a "coloured print of the promises made to Blessed Mar-garet Mary Alacoque" is mentioned as part of the decorations of an Irish home at the turn of the 20th Century, testi-fying to her enduring popularity among Irish Catholics.

D a y f o r t h e E r a d i c a t i o no f P o v e r t y

Wo r l d w i d e - O c t 1 7The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated every year on October 17 through-out the world. It was officially recognised by the United Nations in 1992, but the first commemorationof the event took place in Paris, France, in 1987 when 100,000 people gathered on the HumanRights and Liberties Plaza at the Trocadéro to honour victims of poverty, hunger, violence and fear.This call was made by Joseph Wresinski (1917–1988) founder of the International Movement ATDFourth World.The text engraved in the stone reads as follows:Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated.To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty. – Joseph Wresinski(1917–1988) founder of ATD Fourth World.

TestimoniesOne of the main aims of the day is to make the voice of the poor heard. To this end, commemorations often includetestimonies from people living in poverty, describing their own experiences or those of people they know.

A l a s k a D a yU . S . - O c t 1 8

Alaska Day is a legal holiday in the U.S. state ofAlaska, observed on October 18. It is the anniversaryof the formal transfer of the Territory of Alaska fromRussia to the United States which took place at a flag-raising ceremony at Fort Sitka on Friday October 18,1867 (11 hours behind St. Petersburg, Russia, half pastmidnight, Saturday 7 October, St. Petersburg time, Ju-lian Calendar, or 3:30 p.m. in Sitka, 7 October).Alaska Day is observed statewide, and is a paid holidayfor State of Alaska employees. The official celebrationis held in Sitka, where schools release students early,many businesses close for the day, and events suchas a parade and reenactment of the flag raising areheld.It should not be confused with Seward's Day, the lastMonday in March which marks the signing of the treatyfor the Alaska Purchase in which the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867.Although the territory was sold to the U.S. in March, it was not until the 18th of October that year that the Commis-sioners arrived in Sitka and the formal transfer was arranged. The original ceremony included 250 uniformed U.S.soldiers, who marched to the Governor's house in Sitka at "Castle Hill", where the transfer was made. It was herethat the Russian troops lowered the Russian flag and the U.S. flag was raised.The official account of the affair as presented by General Lovell Rousseau to Secretary of State William H. Sewardcontinues: "... The troops being promptly formed, were, at precisely half past three o'clock, brought to a 'presentarms', the signal given to the Ossipee ... which was to fire the salute, and the ceremony was begun by lowering theRussian flag ... The United States flag ... was properly attached and began its ascent, hoisted by my private secretary[and son], George Lovell Rousseau, and again salutes were fired as before, the Russian water battery leading off.The flag was so hoisted that in the instant it reached its place the report of the big gun of the Ossipee reverberatedfrom the mountains around ... Captain Pestchour off stepped up to me and said, 'General Rousseau, by authorityfrom his Majesty the Emperor of Russia, I transfer to the United States the Territory of Alaska' and in a few words Iacknowledged the acceptance of the transfer, and the ceremony was at an end."

Independence Day Azerbaijan - Oct 18

Azerbaijan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani:Azərbaycan Respublikası) is the largest country in the Caucasusregion of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia andEastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east,Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to thewest, and Iran to the south. The exclave of Nakhchivan isbounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south andwest, while having a short borderline with Turkey to the north-west.The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first democratic andsecular republic in the Muslim world, was established in 1918,but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. Azerbaijanregained independence in 1991. Shortly thereafter, during theNagorno-Karabakh War, neighboring Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, its surrounding territories and the en-claves of Karki, Yukhary Askipara, Barkhudarly and Sofulu. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which emerged inNagorno-Karabakh, continues to be not diplomatically recognized by any nation and the region is still considered ade jure part of Azerbaijan, despite being de faction dependent since the end of the war.Azerbaijan, a nation with a majority Turkic and Shia population, is a secular and a unitary republic with an ancientand historic cultural heritage. Azerbaijan is one of the six independent Turkic states as well as the active membersof the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 158 countries andholds membership in 38 international organizations. It is one of the founding members of GUAM and the Organizationfor the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and in December 1991 the country became a founding member of theCommonwealth of Independent States. On May 9, 2006 Azerbaijan was elected to membership in the newly estab-lished Human Rights Council by the United Nations General Assembly. The term of office began on June 19, 2006.A Special Envoy of the European Commission is present in the country, which is also a member of the United Nations,the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program. Azerbaijan is a correspondentat the International Telecommunication Union and member of the Non-Aligned Movement and holds observer statusin World Trade Organization.Being one of the five most developed countries among CIS members, Azerbaijan has the 67th highest human de-velopment level in the world In 2009 the country had an unemployment rate of 6% and a low crime rate comparedto other CIS and Eastern European countries.

EtymologyThe name of Azerbaijan derives from Atropates, a Persian satrap under the Achaemenid Empire, that was later re-instated as the satrap of Media under Alexander of Macedonia. The original etymology of this name is thought tohave its roots in the once-dominant Zoroastrian religion. In the Avesta, Frawardin Yasht ("Hymn to the Guardian An-gels"), there is a mention of âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide, which literally translates from Avestan as"we worship the Fravashi of the holy Atropatene".Atropates ruled over the region of Atropatene (present-day Iranian Azerbaijan). The name "Atropates" itself is theGreek transliteration of an Old-Iranian, probably Median, compounded name with the meaning "Protected by the(Holy) Fire" or "The Land of the (Holy) Fire". The Greek name is mentioned by Diodorus Siculus and Strabo. Overthe span of millenniums the name evolved to Āturpātākān then toĀdharbādhagān, Ādharbāyagān, Āzarbāydjān andpresent-day Azerbaycan. The word is translatable as "The Treasury" and "The Treasurer" of fire or "The Land of theFire" in Modern Persian.

HistoryThe earliest evidence of human settlement in the territory of Azerbaijan dates to the late Stone Age and is related tothe Guruchay culture of the Azykh Cave. The Upper Paleolithic and late Bronze Age cultures are attested in thecaves of Tağılar, Damcılı, Zar, Yataq-yeri and in the necropolises of Leylatepe and Saraytepe.Early settlements included the Scythians in the ninth century BC. Following the Scythians, Iranian Medes came todominate the area to the south of the Aras. The Medes forged a vast empire between 900–700 BC, which was inte-grated into the Achaemenids Empire around 550 BC. The area was conquered by the Achaemenids leading to thespread of Zoroastrianism. Later it became part of Alexander the Great's Empire and its successor, the Seleucid Em-pire. Caucasian Albanians, the original inhabitants of the area, established an independent kingdom around thefourth century BC. During this period, Zoroastrianism spread in the Caucasus and Atropatene. Ancient Azerbaijanisspoke the Old Azari language.

Feudal era:The Sassanids turned Caucasian Albania into a vassal state in AD 252, while King Urnayr officially adopted Chris-tianity as the state religion in the fourth century. Despite numerous conquests by the Sassanids and Byzantines, Al-bania remained an entity in the region until the ninth century. The Islamic Umayyad Caliphate repulsed both theSassanids and Byzantines from the region and turned Caucasian Albania into a vassal state after the Christian re-sistance, led by Prince Javanshir, was suppressed in 667. The power vacuum left by the decline of the AbbasidCaliphate was filled by numerous local dynasties such as the Sallarids, Sajids, Shaddadids, Rawadids and Buyids.At the beginning of the 11th century, the territory was gradually seized by waves of TurkicOghuz tribes from CentralAsia. The first of these Turkic dynasties established was the Ghaznavids, which entered the area now known asAzerbaijan by 1030.The pre-Turkic Azerbaijani population spoke an Iranian language called the Old Azari language, which was graduallyreplaced by a Turkic language, now known as the Azerbaijani language from the 11th century onward until it becamecompletely extinct in the 16th century. To distinguish it from the Turkic Azerbaijani or Azeri language, this Iranianlanguage, is designated as the Azari language (or Old Azari language), because the Turkic language and peopleare also designated as "Azari" in the Persian language. However some linguists have also designated the Tati dialectsof Iranian Azerbaijan and the Republic of Azerbaijan, like those spoken by the Tats, as a remnant of Azari. Locally,the possessions of the subsequent Seljuq Empire were ruled by atabegs, who were technically vassals of the Seljuqsultans, being sometimes de facto rulers themselves. Under theSeljuq Turks, local poets such as Nizami Ganjaviand Khagani Shirvani gave rise to a blossoming of Persian literature on the territory of present-day Azerbaijan. Thenext ruling state of the Jalayirids was short-lived and fell under the conquests of Timur.The local dynasty of Shirvanshahs became a vassal state of Timur's Empire and assisted him in his war with theruler of the Golden HordeTokhtamysh. Following Timur's death two independent and rival states emerged: KaraKoyunlu and Ak Koyunlu. The Shirvanshahs returned, maintaining a high degree of autonomy as local rulers andvassals from 861 until 1539. During their persecution by the Safavids, the last dynasty imposed Shia Islam upon theformerly Sunni population, as it was battling against the Sunni Ottoman Empire.

Modern era:After the Safavids, the area was ruled by the Iranian dynasties of Afshar and Zand and briefly by the Qajars. Howeverde facto self-ruling khanates emerged in the area, especially following the collapse of the Zand dynasty and in theearly Qajar era. The brief and successful Russian campaign of 1812 was concluded with the Treaty of Gulistan, inwhich the shah's claims to some of the Khanates of the Caucasus were dismissed by Russia on the ground thatthey had been de facto independent long before their Russian occupation.The khanates exercised control over their affairs via international trade routes between Central Asia and the West.Engaged in constant warfare, these khanates were eventually incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1813, followingthe two Russo-Persian Wars. The area to the North of the river Arax, amongst which the territory of the contemporaryrepublic of Azerbaijan were Iranian territory until they were occupied by Russia. Under the Treaty of Turkmenchay,Persia recognized Russian sovereignty over the Erivan Khanate, the Nakhchivan Khanate and the remainder of theLankaran Khanate.In 2007, during the construction of a stadium, constructors discovered the Guba mass grave. Studies by Azerbaijaniand foreign scientists have confirmed the human remains found there to be of local residents of various nationalities,including Jews and Lezgins who were killed in the 1918 massacre. To date, the remains of 600 people have beenfound, including about 50 children and 100 women.After the collapse of the Russian Empire during World War I, Azerbaijan, together with Armenia and Georgia becamepart of the short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. When the republic dissolved in May 1918,Azerbaijan declared independence as the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR). The ADR was the first modernparliamentary republic in the Muslim World. Among the important accomplishments of the Parliament was the ex-tension of suffrage to women, making Azerbaijan the first Muslim nation to grant women equal political rights withmen. In this accomplishment, Azerbaijan also preceded the United Kingdom and the United States. Another importantaccomplishment of ADR was the establishment of Baku State University, which was the first modern-type universityfounded in Muslim East.By March 1920, it was obvious that Soviet Russia would attack the much-needed Baku. Vladimir Lenin said that theinvasion was justified as Soviet Russia could not survive without Baku's oil. Independent Azerbajian lasted only 23months until the Bolshevik 11th Soviet Red Army invaded it, establishing the Azerbaijan SSR on April 28, 1920. Al-though the bulk of the newly formed Azerbaijani army was engaged in putting down an Armenian revolt that had justbroken out in Karabakh, Azeris did not surrender their brief independence of 1918–20 quickly or easily. As many as20,000 Azerbaijani soldiers died resisting what was effectively a Russian reconquest.On October 13, 1921, the Soviet republics of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia signed an agreement withTurkey known as theTreaty of Kars. The previously independent Naxicivan SSR would also become autonomousASSR within Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic by the treaty of Kars. On the other hand, Armenia was awardedthe region of Zangezur and Turkey agreed to return Gyumri (then known as Alexandropol).During World War II, Azerbaijan played a crucial role in the strategic energy policy of Soviet Union, with most of theSoviet Union's oil on the Eastern Front being supplied by Baku. By the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSRin February 1942, the commitment of more than 500 workers and employees of the oil industry of Azerbaijan wasawarded orders and medals. Operation Edelweiss carried out by the German Wehrmacht targeted Baku becauseof its importance as the energy (petroleum) dynamo of the USSR. A fifth Azerbaijanis fought in the Second WorldWar from 1941 to 1945. Approximately 681,000 people with over 100,000 of them women went to the front, whilethe total population of Azerbaijan was 3.4 million at the time. Some 250,000 people from Azerbaijan were killed onthe front. More than 130 Azerbaijanis were named Heroes of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijani Major-General Azi Aslanovwas awarded twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

Republic era:Following the politics of glasnost, initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, civil unrest and ethnic strife grew in various regionsof the Soviet Union, including Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of the Azerbaijan SSR. The disturbances in Azerbaijan,in response to Moscow's indifference to already heated conflict, resulted in calls for independence and secession,which culminated in Black January in Baku. Later in 1990, the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan SSR dropped thewords "Soviet Socialist" from the title, adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Azerbaijan Republic and restoredflag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic as a state flag. On 18 October 1991, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijanadopted a Declaration of Independence which was affirmed by a nationwide referendum in December 1991, whenthe Soviet Union was officially dissolved.The early years of independence were overshadowed by the Nagorno-Karabakh War with neighboring Armenia. Bythe end of hostilities in 1994, Armenia occupied up to 16 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno-Karabakhitself. An estimated 30,000 people had been killed and more than a million had been displaced. Four United NationsSecurity Council Resolutions (822, 853, 874, and 884) demands for "the immediate withdrawal of all Armenian forcesfrom all occupied territories of Azerbaijan."In 1993, democratically elected president Abulfaz Elchibey was overthrown by a military insurrection led by ColonelSurat Huseynov, which resulted in the rise to power of the former leader of Soviet Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. In 1994,Surat Huseynov, by that time a prime minister, attempted another military coup against Heydar Aliyev, but Huseynovwas arrested and charged with treason. In 1995, another coup attempt against Aliyev, by the commander of theOMON special unit, Rovshan Javadov, was averted, resulting in the killing of the latter and disbanding of Azerbaijan'sOMON units. During his presidency, Aliyev managed to reduce the country's unemployment, rein in criminal groups,establish the fundamental institutions of independent statehood, and brought stability, peace and major foreign in-vestment. At the same time, the country was tainted by rampant corruption in the governing bureaucracy. In October1998, Aliyev was reelected for a second term. Despite the much improved economy, particularly with the exploitationsof Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field and Shah Deniz gas field, Aliyev's presidency was criticized due to suspected votefraud and corruption.

P e r s o n s D a yC a n a d a - O c t 1 8

Persons Day is an annual celebration in Canada, heldon October 18 each year. The day commemorates thecase of Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General), morecommonly known as The Persons Case – a famousCanadian constitutional case decided on October 18,1929 by the Judicial Committee of the Imperial PrivyCouncil, at that time the court of last resort for Canada,which held that women were eligible to sit in the Cana-dian Senate.While not a civic holiday, several women's groupsacross Canada make signficant note of the day, includ-ing The Women's Legal Education and Action Fundand The Canadian Voters CongressIn 1979, on the 50th anniversary of the Privy Council'sdecision, the Government of Canada instituted theGovernor General's Awards in Commemoration of thePersons Case to recognize outstanding contributions to advance equality for women in Canada. The Awards arepresented annually at a ceremony on Persons Day.

Samora Machel DayM o z a m b i q u e - O c t 1 9

Samora Moisés Machel (September 29, 1933 – October19, 1986) was a Mozambican military commander, rev-olutionary socialist leader and eventual President ofMozambique. Machel led the country from independ-ence in 1975 until his death in 1986, when his presiden-tial aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain where theborders of Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africaconverge.

Early lifeSamora Machel was born in the village of Madragoa(today's Chilembene), Gaza Province,Portuguese EastAfrica (Mozambique), to a family of farmers. He was amember of the Shangana ethnic group and his grand-father had been an active collaborator of Gungunhana.Under Portuguese rule, his father, a native, was forcedto accept lower prices for his crops than white farmers; compelled to grow labor-intensive cotton, which took timeaway from the food crops needed for his family; and forbidden to brand his mark on his cattle to prevent thievery.However, Machel's father was a successful farmer: he owned four plows and 400 head of cattle by 1940. Machelgrew up in this farming village and attended mission elementary school. In 1942, he was sent to school in the townof Zonguene in Gaza Province. The school was run by Catholic missionaries who educated the children in Por-tuguese language and culture. Although having completed the fourth grade, Machel never completed his secondaryeducation. However, he had the prerequisite certificate to train as a nurse anywhere in Portugal at the time, sincethe nursing schools were not degree-conferring institutions. Machel started to study nursing in the capital city ofLourenço Marques (today Maputo), beginning in 1954. In the 1950s, he saw some of the fertile lands around hisfarming community on the Limpopo river appropriated by the provincial government and worked by white settlerswho developed a wide range of new infrastructure for the region. Like many other Mozambicans near the southernborder of Mozambique, some of his relatives went to work in the South African mines where additional job opportu-nities were found. Shortly afterwards, one of his brothers was killed in a mining accident. Unable to complete formaltraining at the Miguel Bombarda Hospital in Lourenço Marques, he got a job working as an aide in the same hospitaland earned enough to continue his education at night school. He worked at the hospital until he left the country tojoin the Mozambican nationalist struggle in neighbouring Tanzania.

Liberation struggleMachel was attracted to Marxist ideals and began his political activities in the Lourenço Marques hospital where heprotested against the fact that black nurses were paid less than whites doing the same job. He later told a reporterhow bad medical treatment was for Mozambique's poor: "The rich man's dog gets more in the way of vaccination,medicine and medical care than do the workers upon whom the rich man's wealth is built." His grandparents andgreat grandparents had fought against Portuguese colonial rule in the 19th century, so it was not surprising that in1962 Machel joined the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) which was dedicated to creating an in-dependent Mozambique. He left his first wife and four children behind. He received military training in 1963 elsewherein Africa, and returned in 1964 to lead FRELIMO's first guerilla attack against the Portuguese in northern Mozam-bique. Machel married his second wife, Josina (née Mutemba), in 1969, who gave him a child later that same year.By 1969, Machel had become commander-in-chief of the FRELIMO army which had already established itself amongMozambique's peasantry. His most important goal, he said, was to get the people "to understand how to turn thearmed struggle into a revolution" and to realize how essential it was "to create a new mentality to build a new society".Two months after the assassination of FRELIMO's president, Eduardo Mondlane, in February 1969, a ruling triumvi-rate comprising Samora Machel, Marcelino dos Santos and Frelimo's vice-president Uria Simango assumed theleadership. Simango was expelled from the party in 1970, and Machel assumed the presidency of the movement.

MemorialA memorial at the Mbuzini crash site was inaugurated on January 19, 1999 by Nelson Mandela and his wife Graça,and by President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique. Now the monument is made professional and the memorialservice is held on the 19th October each year. Designed by Mozambican architect José Forjaz, at a cost to the SouthAfrican government of 1.5 million Rand (US$ 300,000), the monument comprises 35 steel tubes symbolising thenumber of lives lost in the air crash. At least eight foreigners were killed there, including the four Soviet crew mem-bers, Machel's two Cuban doctors and the Zambian and Zairean ambassadors to Mozambique.Also, a street in Moscow bears his name and the Zimbabwean band R.U.N.N. family had a hit song that mournedhis loss.

Mother Teresa Day Albania - Oct 19

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta has been memorialized throughout theworld in honor of her selflessness and unswerving devotion to the poor.During her lifetime this commemorization often took the form of awards andhonorary degrees bestowed upon her. She has also been memorizalizedthrough museums and dedications of churches, roads and other structures.

Mother Teresa in Albania• Mother Teresa Day (Dita e Nënë Terezës) on October 19 is a

public holiday in Albania.• The airport of Tirana, the capital of Albania, is the Tirana In

ternational Airport Nënë Tereza, named after Mother Teresain 2002.

• The second largest square in Tirana, the largest being Skanderbeg Square, was named after Mother Teresa. A monument of Mother Teresa is also found there.

• The biggest Civil Hospital in Tirana, was named after her.

Musical TributeIn 1998 a musical tribute album was compiled and released by Lion Communications (Polygram Records). Thealbum featured artists from around the world paying tribute to Mother Theresa and was called "Mother, We'll MissYou". Some of the artists included on the CD were Latino Grammy legend Jose Feliciano and famed black gospelgroup Walt Whitman and the Soul Children of Chicago. The album was produced by Scottish singer Dave Kelly, whoalso wrote and performed the title track. Over fifty major American newspapers, such as the Boston Globe and thePhiladelphia Inquirer, featured stories on the release of the tribute album and also took this opportunity to honor thelife and work of Mother Teresa.

Parishes with Mother Teresa as patroness• Mother Teresa parish, Dakota Dunes, SD, USA - 1 September 1999• Blessed Teresa of Calcutta parish, Woodinville, WA, USA - 1 July 2004• Blessed Teresa of Calcutta parish, Ferguson, MO, USA - 1 July 2005• Blessed Teresa of Calcutta parish, North Lake, WI, USA - 1 July 2005• Blessed Teresa of Calcutta parish, Limerick, PA, USA - 1 July 2006• Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Halifax, NS, Canada

Schools• Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School, YCDSB, Markham, Ontario, Canada - 1979• Blessed Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School (Previously Mother Teresa Catholic SecondarySchool), TCDSB, Scarbrough, Ontario, Canada - 1985• Mother Teresa Catholic High School, OCSB, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - 1998• Mother Teresa Regional School, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, US

StreetsA block of Lydig Avenue, between Holland and Wallace Avenues, located in the New York City borough of the Bronxwas renamed Mother Teresa Way on 30 August 2009, honoring her and the borough's growing Albanian commu-nity.

Kenyatta DayK e n y a - O c t 2 0

During this day Kenyans celebrate the memory of JomoKenyatta, considered the founding father of the nation ofKenya, as well as all the freedom fighters of their country.He was a visionary leader, brave and intelligent man wholed Kenyans through their fights against British colonial-ist. These efforts led to a free and independent Kenya.

HistoryJomo Kenyatta (20/10/1894 – 22/08/1978), from the eth-nic group of the Kikuyu, received the name of Kamau waNgengi when he was born in the village of Ngenda. Aftera common beginning of life, Kenyatta entered into politicsin 1924, following the ideas of leaders from the KCA(Kikuyu Central Association). He founded a newspaperin Kenya, the Reconciler, as well as wrote several articlesfor British newspapers about the KCA. He studied and lived in London from 1934 to 1945, when he returned toKenya. He started as a teacher in a college and gradually lifted himself through the ranks of politics in colonizedKenya. He remained in jail, from 1951 to 1962, due to his alleged membership with a radical anti-colonial movement.Even so, he was cherished and loved by Kenyans, who demanded his release with a petition of over one million sig-natures. In 1963 he became prime minister of the autonomous Kenyan government, still under the rule of the BritishCrown. After independence, he remained as prime-minister and on 1964 he became President when he successfullyhad Parliament amend the Constitution to make Kenya a republic. He was re elected President several times, untilhis death in 1978. His face still adorns Kenyan currency notes and coins of all denomination.

TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIESThis day is occasioned by the President’s speech and military parade across the Provincial and District Headquartersin Kenya. Besides Nairobi where the president is scheduled to address the Nation, the other similar meetings areaddressed by the Provincial District Commissioners the same day. All over the world there are celebrations of expa-triate Kenyans, who in this way join their country brothers, rejoicing in the liberation and independence of Kenya.

Revolution DayG u a t e m a l a - O c t 2 0

This public holiday commemorates the almost bloodlessdemocratic revolution of 1944 when discontented univer-sity and military leaders overthrew the military dictatorJorge Ubico y Castaneda.Near the end of World War II, Guatemalans had beenruled by a harsh dictator for over a decade. In the springof 1944, a coalition of teachers, skilled workers and stu-dents decided to put an end to the dictatorship, fuelledby the dream of four freedoms: freedom of speech, free-dom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom fromfear.

HistoryAs a first act of defiance, the teachers demanded higherwages and refused to march in an annual Teachers DayParade scheduled for June 30, 1944. On June 29, sev-eral non violent protests gathered in the capital’s centralsquare, the dictator responded with the cavalry and killed 200 persons. These became martyrs, which sparked abroad general strike that paralyzed the country and forced Ubico to surrender power to his generals. Alejandro Cor-dova, a famous Guatemalan journalist, wrote several articles against the government and gave a powerful speechbefore being assassinated. This gave even more strength to the revolutionary movement among Guatemalans.Ponce called a free election, as if presenting himself as democratic.Dr. Juan Jose Arevalo Bermejo living in exile in Argentina, came back to Guatemala to run against Ponce, who or-dered his immediate arrest. After all, Ponce was forced to run to Mexico on October 22 due to an armed revolt ledby Major Francisco Arana and Captain Jacobo Arbenz, known as the October Revolutionaries. Free elections weresoon held and Arevalo won the elections. This started what is called The Ten Years of Spring, a period of free speechand political activity, proposed land reform, and a perception that great progress could be made in Guatemala.

TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIESThe day is marked by massive protests (sometimes with tens of thousands of participants and sometimes lastingmore than one day) by unions, farmers, teachers and human rights organizations who still seek the truth about thedesaparecidos (vanished), more than 200.000 victims of the Guatemalan civil war. Several speakers take the stageto voice out Guatemalans discontent about current national issues. Besides these there are loud celebrations withmusic and more, centring on the Plaza Mayor in Guatemala City. Guatemalans are fond of setting off fireworks, andthis is no exception. Government tolerates and promotes the day as a good stress reliever for citizens, who the nextday returns to their daily lives.

HUNGARYJoint press briefing held in Berlin by Viktor

Orbán and German Chancellor Angela Merkel(Online 11 Oct)After talks withH u n g a r i a nPrime MinisterViktor Orbán,German Chan-cellor AngelaMerkel saidthat she wel-comes the factthat the Hun-garian govern-ment isfollowing theE u r o p e a nCommission'sguidance onrecent con-tested issues;Viktor Orbánsaid that afterweaker per-formance in2012, Hun-gary's econ-omy will turnthe corner next year.The Hungarian Prime Minister saidthat the Fidesz government is prepar-ing new economic action plans. Thenext two or three years will not seehigh levels of economic growth, andencouraging employment alongsidepoor growth will be the Government'sbiggest ‘professional challenge’.Concerning bilateral ties, both partieshighlighted close economic relationsbetween the two countries and thesignificance of German investmentsin Hungary. Viktor Orbán said that 1,2

million Hungarians depend economi-cally on German companies, so whatis good for the German economy isalso good for the Hungarian econ-omy.The German chancellor welcomedthe fact that ‘the Hungarian govern-ment is following the European Com-mission's guidance on recentcontested issues.’ She pointed outthat Hungary has made progress interms of reaching agreement with theEuropean Union, adding that theHungarian government has consid-

ered the criti-cisms from itsEuropean part-ners andamended con-tested legisla-tion.She also saidthat the euro'ssuccess was offundamenta lsignificance toEU memberstates outsidethe eurozone,the expansionof which wouldagain be put onthe agendaafter consolida-tion. She statedthat it is under-standable thatHungary is notcurrently en-gaged in adopt-

ing the single currency, and thatViktor Orbán had ‘never opposed’ eu-rozone reforms. The HungarianPrime Minister confirmed this, butstated that Hungary would like to in-troduce the euro only when it offerspositive prospects again and thecountry is prepared for it.Chancellor Merkel regarded as con-structive and useful the dialogue shehad with the Hungarian prime minis-ter on the economy, voting rights andthe media. She said this aided clarifi-cation of these issues.

Photo: Barna Burger

The Govt will announce action plansaimed at the lower middle class in 2013

(Online 12 Oct) On Kossuth publicradio station today the Hungarianprime minister confirmed that actionwill be taken in support of the lowermiddle class next year, adding thatHungary is not far from coming to a‘good agreement’ with the Interna-tional Monetary Fund.Viktor Orbán said that new develop-ments related to the IMF talks on fi-nancial assistance should beexpected after general meetingshave taken place in Tokyo. He added that Hungary is more seri-ous and in a stronger condition thanit was at the time of the previousagreement, and so it intends to strikea good deal with the organisation; herestated that, in line with earlier state-ments, Hungary will use assistancefor government debt reduction.

He also confirmed that in 2013 theGovernment would announce actionplans aimed at the lower middleclass. It has been argued that thosewho earn between the minimumwage and HUF 220,000 (EUR 770)per month have not yet been able tobreak free from their current predica-ment.The Prime Minister also commentedon his meeting with German chancel-lor Angela Merkel on Thursday. Theirtalks focused mainly on issues touch-ing on the European Union and eco-nomic policy, but the two parties alsodiscussed questions related to elec-tion rights and media regulation.Viktor Orbán said that Angela Merkel,who originates from East Germany,has a good understanding of what ishappening in Central Europe and

empathises with the peoples of thisregion. At the same time he stressedthe sovereignty of both countrieswhich, though naturally interested ineach other, rule out interference ineach other's domestic policies.Hungary and Hungarians are re-spected in Germany and the twostates consider each other equalpartners. He added that over the pasttwo years Germans have invested atotal of 4.7 billion euros in Hungary,and 300,000 Hungarians are em-ployed in German companies.Chancellor Merkel understands theHungarian position that ‘Hungaryshould think about joining the euro-zone only if it presents positive newprospects for the Hungarian econ-omy, and when Hungary is fully pre-pared,’ the Prime Minister said.

Minister Martonyi on developing relationsbetween Hungary and Southeast Asia

(Online 12 Oct) Foreign MinisterJános Martonyi asserted that rela-tions between the EU and ASEANwere developing laudably, and sowere relations between Hungary andthe ASEAN.At the international conference on ex-ploring the opportunities for furthercooperation between Hungary andthe Southeast Asian region, held inBudapest, on October 11-12, theHungarian Foreign Minister declaredthat Hungary arrived at a turningpoint because significant political andeconomic changes had been taking

place globally, and each country hadto respond to these challenges.Minister Martonyi pointed out thatHungarian foreign policy had beenexpanding through a „Global Open-ing”, an important element of whichwas „Eastern Opening”. The impor-tance of Eastern opening wasdemonstrated by that the GeneralSecretary of ASEAN, Surin Pitsuwan,was invited to give a presentation atthe Hungarian Ambassadors’ AnnualConference at the end of August.Minister Martonyi stated that the EUhad been conducting free trade talks

with several ASEAN member states,and Hungary supported these talks. More than 120 government officials,businessmen and NGO representa-tives from Hungary and the ASEANcountries attended the two-day eventorganized by the Ministry of ForeignAffairs, the Hungarian Investmentand Trade Agency, the BudapestChamber of Commerce and Industry,and the Hungarian Institute of Inter-national Affairs. There was a busi-ness forum held on the second dayof the event at the Hungarian Instituteof International Affairs.

Agreement on international violation fees(Online 12 Oct)From the be-ginning of nextyear Austrian,B u l g a r i a n ,Croatian andHungarian driv-ers will be finedby local police-men if theycommit trafficviolation ineach other’scountries. Ana g r e e m e n twas signed onthis topic bythe four coun-tries’ ministersand deputyministers of in-terior on Thurs-day, inMátraháza dur-ing theS a l z b u r gForum meeting.After the signing ceremony, MinisterPintér stated at the press conference:the European Union wants to ensurethat by 2050 no deaths will occur inroad accidents. One step towardsthis direction is the agreement en-abling a stronger cooperation in roadsafety matters with an emphasis ontaking over and handling public ad-ministration and violation fees in eachother’s countries. The four-partyagreement enables violation feesover 50 euros to be recovered in allsignatory countries. This would meanthat a Hungarian driver cannot roadtraffic offences in Austria, neither canan Austrian driver do the same inHungary without consequences.Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the Austrianfederal Minister of Interior empha-sized that the Salzburg Forum, es-tablished at the turn of the centuryfollowing an Austrian initiative, hasbecome one of the most important fo-rums for public safety cooperation inEurope. Minister Kirigin also agreedthat the Salzburg Forum is a very im-portant cooperation, especially be-cause exchanging information is oneof the biggest challenges for the Eu-ropean Union.

Serbian Prime Minister and Miniter ofInterior Ivica Dacic talked about thefact that countries can only take ac-tion against crime, corruption, illegalmigration and human trafficking bycooperating with each other. TheHungarian and Serbian ministersalso plan to hold a bilateral meetingon human trafficking.Bulgarian Deputy Prime MinisterVeselin Vuchkov mentioned as an ex-ample that in his country due to thealigned actions in the past threeyears the number of the victims ofroad accidents have decreased sig-nificantly. At the same time he ex-pressed his hope that the signedagreement will improve road safetyeven more in the EU.European Commissioner for HomeAffairs Cecilia Malmström also partic-ipated at the event and stated thatthe forum is not a competition for jointEuropean cooperation but rather agreat example that integration can bedeepend through regional initiativesas well.On the margin of the meeting Hun-garian Minister of Interior Sándor Pin-tér and Croatian Deputy Minister ofInterior Nebojsa Kirigin signed anagreement on the operation of the

Danube LawEnforcementCoordinat ionCenter. Accord-ing to thisagreement alaw enforce-ment coordina-tion center willbe establishedin Mochács, inorder tostrengthen thesecurity ofwater trafficand take ac-tions againstcrime. MinisterPintér said thatit will be a jointCroatian-Hun-garian check-point withshared crewand expressedhis hope that

Serbia will join the operation as well.As a continuation of Salzburg Forumon Friday the eighth meeting of theMinisterial Committee of Police Co-operation Convention for SoutheastEurope will take place, under SerbianPresidency. The committee includesAlbania, Austria, Bosnia and Herze-govina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary,Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro,Romania and Serbia. The main is-sues will be illegal migration andhuman trafficking. Hungary, as thenewest member of the Conventionwill address the participants.The Salzburg Forum includes theMinisters of Interior of Austria, Bul-garia, Croatia, the Czech Republic,Hungary, Poland, Slovakia andSlovenia. Its aim is to strengthen re-gional cooperation in the field of in-ternal security and to improve therepresentation of EU interests.The participants discussed the secu-rity of the Schengen region, the fi-nancing of the interior affairs relatedissues of the 2014-2020 EU budget,and the importance of combating or-ganized crime with a special empha-sis on creating legal regulation inorder to confiscate unlawfully ac-quired property.

Photo: Károly Árvai

Excellent Hungarian results at theEuropean Skil ls Competit ion

(Online 11 Oct) At the weekend theEuropean Skills Competition foryoung skilled workers was held inSpa-Francorchamps in Belgium (Eu-roSkills 2012). At the event organizedby the Hungarian Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (MKIK) the Hun-garian team has achieved its bestever result by winning 5 gold, 1 silverand 5 bronze medals. This excellentperformance placed Hungary as thefifth most successful among the 24participating countries.Among the best of their skill in Eu-rope was building joiner ZoltánÓnodi, cabinetmaker Gábor Berkes,

the Information and communicationtechnologies team of János Csőke,Kristóf Kreszán and Sándor Zeke,the Mechatronics team of LászlóLosonczy and István Ullrich as wellas the Woodcraft Technology team ofÁdám Sárvári, Gábor Berkes andZoltán Ónodi.A silver medal has been awarded tothe Hungarian Floristry team andbronze medals have been bestowedon teams in the categories of Hair-dressing, Maintenance cleaning,Waiter, Carpentry and Cook&Serve. The Ministry for National Economy isproud to be the sponsor of this ex-

traordinary team. We congratulate tothe wonderful results for team leaderBalázs Fekete, the competitors andtheir coaches and wish further greatprofessional achievements!More than 400 young competitorslearning a skill have participated inEuroSkills 2012 in 44 crafts. Theachievement of the Hungarian teamwhich entered the competition with20 participants in 11 categories is es-pecially remarkable as almost eachcompetitor could finish among thefirst three in his/her field.

Public lighting modernisation programme an-nounced with GE launching LED lamp production

(Online 12 Oct) Speaking on Fridayat a joint press conference with StateSecretary for Foreign Affairs and Ex-ternal Economic Relations Péter Sz-ijjártó, Phil Marshal, Regional CEO ofGeneral Electrics (GE), said that thisquarter GE Lighting will start produc-ing LED lamps in Nagykanizsa. Mr.Szijjártó also said that the Hungariangovernment will announce a 50-bil-lion-forint public lighting modernisa-tion programme for localgovernments.Mr Marshall said that lighting tech-nologies in Hungary have a 116-yearhistory, and for this reason GE alsoconsiders it a great opportunity to es-tablish its European and global cen-tres here, with Nagykanizsa alsobeing well-placed logistically. StateSecretary Szijjártó stated that the Eu-ropean economic crisis is continu-

ously challenging the European andHungarian economies and exertingpressure on local and internationalcompanies to innovate. He also saidthat the Government made a deci-sion at the beginning of its term to putemphasis on production and employ-ment. R + D and innovation play akey role in protecting existing jobs,creating new ones and stimulatingeconomic growth.State Secretary Szijjártó said that forGE’s investment, Hungarian engi-neering knowledge combined withGE’s network and capital have cre-ated a new opportunity. He an-nounced that after hearing of GE’sintention to invest, the Hungariangovernment had decided to provide50 million forints for local govern-ments to make public lighting moreenergy efficient.

Zoltán Vámos, Lighting TechnologyGeneral Manager at GE, said thatfifty years ago, almost to the day, oneof GE’s engineers discovered thepossibility of LED lighting; today al-most every form of lighting can beprovided through this technology. MrVámos stated that more than fifty en-gineers are working in R +D in thecompany’s units in Nagykanizsa, Za-laegerszeg and Budapest, and morethan a hundred people are employedin the production phase. He addedthat the current group of 2,000 Hun-garian suppliers will be expanded toinclude twenty more companies. TheLED lamps and outdoor luminairesbeing produced at Nagykanizsa willbe exported to European, MiddleEastern and African regions.

H u n g a r y c o n g r a t u l a t e s t h e G e o r -g i a n s o n t h e E l e c t i o n s 2 0 1 2

(Online 11 Oct) Hungary congratu-lates the Georgian people for the par-liamentary elections on 1 October2012, which is widely considered asfree and fair and despite minor irreg-ularities reflects the will of the Geor-gian voters. Hungary commends thehigh level of participation, the profes-sional and transparent administrationand the peaceful transition of Gov-ernment. These elections manifestedGeorgia’s commitment to the coun-try’s democratic development and setan example for other countries in the

region and in the wider Eastern Eu-ropean area.Hungary fully aligns herself with theJoint Statement of 2 October 2012 byEU High Representative CatherineAshton and Commissioner ŠtefanFüle on the results of Georgia’s par-liamentary elections and congratu-lates the Georgian Dream coalitionon its election victory. Hungaryshares the view that both responsiblegovernment and constructive opposi-tion are essential parts of a function-ing democratic society and calls on

all representatives elected to the newParliament to work together in the in-terests of Georgia. Hungary calls onGeorgia's political leaders to basetheir future actions on full compliancewith the current constitutional frame-work.Hungary joins other Members of theEuropean Union and looks forward tocontinued close cooperation withGeorgia both in the European frame-work and bilaterally. Hungary is readyto provide further support for theEuro-Atlantic aspirations of Georgia.

Cséfalvay spoke about the importanceof financial stability in Brussels

(Online 11 Oct) Minister of StateZoltán Cséfalvay of the Ministry forNational Economy identified financialstability as a precondition of growthon Thursday at a conference on theEuropean situation held in Brusselswhich was organized by Friends ofEurope, an independent think tank.Minister of State for Economic Strat-egy Zoltán Cséfalvay spoke aboutthe importance of financial stabilityand structural reforms adding that fi-nancial stability does not necessarilyrequire austerity measures. “Finan-cial stability has been a preconditionof everything, among them ofgrowth,” he stated. As he argued, re-form measures initially have a reces-sionary impact and they cangenerate growth only in 3-4 yearsand the key question is how to pullthrough this period. The Minister ofState said, the model of social marketeconomy has been reasonable but asocial market economy financed fromdebt, ridden by debt and generating

debt is a failure. Minister of StateEnikő Győri of the Ministry of ForeignAffairs was also among the speakersof the conference. Participants of theconference have sought answers forissues such as whether the gap be-tween the rich and the poor haswidened due to austerity measures,whether the right balance could bestruck between fiscal constraint andgrowth, how large a threat this gapimposes on the future of the EU andwhether governments are capable ofstimulating enterprises and innova-tion amidst the recession. As the Min-ister of State explained fiscaladjustment is not the same as struc-tural reform. According to his assess-ment, it has to be acknowledged atlast that regarding reforms there is athree-speed instead of a two-speedEurope: some core countries, whichhave implemented reforms over thepast decade, are successful andcompetitive while the countries fromCentral and Eastern Europe carried

out reforms in the past 20 yearswhich were sudden from a historicperspective and thereby these coun-tries have undergone profound trans-formation. In contrast, in SouthernEuropean countries the pace reformhas been extremely slow.On Wednesday Minister of StateCséfalvay participated at the sessionof the Competitiveness Council of EUmember countries where an agree-ment was concluded upon the regu-lations which serve as the basis ofhow projects financed by the Horizon2020 framework programme aimedat stimulating research and innova-tion can be joined in the 2014-2020EU budget period.According to EU expert diplomats,this is a tremendous issue as it pro-vides an overview of financial oppor-tunities until the end of the decadewhich member countries may utilizewhen they apply for EU funding of re-search projects.

Hungary plans to reduce the num-ber of troops in Afghanistan

(Online 11 Oct) Next year the num-ber of Hungarian troops serving inAfghanistan will be reduced signifi-cantly, Hungarian Minister of DefenceCsaba Hende told journalists onWednesday, October 10 in Brusselsafter the NATO Defence Ministers re-viewed the process of transition inAfghanistan at their meeting.The aim of this process is to enablethe NATO-led International SecurityAssistance Force (ISAF) to completeits mission and withdraw its combatforces from the Central Asian countryby the end of 2014. ISAF will imple-ment the transition gradually, handingover the main responsibility for main-taining security to the Afghan govern-mental forces province by province.The Minister of Defence remindedthat the government of Hungary re-cently made a decision by which theHungarian Defence Forces under-take to assume the Force Protectionduties at Kabul International Airportfor six months as of October 1 thisyear and to operate their ProvincialReconstruction Team (PRT) with areduced staff in Afghanistan until nextMarch. However, considering that therelevant province in NorthernAfghanistan has already beenhanded over partially to the Afghanauthorities and its transition is still inprogress, this provincial reconstruc-tion activity will be brought to an endtoo, the Minister said.Minister Hende pointed out that overthe last six years the Hungarian sol-diers and specialists have createddozens of schools and clinics, builtbridges and drilled more than 40wells in Afghanistan. Hungary contin-ues to conduct its training missions,among which the most notable ones

are the two helicopter training teams.The Air Advisory Team and the AirMentor team are training Afghan pi-lots and aircraft maintenance techni-cians for the Mi-17 and Mi-35 typesat two different locations in the coun-try.The role of the Hungarian Opera-tional Mentoring and Liaison Team(OMLT) – which is operated jointlywith the United States’ Ohio NationalGuard – will also be transformed.Since 2009, they had been assistingthe training of an Afghan battalionwhich was recently declared “combatready” in NATO’s system of certifica-tion, so the Hungarian soldiers’ expe-rience in this field is no longerneeded. With reduced numbers, theOMLT will redeploy to Mazar-e-Sharifwhere it will assist an Afghan divisionwith the staff planning tasks.At the same time, Hungary is goingto increase the number of SpecialForces personnel in Afghanistan. Allin all, in 2013 there will be a signifi-cant reduction in the number of Hun-garian troops in Afghanistan, MinisterHende said. At the press conference closing theDefence Ministers Meeting, NATOSecretary General Anders Fogh Ras-mussen told the press that they hadnot yet reached a decision as to thetroops level of the new internationalmission in Afghanistan which is dueto start after the ISAF withdrawal in2014 and will focus on giving trainingand assistance to the Afghan forces.The Defence Ministers also reviewedanother important NATO-led opera-tion, the KFOR mission in Kosovo.They concluded that the security sit-uation and freedom of movement inKosovo have improved in the recent

period, but NATO should “remain vig-ilant”. Last year, there was still wide-spread unrest in Northern Kosovo,which is mainly populated by Serbs.By way of example, Minister Hendenoted that the Serbs living there hadformerly set up some 20 road blocksbut today there is only one of these.“The level of tension is substantiallylower and this requires a smallertroop presence”, the Minister of De-fence said. According to him, this iswhy there may be changes in the useof reserve forces at the end of theyear. At the closing press conference Sec-retary General Rasmussen notedthat NATO had postponed the furtherreduction of KFOR troop levels inearlier months due to the renewedtension, adding that no such decisionhad been made at this meeting ei-ther. At the same time, he held outthe prospect of some adjustments torebalance the troop placement of theinternational force deployed inKosovo, with greater emphasis onNorthern Kosovo. At the ministerial meeting MinisterHende said that NATO had selectedthe Hungarian HungaroControl com-pany as the successful applicant formanaging and controlling air traffic inthe airspace over Kosovo, which wasan unresolved issue until now. Thecompany will assume the duties asfrom next March. The Minister of Defence told Hungar-ian journalists that NATO undertookto cover more than 90 per cent of thecosts of setting up the third 3D radarin Hungary, and that it will contributeto the operational costs for 19 years.

PM Orbán inaugurated Central EasternEurope’s largest cattle farm

(Online 10 Oct)Hungary hasone of the bestquality soils inEurope, with-out consider-a b l econtaminationand accompa-nied by a well-b a l a n c e dclimate, thePrime Ministerstated.He empha-sised that in aworld thatneeds to pro-vide for 7 bil-lion people,agriculture in-deed has a fu-ture and workbased on ex-pertise cannotbe replacedwith anything else. Prime MinisterOrbán spoke at the handover cere-mony of a cattle farm establishedfrom 3.5 billion forints as part of the

Bonafarm Group in Csípőtelek. Thefarm is the largest in Central EasternEurope and is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies.At the opening the Prime Minister

praised SándorCsányi, ownerof BonafarmGroup andCEO of OTPBank for invest-ing into agricul-ture and statedthat the Hun-garian Govern-ment believesthat it is possi-ble to establishquality life inthe country-side.In his speechthe HungarianPrime Ministere m p h a s i s e dthat with appro-priate educa-tion, managersand plant con-ditions Hungar-ians are

capable of performing at the highestlevel. Investments such as the one inCsípőtelek show that the country iscapable of more, he added.

Photo: Csaba Pelsőczy

Lower state debt and political stability arekey elements of Hungary’s success

(Online 08 Oct) At the opening ofthe Hungarian Diaspora Council(MDT) in Parliament today, PrimeMinister Viktor Orbán expressed hisoptimism about Hungary’s ability tocontinue its efforts to reduce statedebt and increase its competitive-ness while retaining political stabilityin the next two years.In his speech, the Prime Minister saidthat his government had been autho-rised to implement structural changesto make the country successful.These changes require modern waysof national development, the pillars ofwhich are the reduction of state debt,increasing competitiveness, revers-ing population decline and rebuildingthe community of Hungarians acrossthe world.The Prime Minister added that Hun-gary has a chance to continue its ef-forts to reduce state debt andincrease its competitiveness while re-

taining political stability in the nexttwo years. He also said that ratherthan succumbing to self-pity, Hungar-ians should utilise the “vital force of adeeply felt sense of loss”.According to the Prime Minister, achapter of European history hasbeen closed and competitivenesscannot be guaranteed anymore withthe same tools. He represents a dif-ferent understanding of Europe andbelieves that the next era would bebased on efforts to reinforce the fam-ily and on a “renaissance of nations.”Consequently, he mentioned that at-tacks on Hungary rooted in a differentinterpretation of European culture.On the subject of Hungary's negativedemographic tendencies, the PrimeMinister said that “a communitywhich is unable to maintain itself bio-logically is not able to support its ownsystem either.”Concerning Hungary's talks with the

International Monetary Fund, PrimeMinister Viktor Orbán said that “eventhough we would like to come to anagreement with the IMF, everybodyagrees that Hungary would not havefinancing problems even without thedeal.”He added that improving the situationof the lower middle class is a majortask for the Cabinet, thus it shouldlaunch family, housing and labourschemes for them as political stabilitycould only be built on a broad middleclass.The Hungarian Diaspora Council isholding a two-day session in Bu-dapest, to register Hungarian memo-rials and items of value around theworld in the framework of the Ju-lianus programme. The Council wasfounded in November 2011 with theaim to get adequate attention in na-tional politics.

Foreign Minister János Martonyi MeetsIndian IT Minister in Budapest

(Online 08 Oct) A delegationheaded by Telecommunications andIT Minister Sachin Pilot representedIndia at the international CyberSpace Conference in Budapest, Oc-tober 4-5, 2012. Foreign MinisterJános Martonyi had bilateral discus-sions with the Indian Minister at theevent on October 5.The Hungarian Foreign Minister em-phasized that Hungary greatly appre-ciated India’s active role in theinternational dialogue concerning

global cyber security. Minister SachinPilot spoke approvingly about the in-vestment experience of Indian ITcompanies in Hungary, and hepointed out that there were still op-portunities to be developed in the co-operation between the two countries.The income of the world-leading ITsector in India is estimated to bearound 100 billion US dollars thisyear. Most of the large Indian IT com-panies, like Tata Consulting Services,WIPRO, Cognizant, Satyam-Mahin-

dra, are present in Hungary, whichdemonstrates that both the highlyqualified workforce and thefavourable economic environment inHungary meets the high expectationsof the Indian companies.It is an important goal of the Hungar-ian side that Indian IT firms, such asInfosys, which are not present yet,take into account Hungary as a po-tential investment target.

Three billion forints in projects for de-velopment of public administration

(Online 08 Oct) Development wortharound three billion forints is currentlyunder way in local public administra-tion. State administration, govern-ment offices and customer servicepoints are preparing for furtherchanges and developments.The Ministry of Public Administrationand Justice is coordinating the reali-sation of projects worth 2.1 millionforints in the organisational develop-ment of government offices, 500 mil-lion forints in development of work oncustomer services and 300 millionforints on service provision at re-gional offices. The developmentshave been made possible throughEU funds.The Government is implementing themost comprehensive public adminis-tration reform for twenty years. One

of the most important areas of reor-ganisation is the restructuring of re-gional public administration, withinwhich one of the most importantphases was the formation of countyand Budapest government officesand the opening of so-called ‘govern-ment windows’ in January 2011. Cur-rently there are a total of twenty-ninegovernment customer service pointsor government offices across thecountry at which around half a millionpeople have already received assis-tance in dealing with their official af-fairs. There are plans to increase thenumber of locations for governmentwindows to 300 by 2014, which willmean that citizens throughout thewhole country will have much betteraccess to assistance in dealing withtheir official matters. The number of

matters which can be dealt with at theoffices will increase to more than twothousand. In each location, thanks tothe ‘one window’ approach, regionaloffices (and district offices in the cap-ital) will help to simplify dealing withofficial matters and increase accessi-bility for citizens – particularly thoseliving in the countryside.In addition to changes in the legisla-tive environment, there is great needfor organisational developments as-sisting the changes in local public ad-ministration and the development ofnew task allocation and service-cen-tred public administration which iscompletely committed to the needs ofcitizens. This goal is served by theprojects currently being launched.

Foreign Minister János MartonyiSays Hungary’s Place is in NATO

(Online 08 Oct) Hungary’s placewas in NATO, in the Trans-Atlanticfamily, said Foreign Minister JánosMartonyi. He added that „though theworld keeps changing, our values re-main the same, and NATO is essen-tially a community of values.”The Hungarian Foreign Minister de-clared, at a conference organized bythe Hungarian Atlantic Council on thetwentieth anniversary of its founda-tion, that Hungary could be secure inan alliance where there was trust andagreement among the members andwhere they could count on eachother. This means that Hungary’splace in NATO today and for thedecades to come. János Martonyipointed out that the power and soli-darity of NATO Allies was the founda-

tion of Hungary’s security. Regardingthe Hungarian Atlantic Council, heclaimed that it remained a relevantand important organization becauseit represented the values that hadbeen affirmed since Hungary joinedNATO, and those values must be de-fended when doubts or objectionsare raised against them. Minister of Defense Csaba Hendestated that in the present situation ofeconomic crisis and decreasing de-fense budget, it was even more im-portant to disseminate the views ofEuroatlantic integration.US Ambassador Eleni TsakopoulosKounalakis claimed that there wasmore need for the cooperationamong NATO members than everbefore. She declared that coopera-

tion in enhancing international secu-rity was one of the most importantareas of American-Hungarian bilat-eral relations, and that Washingtonhighly appreciated the contributionmade by Budapest. Karl Lamers, the President of theNATO Parliamentary Assembly andthe Deputy Chairman of the DefenseCommittee of the German Parlia-ment, pointed out that NATO wasfighting for peace and the rule of law,and Hungary as a member of the Al-liance had contributed to interna-tional security. He claimed thatHungary took part in NATO missionsall over the world, and thus promotedstability in those regions.

HDP will further put emphasis on strength-ening of Hungarian youth identity

(Online 12 Oct) The HungarianDiaspora Council held a regularconference at the beginning of thisweek. The Council welcomed itsnew members declaring that theyare open for wider and deeper co-operation. The Hungarian DiasporaCouncil was founded in November,2011.According to its statue of founda-tion the Hungarians living in dias-pora – 20 years after the regimechange – will get adequate atten-tion in national policy. The Councilis the common forum of organiza-tions related to Hungarians livingworldwide that advocates theclaims and interests of them. TheCouncil also endeavours to enablethe diaspora community self repre-sentation. During the conferencevarious organizations, state andparty officials were present. Beside its other activities the organ-izations belonging to the Hungarian

Diaspora Council will have a mean-ingful role in promoting Hungary’sfavourable image worldwide. Thediaspora organizations will bebriefed on a daily basis by FerencKumin, Deputy State Secretary forInternational Communications Of-fice in the Prime Minister’s Office.Through this activity the Interna-tional Communications Office willbe able to reach out around theworld contributing to the restorationof the country’s credibility judge-ment.In the closing document of the con-ference the members of the Councildeclared that they support the con-sulates’ advising activity related tothe citizenship application processand popularization of different citi-zenship issues. The participantsalso greeted the newly launchedJulianus program aimed at makinga complete registry about the Hun-garian heritages worldwide includ-

ing buildings, artifacts, plaques,streets, libraries, archives and mu-seums.The Hungarian Diaspora Councilsupports the voting process via let-ter of Hungarians living abroad. Re-ferring to the process Zsolt SemjénDeputy Prime Minister stated thatthe potential voters have to registerfor voting, then they receive the en-vlopes with party lists. Conse-quently, the members of theHungarian diaspora will be able tovote in the easiest way.According to the closing documentthe Hungarian Government specif-ically counts on Hungarian commu-nities living in diaspora along withtheir accumulated intellectual po-tential and cultural heritage in orderto strengthen the appreciation andcompetitiveness of Hungariansaround the world.

H u n g a r y W e l c o m e s t h e 2 0 1 2E n l a r g e m e n t P a c k a g e

(Online 12 Oct) Hungary welcomesthat the Enlargement package, pre-sented by the European Commissionon 10 October confirmed progress inalmost all countries aspiring to jointhe European Union.Acknowledging the achievementsand defining the further tasks willcontribute to keeping the impetus ofthe enlargement process and the

issue of enlargement on the agendaeven during the debate about the fu-ture of Europe. The Commission’s package has de-fined the enlargement strategy forthe coming period and has assessedthe advancement of the candidatecountries and of the potential candi-date countries in their process of in-tegration. We fully agree with the

Commission putting the focus on thequestions of rule of law and goodgovernance, on the importance of re-gional cooperation and reconciliation,– which includes the issue of minorityprotection – and on economic plan-ning coordinated with directions ofcrisis management in the EU.

High Priority Assigned to Southern Stream(Online 12 Oct) The Hungarian Govern-ment declares every public administrationauthority case priority that is in relation tothe implementation of projects linked to theconstruction and regular operation of theSouthern Stream natural gas pipeline’s229 km Hungarian section.The government decree to be publishedsoon specifies the project as having out-standing significance in the national econ-omy and determines the general andspecialised authorities to proceed in the

first and second instances. Thus prepara-tory work may become simpler and can beaccomplished within a shorter timeframe.Hungary’s options to purchase gas arephysically limited, therefore the Govern-ment analyses every infrastructure devel-opment concepts in effect and supportsthem if justified. The objective set in theNational Energy Strategy is to increase thenumber of sources and routes of purchase.The Southern Stream, under planning,may also be an important means of diver-

sification. The pipeline may deliver gasfrom Russia on an alternative route to-wards the Central European Region, thusincreasing the safety of energy supply tothe area.In order to increase the gas purchase op-portunities, in May 2010 the Nabuccopipeline, and in November 2011 the Hun-garian-Slovakian interconnector, part of theNorth-South Energy Corridor were officiallyassigned high priority.