Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, October 1st uh City Council meeting.

Um, I will let the record reflect it is 6 41 p.m.

Uh all of my colleagues are here to my right and to my left.

Uh, and I will uh look to my colleagues and entertain a motion for approval of our agenda.

Second.

All right, we have a motion by Councilmember Arnold, the second by Councilmember Neville.

Any further discussion on our agenda?

All right, seeing not all in favor, please say aye.

Opposed, abstain.

All right, motion carries 5 0, and we have an agenda for this evening.

Uh, starting off this evening, item one, we have ceremonial presentations.

We have four presentations here this evening, uh, as is customary.

But um, each council member uh up here will read one of the proclamations.

We'll invite uh whoever is here from that organization up to the lectern uh to say a few words, or whoever happens to be with your group, please feel free to come up, uh say a few words, and then we'll roll to the next proclamation.

After we're done with proclamations, we will invite uh everyone who is here to receive a proclamation to come up to the lectern.

Uh the city council will come down, all of us will come down uh for a brief photo op.

We'll take a um a photo uh in the order uh that the proclamations were read here this evening.

And then uh this evening, um, something that's a little bit different, uh, given it's our 50th anniversary here at the city for our curbside recycling program.

We're gonna take a short uh 10 to 15 minute recess uh and head um outside for there's some cupcakes and drinks and things like that, and then we will um come back and uh start our uh regular meeting with item number two.

So um with that, I'm going to um start uh with proclamation.

Our first proclamation is proclamation recognizing October 24th as United Nations Day, and Vice Mayor Weitler is going to uh present that one.

Thanks, Mayor Chapman.

2024 marks the 79th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations since the Charter came into force on October 24th, 1945.

On the 79th United Nations Day, we strongly reaffirm the inherent humanity that unites us and renew our continued commitment to creating a future that ever more effectively advances peace, dignity, and security for all humanity, with a strong emphasis on youth participation.

To celebrate United Nations Day, the Davis chapter will present a program focused on the global and local aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals on October 27th.

Uh 3 p.m.

Is that correct?

There's 3 p.m.

at the International House.

And we'll highlight this year's 76th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 8th, also at the International House.

Now, therefore, we, the Davis City Council, on behalf of the citizens of Davis do hereby proclaim that October 24th, 2024 be celebrated as United Nations Day in Davis, and that the United Nations flag be flown at the City Hall in recognition of the occasion.

And to receive this proclamation, we have Lale Rastigar Zade, supported by UNA Davis board members Edgar Trujillo and Verena Borden.

Feel free to come on up.

Welcome to the United States.

Established in our community many decades ago.

The United Nations Association of the USA, herein I refer to as a UNA, is a movement of Americans dedicated to supporting the United Nations with over 20,000 members, which 60% of them are under the age of 26.

And more than 200 chapters across the country, with many more UNA chapters around the world.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to say a few words about the United Nations.

This month, we celebrate the 79th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.

Over the past eight decades, the United Nations has undertaken numerous peacekeeping missions, provided humanitarian aids, facilitated conflict resolutions, and established standards for human rights.

It has led global health initiatives and promoted education, science, culture, and communication, fostering cultural exchange and cooperation.

Additionally, the United Nations has developed the 17 sustainable development goals to address critical global challenges such as poverty, inequality, and climate change.

Despite this significant achievements, many people worldwide feel helpless and hopeless in the face of relentless atrocities, humanitarian crisis, and escalating global challenges.

Nevertheless, the United Nations remain our vital platform for diplomacy, enabling nations to engage in dialogue that can pave the way for peaceful resolutions.

Why do we have a Davis UNA chapter?

To unite our community to learn about, commemorate and support the goals, principles, and programs of the United Nations, as well as to try to interpret some of the challenges faced by the United Nations.

That includes the critically important interrelated 17 sustainable development goals.

While we celebrate the achievements of the United Nations, we recognize the importance of collaboration among all nations on this international platform to uphold and enforce the rule of law for the benefit of all nations by all nations.

We strive to empower our community to think globally and act locally.

In years past, Davis Elementary School students were actively involved in campaigns to raise funds for UNICEF to bring life-saving support to their less fortunate peers around the world.

Children in customs used to regularly accompany this council event and start their collecting here.

As a result of the pandemic, UNICEF has moved the this action online, and you will no longer see that iconic orange trick or treat for UNICEF boxes at your door on Halloween.

Our chapter however maintained a special bank account designated for UNICEF donation and gratefully accepts donations.

As supporters of the United Nations, we have watched the current budget negotiations in Congress with a great deal of anxiety because the House of Representatives has threatened to eliminate funding for the United Nations regular budget and slash funding for dozens of programs that foster global peace and security, support global health, and ensure that the U.S.

stays engaged in some of the most important debates of our generation.

By not paying our United Nations dues, the United States would ultimately lose its voting rights in the General Assembly.

Six out of ten Americans believe we should support full funding for the United Nations.

Few critics realize that the total cost of what United States owes the United Nations amounts to less than 0.1% of the federal budget.

The average American pays just 1.86 dollars in taxes each year to cover our country's regular budget dues to the United Nations.

In coming months, the Davis UNA chapter will observe the United Nations Day and the 76th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with free events to which the public is invited.