Indian Civil Aviation Centenary (1911-2011) Commemorative Coin

To view high resolution image, click on the image above

To view high resolution image, click on the image above

The President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil relaesed coins to commemorate 100 years of Civil Aviation in India, in the presence of Maharashtra Governor, K Sankarararayanan, Union Civil Aviation Minister Vyalar Ravi and President of the International Civil Aviation Organization, Roberto Kobeh Gonzales.

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Indian Civil Aviation is completing 100 years on 18th February, 2011. The year 2011-12 will be declared as the Civil Aviation Centenary Year, starting from 18th February, 2011 and ending on the same date in 2012. On this date in 1911, the first commercial plane flew in India between Allahabad and Naini. Since then, aviation in India has grown from strength to strength. Today, India is the 9th largest civil aviation market in the world and this forward march is likely to culminate in India becoming one of the three largest markets in the world by 2020.

International Year of Forests 2011

To view the high resolution images,  click on the images above

On 13 October 2011, the United Nations Postal Administration issued three mini-sheets of eight stamps to commemorate the International Year of Forests.

The Designs

US$ 0.44 & US$ 0.98 FDC - Trees as Guardians of the Earth 

The stamp series illustrates a magical forest with its indigenous peoples and denizens. Forest people around the world have lived in harmony within these ecosystems. Indigenous art reflects their vision of the spiritual and natural worlds. "Civilized" societies are now aware that trees aid in the prevention of soil erosion, by air and water, and how they serve as natural barriers protecting our cities from harm during natural disasters, while also providing us with clean air. Some believe the earth itself is one living being, some call her Gaia, Mother Earth, Pacha Mama. You and I call her home. The artist has depicted her as a glowing ball of energy deep at our core.

F.s 0.85 & F.s 1.40 FDC - Migration and Purification 

The stamp series showcases forests not only above ground but also underwater, as in the vast kelp forests of the Pacific, in tandem with the subject of migration. Many animals, large and small, not only make their homes in our forests but also use them as way stations on their seasonal travels. Forests serve as points of navigation for birds, butterfl ies and other migratory species who use them to guide their way. Trees also play a vital role in keeping our bodies of water clean.

€ 0.62 & € 0.70 FDC - Pharmacies and Man 

The stamp series is meant to illustrate our forests as untapped pharmacies, where many medicines and botanicals have been discovered. Only a fraction of the world's forests have been analysed before being cut down. Sadly, we are squandering what could be a repository for cures to some of the world's ailments. The image continues in the lower area to depict the duality of man's interdependence with the natural world but also darkly on man imposing his will/shape in its subordination for personal gain.

Special First Day Cancellations

On 13 October 2011, first day cancellations for the "International Year of Forests " stamps were made available at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Palais des Nations, Geneva and the Vienna International Centre as seen in the scanned FDCs' above.

First Day covers for the "International Year of Forests" stamps were made available in the following versions:

Single - a total of three covers, each with one se-tenant of two stamps of the values issued, appropriately cancelled 

Jumbo - a total of three covers, each with one miniature sheet of eight stamps of the values issued, appropriately cancelled Triple - one jumbo size cover with all three se-tenants of two stamps issued, appropriately cancelled New York, Geneva and Vienna

Stamp Specifications

Format: 32 mm horizontally x 40 mm vertically, perforation to perforation 

Perforation: 13 The horizontal sheets of eight stamps measure 200 mm horizontally by 100 mm vertically. There are four se-tenant pairs with two denominations on each sheet. 

The text "International Year of the Forests 2011" appears in the left tab of the sheet. There is also a quote on each sheet by Ralf Waldo Emerson "The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn".


Marginal Inscription 

Each sheet has two marginal inscriptions, one in the top margin and one in the bottom margin. The marginal inscription consists of the United Nations emblem with the text "United" to the left of the emblem and "Nations" to the right of the emblem. The artist's signature appears in the lower right margin and one copyright symbol with the year 2011 appears in the lower left margin.

Printing 

The stamps were printed in offset in hexachrome plus foils by Lowe-Martin Group (Canada).

The Artist

The artist, Sergio Baradat, had the following to say about the stamp designs:

"Creating the IYOF stamp series has been a wonderful experience for me. Having grown up in Miami, Florida, I grew up very close to nature; whether it was snorkeling and developing an early appreciation for aquatic life, climbing mango and tamarind trees with my friends, or joining the Pan American Orchid Society at the age of 14. These experiences have made me very appreciative and respectful of all living things and sentient beings. My wish in creating the imagery for this series was to focus on a few points I thought were simple, but key to our understanding of the vital links that trees and forests provide to life on earth".

About the Issue

Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, 2011 is the International Year of Forests. During this Year, everyone from Governments and the United Nations system, to major groups and other forest-related organizations are coming together to raise awareness on strengthening the sustainable management, conservation and development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations.

United Nations Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon said, "By declaring 2011 as the International Year of Forests, the United Nations General Assembly has created an important platform to educate the global community about the great value of forests - and the extreme social, economic and environmental costs of losing them".

The global observance of the Year comes at a time when there has been a much wider recognition of the role that sustainably managed forests play in everything from mitigating climate change to providing wood, medicines and livelihoods for people around the world.

The world's forests cover one third of the Earth's land surface. Forests help to maintain the fertility of agricultural land, protect water sources and reduce the risks of natural disasters. They provide subsistence and income to about 350 million people who live within or near forests. Close to 1.6 billion people depend to some extent on forests for their livelihood.

Millions of hectares of forests are lost every year due to deforestation and forest degradation which impacts watersheds and habitats and also accounts for up to 20 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

The main theme for the International Year of Forests 2011 is "Forests for People". It highlights the dynamic relationship between forests and the people who depend on them. Everyone of us is connected to forests. Forests contribute to the balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity in the air. Over 40 % of the world's oxygen is produced from rainforests. A tree releases 8 to 10 times more moisture into the atmosphere than the equivalent area of the ocean. Forests protect watersheds which supply fresh water to rivers - a critical source of the water we drink and use in our daily lives.

Healthy forests sustain healthy people. Tropical forests provide a vast array of medicinal plants used in healing and health care. More than a quarter of modern medicines originate from tropical forest plants. Forests curb transmission of infectious diseases. Undisturbed tropical forests can have a moderating effect on the spread of insect- and animal-borne diseases.

Days 1, 2 & 3: Entering the rural heartlands of Bihar + Attempting to cross the border into Nepal + On the Google Internet Bus

I took off from Hyderabad on Saturday for Patna via Delhi. Loved Delhi's new T3 terminal. I would rate it as the second best airport in India after Shamshabad (I guess there is a bit of home state bias here). Flight to Patna was a good 90 minutes late. Finally landed in Patna. I disembarked from the plane and waited for the bus only to realise we have to walk across the tarmac to the terminal. A long time since I have done this at an airport. Once we got into the car, we had to head to the BSNL office in Patna to get some material for the bus. The first BSNL office we went to was the incorrect office and we finally found the correct office and collected the material. Patna is a different city altogether. You cannot make out it is a capital city. Did not see any fancy malls or a single sedan in the city. You see either small cars or mighty SUVs' but not a single sedan. The 'lal batti' cars are just like you see in the movies. The ambassadors have high beam lights on the top and antennas. A truly imposing stance. There seems to be a huge presence of women police in Patna. A lot of chowks were manned by a single male policeman and two policewomen. There was this sight in which a bike wanted to take a turn and a policewomen with a stern look told him to head straight and the driver goes 'yeah hai Bihar ki police.' If only Hyderabad police were as strict!

So now we were headed to Darbhanga. Google Maps showed the place to be 131 kilometres from Patna and so I figured it would be two hours. So you can imagine when my surprise when the driver said the travel would take a good 6 hours! We had to take the Mahatma Gandhi Setu over the Ganges to reach Darbhanga. Popularly known as Ganga Setu, it is the longest single river bridge in the world. As we crossed the Ganges, a river more than 8 kilometres in width, the Ganges was in short, beautiful. A sight to behold. Its just water but the width of the river and something in it just wants to make you stare at it forever. All through the journey over the bridge, I could not take my eyes off the Ganga. Coming back to the bridge, the bridge is made of some sort of suspension technology such that when you go over it and over certain connection sections, you can actually see the bridge move up and down as vehicles go over it. The bridge is under partial renovation and therefore only one lane was active, one of the reasons for the delayed length to Darbhagna. Another reason is that the National Highway was a complete mess. Hence it did take a good 6 hours before we reached Dharbanga. By this time it was around 10pm and we crashed to bed.

The next day was a holiday so we decided to cross the border into Nepal into a town called Janakpur. The most important historical reference to Janakpur is in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Lord Rama's wife Sita Devi (also called Janaki) is said to have been the princess of Videha. There is a famed temple there called the Janaki Mandir and we decided to there for prayers. Now Google Maps showed Janakpur to be only 86 kilometres from Darbhanaga, a short 1 1/2 hours journey, so we were like why not? And so began the unforeseen adventure. As we approached State Highway 75, we were informed that the highway is flooded and cut off. So we had to turn back for a detour. All through the way, we saw sights of flooding due to ongoing heavy rains. Going back to Darbhanga, we decided to take National Highway 75, a much longer route. Half way through, there had been an accident between 2 trucks that had led to the highway being unusable. We then decided to take a detour through plenty of unknown villages to reach a place called Madhubani. From Madhubani we had to take State Highway 52 to take the road to Nepal. The state highways in Bihar are brilliantly maintained. A true testimony to the work Nitish Kumar has done. On the other hand, the national highways can barely be called roads, let alone highways, an example of the sorry state of the Central Government. So we sped along the State Highway all confident of reaching Nepal when suddenly we braked...the road ahead of us was cut off due to flooding....again! There were some armed security personnel along with Government officials surveying the damage. We asked them for an alternate route and they gave us a route via National Highway 104, a highway whose condition is so bad, we were unable to go over 20 kilometres per hour. All you see on National Highways are boards that say, 'Warning: Bridge in a dilapidated condition.' (pic attached). This is the short version. Using Google Maps, we navigated our way through the roads of rural Bihar. By the time we reached the Nepal border, it was 6:30pm. We had left Darbhanga at 10:30am. But we were relived we made it. The first check post was by Indian authorities. While they inspected the vehicles, I chatted with the guards to confirm if the main temple in Janakpur would be still open. They informed me that as it was Dussehra, the temple is open all throughout and in fact it is at night the main festivities and pujas would take place and Dussehra is the best time to be there. So after hearing this I was all pepped up. We approached the Nepal check post and only then did we learn that to cross the border, we needed the original vehicle registration papers to get the border crossing challan and we had only xerox papers with us. Strangely, the Nepal border force said that even though we didn't have the original papers, we could go ahead without registering the vehicle as every one does the same and they wouldn't stop us. However, we didn't want to do any thing unofficial and so chose to head back, much to the surprise of the Nepalese authorities.

As we headed back, we took the help of villagers to head back that saw us traveling on roads non-existent on Google Maps. These roads were not highways but interior village roads and the condition of these roads is praiseworthy. Nitish Kumar has constructed roads made of cement in the most remote areas of Bihar and in Hyderabad we still use tar roads that are far less reliable. As we headed back on these roads, we were cruising through the most rural parts of Bihar. We were surrounded by jungle with no man or vehicle in sight for miles together. It can get a bit scary when you find you are the only ones out there and you know you are in Bihar. However, when we did approach a village, as it is Dussehra, we found the village all decked up and all the villagers out on the street celebrating. The short cut roads saved us a good 4hrs and we reached Darbhanga back at around 11:00pm. The trip was not a waste as it showed me how the real India is living. As we passed villages inundated in floods, people with nothing to live by, you come to realise what a privileged class we are. We always do have that theoretical knowledge but when you see it in real life, it hits you hard.

Monday was our first day with the Google Internet Bus. The Internet Bus Project is an attempt to educate people in rural India about what the Internet is, and how it may be beneficial to their lives, by taking the Internet experience to them through a customised Internet-enabled bus. As I helped people get aware about the internet, the experience was a real eye opener for me. After educating people about the internet, we are to take a survey spanning a couple of questions. One of the questions is that if you have not used the internet so far, why? The answer seems so obvious. When I questioned one woman who had come with her three kids, she was like, I have three kids and getting food is difficult, how can I think about computers? Another old man around 75 years came to visit. He said that the previous regimes kept us so subdued and kept us away from education such that we never realised how the rest of the world has gone ahead. A lot of people when questioned how they would take this learning replied that though not for us, we will make sure our children start learning about the internet. There was this man who came with his two children with a very specific demand, teach my children how to use this internet. There was a teenager who came with an outdated Samsung handset with a request, I want to get Gmail on this phone. It took me some time but I was finally able to retrieve some article that explained me how I could achieve the same on his handset. The man was elated and could not thank me enough. Another incident was when a woman came with her daughter and spend considerable time hearing us out. Post the session, when I asked her how she would now use the internet, she was blank but her daughter of 15 shot back, 'business.' And just 5 minutes back, they didn't know what the internet was.

A man came up to me and said he was a clerk with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). He wanted some information and his superior said the information was confidential. He wanted to file an RTI but was refused the form saying that it is not in stock. He wanted to reach the higher RTI authority. After a lot of searching, I was able to find a PDF document in Hindi that named the officer responsible for RTI applications for the zilla. The man noted the number down and was able to get through. He was very happy and later in the day came back with prasad from a nearby temple and was all praise for the work we were doing and how we were helping uplift the people of the area.

The most heart warming incident was when a blind man came up to the bus and asked us to explain to him about the internet. A couple of people were blank on what to show but I took him into the bus and explained to him every thing I could and told him how on Windows you now had accessibility options that could read out information to you. He later told me he knows that he cannot see, but he wanted to know what the internet is all about. I continued to speak to him to learn his story. He was born blind and in Darbhanga there is a Darbhanga Blind School. He completed his 10th and 12th from there and proceeded to Delhi to become a teacher through a special school for the blind. He came back to Darbhanga and teaches normal school going kids poetry and literature. He has Braille books to enable this. He was very happy with the fact that through a normal computer he could now listen to articles and his one request was that Google invent something that makes the internet accessible in an affordable way for the blind. It just made me so grateful that I had the gift of sight and over here, a man who has been born with such great challenges has gone through so much and even today cares for others.

It has been a great 3 days so far and I am looking to meet many more people in the next 2 days and doing my bit to empower my fellow citizens of the glorious Republic.

Endangered Species 2011

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On 7 September 2011, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued a set of 12 stamps depicting endangered species. These are the nineteenth set of stamps in UNPA's multi-year Endangered Species series. The series was launched on 3 March 1993 to highlight the need for the protection of endangered species throughout the world. This year the endangered species feature endangered birds.

The Designs 
The 44-cent stamps depict the following endangered species: 
Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) 
California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) 
Black-fronted piping-guan (Pipile jacutinga) 
Japanese crane (Grus japonensis)

The F.s.1.00 stamps depict the following endangered species: 
Kakapo (Strigops habroptila) 
Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus) 
Black stork (Ciconia nigra) 
Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)

The € 0.70 stamps depict the following endangered species: 
Red-fronted parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) 
White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) 
Black palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) 
Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)

Further details about each species is located towards the end of this post.

Special First Day Cancellations

On 7 September 2011, first day cancellations for the Endangered Species stamps were available at United Nations Headquarters in New York; the Palais des Nations, Geneva; and the Vienna International Centre as seen in the scanned FDCs' above.

Limited Edition-Special First Day Cover 

To commemorate the 2011 Endangered Species stamp series, a limited edition first day cover in silk has been produced by UNPA. A single stamp, one from each office, is affixed and cancelled, as appropriate, from New York, Geneva or Vienna. The covers are consecutively numbered.

Printing: 

The stamps were printed in offset lithography by Joh. Enschedé Stamps Security Printers B.V. (Netherlands) 

Format: 39.2 mm horizontally x 28.6 mm vertically 

Perforation: 12 ½ x 12 ¾ 

The Designer

The 2011 Endangered Species stamps were designed by Wendy Wray (U.S.A.). After receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dress design from the Art Institute in Chicago, the multi-talented Wendy Wray ran off to Paris for a few years and eventually returned stateside to hang out with the Max's Kansas City/Warhol crew in New York City. Turning her interests towards graphite, and eventually pastel, her trademark work has been heralded for 30 years for its intense details. Ms. Wray most frequently renders intricate images of animals and thoughtful, introspective portraits of people. The peripatetic artist now proudly resides in Denver. These are Ms. Wray's first stamp designs for the United Nations.

Further Details About Each Species

Click on the images below to magnify the description.

ECOSOC - Education

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On 1 July 2011, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued a set of six commemorative stamps on the theme "ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) - Education".

THE DESIGNS

The stamp designs are based on six internationally agreed "Education for All" goals which aim to meet the learning needs of all children and adults by 2015.

The goal calls for better and more possibilities to support young children, their families and communities, in all the areas where the child is growing - physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually.

SPECIAL FIRST DAY CANCELLATIONS

On 1 July 2011, first day cancellations for the "ECOSOC - Education" stamps were made available at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Palais des Nations, Geneva and the Vienna International Centre as seen in the scanned FDCs' above.

STAMP SPECIFICATIONS

Format: 50 mm horizontally x 35 mm vertically, perforation to perforation 
Perforation: 14 ½ x 14 ¼

THE DESIGNER

The stamps were illustrated by Rorie Katz (United Nations) based on photographs which are credited as follows: US$ 0.44 (© UNESCO/Gary Masters); US$ 0.98 (© UNESCO/GMR Akash); CHF 1.00 (UN photo); CHF 1.30 (© UNESCO /Niamh Burke); € 0.62 (© UNESCO/Minesterio de Educación); € 0.70 (© UNESCO/Yannick Jooris).

PRINTING

The stamps were printed in offset by Cartor Security Printing (France).

ABOUT THE ISSUE

Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits. Education is a powerful tool by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and participate fully as citizens. Yet millions of children and adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, many as a result of poverty.

Each year, the Economic and Social Council holds an Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), a vehicle for meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 target date. The 2011 AMR will be held during the High-level Segment of the substantive session of the ECOSOC in July at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The theme for 2011 AMR is "Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to education". There has been tremendous progress towards Universal Primary Education (UPE) during the past decade, especially in developing countries. Limited access to education, high drop-out rates and grade repetition as well as poor quality of education, however, remain important challenges to the full achievement of this goal. At least 72 million children of school age are still denied the right to education due to financial, social or other challenges, including high fertility rates, HIV/AIDS and armed conflict.

The Education for All (EFA) movement is a global commitment to provide basic quality education for all children, youth and adults. The movement was launched at the World Conference on Education for All in 1990. In 2000, the international community met again in Dakar, Senegal, to affirm their commitment to achieving Education for All by the year 2015. They identified six education goals which aim to meet the learning needs of all children and adults by 2015.

The drive to achieve the EFA goals also contributes to the global pursuit of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially MDG2 on universal primary education as well as MDG3 on gender equality in education.

Week 4 & 5: Adventure Caving in Jenolan + Luging in Singapore

The final email of the series. Week 4, I had just one Saturday in Sydney. Monday to Friday was spent at work as usual. Saturday, I headed to the Jenolan caves. These caves are approximately 340 million years old, thereby making this cave complex the world's oldest known and dated open cave system. After a 2 hour train ride from Sydney and another 2 hours by bus, I finally reached Jenolan.

The place has a lot of caves that tourists can visit. But I wanted to do something different and see those caves that other tourists don't go to. So I went for a rope climbing and adventure caving tour. Caving is the recreational pastime of exploring wild (generally non-commercial) cave systems and I had never done this before so wanted to give it a shot. We were first geared up with climbing gear and mining hats. We then proceeded to an area where we had to rope climb down around 100 metres to get to the entrance of the cave. Again, I had never done rope climbing and the rock climbing you do in malls and such is nothing as compared to real life. Unfortunately, I could not get the hang of it and while climbing down, I was unavailable to maintain my feet on the rock and cave surfaces resulting in me sliding down 100 metres of rope causing some serious rope burn to my hands. My hands were having a terrible burn sensation but I wanted to finish the tour and am I glad I did cause the next couple of hours were a lot of fun. 

We climbed and slid over rocks, squeezed through narrow tunnels, holes and crevices deep underground. And when I say narrow, I mean no space to move when crawling through and has to be done exactly in a certain manner. For example, one of the holes, we have to put our left hand in the front, right hand back and then crawl through. Any other way and you get stuck. In another hole, to get through, you had to kneel down then turn away from the hole and then put your legs through and slide down (think super man flying backwards). Now you must be wondering why we just can't do this straight. Because once you slid down backwards, when you reach the bottom, the next hole thats gets you out is towards your right, so you need to be facing it to be able to crawl through it. So if you go sliding down straight, you will find your face facing a dead end and the next hole exit towards the left of the legs and then you will find yourself stuck incapable of turning as there is no space. Most often, there is not enough space in the caves for you to be able to walk and you have to crawl all the way. I enjoyed caving tremendously and would love to do it again. It's a wonderful way to explore the caves nestled deep within mpuntains or underground, caves that have been untouched for millions of years and that no other tourists would visit.

I am glad I could do the above on Saturday. The long 8 hours travel journey was definitely worth it and I think I have done full justice to my weekends in Sydney.

Sunday, I flew out to Singapore and that too in an Airbus A380 for the time ever! I have nothing much to add except for the tick mark that I was fortunate enough to have now traveled in the world's largest passenger aircraft. The plane is the same inside as any other normal passenger aircraft.

Singapore is again a business visit and Monday - Wednesday was spent at work. I am staying on Sentosa island and on Thursday after working till late afternoon, I had so,e time on my hands so I went walking around Sentosa. I visited the 4D theatre which was all right but more importantly, I went luging (which by the way has been an official Olympic sport since 1964). To give some background, a luge is a small one-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Lugers can reach speeds of 140 km per hour.

I was doing luging for the first time and the track at Sentosa lets you slide downhill through sharp curves for 650 metres. First impressions? Luging is so much fun! I had a blast and tried out both the tracks they offered. I really want to go luging in other parts of the world. Its so much fun. Definitely recommend one try it out.

Friday was meant to be my day off but work came up so spent the whole day working. Saturday, I headed out to Universal Studios. The visit was fun and the most exciting ride for me was 'Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride,' which is a closed air roller coaster set in darkness. One thing here. I seem to enjoy roller coasters a lot less now. In the evening, I went to the Lion King musical at Marina Bay Sands. While the performance was great, I do get bored in operas and musicals after the first half. Prefer more action-oriented, suspense operas, musicals. For example, I loved Phantom of the Opera.

Two other points that just hit me: 1) Some parking malls in Sydney have reserved car spots for hybrid vehicles. Pretty cool way to promote hybrids. 2) When coming back from Melbourne, I went to Krispy Kreme to buy a doughnut but did not enough enough change, was around a dollar short. The cashier gave me a discount and let me have the doughnut at a dollar less. Just a pleasant experience so thought I would share it.

Back to India tomorrow. And so ends another memorable visit. Till we meet again!

30 Years of a World Living with AIDS

Add caption

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On 3 June 2011, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued three self-adhesive stamps in a ribbon die-cut shape in mini-sheets of four stamps to recognize 30 years of a world living with AIDS. This is the first time ever that UNPA has issued self-adhesive stamps.

FIRST DAY CANCELLATIONS

On 3 June 2011, special first day handcancellations for the “AIDS” stamps were made available at United Nations Headquarters

in New York; the Palais des Nations, Geneva; and the Vienna International Centre.

The same can be seen in the scanned FDCs' above.

STAMP SPECIFICATIONS

The ribbon die-cut stamps in denominations of 44¢,

F.s.1,30 and € 0,70 measure approximately 22 mm horizontally

by 38 mm vertically.

The horizontal sheets of four stamps measure 108 mm

horizontally by 72 mm vertically and have no marginal

inscriptions. The text in the upper tab of the stamp reads

“30 Years of a World Living with AIDS”. On the ribbon of the

stamp is the text “Protect Yourself” with the denomination

and UN 2011. The text on the upper portion of the sheet

reads “Your post office cares”. On the bottom of the sheet

is the text “To learn more about HIV visit: www.unaids.org/

prevent HIV”. One copyright symbol with the year 2011

appears in the bottom right margin of the sheet.

PRINTING

The stamps were printed in offset by Lowe Martin Group

(Canada).

THE DESIGNER

The stamps were designed by Rorie Katz (United Nations).

SOUVENIR CARD

A souvenir card on the theme “30 Years of a World Living with AIDS” was issued on 3 June 2011. The card depicts the

new stamps and carries a statement by BAN Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director.

A quantity of 17,000 were printed. The souvenir card measures 203 mm by 152 mm.

ABOUT THE ISSUE

The United Nations Postal Administration is part of a global initiative of participating postal administrations around the world who are issuing stamps on the topic of HIV/AIDS in 2011 in order to raise awareness of HIV prevention and to reduce the number of new infections. This initiative was organized by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNI Global Union. For more information, please visit www.unaids.org.

The UN General Assembly has called for a High-level Meeting from 8 to 10 June 2011 to undertake a comprehensive review of the progress achieved in realizing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. The meeting will also promote the continued engagement of leaders in a comprehensive global response to AIDS.

Thirty years into the AIDS epidemic, and ten years since the landmark UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the world will come together to review progress and chart the future course of the global AIDS response.

UNAIDS data show that steady progress is being made towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. New HIV infections have reduced by nearly 20 per cent in the past 10 years. However, stigma and discrimination continue to be obstacles and services do not reach everyone in need. There are still 10 million people waiting for HIV treatment and for every person starting treatment, two others become infected.

The 2011 High-Level Meeting comes at a turning point in the global AIDS response. It will provide a critical opportunity not only to review progress made in addressing the epidemic, but also to identify remaining gaps and challenges and chart the way forward to sustain the response. It will also provide an opportunity to position AIDS firmly in the broader global health and development context, including the Millennium Development Goals.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, BAN Ki-moon, has highlighted the need for global solidarity and partnership at this time. “The 2011 High-Level Meeting on AIDS comes at a pivotal moment in the history of the epidemic. Thirty years into the AIDS response, let us unite for universal access. Let us, once and for all, set the course for zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths”, wrote Secretary-General BAN.

Member States are expected to adopt a new Declaration at the 2011 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS that will reaffirm current commitments and develop new actions to guide and sustain the global AIDS response.