Yearly Archives: 2005
UN Marks 2nd Anniversary of Baghdad Terror Attack
A partial view of the destroyed United Nations headquarters
in Baghdad, that was was destroyed by a truck bomb
on August 19, 2003.
“From its Headquarters in New York to front-line missions in the field, from solemn minutes of silence to impassioned tribute to the fallen, the entire United Nations system marked the second anniversary of the deadly terrorist attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad, one of the darkest days in the world body’s history.
“Our fallen colleagues, taken from us in the prime of their lives, embodied our Organization’s ideals,” Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message. The bombing killed 22 people, including the top UN envoy in Iraq and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Sergio Vieira de Mello, and injured hundreds.
“They were courageous and unstinting in their devotion to helping people in impoverished and war-torn lands build better lives. Their commitment and achievements made all of us proud to work for the United Nations,” he added.
“The question of justice lingers, too, as no-one has been held to account for this crime, offering yet another appalling example of the impunity that so often follows assaults on United Nations personnel around the world, be they peacekeepers, humanitarian workers or others.” [Read more]
News Roundup #47
Selected summary of United Nations related news and events
Civil Society Groups Launch Website to Spur Discussion of 2005 UN World Summit
Ivorian Refugees Find Novel Ways to Survive and Thrive in Liberia
UN Warns of Growing Human Crisis in Somalia
U.S. Gives Additional $26.1 Million to U.N. Refugee Program
Somalia Piracy Warning as New Ship is Hijacked
Annan to Receive Award from Ghana for International Achievements
CNN Founder Turner Wants Nature Park for Koreas’ Demilitarised Zone
Nations Move Ahead in Developing Tsunami Warning System
UN Agency to Sponsor Workshop on Early Marriage in Afghanistan
MTV Special to Follow Actress Jolie to Kenya
“MTV plans to chronicle a visit to poverty-stricken African villages by actress Angelina Jolie on Sept. 14, three months after co-star and off-screen companion Brad Pitt gained notice with a similar ABC special.
The MTV documentary will follow Jolie as she accompanies United Nations adviser and economist Jeffrey Sachs on a trip to Sauri, a remote group of villages in western Kenya where his team is battling hunger and disease, the cable channel said this week.
The 30-minute program, a special episode of MTV’s long-running “Diary” series spotlighting celebrities, will coincide with the opening of a U.N. special summit on goals for improving living standards in developing nations.
The actress, an Oscar winner for “Girl, Interrupted,” has visited U.N. operations around the world as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations’ High Commissioner on Refugees since 2001.” [Read more]
Blog Roundup #41
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Blogicus: “Mike Sackett, the World Food Programme’s Regional Southern African director, has revealed that 8.6 million people in southern Africa need food aid up to harvest in April 2006. Over 4.3 million of these are in Zimbabwe.”
Mercury Rising: “The Next Time Somebody Mentions “The Oil-for-Food Scandal” we should make it a point to bring up this: “Both Republicans and Democrats appeared taken aback by the volume of cash sent to Iraq: nearly $12 billion over the course of the U.S. occupation from March 2003 to June 2004, said a report by Rep. Henry A. Waxman.”
Water Well: “Water shortages will leave world in dire straits – More than half of humanity will be living with water shortages, depleted fisheries and polluted coastlines within 50 years because of a worldwide water crisis, warns a United Nations report out Monday.”
Coalition for Darfur: “Kofi Annan to Visit Starving in Niger – From Reuters: “U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will visit Niger next week to highlight the impact of food shortages affecting millions of people in the West African country, Niger government officials said on Wednesday.”
Gateway Pundit: “Zimbabwe is planning to resume the “Cleanup” of illegal vendors weeks after it stopped the controversial practice: Zimbabwe last month declared an end to its controversial demolitions of shantytowns, dubbed “Operation Restore Order,” after a critical U.N. report said the operation had destroyed the homes or jobs of at least 700,000 people…. The government has asked for help from the international community including the United Nations to build new housing for thousands of homeless residents.”
News Nuclear: “UN convenes scientists to study nuclear power plant risks from natural disasters – Seeking to prevent nuclear power plant disasters from being unleashed by natural calamities, the United Nations atomic watchdog agency is organizing an international scientific workshop in India this month to re-examine risks from events such as last December’s catastrophic tsunami in the Indian Ocean.”
Republic of T: “More on the growth of child prostitution in Iraq, which I posted about earlier: “A United Nations report has revealed that an alarming number of young teenage boys in Iraq are being forced into prostitution by street gangs or poverty due to the ongoing conflict in their country.”
Sudan Watch: “A report by the Press Association in this morning’s Scotsman says UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has accused Sudanese rebels of increasing abductions, extortion and banditry in a “descent into lawlessness” that has intensified insecurity in Darfur.”
News Roundup #46
Selected summary of United Nations related news and events
Annan Accuses Sudan Rebels of Banditry
Food Crises Unaddressed Throughout Africa
UN Mission in Cote d’Ivoire Welcomes Disarmament Plan from Western Militias
Pavarotti Ferry Extends Lifeline to Angolan Refugees and Zambian Hosts
Afghanistan Faces More Taliban Violence -UN Report
Global Warming Conference Opens in Greenland
The Impact of Gender, Poverty And Subordination On Women
UN Agency Backs London Mayor’s Push for Balanced Coverage of Refugee Issues
UN Urges Youth to Attain Millennium Development Goals
“Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on young people to hold political leaders to account for promoting development, an exhibition spotlighted the quest of youth for a better life and ceremonies were held around the world today as the United Nations system marked International Youth Day.
“I know you will not accept a world where others die of hunger, remain illiterate and lack human dignity,” Mr. Annan said in a message that stressed the importance of next month’s General Assembly summit of world leaders for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of targets for curing a host of socio-economic ills by 2015.” [Read more]
-
-
The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
-
-
The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
-
The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
-
