Ten days ago, the typical right wing UN critics and reputable news outlets alike were predicting a feckless Security Council response to the North Korean missile tests. These critics were proven wrong.
"We have a strong and unequivocal resolution," Ambassador Bolton beamed prior to the unanimous Security Council vote condemning North Korea's missile tests. "We expect full, unconditional and immediate compliance by North Korea."
"United Nations Security Council members will on Monday start hammering out a detailed agreement on deploying a multilateral security force to Lebanon, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.
New York Times: "The Security Council condemned North Korea's missile launchings on Saturday and demanded that the country suspend its ballistic missile program, in a resolution that was weakened at the 11th hour to forestall a veto by China. All 15 members voted for the measure, which requires all countries to prevent North Korea from receiving or transferring missile-related items and "strongly urges" North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and return to the six-party talks on that program."
AP: "In an emotional televised speech, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora called on the United Nations to broker an immediate cease-fire to end Israel's land, sea and air offensive against Lebanon.
He also pledged to reassert government authority all over Lebanese territory - suggesting the possibility of deploying the Lebanese army in the south, which Hezbollah effectively controls. That would meet a repeated U.N. and U.S. demand."
"A few weeks ago I attended a film fest with my oldest daughter Tonya Sargent. One of the films we watched was a documentary called "Love, Labor, Loss" that told the story of women with fistulas, or holes, caused by obstructed labour.... Fistulas mainly affect women who live in poverty in the developing world and can't obtain quality health care, mostly in Africa, Asia and some Arab states. As a result of this condition, they are often shunned and ostracized by society. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), obstetric fistula affects an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 women around the world every year." [More]
"World powers will next week press Sudan to accept a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur amid reports of increasing violence in the province.
Tens of thousands have been killed and 2.5 million people forced into camps during three years of rape, murder and pillage in Darfur, in lawless western Sudan." [Read more]
There have been some misstatements recently about the membership of the new UN Human Rights Council by members of Congress who wish to starve it of US funding. Let's correct the record.
Senator Norm Coleman issued a statement condemning the Council because its members "include many of the worst human rights violators who had made a mockery of the previous commission -- Cuba, Iran and Syria." But Syria and Iran are not on the new Council. In fact, Iran stood for membership, but was not approved by a vote of the General Assembly.