Monthly Archives: November 2006
Annan Calls on Human Rights Council to Strive for Unity
“Mr. Annan said it is crucial that the Council preserves and strengthens what he called its “crown jewel” – the system of Special Procedures, or rapporteurs, independent experts and working groups tasked with examining a specific area of human rights.
“It has long since been recognized in theory, and increasingly also in practice, that the rule of law cannot be left to the discretion of governments, no matter how democratically elected they may be.” The Secretary-General said the area most in need of innovation is the organization of the universal periodic review, a peer review mechanism. More
Nothing But Nets – Rick Reilly in Africa
In his latest Sports Illustrated column Rick Reilly reports on his trip to Nigeria to distribute the first round of anti-malaria bed nets, bought from money raised by the Nothing But Nets campaign.
“Tough-Minded New Chief”
Annan: Wake Up and Take Control of Nuclear Arms Situation
“United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday during a speech at Princeton University that there is an urgent need to confront the danger of nuclear weapons, and both disarmament and nonproliferation must be pursued simultaneously to achieve progress on either front.
“We are asleep at the controls of a fast-moving aircraft. Unless we wake up and take control, the outcome is all too predictable,” Annan said. “We cannot choose between nonproliferation and disarmament. We must tackle both tasks with the urgency they demand.” More
Bashir Rejects UN Troops
In the course of a two and a half hour press conference, Sudanese President Omar al Bashir rejected UN command of a hybrid AU-UN force for Darfur, saying he would only accept African Troops under African leadership. Bashir also gave an impossibly low mortality estimate – 9,000 – as the number of people who have died as a result of the conflict in Darfur. These comments could be a serious setback to the quick deployment of an effective peacekeeping force to Darfur.
28 Million AIDS Deaths Could Be Prevented by 2030
“New research says if the world acts now to decisively contain the AIDS pandemic, 28 million lives could be saved by 2030…. AIDS accounts for about 2.8 (m) million deaths every year.
But in a paper, two researchers with the World Health Organization estimate at least 117 (m) million people will die from AIDS by 2030.
Global mortality projections were last calculated a decade ago. At the time, researchers assumed the AIDS outbreak would start declining around the year 2000. One of the researchers, Dr. Colin Mathers, says what happens in the future depends very much on what the international community does now.” More
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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