Monthly Archives: November 2009
A photographer’s profile of world leaders at the UN Summit
During the UN General Assembly in September, New Yorker photographer Platon set up a small studio right outside the “green room” where world leaders waited prior to addressing the General Assembly. There, he was able to coax dozens of heads of state into posing for a profile photograph, a collection of which is included in this week’s New Yorker magazine. The New Yorker website has an interactive feature that includes commentary by the photograpger. *Of Qadaffi, Platon Read more
Emissions reductions does not have to cost economic growth in the developing world
Under the Kyoto Protocol developing nations are expected to make submissions called as NAMAs (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions) which outline actions that will tilt their economies away from an emissions intensive growth path. All the outlined actions are to be financed fully by developed nations because a key principle recognizes that the ‘economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of the developing nation parties’.
Conflict Minerals on 60 Minutes
The famed television news magazine 60 Minutes broadcasts a segment on conflict minerals.
Remembering the World Food Program this Thanksgiving
For many readers, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving means leaving work early and travelling to our friends and families homes, all in preperaration for a giant meal tomorrow. This seems like an opportune time to remind people that there are over a billion undernourished people in the world. Here are some statistics on global hunger from the World Food Program.
Does Afghanistan need a “Tajik Solution?”
Foreign Affairs ran a recent essay describing Tajikistan as a model for ending the war in Afghanistan. George Gavrilis recommends the pragmatic strategy that ended the Tajik civil war be duplicated for Afghanistan. On its face, it’s a compelling argument – two neighboring countries, both Muslim, mountainous, plagued by drug trafficking and warlords. Both faced civil war. Tajikistan’s civil war ended twelve years ago, while Afghanistan fights on. Why not use Tajikistan as a model?
Trade issues at Copenhagen
China’s attempt to reduce emissions was faced by unlikely critics. Last week the EU and US filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization against China’s duty on exported metals, aimed at reducing overproduction and carbon emissions.
UNICEF Chief talks shop with the Washington Post
UNICEF Director Ann Venemen sits down for a brief interview with Steve Perlstein of the Washington Post.
Trudging toward Copenhagen: Leaders express optimism, U.S. promises emissions target
Having scaled back their ambitions for next month’s Copenhagen climate conference, world leaders are working to salvage the effort, and some are optimistic about the prospects for a meaningful step toward a legally binding international climate treaty.
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Winning writing on international development
The winners of the Guardian Newspaper’s International Development Journalism competition have now been chosen. Both winning articles addressed the impact of climate change on water in Africa. Preeti Jha, winner of the professional competition, wrote about water and conflict among pastoralists on Kenya’s Ethiopian border. Read more
UN Plaza: The World Health Organization and H1N1
In this edition of UN Plaza, I speak with Gregory Hartl of the World Health Organization about the WHO’s role in combating H1N1, a.k.a swine flu, world wide.
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The top United Nations refugee official today voiced his alarm at new inflows of refugees into Rwanda and Uganda, fleeing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). More than 8,200 refugees have crossed from DRC into Rwanda since 27 April, according to staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These are in addition to the 55,000 Congolese refugees that Rwanda is already hosting.
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Syria: U.N.-Arab League mediator Kofi Annan is urging Syria’s government to accept U.N. conditions for expanding the distribution of humanitarian aid to roughly 1 million Syrians in need of assistance, the United Nations said today. Meanwhile, three vehicles belonging to … Read more
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Sustainable Future Symposium; ICT for Development; IAEA/Iran; Global Financial Transaction Tax; and more
Partnerships and development cooperation among countries will play a key role in accelerating sustainable development, the Secretary-General of the UN Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20), Sha Zukang said today, stressing that assistance will need to focus on helping developing countries find longer-term solutions to eradicate poverty and transition into a green economy.The two-day Australia High-Level Symposium, “Shaping a Sustainable Future – Partners in Development Cooperation,” which began today, seeks to facilitate an informal dialogue on development cooperation among high-level policymakers, multilateral and civil society organizations, philanthropic foundations and the private sector.
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DR Congo; South Sudan; UNHCR and OIC; and more
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, today voiced concern over the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has experienced a recent upsurge in violence. Mr. Šimonovic said he was “appalled” by the heightened levels of recent violence triggered by defections in the Congolese armed forces, including former members of certain militia groups, and welcomed joint efforts between the peacekeepers of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), humanitarian actors and the authorities to protect civilians and respond to human rights violations.
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Asia-Pacific Human Development Report; Syria; Horn of Africa; UNRWA
Countries in the Asia-Pacific region must find ways to continue to grow economically and lift millions out of poverty while also responding to climate change and environmental concerns, according to UN report released today, which stresses that new methods of production are needed to meet this goal.UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Human Development Report 2012 argues that policies and actions in the region will have a global impact as it is home to more than half of the world’s population and half of the planet’s megacities.
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SG on Rio/Post-2015 Development; Syria; Middle East; Global Fund; and more
Appealing for flexibility in reaching agreement on a final outcome document, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today, emphasized the need for Member States to agree on launching a process to establish Sustainable Development Goals ahead of the Rio+20 conference while also announcing the appointment of three co-chairs to his High-Level Panel on Post-2015 Development Planning. We should agree on launching a process to establish Sustainable Development Goals that build on the Millennium Development Goals … find better ways to measure progress that goes beyond Gross Domestic Product …and advance action to improve people’s lives through decent work, social protection and the empowerment of women and young people,” the UN chief said in his address to the UN General Assembly.
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Syria; Guinea-Bissau; UNAIDS; Afghanistan; and more
Amid concerns from the international community over the prospects of a “full civil war” in Syria, the Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan, said today that the ongoing levels of violence and human rights abuses in the Middle Eastern country are unacceptable and the UN observer mission is possibly the only remaining chance to stabilize it.
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Peacebuilding; South Sudan; Indigenous Issues; Rwanda
The United Nations is determined to do everything possible to assist societies torn by war from sliding back into conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an audience in the United States capital today, adding that while there have been setbacks, peacebuilding remains a crucial element of the world body’s efforts.In a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D. C., Mr. Ban highlighted the work of the UN’s 16 peacekeeping operations and 15 political missions in the area of peacebuilding – a core mandate of the Organization.
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Counter-terrorism; South Sudan; Iran; Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and more
At the Security Council’s high-level debate on Counter-terrorism today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he hoped Member States will decide to create the position of a UN Counter-Terrorism Coordinator to promote better coordination, collaboration and cooperation among all players.Mr. Ban told the Security Council, during its debate on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, that terrorism is a significant threat to peace and security, prosperity and people, and the global community continues to pursue a robust and comprehensive response.
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Sudan/South Sudan; North Korea; Afghanistan; “Born too Soon” report; and more
The Security Council today adopted a unanimous resolution calling on Sudan and South Sudan to immediately end hostilities and resume negotiations within two weeksto resolve all outstanding issues, and voiced its intention to take appropriate measures if the parties do not comply. The Council decided that the two countries shall, among other measures, “immediately cease all hostilities; unconditionally withdraw all of their armed forces to their side of the border; activate, within one week, the necessary border security mechanisms; and immediately cease hostile propaganda and inflammatory statements in the media”.
