Year: 2010

Home
2010

Olympic Truce: Can the World Stop All Wars?

Ban Ki Moon called for a restoration of the "Olympic Truce" in which warring parties lay down their arms for the duration of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Here's what he said:

As the XXI Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver draw near, the United Nations and the Olympic Movement are once again calling for a worldwide cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Games.

Angelina Jolie Visits Haiti (Video)

UN Good Will Ambassador Angelia Jolie donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.  Earlier this week, she visited Haiti. And among the places she stopped included a hospital in the Dominican Republic, the UN's logistical headquarters, and the orphanage from which 33 children were taken by 10 Americans who are now being held on kidnapping charges by Haitian authorities.  From the UN News Center:

The UN is NOT Trying to Take Your Guns Away. (Unless you are a terrorist or enlist child soldiers, that is)

One of the most persistent stories about the UN that is circulated by people, who, shall we say, are pre-disposed to believing conspiracy theories, is that the UN is plotting to take Americans' guns away.  The latest manifestation of this meme occurred last month on the blog of National Association of Gun Rights, which is circulating an online petition to demand that the Senate vote against the UN "Arms Control Treaty."  The petition says, "The UN’s “Small Arms

U.S. Global Aids Ambassador: HIV Budget for Africa Will Not Decrease

The Science Speaks blog interviewed Dr. Eric Goosby, the US global AIDS ambassador, today.  In the interview he discusses the shift from being an activist to a government official, why the HIV budget for Africa is not going to decrease, and PEPFAR’s commitment to universal access.

Some highlights from the interview:

On rumors that funding for HIV efforts in South Africa is about to radically decrease

Haiti Earthquake Facts and Figures, Latest Update

The Haitian government has not issued a mortality estimate since January 28, when the government said that 112,405 had died. However, on February 3 the government said that as many as 200,000 may have been killed in the earthquake.  Meanwhile, one of the major new developments of the past week has been a mass exodus from Port au Prince to rural areas. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that over 400,000 Haitians have fled Port au Prince for rural areas in the past two weeks. Food distribution is still a challenge.

UN Plaza: Talking Haiti Reconstruction With Paul Collier

The author of The Bottom Billion, Wars Guns and Votes sits down with me to talk about Haiti reconstruction. Collier has something of a front line view of this effort.  He was tapped by the secretary general to write a report on Haiti's recovery for the United Nations last year.  In the diavlog, Paul explains the roots of Haiti's poverty and explains how best the international community can manage Haiti's recovery.