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Bad News on World Economic Health
The United Nations released its semi-annual World Economic Situation and Prospects Report. The prospects are not so good. From the UN News Center The deepening credit crisis in affluent countries triggered by the continuing housing slump, the declining value of... [More]
Things are poised to go from worse, to very worse. From the UN News Center: The Darfur conflict could lapse soon into another major cycle of violence and large-scale human displacement unless the parties retreat from their recent state of... [More]
Top UN Aid Officials on the Charlie Rose Show
This is a couple of days old, but I thought I'd flag it anyway. The World Food Program's Josette Sheeran and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes discuss relief efforts in Burma with Charlie Rose.... [More]
Robert Kaplan's NYT op-ed today is infuriating on a number of levels. Kaplan argues that the United States and a number of our European allies should consider mounting an invasion of Burma. He concedes that once such an an operation... [More]
"Myanmar Faces Second Catastrophe Without Aid"
From the UN News Center: Unless more access to Myanmar is granted to allow aid to flow more quickly to victims of this month's deadly cyclone, a second catastrophe could result, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian... [More]
The Matthew Yglesias Interview
The Atlantic blogger and author of the Heads in the Sand: How The Republicans Screw Up Foreign Policy and Foreign Policy Screws Up The Democrats talks to UN Dispatch about his new book, explains why Americans need to get... [More]
Boston Globe: The United Nations Can Save Burma
Ivo Daalder and Paul Stares argue for Security Council action on Burma. The United States and Britain should join with the French government and introduce a resolution in the UN Security Council demanding that the Burmese government immediately allow the... [More]
Apparently, in the new Iron Man blockbuster, Robert Downey, Jr. is fighting off villains to defend the United Nations. (To which I joke: checking the IMDB page, though, I don't see Cliff Kincaid or Phyllis Schlafly on the cast... [More]
Gareth Evans on Myanmar Situation and R2P
One of the original co-authors of the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect weighs in on the debate over whether or not the situation in Myanmar warrants the invocation of R2P. Gareth Evans: My own initial concern, and it remains... [More]
In this segment of UN Plaza, Matthew Lee and I discuss the UN's response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Burma.... [More]
Burmese Junta, Now Impounding Aid
Spencer Ackerman says it well, "The Burmese Junta does what juntas everywhere do...using the catastrophe that killed perhaps as many as 100,000 people -- a death toll too large to be comprehensible -- as a shakedown opportunity." Tragic, but true.... [More]
Burma/Myanmar and the Responsibility to Protect
Imagine that a crowded building is on fire, that people are dying inside, and that a guy with a gun is standing outside the door to prevent firefighters from entering. Now multiply that by a couple million times or so... [More]
After A Devastating Natural Disaster...
This Happens: [World Food Program] now has more than 800 metric tonnes of food stocks available in its warehouses in Yangon, and will deliver these food resources to all areas in need, including the Ayeryawaddy Division, the largest and hardest... [More]
Major UN Renovation Officially Underway
It is only slight exaggeration to say that visitors to the United Nations HQ in New York can sometimes see asbestos dripping from the walls. The building is old and decrepit. City officials would have condemned the building long... [More]
UN stands ready to assist after deadly cyclone batters Myanmar
From the UN News Center: The United Nations has offered its assistance to Myanmar authorities in responding to the deadly cyclone which struck the South-East Asian nation on Friday, leaving death and widespread devastation in its wake. According to the... [More]
File this under dog bites man: conservative critics are falsely accusing Barak Obama of supporting a non-existent UN plan to impose a global tax on American citizens. Here's the story. A number of right wing blogs are suddenly re-circulating months... [More]
Our friends at Global Voices Online asked us to pass along the following announcement: Rising Voices Seeks Micro-Grant Proposals for Health-Related New Media Outreach Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, in collaboration with the Open Society Institute Public... [More]
Mobile Phones for Social Change
The Vodafone Foundation and the United Nations Foundation released a new report on innovative uses of mobile technology by NGOs working to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The report identifies emerging trends in "mobile activism" through 11 case studies,... [More]
It seems I was being a bit sanguine yesterday when I wrote, "The Council will likely recommend the Secretary General appoint a Special Representative to monitor the harassment of Mugabe's political opponents and, eventually, help mediate a transition of... [More]
The Secretary General urged donors to fund a UN appeal as first step in tackling global food crisis. From the UN News Center: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on donors to urgently provide the $755 million in emergency funds needed... [More]
Is South Africa Finally Abandoning Mugabe?
Did Mugabe alienate his oldest international ally? Today, for the first time in a very long while, the situation in Zimbabwe is set to be discussed in the Security Council. The opposition MDC, which won last month's elections, will address... [More]
UN Plaza: Can We Blame Global Food Prices on Speculators?
In this segment, Matthew Lee speculates that speculators have had a hand in the rapid increase in food prices. Mathew explains:... [More]
Harold Pollack Says, "Send a Net, Save a Life"
Over at the Huffington Post, the University if Chicago health care economist Harold Pollack gets into the spirit of World Malaria Day. One of the few brights spots these days is that millions of Americans finally realize the importance of... [More]
Bad Moon Rising Over Northern Uganda
Just a few weeks ago, a peace deal between the brutal Lords Resistance Army and the government of Uganda was as close as ever to being sealed. The peace process failed, though, when LRA leader Joseph Kony refused to... [More]
The head of the United Nations relief agency in Gaza warned that food aid to 650,000 people and sewage and garbage collection will have to be suspended today if the Israeli fuel blockade is not lifted. A Libyan diplomat in... [More]
Interpreter star and UN Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman is back at the United Nations today to promote the UN's "say no to violence against women" campaign. Most coverage of this visit, though, seems to focus on the fact that... [More]
Security Council to Discuss Abkhazia and South Ossetia Today
Tensions are mounting between Russia and Georgia. Last week, Georgia accused Russia of shooting down an unmanned spy drone over Abkhazia -- a Georgian province with a large separatist movement backed by Russia. Georgia even released a video of... [More]
World Food Program Faces $750 million Shortfall
This is pretty bad news. In February, the World Food Program predicted that it would need an additional $500 million to feed all the 73 million people that depend on WFP food aid. Food prices have risen so sharply since... [More]
The Pope Makes his way to the United Nations today to address the General Assembly. The AP has a preview of what to expect in his remarks. When Benedict addresses diplomats from around the world, he'll likely touch on several... [More]
Warren Hoge to Leave NYT UN Bureau
Via News Unfiltered, longtime NYT UN correspondent Warren Hoge is leaving his post to join the International Peace Institute. The International Peace Institute (IPI) announced today that Warren Hoge, United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times, will be... [More]
An unnamed American official is non-too-pleased with the Bush administration's moves to normalize relations with Sudan, and so leaks to Helen Cooper documents detailing the entente. The United States, reports Cooper, is offering to take Sudan off the list of... [More]
Our sister site, On Day One, made the old gray lady today. Kitchen Gardeners International, a nonprofit organization [Roger] Doiron founded in 2003, is a virtual community of 5,200 gardeners from 96 countries. "We're trying to reframe the backyard in... [More]
Houston Chronicle on the Food Crisis
An editorial in today's Houston Chronicle argues that for their own security, wealthy nations must act swiftly to confront the global food crisis. Sparked by the high price and low availability of food, rioting on several continents has provided a... [More]
There's a new pro-Israel, pro-Peace lobby on the block called J-Street. Watch the trailer. I, for one, would hope to see some new life breathed into the Quartet process, which the Secretary General's former representative to the Middle East admitted... [More]
V-Day and UNICEF Team Up to Stop Rape in the Congo
Fresh off the presses from the UN News Center: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the global movement to end violence against women and girls known as V-Day have launched a new partnership to end rape in the Democratic... [More]
In the Wake of Food Riots, A UN Police Officer Killed in Haiti
From the UN News Center: The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti has strongly condemned Saturday's murder of a Nigerian police officer serving with its operation, which took place two days after another gun attack on UN blue helmets amid... [More]
In this week's edition of UN Plaza, I speak with filmmaker Lisa Jackson, whose documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo premiered on HBO this week.... [More]
Senegale Changes Constitution to Try Former Chadian Leader
From the UN News Center: The top United Nations human rights official has welcomed changes to Senegal's constitution to make it possible for national courts to try crimes against humanity, paving the way for former Chadian leader Hissene Habre to... [More]
The Independent today adds fuel to persistent rumors that US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad has his eyes on the Afghan Presidency. Mr Khalilzad played a major role in Mr Karzai becoming President after the fall of the... [More]
UN Official: High Food Prices Here to Stay
It's obviously a disturbing sign of the times when a blog like FP Passport feels the need to run a recurring "food riot watch" in response to unrest in Haiti, Kenya, and Egypt. Hopefully, the good folks at Passport are... [More]
This is sort of bizarre. According to the Associated Press US-UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, speaking in the Dari language, told Afghanistan's Ariana Television network that he was planning on resigning. When the AP translated these remarks and out them to... [More]
'The Greatest Silence' Premiering on HBO Tonight!
Be sure to catch the Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo which premiers tonight on HBO. To learn more about the crisis of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, visit the Enough Campaign and join a conference call... [More]
In honor of Petraeus day on Capitol Hill, I thought I'd flag two video posts on our sister site On Day One in which Cato scholars Justin Logan and Chris Preble say that the United States should swear off nation... [More]
State Department Wittingly Letting Terrorists onto US Soil?
Delegates from a State Department designated foreign terrorist organization, the Lord's Resistance Army, have been granted U.S. visas so they can travel to New York to meet the Security Council. Some background: The LRA is a militia that has terrorized... [More]
UN Plaza: Ambassador Thomas Pickering
In this week's UN Plaza, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas Pickering discusses his New York Review of Books article in which he and co-authors William Luers and Jim Walsh propose a sensible diplomatic solution to the Iranian... [More]
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting launched a new, amazingly interactive site LiveHopeLove that brings together poetry, essays, documentaries, short video interviews, music, and photography to explore the AIDS crisis in the Caribbean. In the video below, poet and writer... [More]
Ban in Bucharest: "Stay the Course in Afghanistan"
From the UN News Center: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged the commitment of the United Nations to stay the course in Afghanistan to ensure peace, security and development in the strife-torn nation. "We shall not leave Afghanistan as long as... [More]
Reuters gets its hands on a letter from the US Special Envoy on Sudan Richard Williamson to the Secretary General in which Williamson blames the UN for the slow deployment of UNAMID, the peacekeeping mission to Darfur. This kind of... [More]
Live From Bucharest: Will Kharzai Accept the new SRSG for Afghanistan?
Sameer Lalwani, live blogging from the NATO summit in Bucharest, sets the scene for a meeting today with Afghan President Hamid Kharzai: Afghanistan is perhaps the centerpiece of the NATO summit (though expansion rates a close second) as it is... [More]
A reader points me to this Reuters dispatch reporting that Sudan will issue arrest warrants for six French aid workers who were released from custody in Chad after being pardoned by Chadian President Idris Deby for abducting 103 children.... [More]
"You've Got to Have Faith to Build a Better World"
The UN Foundation has teamed up with the United Methodist Church and Lutheran World Relief in a new, $200 million effort to combat malaria deaths in in Africa. Full release after the jump.... [More]
The Bankok Post offers a good summary of the issues at stake in this week's climate change summit. At the core of the talks in Bangkok, are fears among developed countries that their commitments to cut their own carbon emissions... [More]
Next Round of Climate Change Talks Underway in Thailand
From the UN News Center: The Secretary-General urged attendees to build on the momentum generated by the breakthrough in Bali, Indonesia, in last December's landmark UN Climate Change Conference, where 187 countries agreed on the so-called "Bali Roadmap" -- including... [More]
The Undersecretary General for Management responds to last week's front page Washington Post article on rising costs at the U.N. The March 21 front-page story "Expenses at U.N. Balloon 25 Percent; U.S. Demands on Body Help Drive Up Budget" suggested... [More]
In this week's UN Plaza, Matthew Lee and I cover a host of issues, including francophones at the UN, Northern Uganda, and circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt on East Timor president Jose Ramos Horta. In the segment below, we discuss... [More]
Breaking the Silence on Rape in the Congo
HBO is poised to shine a light on the terrible human tragedy of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Tuesday, April 8 the station will air The Greatest Silence, a ground breaking documentary that exposes... [More]
There are two "Macedonias" in the world. One is the former Yugoslav Republic, the other is a province in Greece that buttresses the former Yugoslav Republic. Macedonia-the-country is officially referred to at the UN as the "Former Yugoslav Republic... [More]
Attacks on Aid Workers Threatening Relief Operations in Darfur
From the UN News Center: Attacks against aid workers in western Sudan have reached unprecedented levels, jeopardizing vital relief operations in the war-wracked Darfur region, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator said today. In a statement released in Khartoum... [More]
McCain calls for Strengthening the NPT through Disarmament
On the heels of his trip to the middle east, John McCain is billed to give a major foreign policy address today. The Washington Post got its hands on some highlights. "The United States cannot lead by virtue of its... [More]
Celebrities and their UN-affiliated Causes
Angelina Jolie looks after refugees, Drew Barrymore helps feed the world, Nicole Kidman takes on violence against women and Bono promotes the MDG's. But this week belongs to Jay-Z, who explains why water is for life. MTVMusic VideosMTV ShowsEntertainment News... [More]
The Questionable Efficacy of a "Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Sudan" Strategy
Mark Helprin's "Bomb Sudan" piece in the New York Times today would have been a bit more persuasive back in 2004-2005, when the Sudanese government was more directly responsible for the fighting in Darfur. Today, it reads as completely detached... [More]
Meanwhile, a Global Food Crisis
Once again, the World Food Program is warning that unless donors step up it will have to start rationing food aid. The Rome-based World Food Program said it issued the appeal in a letter sent to governments on Thursday, urging... [More]
UN Plaza: Parag Khanna explains the Second World
Parag Khanna, author of Second Word: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order stops by UN Plaza this week. In the segment below, Parag explains why developing countries of the second world are the "swing states" of the 21st... [More]
We're Only Going to Get What We Give
On page one of the Post today, Colum Lynch pens an excellent breakdown of budgetary pressures facing the United Nations. This month, reports Lynch, the United Nations secretariat asked it's top donors, including the United States, for an additional $1.1... [More]
To clear up any misconceptions, the United Nations--as a rule--does not send peacekeepers to places where there is no peace to keep. Somalia today certainly falls into this category. Peacekeepers are trained to keep the peace, not mount invasions. Furthermore,... [More]
It's Easier to Find Peacekeepers When There is a Peace to Keep
The Agonists' Alex Thurston is apoplectic that Ban even suggested a peacekeeping force of 27,000 for Somalia. 27,000, huh Ban? Now look, I want to see stability in Somalia too. But don't you think you should be concentrating on finding... [More]
Five Years Later: Remembering the Refugees
UNHCR says (pdf) that a five year decline in applications for asylum in developed countries turned around in 2007 because of Iraqis fleeing violence in their own home country. The number of Iraqis lodging asylum claims in industrialized countries has... [More]
A Ukrainian police officer serving in Kosovo died today from wounds sustained during Monday's riots in Mitrovica, a frequent flash point. The lightly armed UNMIK police were forced to withdraw from the city when the riot gained steam, and were... [More]
World's glaciers melting at record rate
From the UN News Center: With global glaciers -- a vital water source for millions, or even billions, of people worldwide -- melting at a record rate, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) urged countries to agree on a new... [More]
UN Plaza: Amb. Thomas Pickering on Iraq
In this installment of UN Plaza, Ambassador Thomas Pickering discusses his new article in Survival in which the former UN Ambassador explores the possibility of a greater UN role in Iraq.... [More]
Tensions high on Chad-Darfur border as refugee movements continue
From the UN News Center The border between Chad and Sudan's Darfur region remains volatile as the United Nations refugee agency continues to move thousands of civilians who fled recent air and ground attacks against towns in West Darfur further... [More]
Peace V Justice in Northern Uganda?
The recipient of the International Criminal Court's first-ever indictments may avoid the dock in the Hague. Via Opinio Juris (the best international humanitarian law blog out there) Ugandan President Youweri Museveni says that he will no longer hand Joseph Kony,... [More]
The Secretary General writes an oped The prices of basic staples -- wheat, corn, rice -- are at record highs, up 50 percent or more in the past six months. Global food stocks are at historic lows. The causes range... [More]
Cross posted at On Day One Over the weekend, Matt Yglesias and Brad Plumer posited that an auctioned carbon cap and trade system would yield significant benefits to public health. Among other things, "increases in CO2 can worsen the adverse... [More]
In this installment of Blogging Heads, Matthew Lee and I discuss the collapsing peacekeeping mission in Eritrea... [More]
War Coming Soon to Eritrea? (UPDATED)
The collapsing peacekeeping mission along the Eritrean/Ethiopian border is obviously not on most people's radar. But those of us who care about war and peace should be paying attention, because war might be on the horizon. Facing a fuel... [More]
Talk about an idea that's time has come. The American head of the UN's Department of Political Affairs (which is sort of like the UN's State Department) announced yesterday the formation of the long awaited UN Mediation Standby Team. The... [More]
Reese Witherspoon and Avon Team with the UN to Fight Violence Against Women
Apparently, it's celebrity endorsement week at the United Nations. Yesterday, we learned that Drew Barrymore is donating $1 million to the World Food Program. Today, Reese Witherspoon is getting in on the action. She and Avon are partnering with the... [More]
Drew Barrymore Helps Fight Hunger in Kenya
For the past couple of months, we've seen how political unrest in Kenya can spark a food crisis in a normally stable place. Thankfully, this crisis has not gone unnoticed. Drew Barrymore, for one, decided to pitch in. From... [More]
Kevin Drum and Jeffrey Lewis offer some background on this important Washington Post scoop on the IAEA's confrontational meeting with Iranian officials last week. I don't much to add to the story other than to point out that also last... [More]
UN Plaza: Exploring, and Unpacking, Conservaitve Hostility to the UN
Ed Morrissey, AKA Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters (now, at Hot Air) and I discuss conservative hostility toward the UN. In this segment, we take a look at the UN and IAEA's track record on North Korea and Iran.... [More]
Scary Stat on Violence Against Women in the C.A.R.
We've known for a long time how bad the situation in the Central African Republic is for women and girls there. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which has an open investigation into crimes committed during CAR's 2002-2003 civil... [More]
From the Associated Press: The United Nations health agency said Wednesday that it was monitoring vaccine supplies for yellow fever as it confirmed the first cases of the disease in a Latin American urban area in six decades. The World... [More]
UN agencies rally to end to female genital mutilation within a generation
From the UN News Center Ten United Nations agencies have banded together to help eliminate the harmful practice of female genital mutilation within a generation, stressing the need for strong leadership and greater resources to protect the health and lives... [More]
Next time a detractor calls the UN slow and ineffective, he or she should take a good look at how various UN agencies have sprang to action in Chad. From the UN News Center. More than 5,500 Chadians who fled... [More]
Biodun Iginla at Fire Dog Lake offers a very reader friendly time-line of the historical events leading up to last week's torching of the US embassy in Belgrade. He also lists the countries that have not, so far, recognized Kosovo's... [More]
El Baradei faces Another Tired Charge of Anti-Americanism. Enough Already.
Hugh Hewitt flags the latest hit job on IAEA Chief Mohammed el Baradei from AEI's Michael Rubin and Danielle Pletka, who have had elBaradei in their cross hairs ever since the Iraq war. (You see, while the hawkish duo was... [More]
LRA No More? Ceasefire in Northern Uganda
Via Hilzoy comes this great bit of news "With whoops and backslaps, Uganda's government and Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels signed a ceasefire on Saturday, a big step towards a final peace settlement to one of Africa's longest-running wars. "It... [More]
In the latest UN Plaza installment, I interview Nick Birnback from the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. We discuss the recent surge of current operations and why Americans should care about peacekeeping.... [More]
The World Food Program says that rising costs of food aid and transportation are forcing it to contemplate rationing strategies. From the Financial Times: The UN's agency responsible for relieving hunger is drawing up plans to ration food aid in... [More]
Bergmann on Funding UN Peacekeeping
Over on Democracy Arsenal, Max Bergmann takes on a subject near and dear to our hearts. He hits all the highlights: Justin Rood's excellent piece on how the president's new budget request shortchanges African peacekeeping; the 2005 RAND Corporation Study... [More]
This op-ed originally appeared in The Guardian Today, at the end of his week-long jaunt through Africa, President Bush stops in Liberia, the war-torn east African country, to highlight that country's democratic transition. Two weeks prior to his visit, though,... [More]
More on the Eritrean Peacekeeping Crisis
Reader Marian Houk in Jerusalem takes exception to a point made in yesterday's post on UNMEE I would agree with UN Dispatch that "the crisis facing the UN mission there is one of the more disturbing developments facing UN peacekeeping... [More]
Meanwhile, A Peacekeeping Mission Falls Apart
A day after another U.S. primary, and as the partition of northern Kosovo becomes more likely by the hour, the collapse of the peacekeeping mission along the Ethiopia-Eritrea border is understandably getting scant attention. This is unfortunate, because the crisis... [More]
Gambari Expected to Visit Myanmar
From the UN News Center: The Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Myanmar said today that his return to the South-East Asian nation may take place sooner than mid-April, the original date proposed by the Government. While "it is still a subject... [More]
This weekend finally saw the much anticipated declaration of independence by Kosovo. We've been predicting this moment for a couple of months, so back in November we asked United States Institute of Peace scholar Daniel Serwer to help us anticipate... [More]
UN Plaza: The Conflict in Northern Uganda
In the latest edition of UN Plaza, the Enough Project's Julia Spiegel discusses the conflict in Northern Uganda, from where she recently returned. In this segment, Spiegel offers a smart background on the conflict, and introduces viewers to Joseph Kony,... [More]
Bono's Musical Tribute to Tom Lantos
About halfway through the clip, the U2 frontman sings "All You Need is Love" by the "old Hungarian folk singer, Jan Van Lennon."... [More]
At the UN, Al Gore Warns of 'Subprime Carbon'
Al Gore spoke to the United Nations Investors Summit on Climate Change today, and invoked the 's-word' to warn that carbon is more like kryptonite to investors. "You need to really scrub your investment portfolios, because I guarantee you --... [More]
Bono, Ban ki Moon, and many others honor Tom Lantos
In the statuary room of the Capitol this morning, ambassadors, members of congress, dignitaries--and a rock star--joined to celebrate the life of Congressman Tom Lantos, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman who succumbed to cancer earlier this week. Secretary Rice... [More]
UN Forum Urges End to Wall of Silence on Human Trafficking
First, watch this brief video on Russian efforts to stamp out human trafficking, from Russia Today Meanwhile, in Vienna, Human Rights activists, UN Officials and delegates from member states met to pursue universal ratification of the UN's anti-trafficking protocol. From... [More]
Better World Campaign Statement on Budget Request for UN Peacekeeping
Hot off the presses from the Better World Campaign: In advance of U.S. President George W. Bush's upcoming trip to Africa and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's testimony on the Administration's fiscal 2009 international affairs budget request, the Better World... [More]
Child Soldiers Active in 13 Countries
In a day-long open meeting at the UN, officials discussed ways to finally end the terrible scourge of child soldiers. From the UN News Center The Security Council must "take concrete and targeted measures" against those parties that persistently... [More]
Justin Rood of ABC News reports on the critically important, yet often overlooked story of American arrears to UN Peacekeeping. On the eve of President Bush's trip to Africa, his administration has decided to drastically cut money for United Nations... [More]
--> Congressman Tom Lantos succumbed cancer today. He was 80 years old. Congressman Lantos was a lion of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, serving as its ranking member and then chair. As a Holocaust survivor, concerns for global human... [More]
Two top UN Officials briefed the Security Council on Darfur today, warning that the peace process had reached an impasse and that the peacekeeping force was stalled. Meanwhile, reports are emerging of a fresh round of government attacks on villages... [More]
Senate Urges Bush, International Community to Provide Helicopters for Darfur Mission
Special to UN Dispatch from the UN Foundation's Kevin Blesdoe, who attended the hearing on S.Res. 432 Last night the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of Senate Resolution 432, urging the international community to provide the United Nations-African... [More]
Peacekeeping Budget and the Pentagon
Pointing to John's post on the $500 million shortfall facing UN peacekeeping in the President's new budget, Foreign Policy's Carolyn O'Hara chides Can the Pentagon spare some change for UN Peacekeeping?...We're talking chump change when you consider the fact that... [More]
Third DRC Suspect in ICC Custody
On February 24, 2003 a militia from the National Integrationist Front--many of them child soldiers--attacked the village of Bogoro in Ituri, a restive province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 200 civilians were killed in the attack, prisoners... [More]
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released a new report warning of another huge opium harvest in Afghanistan this year. This from the New York Times Afghanistan will produce another enormous opium poppy crop this year, close to... [More]
How a Peacekeeping Mission Fails...And Can be Rescued
Not Darfur, but the mission along the Ethiopian-Eritrean border, UNMEE. The Secretary General today warned that unless the Eritrean government lifts restrictions the import and purchase of fuel, the UN Peacekeeping mission along the Eritrea-Ethiopia border will have to fold.... [More]
Matthew Lee and I discuss George Clooney's recent visit to UN Headquarters.... [More]
Security Council Holds Emergency Session on Chad
The Security Council is weighing its options as rebel forces battle the government of Idriss Deby on the streets of Chad's capitol, N'Djamena. Secretary General Ban, meanwhile, is urging an end to the fighting. The Security Council met in an... [More]
Very big news coming from Geneva. This from the New York Times: A United Nations human rights body called on Saudi Arabia on Friday to immediately end its system of male guardianship which it said severely limits the basic freedoms... [More]
Secretary General to Visit Kenya
From the UN News Center: Warning that violence in Kenya could spiral out of control, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced plans to visit the country, where more than 800 people have already lost their lives in intensifying ethnic clashes triggered... [More]
Here on UN Dispatch we have been following the saga of the missing helicopters for UNAMID, the AU/UN Peacekeeping mission in Darfur. So far, for want of 24 helicopters, the mission has not been able to project the kind of... [More]
Jonny Goldstein, proprietor of Jonny's Par-tay, a live video webcast program, invited me to be his guest on tomorrow's show. Jonny specializes in new media issues and he asked me to talk a bit about blogging about the UN, as... [More]
The World Food Program commercial featuring Reggie Bush... [More]
As Kenya Falls Apart, the Diaspora Responds
A conciliatory political leader in Kenya was shot to death in his driveway last night. The indispensable Jeffrey Gettleman reports from the scene Mr. Were was an opposition politician who had resisted his party's often belligerent talk. He had married... [More]
On UN Plaza this week, Scott Paul of The Washington Note and Citizens for Global Solutions explains why the US Senate should ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Click here to tell your senator to... [More]
Holocaust Remembrence Day at the UN
The UN marked Holocaust remembrance day yesterday. From the UN News Center As the global community today marked the third International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the occasion should serve... [More]
It is easy to get bogged down in the details of today's New York Times piece on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on alleged improprieties involving the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) operations in North Korea. The basic... [More]
How PDAs can Transform Emerging Economies
A few months back, Dr. Joel Selanikio, co-founder of DataDyne.org (a UN Foundation-Vodafone partnership) wrote in to explain how PDAs are saving lives in Africa. At the time, Selanikio was concluding a pilot program that distributed Palm Ziros equipped with... [More]
The next president will assume office in less than one year from today. Our new sister site wants to know what you think he or she should do On Day One. At OnDayOne.org you can: * Post your ideas... [More]
In this installment of UN Plaza on BloggingHeads.TV, Matthew Lee and I discuss Turtle Bay's reaction to the Bhutto assassination.... [More]
300,000 Displaced by Violence in Central African Republic
A new report by UNICEF says the number of people affected by political violence in the Central African Republic is on the rise. From the UN News CenterGovernment troops and rebel forces in the Central African Republic (CAR) continue to... [More]
New UN Iraq Report: Attacks decrease but insufficient progress on political front
In a new report, the Secretary General says that although attacks in Iraq have decreased, insecurity continues to limit the activities of the United Nations there. From the UN News Center"Indiscriminate and targeted violence continued to claim civilian victims," Mr.... [More]
'There's been war since this morning.' Reporting Acts of Violence in Kenya
Via reader K.P., this new website allows witnesses of violence in Kenya to report on it in real time. The site uses Google Maps to identify the precise location within Kenya where a specific act of violence has occurred,... [More]
The Great Arc of International Justice
In the latest installment of BloggingHeads' UN Plaza series, I interview Mark Vlasic, a former prosecuting attorney at the war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. In this brief clip, Mark explains why war future criminals should beware.... [More]
The Kenya Red Cross Society is revising its initial estimate of the number of people killed in post election violence to 575, but says that the figure is expected to rise as more bodies are discovered. Meanwhile, United Nations agencies... [More]
Quick Hit: European Force for Chad / CAR Closer to Deployment
The 3,000 strong European Union force to protect Darfur refugees and the internally displaced in Eastern Chad and the Central African Republic is one step closer to deployment. There are some 200,000 refugees and internally displaced in the region, and... [More]
Yet Another UN Plea for Darfur
This Los Angeles Times article by UN reporter Maggie Farley is mildly depressing. Jean-Marie Guehenno, the head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, spoke to the Security Council yesterday and warned that the peacekeeping force for Darfur is in serious... [More]
In a very brief statement, the African Union announced this morning that Kofi Annan will lead mediation efforts between the rival factions in Kenya. From the Associated Press. The AU said President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga had... [More]
Attack on Peacekeepers in Darfur
While most of the country's attention was turned to New Hampshire yesterday, UN peacekeepers again came under fire. Last night, Sudanese government troops shot at a United Nations supply convoy in Darfur. Thankfully, no one was injured in the... [More]
Breaking: UN Personnel Attacked in Lebanon
Details are still sparse, but reports are indicating that a roadside bomb detonated beside a UN patrol near Beirut, injuring two Spanish peacekeepers. We will post updates throughout the day as information trickles in. It is important to keep in... [More]
In this installment of BloggingHeads, Matthew Lee and I discuss the top 10 UN stories of the year. Below, we take a look at Ban's first year as Secretary General. I make the point that Ban--to his great credit--is becoming... [More]
Via Pan-African News Wire, the trial of former Liberian President Starts today in the Hague. Taylor is being charged by the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone for war crimes committed by armed forces and militias supported by Taylor's... [More]
Biden and Dodd: You Will be Missed
With poor showings from the Iowa Democratic caucus, Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd announced the withdrawal of their presidential candidacies last night. It only seems appropriate to say thank you to these two senators for injecting into our national... [More]
In the wake of the horrific violence rocking Kenya -- once a paragon of stability in central Africa -- the United Nations aid apparatus is revving up. The World Food Program is providing enough aid to the Kenyan Red Cross... [More]
After serving in Congress for nearly 30 years, House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos announced today that he will not seek re-election next term. Lantos was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. Throughout his distinguished career, Lantos... [More]
Prendergast on the Darfur Peace Process
Blogging Heads just launched a new series that examines foreign policy through the prism of the United Nations and other international institutions. In the debut, I interview the Enough Project's John Prendergast about peacekeeping in the Horn of Africa. Below,... [More]
Secretary General and Security Council Condemns Bhutto Assassination
Both Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the Security Council issued strong condemnations of today's attack on former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Here is Ban's statement. I am shocked and outraged by the assassination of Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, the... [More]
Posting will be light between today and the new year. Have a safe and happy holiday from all of us at UN Dispatch.... [More]
The Pope at the United Nations
Pope Benedict will visit the United Nations next April and the Italian press is apparently bracing for some sort of showdown. Not so, says John L. Allen Jr. in an Op-ed in today's New York Times. Benedict had no intention... [More]
If you think you have a good vocabulary, head on over to Free Rice and test yourself. For every word you correctly define, Free Rice donates 20 grains of rice to the World Food Program. The site is catching... [More]
DAY 5: How the Malaria World Benefits from an Admiral
In the latest entry in his blog about a massive health drive, Steven Phillips tells of us about the unlikely presence of a navy admiral in landlocked Mali. Cross posted on All Africa It's 6 a.m. and my hotel phone... [More]
Kosovo's Day at the Security Council
Since 1999, Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations as a semi-autonomous trustee state. Kosovo's "final status" -- independence from Serbia, integration into Serbia, or something in between -- has been one of the most vexing issues facing international... [More]
Day 4: U.S. Sports Stars Suit Up Against Malaria
Steven Phillips tells of the impact that American sports stars have on the campaign to make take life-saving health interventions to the children of Mali. Cross posted on All Africa. Bamako, Mali Ruth Riley led the University of Notre Dame... [More]
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Day 3: The Power of Political Will
Dr. Steven Phillips, ExxonMobil's Medical Director for Global Issues and Projects, reflects on the huge campaign to reach millions of children and adults in Mali with life-saving health interventions. Cross posted on All Africa. Bamako, Mali Under the merciless rays... [More]
Via the UN News Center, here is Secretary General Ban's statement on the successful, if last minute, resolution of the Bali conference. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the outcome of the landmark United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia,... [More]
Day 2: From Vietnam to a Mother in Mopti -- A Bed Net Journeys
On the second day of a visit to Mali, Dr. Steven Phillips, ExxonMobil's Medical Director for Global Issues and Projects, tells of the logistics of a campaign to get bed nets, which protect people against malaria, to hundreds of thousands... [More]
Agreement Reached on Bali Roadmap
Very big news coming out of Bali today. Read the Times' gripping account of how the last second deal went down. Dan Shepard, who has provided excellent updates for us on JavaBlend offers his grounds-eye view of the 11th hour... [More]
Agreement Reached on the Bali Roadmap
by Dan Shepard, Information Officer, UN DPI It was one day late but countries achieved a major breakthrough on international climate change action at 2:31pm Bali time on Saturday. It was not without high drama featuring plenty of twists and... [More]
Via All Africa, it seems that Ban is growing increasingly frustrated by member states' refusal to lease helicopters to the peacekeeping mission in Darfur. In a message to a meeting of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, Ban said, "In the... [More]
by Dan Shepard, Information Officer, UN DPI There might have been snow and sleet in New York today, but looking casual and relaxed, New York City Mayor Bloomberg came to the Bali Climate Conference to sign a pledge by world... [More]
International Youth Hook Up with UNICEF for Trend Setting Press Conference
Early Wednesday evening, youth from around the world took the stage to speak a simple truth to the delegates at Bali. In a press conference convened in conjunction with UNICEF, youth spoke about the effects of climate change on their... [More]
by Dan Shepard, Information Officer, UN DPI The big question today is when the Bali conference will finish. And how it will conclude. The negotiations went deep into the night, or morning, on Thursday, and few people actually expect things... [More]
Al Gore calls on all countries to do what they can to make Bali a success.... [More]
By all accounts, Al Gore gave an electrifying speech in Bali today -- and he did not avoid naming names. From the AFP: Gore...told the packed conference room that he was no longer in office and "not bound by diplomatic... [More]
By Curtis Moore, Independent Consultant and a Former Counsel, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works It is Thursday of the second week of the climate negotiations in Bali, which is the traditional day to reach agreement--or not--at international global... [More]
Accompanying Matt in Mali is Dr. Steven Phillips, ExxonMobil's Medical Director for Global Issues and Projects. All Africa.com has kindly set up a travel-log for him, which I encourage readers to check out. Here is the start of his first... [More]
Highlights from the Secretary General's press conference yesterday.... [More]
by Dan Shepard, Information Officer, UN DPI It's not enough just to talk about climate change. The UN, which has been at the forefront of pushing the issue at the international level, announced that it was going green in Bali.... [More]
Words Need to be Backed by Action
by Zach Swank, a SustainUS youth delegate Today the high-level segment of the conference began with statements that contained the energy and leadership that has been missing throughout the conference. After almost a week and a half of insincere... [More]
The death toll from yesterday's bombing of two buildings in Algiers, including the local headquarters of the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the World Food Program, climbed yesterday. The UN has confirmed that... [More]
By Curtis Moore, Independent Consultant and a Former Counsel, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Negotiators in Bali are in theory supposed to produce a "roadmap" to future agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. What... [More]
International Youth: A Model for International Cooperation
by Whit Jones, SustainUS Youth Delegate In the halls of the UN Climate Negotiations, there is a new presence felt. A growing, cohesive group of youth is storming the negotiating sessions, holding daily creative demonstrations, and meeting face-to-face with their... [More]
by Dan Shepard, Information Officer, UN DPI The suits are back. After a week and a half a casually dress negotiators, the arrival UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and 144 ministers and six heads of state apparently prompted delegates to don... [More]
Annan and International Justice
During Kofi Annan's tenure as United Nations Secretary General the cause of international justice made several important leaps forward. The most high profile of the international justice institutions to evolve from the Annan years is the International Criminal Court,... [More]
A United Nations building in Algiers was one of the two buildings attacked in near simultaneous bombings today. The latest Reuters update says that one UN staffer is confirmed killed and 13 others are missing. This is obviously a very... [More]
The pace in Nusa Dua has quickened today. Security is tighter, lines are long and the crowds are thicker as ministers and a handful of presidents are starting to arrive for tomorrows "High Level Segment" of the conference. One of... [More]
Cuba to Join UN Rights Conventions
Somewhat surprisingly, the government of Cuba has suddenly decided to reverse 41 years of policy and accede to two key international human rights instruments: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and... [More]
Welcome to the REDD Zone - Forests under Negotiation
by Kartikeya Singh, SustainUS Youth Delegate Trees, believe it or not, remain at the center of the emissions debate. What most do not realize is that aside from industrialized nations' contribution to global GHG emissions from industrial activities and transportation,... [More]
Ban: Patience Wearing Thin on Myanmar
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Myanmar's authorities to step up their efforts towards democratization and the full respect of human rights, noting that the international community's patience with the troubled South-East Asian nation is wearing thin. "I know that the international... [More]
At an early meeting of the Youth Caucus at COP13, someone mentioned the need to respect the UN process. We had to make sure that the demonstrations taking place didn't mention disrespect for the UNFCCC. It hadn't really occurred to... [More]
John Kerry, Senator from Massachusetts in the United States, came to Bali today representing Congressional leaders. Still wearing a stiffly pressed suit while everyone else in Bali is dressed more casually, the Senator called for the Bali conference to result... [More]