"United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today expressed his sympathy for victims of Hurricane Katrina in the United States and extended condolences to those affected by the storm.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, the Secretary-General said he is deeply saddened by the loss of life and large-scale destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina along the United States Gulf Coast. He also extended condolences to all the victims and their families, it added." [Read more]

Duck farm in Thailand with newly installed net to keep ducks
and wild birds apart, a measure against spread of the avian
flu virus.

"The deadly strain of bird flu that has hit several countries in Asia is likely to be carried over long distances along the flyways of wild water birds to the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and Africa, with the potential to trigger a global human pandemic, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.

"Avian influenza is an international problem that definitely needs a strong international response," FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech told a news conference at the agency's headquarters in Rome." [Read more]

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

UN Ambassadors Launch Crisis Talks on Reform Plans

UN Names Four Lebanese Suspects in Assassination of Hariri

First Willing Refugees Could Return to South Sudan
After Rainy Season, Says Guterres

UN's Annan Speaks out for Journalists in War Zones

IRAQ: Child Mortality Rates Finally Dropping

UN Steps up Police Presence in Kosovo After Serb Killings

Last Boat Person Leaves Malaysia

UN Alarmed by Disappearances in Nepal Conflict

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

Sudan: UN Refugee Chief Calls on World Leaders to Help
Rebuild Shattered Lives

Afghanistan Reduces Opium Poppy Cultivation by 21%, UN Says

Member States Discuss UN Reform

UN Cleared to Help Prepare for Congo Elections

Chavez Threatens UN Complaint, if No Action Against Robertson

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

UPDATE: Booman Tribune: "The United Nations announced that the United States Government has accepted the world body's offer of help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina."

========

Melancholy ID: "Judy Cannon argues the United Nations can boast a remarkable list of achievements over the last 60 years."

Echidne: "Remember how the radical cleric Pat Robertson said that he wants to see Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, assassinated? Now Chavez has said this in return: "I announce that my government is going to take legal action in the United States ... to call for the assassination of a head of state is an act of terrorism." Chavez said in a televised speech. The fiery left-wing critic of Bush's foreign policy who frequently charges the U.S. government is plotting to kill him, called Robertson "crazy" and a "public menace." He said Venezuela could seek Robertson's extradition under international treaties and take its claim to the United Nations if the Bush administration did not act."

Demlog: "Iraqi negotiators finished the country's new constitution Sunday without the endorsement of Sunni Arabs who helped prepare it, dealing a blow to the Bush administration and setting the stage for a bitter campaign leading up to an October referendum. The 15 members of the Sunni panel said they rejected the document because of disagreements over such issues as federalism, Iraq's identity and references to Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated Baath Party. Sunni Arab negotiators also said in a joint statement that they had asked the United Nations and Arab League to intervene."

Martin Stabe: "Canada flexes Arctic muscles - For those who have missed it, the NATO allies Canada and Denmark are in a border spat over a tiny, remote island off Greenland north of the Arctic Circle. The RCN has been conducting "Arctic sovereignty patrols" in the nippy region. In July, the RCN planted a flag on Hans Island, and the Canadian defense minister Bill Graham later made an unannounced visit, prompting protests from Copenhagen, which dispatched its own naval ships to region. Before things got ugly, the two countries decided to settle the dispute at the United Nations."

Clarity and Resolve: "Jihad In the Balkans - I get the feeling that things may once again get very ugly in the Balkans when the U.N. leaves."

TPM Cafe (Steve Clemons): "The End of Diplomacy? - This from a thoughtful piece by Anne Penketh in The Independent: "Mr Bolton is at the UN with a mission. At the end of the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama famously decreed the end of history. We could be witnessing the end of diplomacy." America in the past has generally demonstrated capacity to be a great leader of others -- a planning nation, a strategic nation, a complex systems integrator in war and peace -- but now the obsession with doing things alone is a rejection of leadership and guarantees future weakness."

"LONDON (Reuters) - There is no silver bullet to eradicate the food shortages afflicting Africa, but more money and a better early warning system could help speed aid to people in need, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.

A ten-fold increase in the U.N.'s Emergency Fund and greater emphasis on prevention through debt relief, trade reform and encouraging better agricultural practices were also crucial to fighting hunger, he wrote in the Financial Times on Monday.

There is no silver bullet, but there is much we can do," he said, warning that the mass hunger in Niger could still be repeated in southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and southern Africa, affecting 20 million people.

"If the world acts now, this need not happen," he said."

[Read more]

A hallway is filled with rubble at School No. 1
in Beslan. This photo was taken by Vano Vazagov, 17.

"BESLAN, Russia, 26 August 2005 - Photos taken by children from Beslan go on display in the town's Cultural Centre today - the result of a photography and journalism workshop for the children organised by UNICEF (22-28 July). The exhibition, entitled Children Are the Most Precious Thing in the World, will run until 9 September.

Thirteen children aged 13 to 18 - five of whom were hostages during the siege of School No. 1 last September - took part in the workshop. They learned about photography and writing from UNICEF photographer Giacomo Pirozzi and journalist John Varoli before going out into Beslan to produce their own photos and stories." [Read more]

VIEW PHOTOS and HEAR AUDIO

"I find peacekeeping to be the most fascinating challenge a police officer could ever face. The opportunity to work in one organization with police colleagues from 46 different nations has taught me unforgettable lessons about foreign cultures and how isolated most of us in the United States truly are. This is an education that no American university could ever provide." - Jill Muncy, Deputy Commissioner/Operations UNMIK Police force in Kosovo

There are thousands of Americans who work for the UN - over 1,800 in New York City alone. "Americans at the UN" is a project dedicated to telling their stories and celebrating the extraordinary work they do quietly every single day in countries all over the world.

LEARN MORE

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Stygius: "In what is, frankly, a brilliant essay, nadezhda mounts a "defense of John Bolton," in the wake of my and others' reaction to Bolton's undercutting of the draft proposal at the center of the upcoming UN Summit. It's a long piece, but the central point seems to be that--beyond the sheer quantity of proposed US changes--the document had so many proposals so utterly incompatible with US positions (on, say, the ICC and the Kyoto Treaty) that it is unbelievable it survived so long in its current form. It's more than possible that the document, apparently shepherded by UN General Assembly President Jean Ping, was designed to highlight faultlines between the developed and developing world when it comes to development policies."

Think Progress: Just three weeks after his recess appointment, Bolton is reversing the work of U.S. negotiators and is seeking to "scrap much of a draft plan for comprehensive UN reform just weeks before it is to be adopted at a world summit."

Policy Busters: "The 2005 World Summit, to be held from 14 to 16 September at United Nations Headquarters in New York, is expected to bring together more than 170 Heads of State and Government: the largest gathering of world leaders in history. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take bold decisions in the areas of development, security, human rights and reform of the United Nations. The agenda is based on an achievable set of proposals outlined in March by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his report In Larger Freedom (www.un.org/largerfreedom)."

Dogooder: "Poor countries to miss 2015 health goals - WHO - "Most poor countries will miss global targets to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and reverse the toll of AIDS and other diseases by 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday. Health is at the heart of the U.N. Millennium Declaration, adopted by 189 heads of state in September 2000, which set out a roadmap of eight goals to be reached by 2015. Using 1990 data as baselines, they aim to reduce poverty and hunger, tackle gaps in health services, education and boost access to clean water."

In the Bullpen: "How the free world gets rid of Iran's nuclear threat though is the question of the decade. If they choose to go after Iran militarily, with what army will they do so and how will they attack targets in which they do not have certainty where they are in Iran. Russia and China have already stated they are not in favor of war in Iran (no kidding as both nations are providing Iran technology and engineering expertise) and would then veto any such action in the United Nations Security Council. Both nations could very well veto any sanctions proposed by the Security Council. Fine mess we're in boys."

Sudan Watch: "UN news service via ReliefWeb reports Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is in Khartoum and plans to visit some of the camps which now house hundreds of thousands of the more than 6 million refugees and internally displaced people who fled Sudan's civil strife."

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

UN Chief Tours Impoverished Niger

UN Refugee Agency Chief in Sudan on First Stop of 10-day Mission

Britain Seeks High-level UN Meeting on Terrorism

UN Warns Polio Outbreak in Indonesia Poses Global Risk

Afghanistan: Security Council Condemns Attempts to Disrupt
Upcoming Elections

UNESCO Observes International Day of Slave Trade and Abolition

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Oxblog: "A front-page story in the WaPo reports that "traces of bomb-grade uranium found two years ago in Iran came from contaminated Pakistani equipment and is not evidence of a clandestine nuclear weapons program, a group of U.S. government experts and other international scientists has determined." In the case of Iran ... is it simply nationalist pride that prevents cooperation with UN inspectors?"

Open Democracy: "The UN and Baghdad: two years on - Kofi Annan pays tribute to the 22 people killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003. Among them was head of the UN mission, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and openDemocracy columnist Arthur Helton. Gil Loescher, Arthur's friend and co-columnist who was badly wounded in the attack, bears witness and looks ahead."

First Draft: "Looks like our new ambassador to the UN has thrown a monkey wrench into the UN reform process at the last minute: "The United States has launched a last-minute drive to scrap much of a draft plan for comprehensive U.N. reform just weeks before it is to be adopted at a world summit, Western diplomats said on Wednesday."

Global Voices Online: "Sub-Saharan Africa - Displaced people in the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur have written to the United Nations, calling on officials to prevent further delays in peace talks between government and rebel forces, writes aid-worker Sleepless in Sudan."

Sudan Watch: "A BBC report today says Tony Blair has been urged to use his influence to increase support for an international deal to stop genocide: "The charity Oxfam has praised the UK's commitment to the deal but hopes the PM will persuade less willing states. The pact, which would oblige countries to intervene when there is evidence of genocide in another nation, is to be tabled at a UN Summit next month. Final negotiations over the agenda for the UN's meeting in New York - set to be the biggest ever summit of world leaders - will begin with Oxfam seeking to safeguard the proposals for international cooperation to respond to mass killings."

TBogg: "So, how long before the 101st Fighting Keyboarders turn their, um, Keyboards of Rage, on Colin Powell: "A former top aide to Colin Powell says his involvement in the former secretary of state's presentation to the United Nations on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was "the lowest point" in his life."

TT Children: "On Front line of Niger's war against hunger, Unicef wields porridge and Syringe - UN News Service - On the front line of the global battle to stop starvation in drought-stricken Niger, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stands armed with a life-saving porridge for undernourished children and syringes to vaccinate against killer diseases."

"Most poor countries will miss global targets to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and reverse the toll of AIDS and other diseases by 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday.

None of the poorest regions of the developing world is on track to meet the target of reducing by two-thirds the rate of child mortality, now around 11 million deaths each year, in the next decade, according to the United Nations agency." [More]

A partial view of the destroyed United Nations headquarters
in Baghdad, that was was destroyed by a truck bomb
on August 19, 2003.

"From its Headquarters in New York to front-line missions in the field, from solemn minutes of silence to impassioned tribute to the fallen, the entire United Nations system marked the second anniversary of the deadly terrorist attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad, one of the darkest days in the world body's history.

"Our fallen colleagues, taken from us in the prime of their lives, embodied our Organization's ideals," Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message. The bombing killed 22 people, including the top UN envoy in Iraq and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Sergio Vieira de Mello, and injured hundreds.

"They were courageous and unstinting in their devotion to helping people in impoverished and war-torn lands build better lives. Their commitment and achievements made all of us proud to work for the United Nations," he added.

"The question of justice lingers, too, as no-one has been held to account for this crime, offering yet another appalling example of the impunity that so often follows assaults on United Nations personnel around the world, be they peacekeepers, humanitarian workers or others." [Read more]

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

Civil Society Groups Launch Website to Spur Discussion of 2005 UN World Summit

Ivorian Refugees Find Novel Ways to Survive and Thrive in Liberia

UN Warns of Growing Human Crisis in Somalia

U.S. Gives Additional $26.1 Million to U.N. Refugee Program

Somalia Piracy Warning as New Ship is Hijacked

Annan to Receive Award from Ghana for International Achievements

CNN Founder Turner Wants Nature Park for Koreas' Demilitarised Zone

Nations Move Ahead in Developing Tsunami Warning System

UN Agency to Sponsor Workshop on Early Marriage in Afghanistan

"MTV plans to chronicle a visit to poverty-stricken African villages by actress Angelina Jolie on Sept. 14, three months after co-star and off-screen companion Brad Pitt gained notice with a similar ABC special.

The MTV documentary will follow Jolie as she accompanies United Nations adviser and economist Jeffrey Sachs on a trip to Sauri, a remote group of villages in western Kenya where his team is battling hunger and disease, the cable channel said this week.

The 30-minute program, a special episode of MTV's long-running "Diary" series spotlighting celebrities, will coincide with the opening of a U.N. special summit on goals for improving living standards in developing nations.

The actress, an Oscar winner for "Girl, Interrupted," has visited U.N. operations around the world as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations' High Commissioner on Refugees since 2001." [Read more]

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Blogicus: "Mike Sackett, the World Food Programme's Regional Southern African director, has revealed that 8.6 million people in southern Africa need food aid up to harvest in April 2006. Over 4.3 million of these are in Zimbabwe."

Mercury Rising: "The Next Time Somebody Mentions "The Oil-for-Food Scandal" we should make it a point to bring up this: "Both Republicans and Democrats appeared taken aback by the volume of cash sent to Iraq: nearly $12 billion over the course of the U.S. occupation from March 2003 to June 2004, said a report by Rep. Henry A. Waxman."

Water Well: "Water shortages will leave world in dire straits - More than half of humanity will be living with water shortages, depleted fisheries and polluted coastlines within 50 years because of a worldwide water crisis, warns a United Nations report out Monday."

Coalition for Darfur: "Kofi Annan to Visit Starving in Niger - From Reuters: "U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will visit Niger next week to highlight the impact of food shortages affecting millions of people in the West African country, Niger government officials said on Wednesday."

Gateway Pundit: "Zimbabwe is planning to resume the "Cleanup" of illegal vendors weeks after it stopped the controversial practice: Zimbabwe last month declared an end to its controversial demolitions of shantytowns, dubbed "Operation Restore Order," after a critical U.N. report said the operation had destroyed the homes or jobs of at least 700,000 people.... The government has asked for help from the international community including the United Nations to build new housing for thousands of homeless residents."

News Nuclear: "UN convenes scientists to study nuclear power plant risks from natural disasters - Seeking to prevent nuclear power plant disasters from being unleashed by natural calamities, the United Nations atomic watchdog agency is organizing an international scientific workshop in India this month to re-examine risks from events such as last December's catastrophic tsunami in the Indian Ocean."

Republic of T: "More on the growth of child prostitution in Iraq, which I posted about earlier: "A United Nations report has revealed that an alarming number of young teenage boys in Iraq are being forced into prostitution by street gangs or poverty due to the ongoing conflict in their country."

Sudan Watch: "A report by the Press Association in this morning's Scotsman says UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has accused Sudanese rebels of increasing abductions, extortion and banditry in a "descent into lawlessness" that has intensified insecurity in Darfur."

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

Annan Accuses Sudan Rebels of Banditry

Food Crises Unaddressed Throughout Africa

UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire Welcomes Disarmament Plan from Western Militias

Pavarotti Ferry Extends Lifeline to Angolan Refugees and Zambian Hosts

Afghanistan Faces More Taliban Violence -UN Report

Global Warming Conference Opens in Greenland

The Impact of Gender, Poverty And Subordination On Women

UN Agency Backs London Mayor's Push for Balanced Coverage of Refugee Issues

"Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on young people to hold political leaders to account for promoting development, an exhibition spotlighted the quest of youth for a better life and ceremonies were held around the world today as the United Nations system marked International Youth Day.

"I know you will not accept a world where others die of hunger, remain illiterate and lack human dignity," Mr. Annan said in a message that stressed the importance of next month's General Assembly summit of world leaders for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of targets for curing a host of socio-economic ills by 2015." [Read more]

Washington Post, Letter to the Editor

By Mark Malloch Brown, Chief of Staff, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan

"An Aug. 10 editorial, citing a news conference I gave recently, implied that the United Nations believes that the oil-for-food scandal was an "insignificant affair dreamed up by U.S. lawmakers and their friends in the media." It also said that I talked about an "extraordinary network" of people and companies who made the program such a "success." That mischaracterized the United Nations' views and my remarks.

I did say that many of the successes of the program in meeting the nutritional and other needs of the Iraqi people are too often forgotten. However, in response to a question about the effect congressional and other investigations into this issue have had on the United Nations, I said, "If we have a complaint, it is that they have looked perhaps too narrowly at the wrongdoings of a couple of United Nations staff members . . . and have not looked more widely at the extraordinary network of companies across the world who were profiting every day on a scale [that was] a huge multiple of the benefits to any United Nations official."

I also said that the report's findings illustrated the "real need for serious, deep-rooted management reform of our organization" and announced immediate steps being taken by the secretary general, which include waiving the diplomatic immunity of the one staff member to have been the subject of criminal charges -- charges that arose as a result of information provided to U.S. law enforcement authorities by the United Nations' independent internal investigation unit.

The secretary general also has said that he will lift the immunity of any other staff members against whom criminal charges are brought. It is hard to see how that can be construed as not taking the issue seriously."

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Chrenkoff: "Nearly half a million Iraqi children will benefit from upgraded sanitation facilities at schools across the country this year as a result of United Nations (UN) initiatives aimed at raising a new generation of educated Iraqis to help their country rebuild from war."

Feministing: "According to a new report from UNICEF: "About 20 percent of children in Afghanistan die before their fifth birthday, girls being particularly vulnerable. Girls' enrollment in secondary schools is less than 10%. Female illiteracy rates as high as 85%. In some parts of Afghanistan, maternal death rates are as high as 6,000 per 100,000 women." These statistics have led UNICEF to declare a state of "acute emergency" for women and children living in Afghanistan."

Booker Rising: "Haiti Election Doubts - Haiti's planned election timetable is looking increasingly doubtful as officials say there are problems with finance, and violent clashes between police and supporters of former President Jean Bertrand-Aristide continue. Despite a United Nations stabilizing force having been present for more than a year, violence continues. The UN's representative in Haiti fears that armed gangs could disrupt the election process."

Coalition for Darfur: "Oxfam on the Genocide Agreement - I mentioned this yesterday, but I finally found the official Oxfam press release... The current draft wording on the 'responsibility to protect is below': 118. The international community should, as appropriate, encourage and help States to exercise this responsibility and support the efforts of the United Nations to establish an early-warning capability. The international community, through the United Nations, also has the obligation to use diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, including under Chapters VI and VIII of the Charter to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. 119. We invite the permanent members of the Security Council to refrain from using the veto in cases of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. 120. We support the implementation of the United Nations Action Plan to Prevent Genocide and the work of the Secretariat to this end."

Crooks and Liars: "James Wolcott - "Roger L. Simon I don't consider a liberal hawk. Because he isn't. He isn't much of a liberal of any kind. Instead, he typifies a subset of bloggers who day-in, day-out bash the UN (particularly over the "oil-for-food" scandal") while saying damn near nothing about the billions of reconstruction money lost or stolen in Iraq and the sweetheart deals for companies like, yes, Halliburton; who dump scorn regularly on the ACLU and minimize the brutalities at Abu Ghraib..."

Democracy Arsenal: "Responding to my post of yesterday, in which I made the point that France had intervened without UN authorisation in the civil war in Cote d'Ivoire, KB says that "when the French deployed in 2002 it did so at the request of the legitimate government of the IC and therefore didn't need UN say so."

"Americans should seek to learn more about the broader mandate and work of the UN and its agencies beyond the very limited portrayal of the UN in the mainstream media. Americans should follow the important work of the UN through mechanisms such as the UN Wire, and should express their support and ideas for the UN by communicating these to their elected representatives and the President." - Andrew Hudson, Principal Technical Advisor, International Waters, at United Nations Development Program's Global Environment Facility

There are thousands of Americans who work for the UN - over 1,800 in New York City alone. "Americans at the UN" is a project dedicated to telling their stories and celebrating the extraordinary work they do quietly every single day in countries all over the world.

The Americans profiled on these pages come from very different backgrounds and work in extremely diverse settings. But whether they are from Los Angeles, St. Louis, or Boston, and whether they work from an office in New York City, a tent in a tiny village in Sri Lanka, or a battleground in the Congo, they are all committed to creating a better world.

LEARN MORE

"Sri Lanka's government has declared a state of emergency hours after Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was killed outside his home by sniper fire. The assassination is bound to further strain the shaky cease-fire agreement between Sri Lanka's government and the Tamil Tiger rebels. The truce, in place since February 2002, has been threatened by recent violence and the suspension of talks in 2003.

World leaders, including U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, were quick to condemn the killing.

"Sri Lanka has lost a deeply respected statesman dedicated to peace and national unity," Annan's spokesman said in a statement. "The secretary-general hopes that this tragedy will not weaken the commitment of the people of Sri Lanka to achieve a durable peace in the country." [Read more]

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

Experts Say Niger Famine is Avoidable

UN Food Agency Says Niger Famine Now Hitting Mali

Team from UN Nuclear Watchdog to Go to Iran to Discuss Outstanding Issues

UN Peacekeepers in Cote d'Ivoire Meet Hostility in Government-Controlled South

International Youth Day: 12 August 2005

"Burundi's former rebels handed in weapons to the United Nations on Friday in a symbolic gesture to show they were renouncing war and preparing to govern after elections this month they are set to win." [Read more]

Hadjara with her 5-month-old son
Lawali at a therapeutic feeding
centre in Aguie, Niger.

"AGUIE, Niger, 10 August 2005 - "My son's name is Lawali," says 30-year old Hadjara. "He's five months old. He's still very weak, but I think he's getting better. His eyes follow me around now."

Lawali is snuggled in his mother's lap in a colourful cloth wrap to keep his tiny body warm. Hadjara sits on a thin mat on the floor of a therapeutic feeding centre in Aguie village, in the Maradi region of Niger - hit hard by the current food crisis.

Hadjara is spoon-feeding her son with nutritious therapeutic milk, supplied by UNICEF. Lawali swallows each spoonful of milk with a small gulp, and as with all babies, some of it trickles down his chin. Therapeutic milk is rich in nutrients and is easy to digest for children like Lawali." [Read more]

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Washington Note: "Perhaps John Bolton is modeling himself on Andrei Gromyko, the famous "Mr. Nyet" who said 'No' more often than anything else starting in 1946 when he went as the Soviet Ambassador to the U.N. followed by nearly three decades as the USSR's Foreign Minister."

Suburban Guerrilla: "Unimaginable - So sad: "What little food they had ran out a long time ago and if they were "looking well fed" as their president has said, it was on leaves and plants. But yesterday the dispossessed of Guidamonji were the first to benefit from the start of the long-awaited UN aid distribution in Niger."

Hidden Nook: "With the United States delegating the potential Persian nuclear crisis over to Europe, Iran it seems has disregarded the world's viewpoint over it's nuclear activities. Europe, realizing that they are losing control over the situation are threatening to bring Iran before the United Nations. But with nothing more than paper and words backing the their threats, Iran is calling the world's bluff by publicly insisting that it's nuclear activity is only for "peaceful" means."

Coalition for Darfur: "From IRIN: "Heavy rainfall and ongoing insecurity are slowing down the delivery of humanitarian assistance to many parts of the strife-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur, aid workers warned on Wednesday. "It is a nightmare to move food; the rains are much worse than last year," Diego Fernandez, head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) field office in Kabkabiya, in the west of North Darfur State, told IRIN."

Media Network Weblog: "Representatives from fourteen national broadcast companies from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered at UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok today to launch a co-production initiative to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS global health risk through the creation of media content. The initiative was organised through a cooperative arrangement involving the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), UNDP's Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP), UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNDP Regional HIV Programme, MTV International and the Kaiser Family Foundation. This innovative and timely partnership will produce a series of made for television programmes to raise awareness of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic."

MoJo Blog: "Darfur Won't Go Away - The ICG's John Pendergast - who was interviewed a while back here at Mother Jones-had an important op-ed on Darfur yesterday that kicks down the idea that the genocide will somehow just go away on its own: "The crisis in Darfur is deepening, not abating. New numbers from the United Nations reveal that 3.5 million Darfurians are in need of emergency aid, a sharp increase over what the misguided optimists expected. Mass rapes continue; lifesaving humanitarian aid is frequently blocked; and impunity for those responsible remains intact." (Via Coalition for Darfur, which is also essential reading for the ongoing crises in Congo and Niger.)"

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

U.N. Begins Mass Food Handout to Starving in Niger

Annan Praises 'spirit of mutual respect' at Korean Nuclear Talks

UAE: Interview with UN Resident Coordinator Nadir Hadj-Hammou

Oxfam Blasts Rich Countries Over West Africa Famine

Lasers Recreate Destroyed Statues

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Baghdad Dweller: "Iraqi news agency launches - Iraq is to get its first independent news agency run and staffed by Iraqi journalists and backed by Reuters and the United Nations. The launch of the agency is aimed at providing breaking news to local, regional and international media and is expected to help strengthen professional journalism, facilitate social dialogue and promote democracy in the war-torn country."

Chrenkoff: "Good news from Afghanistan, part 15 - Long forgotten - or worse still, destroyed - historical heritage of Afghanistan is finally being preserved and looked after. For example, "experts from the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, are back on the ground in western Afghanistan. They're working with local authorities on a $1 million project to preserve the crumbling, centuries-old minarets in Herat and Jam, which are in danger of collapse." And this: "The Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance of a total of 3,660,415 US dollars (approximately 402.64 million yen) through the Trust Fund for Human Security for the project "Improving Human Security by Rebuilding Urban Communities" to be implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) in Afghanistan..."

Doug Ireland: "A growing number of Iraqi boys are being forced to join the commercial sex trade -- many forced to do so by criminal gangs through threats and violence, intimidation, and blackmail in a country where "honor killings" of youths who engage in same-sex relations by their families is encouraged by Sharia law and religious fanaticism; and some out of poverty in a country where official government figures for youth unemployment at 48 % (although the real figure is undoubtedly much higher). All this is confirmed by a new report from the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs' Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)."

Hit and Run: "InstaPundit guestblogger Michael Totten offers some odd political advice to the Democrats: "As far as I'm concerned, social liberalism is the best thing the Democratic Party has going for it. They should keep that and drop the pacifism and isolationism instead..." The strange thing is the use of the word "isolationism." Just last year the warbloggers were warning that Kerry would submit America's foreign policy to a nefarious "global test." The man and his party were damned for their excessive faith in the United Nations, multilateralism, and the power of the well-crafted treaty. And now they're supposed to be isolationists?"

Matthew Good: "There is little doubt in my mind that a conservative element within the Canadian Armed Forces is attempting to seize on the ambiguity provided by The War On Terror to reverse Canadian military priorities.... Being that Canada is not in Afghanistan under the banner of the United Nations, such a commitment would make Afghanistan one of the longest of its kind in Canadian military history. And with that commitment will come the usual - increased military spending and an intensified recruiting campaign. In short, the national, and positive, promotion of militarism."

Syamak Moattari: "World Water Week 2005 - Experts from 100 countries will present innovative water sanitation and development solutions in advance of the United Nations' five-year review of progress toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Delegates will present examples of how problems of poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and gender inequality can be solved with water and sanitation as the key entry points.'

Washington Note: "Now that John Bolton has his Credentials... TWN is thinking of asking for an interview with him. We will probably get rejected, but I would like to discuss with him -- in a serious way -- what his vision is for the United Nations and how it converges or diverges from those in America who despise the institution. They are the ones -- on the whole -- who supported him. Is he going to abandon his base?"

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

BOP News: Paul Volcker's investigation has been thorough and unflinching, and promises another installment in a definitive report. If the UN believes in its mission then it should take the opportunity to clean house. There isn't room for corruption in the 21st century."

Civil Commotion: "The United Nations is distributing a board game called The Road to Peace to Afghani children to teach them about the reconstruction now underway in Afghanistan.... Some 10,000 copies of the game are being handed out across Afghanistan to war-affected children, former child soldiers and refugee families, said Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan."

Iddybud: "I just love today's Arianna Huffington piece - her latest on the Judy Miller file. Arianna has been talking to Gore Vidal, one of my personal favorites. Arianna says: "During a conversation with Gore Vidal we talked about the fact that we had both heard from different people that Judy was planning to start writing a book about her experiences in the Plame case while in jail. The last articles she wrote before going to jail -- about Kofi Annan and that neocon bugaboo, the UN -- stand as an example of sloppy and slanted journalism."

Memory Hole: "The UN really is at the behest of US power - not that this is anything to celebrate. Where former administrations have tried to create at least the impression of a more nuanced, multilateral outlook however, the Bush administration is confronting the UN - and any other potentially independent international fora - head-on."

Sudan Watch: "UN envoy urges quick decisions on status of oil-rich regions in central Sudan - Aug 8 AFP report via Gulf Times: "UN special envoy for Sudan Jan Pronk said quick decisions were needed on the status of several oil-rich regions in central Sudan claimed by both Khartoum and the SPLM where militia activity continues despite the accord."

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

Iran Resumes Nuclear Work, a Step That May Lead to Sanctions

ZIMBABWE: UN Prepares Appeal to Assist Victims of 'Cleanup' Operations

UN Urges Sudan to Speed Peace Deal Implementation

'Deeply concerned' Over Volcker Report, Annan Waives Official's Immunity

Group: Climate Change Pushing Wildlife North

Iraqi News Agency Launches

Jan Egeland: "Humanitarian aid can make a lifesaving difference for so many, so quickly, for so little cost, in these acute crises. The people of Niger know this: That's why many of Niger's citizens, the poorest of the world's poor, have donated to a national fund to assist their less-fortunate neighbors.

Their generosity also transcends borders. When the tsunami struck Asia, the people of Niger opened their hearts and wallets. Niger sent $250,000 to the victims - this in a country where the average income is less than $1 a day.

At a time of unprecedented global prosperity, cannot the rich nations do as much for defenseless, starving children?

Jan Egeland is the United Nations under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief coordinator.

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

UN Official Says Two More Months Required to Measure
Success of Niger Relief

Children Dying Before Our Eyes, Says UNICEF Official in Niger

U.N. Urges China to Do More Tests on Pig Disease in Humans

UN Nuclear Watchdog's Board of Governors to Meet on Iran on Tuesday

UN Rights Body Calls for Inquiry on Lebanese Disappeared in Syria

BURUNDI: UN Mission Report Cites Army, Rebels in Rights Abuses

Greenhouse Effect Can Melt World's Glaciers: UN

UN Official Says Undernourishment Among Burmese Children
Reaching Alarming Level

Dr. Kadri Koda examines a girl being treated for malnutrition
at a UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding centre in Maradi,
Niger. [Read more]

And from the New York Times: Malnutrition Is Ravaging Niger's Children

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Afghan Warrior: "A UN spokesman on Friday said Pakistan had decided to shut down all the Afghan refugee camps in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and also from the country's tribal region bordering Afghanistan, by August 31.... The government of Pakistan should not force Afghan refugees to leave Pakistan; it is against the agreements that were signed three years ago between Pakistan, Afghanistan and U.N."

Washington Note: "The United Nations does a lot more than provide a forum for American presidents to circumvent when they want to launch a war. From peace keeping, to responding to natural disasters, to trying war criminals, the UN performs important functions that a single nation cannot."

Coalition for Darfur: "From Humanitarian Hijinks - "Khartoum remains tense today as a third day of violence draws to a close (I am told one of my favourite pizza places has been smashed up in the riots). Things here Darfur are as calm as usual apart from a few grumbling clouds of rain. While the UN has been telling its staff to get their emergency evacuation bags ready, the locals are still trying to figure out what it all means for Sudan."

Political Animal: "Who says John Bolton can't be an effective diplomat? From the BBC: "Beijing will work with the United States to block a plan to add new permanent members to the UN Security Council, China's UN ambassador says. Wang Guangya said he agreed the deal with the new US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, at a meeting." Ah, our great allies, the Chinese. It's good to see that Bolton knows just where to go when he needs some likeminded help putting sand in the gears of UN reform."

Sepia Mutiny: "The Toronto Star reported last month: "The United Nations said it will investigate a number of allegations from reliable sources that the U.S. is detaining terrorist suspects in undeclared holding facilities, including on board ships believed to be in the Indian Ocean."

Selected summary of United Nations related news and events

NIGER: WFP Asks Donors to Triple Funding to Over $57 Million

United States Will Airlift Emergency Food Aid to Niger

Sudan: Annan, UN Envoy, Reiterate Clls for Calm Following Garang's Death

UN Watchdog Warns Iran Against Nuclear Activities Pending Enhanced Surveillance

Joy a Long Time Coming for Zimbabwe's Displaced

UN Humanitarian Office Reports Large Number of Internally Displaced Persons
Returning to Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Coalition for Darfur: "Maine Man Witness to Struggles in Sudan - From the Bangor Daily News: "Stan Stalla can watch lobster fishermen tend their traps from his coastal home, but his job takes him across an ocean to a world where he sees starvation. A veteran aid worker, Stalla, 54, spent four months earlier this year in the Darfur region of Sudan ... Through the United Nations World Food Programme, Stalla has seen firsthand the suffering and starving in the displaced-persons camps of Darfur."

Democracy Arsenal: "Lee Feinstein has a nice roundup over at America Abroad of what Secretary Rice has been doing to improve the US position at the UN before John Bolton gets there. When you put it all together, Lee, it does sound like a coherent policy. Before Ambassador Bolton rides off to the wilds of Manhattan, I'd like to propose three lessons the Affair of the Thrown Stapler can teach us. Two of them are even optimistic..."

Redstate: "We've all been told by reporters that the world's U.N. ambassadors would loathe "damaged goods" John Bolton, who would lack the authority of Senate confirmation required to allow him to be taken seriously by global diplomats. It looks like the reporters are wrong. For instance, Chinese Deputy Ambassador Zhang Yishan told Bloomberg.com: "Bush could name a reporter as representative and we would take him." ... They suggest that Bolton's trouble, then, will come from Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as when he testifies in support of some U.N. reform measure."

A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary

Chrenkoff: "Good news from Iraq, part 32 - The European Union will be channeling 20 million euro ($24 million) through the United Nations in support of the constitutional process... Meanwhile, the United Nations has conducted a massive successful immunization campaign throughout Iraq - with some help from the private sector."

================

Captain's Quarters: "The New York Times editorial board works itself into quite an emotional state this morning over the recess appointment of John Bolton to the UN. In fact, their editorial today goes so far as to praise Condoleezza Rice's performance at State, which they haven't bothered to do as a stand-alone opinion, just to take a swipe at Bolton."

Coalition for Darfur: "U.N. sees Joint Investigation into Garang's Death - From Reuters: "The United Nations has offered to help investigate the cause of the helicopter crash which killed former southern Sudanese rebel leader and First Vice President John Garang, Sudan's top U.N. envoy said on Tuesday. Jan Pronk said Garang's death, announced on Monday, was a setback to a peace deal that ended Africa's longest civil war, but the speedy transition of power was a positive sign that the former rebel group could stay united without Garang."

Democracy Arsenal: "The Perfect Task For John Bolton - During the first month or two after John Bolton's nomination I wrote reams about him, so I won't revisit all that now. My take on the merits of the recess appointment can be found here. Bottom line is that I am proud of those on the SFRC for the fight they put up, and eager for a substantive debate this fall over what the Administration will accomplish during this all important General Assembly session devoted to UN reform. Speaking of reform.... Given that one of his signature credentials for the UN post was over-turning the organization's notorious Zionism is Racism resolution, if the Administration is right that Bolton can be effective at the UN, why not have him tackle the betterment of Israel's status at the world body? Let him show us what he can do."

Hidden Nook: "Bush Bypasses Senate, Confirms Bolton - It seems that President Bush has bypassed the Senate completely and used his constitutional powers to appoint John Bolton as the next Ambassador to the United Nations. ... The United States has been without a representative to the United Nations for approximately six months, and with major issues such as UN reform (something desperately needed) coming to the table. Bolton's nomination has sparked heated debate, especially on the left, and his appointment will only create more conspiracy theories amongst many of the "elite" liberals."

Liquid List: "Look, I don't think there is much more of a point in debating the administration's choice for UN ambassador. It's clear, of course, that if they want to do something, they just will. They don't care, and they have made this fact abundantly clear."

"The United Nations and the United States on Monday called the death of former Sudanese rebel leader John Garang a loss for the country and urged all factions to carry out the peace process he began.

The United Nations, which has sent troops to implement a landmark agreement in southern Sudan, helped retrieve Garang's body from a helicopter that crashed on Sunday while en route home from Uganda, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.

"He is larger than life, rather charismatic and believed in his mission with all his being," Annan told reporters. "He lived and fought for his dream. And just as he was on the verge of it, he lost his life." [More]

CNN: "Ending a five-month standoff over a controversial nomination, President Bush on Monday used a recess appointment to name John Bolton the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan reacts: "We look forward to working with him as I do with the other 190 ambassadors and we will welcome him at a time when we are in the midst of major reform. I think it is the president's prerogative, and the president has decided to appoint him through this process."