Marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon roundly denounced torture and called on all countries to ratify the international treaty that bans it.
Ban said, "Let us speak with one voice against the perpetrators of torture, and for all who suffer at their hands...And let us build a better, more humane world for all people everywhere."
The Convention against Torture went into force twenty years ago, yet, as Ban said, "even after two decades, this instrument falls well short of universal ratification."
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An expert-group discussion hosted by United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW) has concluded that the number of male trainers in gender training for security personnel must be increased.
With special attention given to UN peacekeepers, international gender experts representing academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, security forces and the UN have provided useful recommendations and practical tips on training delivery, for example on how to challenge gender stereotypes.Carmen Moreno, UN-INSTRAW Director, said "Many of the security institutions - military, police, peacekeepers - are dominated by men...Knowing more about how differently men and women experience conflict helps security personnel respond better to gender-based violence and prevent sexual abuse." More
A new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that environmental degradation is among the root causes of decades of conflict in Sudan.
Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, says the report "has shown clearly that peace and people's livelihoods in Darfur as well as in the rest of Sudan are inextricably linked to the environmental challenge."
"Just as environmental degradation can contribute to the triggering and perpetuation of conflict, the sustainable management of natural resources can provide the basis for long-term stability, sustainable livelihoods, and development."
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The United Nations food relief agency has appealed to Kenyan authorities to allow assistance for more than 100,000 people to be trucked into Somalia, where deliveries are being hampered.
One hundred and forty WFP-contracted trucks carrying the food left the Kenyan port of Mombasa and were unexpectedly stopped at the Northeast Kenyan border crossing of El-Wak since they first started arriving there on 25 May.WFP Somalia Country Director Peter Goossens said "The Kenyan overland route was chosen because of major problems with sea routes to Somalia plagued by pirate attacks." More
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Washington, DC yesterday in an effort to seek support for reducing the U.S. deficit in peacekeeping dues.
"He's meeting with congressional leaders, mostly talking about peacekeeping funding," said Deborah DeYoung, information officer for the United Nations Information Centre in Washington. "He's been here twice before this year, and probably be coming back and forth a good bit. It's a new era, and he's keen to get to know people and keen to let them know his priorities."The timing of Ban's trip coincided with the Better World Campaign--which gave the House of Representatives a petition on Tuesday signed by 32,000 people from all 50 states urging Congress to pay off $569 million in arrears. More
Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has has condemned the murder of Iraqi journalist Sahar Hussein Ali al-Haydari. This death follows the murder of two female Afghan journalists in recent weeks.
"In only a few days, three women journalists have been brutally murdered...These pioneering women were targeted because they devoted their energy and courage to help bring about democratic change in their societies...I trust these particularly heinous crimes will not go unpunished."
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports taht at least 106 journalists and 39 media workers have been killed in Iraq since 2003.
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A new study by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) reports that pervasive sex discrimination is impeding African women's success in business.
The study, entitled "Lessons from Success Stories of African Women Entrepreneurs," called for initiatives beyond microcredit schemes while pointing out that women continue manage businesses which generate employment and tax revenue despite limited government support, negative social environments, institutional discrimination and lasting gender inequalities.The study is based on the experiences of women entrepreneurs in Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. More
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called on governments, communities and families to increase efforts to prevent child trafficking.
UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman noted that every year globally, about 1.2 million children are trafficked. "Children are trafficked into prostitution, into armed groups to serve as child soldiers, to provide cheap or unpaid labour, and to work as house servants or beggars."
Trafficking exposes children to violence, sexual abuse, severe neglect, and HIV infection, she pointed out, while violating children's right to be protected, to grow up in a family environment and to have access to education. UNICEF called for punishing the perpetrators of human trafficking, which generates an estimated $9.5 billion a year and fuels other criminal activities.More
Stara Thomas, a well-known Tanzanian singer, is joining forces with the United Nations to advocate for safe motherhood.
"In our country there is joy; in our country there is peace; in our country there is hope, but we still need to protect the women and the children, because their health is our future," said Stara, a mother of two who has written and performed an anthem about promoting safe motherhood and infant health called 'Play your Part,' which has become a hit, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a news release. "The song talks about how a pregnant woman's health is supposed to be taken care of by specialists in order to reduce the number of women and children dying during the delivery time," said the singer.Tanzania's maternal mortality rate is 578 deaths per 100,000 live births; more than half of all pregnant women in the country deliver at home without a skilled birth attendant. More