Author Archives: Mark Leon Goldberg 
The mHealth Alliance and the Millennium Development Goal Summit
Our friends at the mHealth Alliance pass along this note from the most recent issue of the Alliance’s monthly e-newsletter, mPulse.
Jimmy Carter on the MDGs (Video)
From the Millennium Campaign: In remarks broadcast Sunday, September 12, 2010, on the nationally-syndicated Day1 program, the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, calls upon the faith community to take action against global hunger by supporting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
ICC Proscutor in DC; State Department Previews UN Week; Jeffrey Sachs on the Line
It will be a busy day of meetings around the Washington, D.C. diplomatic circuit.
1)This morning, the head prosecutor is in Washington, DC for a talk at the Woodrow Wilson Center. Prosecutor Louis Moreno Ocampo will give a talk: “The International Criminal Court and Africa,” which should be interesting because, well, all of the ICC’s open investigations are taking place in Africa.
Michelle Bachelet to Head UN WOMEN
The Secretary General tapped former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet to be the first head of UN WOMEN. Read more
Good News and Bad News on Global Hunger
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization released its annual review of global hunger today. The “State of Food Insecurity in the World” report offers some good news and bad news about, well, the state of food security in the world.
The Crisis in Disaster Relief
I have a column up on The Guardian’s website, arguing that the international community’s capacity to cope with the world’s humanitarian crises is crippled by an ever-widening funding gap
Has the international community been too slow to respond to Pakistan’s epic floods?
Rafts to the Rescue in Pakistan (video)
With bridges destroyed and a shortage of helicopters, the relief effort turns on makeshift rafts to ferry humanitarian supplies across the Swat river. Check out this video from the UN Refugee Agency.
Ted Turner: “The MDGs are the World’s To Do List” (Video)
UN Foundation Founder (and UN-designated “anti-poverty superhero“) Ted Turner cuts a PSA for the Millennium Development Goals.
The Most Anticipated Event During UN Week
One of the most anticipated moments during the UN summit coming up later this month is a meeting on on maternal and child health, taking place on Wednesday the 22. It probably won’t draw the same amount of media attention as predicable rants by various global despots, but it holds more potential to change the lives of millions of the most vulnerable people around the world than any UN meeting in a long time.
Hillary Clinton: “We are constantly reminded of the UN’s Value”
Hillary Clinton delivered a sweeping speech on American global leadership earlier today at the Council on Foreign Relations. There is a lot of love for the UN in there. The following excerpt appeared under the sub-heading: “Global Institutions for the 21st Century.”
Effective institutions are just as crucial at a global level, where the challenges are even more complex and the partners even more diverse.
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Iran; Syria; Internet Governance; Libya; and more
UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano and top aides will travelto Tehran on Sunday for talks with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, a few days before Iran and world powers meet in Baghdad to discuss the broader nuclear dispute. News of the rare visit came as Western diplomats said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran were making headway towards a framework deal on how to tackle concerns about Iran’s atomic activity.
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Sudan/South Sudan; State of the World Economy debate; International Day against Homophobia; and more
The U.N. Security Council has called on Sudan and South Sudan to reach an agreement on the status of the disputed, oil-rich Abyei border region and extended the U.N. security force’s mission there by six months. The council passed a resolution Thursday calling the situation a serious security threat and demanding the creation of a jointly administered Abyei police force.
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The top United Nations refugee official today voiced his alarm at new inflows of refugees into Rwanda and Uganda, fleeing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). More than 8,200 refugees have crossed from DRC into Rwanda since 27 April, according to staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These are in addition to the 55,000 Congolese refugees that Rwanda is already hosting.
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Syria: U.N.-Arab League mediator Kofi Annan is urging Syria’s government to accept U.N. conditions for expanding the distribution of humanitarian aid to roughly 1 million Syrians in need of assistance, the United Nations said today. Meanwhile, three vehicles belonging to … Read more
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Sustainable Future Symposium; ICT for Development; IAEA/Iran; Global Financial Transaction Tax; and more
Partnerships and development cooperation among countries will play a key role in accelerating sustainable development, the Secretary-General of the UN Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20), Sha Zukang said today, stressing that assistance will need to focus on helping developing countries find longer-term solutions to eradicate poverty and transition into a green economy.The two-day Australia High-Level Symposium, “Shaping a Sustainable Future – Partners in Development Cooperation,” which began today, seeks to facilitate an informal dialogue on development cooperation among high-level policymakers, multilateral and civil society organizations, philanthropic foundations and the private sector.
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DR Congo; South Sudan; UNHCR and OIC; and more
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, today voiced concern over the human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has experienced a recent upsurge in violence. Mr. Šimonovic said he was “appalled” by the heightened levels of recent violence triggered by defections in the Congolese armed forces, including former members of certain militia groups, and welcomed joint efforts between the peacekeepers of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), humanitarian actors and the authorities to protect civilians and respond to human rights violations.
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Asia-Pacific Human Development Report; Syria; Horn of Africa; UNRWA
Countries in the Asia-Pacific region must find ways to continue to grow economically and lift millions out of poverty while also responding to climate change and environmental concerns, according to UN report released today, which stresses that new methods of production are needed to meet this goal.UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Human Development Report 2012 argues that policies and actions in the region will have a global impact as it is home to more than half of the world’s population and half of the planet’s megacities.
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SG on Rio/Post-2015 Development; Syria; Middle East; Global Fund; and more
Appealing for flexibility in reaching agreement on a final outcome document, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today, emphasized the need for Member States to agree on launching a process to establish Sustainable Development Goals ahead of the Rio+20 conference while also announcing the appointment of three co-chairs to his High-Level Panel on Post-2015 Development Planning. We should agree on launching a process to establish Sustainable Development Goals that build on the Millennium Development Goals … find better ways to measure progress that goes beyond Gross Domestic Product …and advance action to improve people’s lives through decent work, social protection and the empowerment of women and young people,” the UN chief said in his address to the UN General Assembly.
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Syria; Guinea-Bissau; UNAIDS; Afghanistan; and more
Amid concerns from the international community over the prospects of a “full civil war” in Syria, the Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan, said today that the ongoing levels of violence and human rights abuses in the Middle Eastern country are unacceptable and the UN observer mission is possibly the only remaining chance to stabilize it.
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Peacebuilding; South Sudan; Indigenous Issues; Rwanda
The United Nations is determined to do everything possible to assist societies torn by war from sliding back into conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an audience in the United States capital today, adding that while there have been setbacks, peacebuilding remains a crucial element of the world body’s efforts.In a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D. C., Mr. Ban highlighted the work of the UN’s 16 peacekeeping operations and 15 political missions in the area of peacebuilding – a core mandate of the Organization.
