Life is hard for Darfur's refugees in eastern chad. This disturbing video from the UN Refugee Agency shows how Darfuri refugees are coping with shortages of water and cooking fuel as they fight to survive in a harsh environment.
Life is hard for Darfur's refugees in eastern chad. This disturbing video from the UN Refugee Agency shows how Darfuri refugees are coping with shortages of water and cooking fuel as they fight to survive in a harsh environment.
The International Court of Justice issued a long-awaited ruling on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008.
Bec Hamilton writes a very important dispatch from Sudan where she reports that Sudanese authorities are heavily censoring what journalists may write about South Sudan's looming independence.
A new report by the UN Development Program shows how discriminatory laws against men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people undermine the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Asia Pacific region. The report is thorough and exhaustive, but the gist is this: In 19 of the 48 countries included in the study, sex between consenting male adults is illegal. Authorities and vigilantes use the legal prohibitions against MSM to harass, intimidate and extort MSM and transgender people.
When he was in Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq Ad Melkert stopped by the UN Foundation's Better World Campaign to discuss some of the challenges that his mission faces. Here's the video.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay offered sharp words for Kyrgyz officials. In the wake of violence and communal riots that uprooted some 400,000 ethnic Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan last month, her office sent a team of investigators to the region. Today, Pillay says that her office has collected evidence that Kyrgyz security forces are responsible for detaining 1,000 ethnic Uzbeks, and subjecting them to torture and other ill treatment.
MDG 2 calls for universal primary education. Last month, the UN released a major MDG review study showing that 89% of children in the developing world are enrolled in primary education. In sub-saharan Africa, enrollment stands at 76%, which is up from 58% in 1999. The report credits governments that have abolished school fees and undertaken other policies that make access to eduction more affordable for poor children.
By Harold Pollack, the Helen Ross Professor at the School of Social Service Administration and faculty chair of the Center for Health Administration Studies at the University of Chicago.
It is not often that the President of the United States weighs in directly on debates at the UN Economic and Social Council.