From Media Matters: “During his July 20 interview with U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John R. Bolton, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly repeatedly lashed out at the U.N., putting Bolton in the position of defending the U.N. and its Security Council. O’Reilly called Security Council actions “a joke,” accused the U.N. of not being “able to do anything,” and declared that “I just think the whole place [the U.N.] is a rat’s nest.” In response, Bolton — who, before being appointed ambassador to the U.N., had made comments that were harshly critical of the organization — criticized some U.N. actions but defended many others, attempting to explain what was “worthwhile” about U.S. involvement with the U.N.”
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1,200 People Die Daily from Volence, Disease in the DR of Congo
“Every day 1,200 people, half of them children, are killed in the conflict-hit Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) because of violence, disease and malnutrition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report issued today.
The report, Child Alert: DRC, also states that more children under age five die each year in the African country than in China — a country with 23 times the population. It draws attention to the appalling fact that the total countrywide death toll every six months is similar to that for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 230,000 people in 12 countries.” [More]
NPR: United Nations Seeking Annan’s Successor
“With Kofi Annan’s term due to expire at year’s end, the U.N. Security Council is starting the search for a new secretary general. Asian nations insist it’s time for someone from their region to hold the post.” [Audio link from NPR]
UN Team May Go to Syria, Iran for Talks on Lebanon
“The United Nations is considering dispatching envoys to Syria and Iran as part of a diplomatic push to end fighting between Israel and Hizbollah, Western diplomats said on Monday.“Consideration is being given to going to Damascus and Tehran,” a Western diplomat said of the U.N. delegation, led by Vijay Nambiar. “The key to unlocking this is Syria and Iran. You have to talk to the powers behind the throne.”
Diplomats said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan would decide in the coming days whether to dispatch the team, which has already held talks with Lebanese and Israeli leaders.” [More]
UN’s Aid Chief Tours Beirut
“Jan Egeland, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, is in Lebanon pushing for a safe humanitarian corridor for aid workers to deliver urgently needed supplies…. UN relief agencies say Lebanon faces a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions.” [Full story]
Photo Copyright Haitham Moussawi/IRIN
World’s Poorest Nations at a “Critical Moment of Transition”
BBC: “The 50 least developed countries, most of which are in Africa, lack the means to compete in a rapidly globalising world, says the UN’s Unctad agency. Unctad’s latest report says aid should be used to make poorer economies more productive and boost wealth creation.“We need to go back to the basics,” said co-author Zeljka Kozul-Wright. “If countries do not invest in infrastructure, they are not going to sow the seeds for growth and development in future,” she told the BBC News website.”
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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