Top of the Morning: There’s a New Pope! Will He Derail the Commission on the Status of Women?

Top stories from DAWNS Digest. 

Will The New Pope Derail The Commission on the Status of Women?

The 57th annual Commission on the Status of Women is ongoing at the UN, but conservative countries are working hard to block any sort of decent outcome. “Delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are racing to reach a consensus deal on a final document by Friday and some diplomats say the future of the commission – a global policy-making body created in 1946 for the advancement of women – is at risk if they fail to broker a compromise. ‘There’s this sort of unholy alliance … coming together to oppose language on sexual health, reproductive rights and LGBT rights,’ one senior UN diplomat said.” (Reuters http://reut.rs/14YsWIc)

Gallup and FAO to Join Forces on New Hunger Tracking Poll

A new Food and Agriculture survey with Gallup will track hunger trends with the hope that it can provide a more accurate global picture. “In the new ‘Voices of the Hungry’ initiative, individuals will be asked in their local language, as part of the Gallup World Poll, whether in the last 12 months a lack of money or other resources meant they were unable to eat enough food or healthy food, ran out of food, were forced to cut portions or skip meals altogether, or were hungry but did not eat.” (AlertNet http://bit.ly/YbEhSe)