While war, poverty, health and a range of other pressing global issues affect women worldwide, climate wouldn't be one of the first you'd think of. Well, think again.

According to new research conducting the United Nations, Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) and the University of London, climate change severely impacts women's lives and contributes to the already existing gender inequalities that exist across the globe. Inhabitat picked it up:

For example, Amy North, a researcher at the University of London’s Institute of Education, notes that in sub-Saharan Africa, women are responsible for collecting water and firewood. Decreased rainfall brought on by climate change will undoubtedly make these resources more scarce. Women will need to spend more and more time searching for these items, meaning they’ll have less time to engage in money-making activities or attend school. In Kenya, poverty brought on by drought has been linked to a decrease in school attendance, and parents are more likely to withdraw girls from school than boys.

In Uganda, “famine marriages” are all too common. Less rainfall brings agricultural losses, which means increased poverty in rural areas that depend on farming. To combat this poverty, many families are marrying off their daughters at younger and younger ages in order to secure a dowry or bride price. As climate change continues to spur drought and agricultural losses, the situation may only get worse for women.

In short, we have to recognize that issues like water, food and energy are all women's issues. It's necessary for foks to recognize that and begin to address issues of gender when discussing climate change. Check out the entire report, it's pretty eye-opening. 

The Forward is the oldest American Jewish periodical.  From about the turn of the 19th century to the mid 1980s it published exclusively in Yiddish. Today it has seperate Yiddish and English editions, though circulation of the English edition dwarfs the Yiddishkite. 

The point is, it's got major street-cred among American Jews.  Natutally, I was very pleased to see this commentary about the United Nations from Jack Rosen, Chairman of the Council of World Jewry, found in the pages of The Forward:

For many Americans, and most Israelis, the words “United Nations” conjure up an image of an albatross at best, and a vulture at worst. Anti-Israel agendas, advanced by Islamic nations, routinely dominate the General Assembly and the U.N. human rights entities. Without the American veto, Israel would long ago have been the target of hostile binding resolutions in the Security Council.

 Yet, for all this, we must resist the temptation to give up on the U.N.

 The recent catastrophe in Haiti showcased one of the U.N.’s most indispensable roles. U.N. agencies form the backbone of the aid effort there. From Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and special envoy Bill Clinton on down, U.N. officials coordinated fundraising and diplomacy so that nearly four million people have received food assistance and 350,000 have received shelter.

[snip]

Holocaust commemoration and education, mandated by a U.N. General Assembly resolution, would have withered on the vine without persistent follow-through by the same bureaucrats we often malign as “the U.N.” When Ahmadinejad was opening a worldwide convention of Holocaust deniers three years ago, the General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning Holocaust denial.

Read the whole thing.

A major South Korean newspaper ran an article today about North Korean arms exports, based on information they received from a North Korean defector. It’s a fascinating view of one of the scariest parts of a frightening economy. North Korea sells everything from small arms to warheads, and it has a whole set of structures set up to support the trade. One highlight “North Korea's main weapons production base is Kanggye General Tractor Plant No. 26”

The defector detailed the methods by which North Korean gets around international sanctions. Apparently, partially filled containers of weaponry are sent to China, where they are forwarded to a third country, filled with other freight, and sent on to their destination. (I find myself wondering why they can’t just add the freight in China. Am I missing something?) The sheer volume of global trade and major ports means that the illegal arms are lost in the flood of freight traffic. Primary arms buyers are identified in the article as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Tractor Plant number 26 is said to have 10,000 workers who produce a wide range of weapons, including chemical and biological agents. It is located by a military weapon research center, in Kanggye, the capital of Chagang province. The city’s other major industrial facility is apparently a timber processing factory.

In case you are wondering what kind of North Korean weapons to purchase, small arms are a hot commodity. “The rugged AK-47s, which can operate flawlessly even in the sand-filled battlefields of the Middle East, are extremely popular…” Tanks, on the other hand, are “extremely poor quality.”

It’s hard to know how much weight to put into one story from one defector. The level of detail given by the unnamed defector comes very close to being suspicious. But we have enough reports on North Korean arms export to know it’s going on, and even an inaccurate report can give us a sense of what the process might look like.

The top UN official in Haiti traveled to UN headquarters for the first time in eight weeks and briefed the press on Haiti recovery efforts.  Here are some (paraphrased) highlights from the briefing.  You can watch for yourself via UN webcast

-Non-MINUSTAH troops (i.e. American, Jamaican, and Canadian troops that were invited by the Haitian government to help with post-earthquake efforts) are beginning to leave.  Mullet says that security in many IDP camps will, no doubt, be hard to maintain. Rape and violence against women are a particular concern.  The challenge, he says, is that there are around 900 different IDP camps in scattered all over Port au Prince and its been difficulty to provide security in all those places.  The idea is to consolidate many of the IDP camps so that security--and other services--can be better delivered.  He acknowledged, however, that there's a concern that by consolidating these camps the groundwork may be laid for creating vast new slums. This is something that the UN and the Haitian government are striving to avoid. 

-While there has been progress in areas like food and water distribution, shelter and sanitation remain a very dire concern.  They still lack sufficient number of tents--and the rainy season is fast approaching. 

-Mullet said the UN puts the total death count at 220,000 at the very least, but echoed that we may never know the full number.

Meanwhile, the United Nations held a memorial service today for 101 UN staffers who lost their lives during the Haiti earthquake.  Full biographies of the deceased UN workers were compiled by their colleagues and posted to this site. 

Here were Ban's remarks.

Excellencies,

Dear colleagues,

Dear friends,

Above all, dear families of those to whom we sadly bid farewell:

Let us begin by thanking the families and friends who have traveled far to be with us. To those who could not be here, please know that our hearts are with you.

We are joined by duty stations around the world — the men and women of our proud United Nations.

Among them are the members of our UN mission in Haiti, who have carried on despite their pain and hardship.

I thank Mr. Edmond Mulet and his courageous staff who are working tirelessly - day in, day out – in MINUSTAH [UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti]. I highly commend [you] and I am deeply grateful to all of you.

Today, we commemorate the single greatest loss the UN has suffered in its history.

We remember 101 lives of consequence.

We honor 101 unique paths that joined in Haiti to write the larger story of the United Nations.

These women and men were our own. They were family.

They came to Haiti from all corners of the world, from all walks of life.

Yet they shared a common conviction … a belief in a better future for the people of Haiti, and a common resolve to help them build it.

Now those 101 paths come together one final time, here in this chamber, through us … families and friends, colleagues and loved ones.

The world knew them as trusted diplomats, dedicated humanitarians and conscientious professionals.

They were doctors and drivers, police officers and policy advisers, soldiers and lawyers — each contributing to the mission, each in his or her own way.

To us they were even more.

We knew them, very personally. We knew their smiles, their songs, their dreams.

Now we cannot forget the last email, the last conversation, the last meal together, the last au revoir.

Their words echo: "Don't worry about me. This is where I need to be."

At the United Nations, we don't simply share office space; we share a passion for a better world.

So it is no surprise that many of these 101 paths criss-crossed the globe through the years.

In Cambodia and the DRC. Eritrea and East Timor. Kosovo and Sierra Leone.

Whether they came to Haiti … or came from Haiti … they knew that hope shines in even the darkest corners.

And so they chased the flame. Wherever they went, they carried the light of hope.

And as they fulfilled their mission in Haiti, they illuminated a profound truth:

Earthquakes are a force of nature, but people move the world.

Today, our hearts are heavy with a burden almost too difficult to bear.

Yet perhaps like you, it is gratitude that I feel most of all.

Gratitude to the international community for the spontaneous, whole-hearted and unstinting support in the face of this tragedy.

Gratitude to the rescue teams, aid workers, governments and NGOs [Non-Governmental Organizations] that rallied to our side, determined to help Haiti to recover and, in time, to “build back better.”

Gratitude to the people of Haiti, for their strength, resilience and faith … the faith of human spirit, the spirit that burns in all of us today.

I commend and appreciate the leadership of President [René] Preval and his Government and his people

Gratitude fills this chamber — profound thanks that our world and our lives were touched by the grace and nobility of these 101 UN heroes.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In life, we are measured by the company we keep.

To those here today, let us know that this is our measure. This is the company we keep.

To those we have lost, let us say: we will never forget you. We will carry on your work.

In a moment we will read out their names … the roll call of highest honor.

Look at their pictures. Look into their eyes. Remember their smiles and their dreams.

Together we stand … in honor of the victims … and in deepest sympathy for the bereaved.

May I now ask you to rise and join me in a minute of silence. Thank you.