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- Lebanon to take Israeli spy concerns to UN
Lebanese authorities plan to submit a report on Israeli spy networks allegedly operating in the country to the UN Security Council. Lebanon has arrested three individuals in recent weeks as part of an ongoing probe into Israeli spies believed to be employed in Lebanon's telecommunications sector. Google/Agence France-Presse (7/22)       - ICJ rules Kosovo independence declaration legal
The United Nations' highest judicial institution, the International Court of Justice, declared Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence to be within the norms of international law. Thursday's nonbinding decision stopped short of declaring the country legal, leaving recognition of Kosovo to individual countries. Some observers predict the move will likely lead to more countries recognizing Kosovo as a country and may prompt similar declarations from other territories such as Abkhazia and Somaliland. The New York Times (free registration) (7/22) - UN goes to bat for Ban in wake of controversial memo
The office of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is defending the UN chief in the wake of a leaked end-of-service memo from departing UN oversight chief Inga-Britt Ahlenius that characterized Ban as obsessed with secrecy. In a media briefing, the assistant secretary-general for human resources management, Catherine Pollard, and under-secretary-general for management, Angela Kane, said that the Ahlenius letter was incomplete, inaccurate and a personal attack. Through a spokesman, Ban expressed regret that the letter was leaked, explaining that such letters were typically meant for the guidance of senior UN staff. CNN (7/23) , Google/The Associated Press (7/22)  - AIDS sufferers face discrimination in Jacmel
People suffering from HIV in southern Haiti are also victims of another pathology: severe prejudice. Misunderstanding of the virus has led to rampant discrimination in Jacmel, where AIDS and HIV patients are forced to live in isolation. Advocates with the organization Kombit Aysien Pou Lavi Myio, or Haitian Committee for a Better Life, work to provide campsite living spaces for young people who were born with HIV and whose parents have largely died of AIDS -- a project that has helped more than 800 families. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (7/22)  | - U.S. Senate abandons cap and trade
The U.S. Senate has abandoned its effort to enact legislation that would cap carbon emissions, choosing instead to focus on energy-bill provisions with broader support. Neither Democratic leaders in Congress nor U.S. President Barack Obama could line up the necessary 60 votes to break a threatened filibuster on cap-and-trade legislation. Although the Environmental Protection Agency -- acting under the authority of the Clean Air Act -- may yet accomplish some of the results of a cap on carbon emissions, the point at which alternative energy sources become cost effective has been delayed. The Wall Street Journal (7/23) - Growth in coal demand challenges governments, companies
The continuously growing demand for coal has left companies and governments scrambling to offset the carbon dioxide emissions created when coal is burned. Plans to employ carbon-capture and storage technologies have proved unpopular with residents in places such as Sylt, Germany, who fear the possibility of contamination and gas leaks. Use of coal is expected to outpace any other energy source over the next two decades. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (7/22) - Search is on for way to save Clean Development Mechanism
Extending greenhouse-gas emissions caps for two years may be a temporary solution to maintain a supply of offset credits if world leaders are unable to agree on a new international climate-change treaty before the Kyoto Treaty expires in 2012, a committee of developed countries says. The Clean Development Mechanism, the world's largest carbon market, allows developed countries to purchase credits through support of projects that curb emissions in the developing world. Bloomberg (7/22)  | - Archbishop Tutu retires from public life
Celebrated human rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu will withdraw from public life and retire from his work with the Nelson Mandela-appointed global campaign organization, The Elders. Tutu, the first black cleric in the history of the Anglican Church to hold the title of Archbishop of Cape Town, served as chairman of South Africa's landmark Truth and Reconciliation Committee. Tutu says the highlight of his career came when he introduced Mandela as the president of South Africa. BBC (7/22) - Chad accuses ICC of bias against Africa
The International Criminal Court has so far targeted only Africans for trial, demonstrating a bias against the continent, Chadian authorities said. The charge comes as Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the ICC on multiple counts of war crimes and genocide, visits Chad for a regional summit. Chad has refused to arrest al-Bashir. BBC (7/22) - Spain says Cuba to release remaining political prisoners
Cuba will soon release all political prisoners and the European Union and U.S. should respond with a review of existing sanctions against the country, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos says. Cuba released 11 prisoners this month, all of whom moved to Spain. Critics complain the releases amount to forced exile, earning Cuban authorities international support but allowing for little change in Cuba itself. The Independent (London) (7/22) - China brings new clout to security issues
China's efforts to protect North Korea from international sanctions and condemnations are part of a larger strategy to challenge decades of U.S. presence and influence in the region, experts say. China has begun to push back on a range of diplomatic and economic issues such as climate change, but the strongest challenges are coming from the country's growing military. Analysts see little risk of a direct confrontation. TIME (7/22) - Hezbollah predicts indictments for Hariri assassination
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that the UN investigation of the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri will likely lead to indictments for members of the Shiite militant and political organization. The indictments, should they come to pass, could cause trouble for the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the slain Hariri -- whose untested government entered into a power-sharing arrangement with members of the Hezbollah opposition. The Wall Street Journal (7/23) - Trouble follows Algerian released from Guantanamo against his will
An Algerian state group on human rights has rejected a claim by a U.S. human rights organization that Abdul Aziz Naji, a Guantanamo detainee who was transferred to Algeria against his wishes, has been detained and is being mistreated in Algeria. According to his lawyer, Naji -- whose whereabouts are unknown -- fears that the Islamic resistance in Algeria will try to recruit him as a result of his detention by the U.S. Reuters (7/22) , National Public Radio (7/21)  | |  | | | | | | |  |  MSH SEEKS STAFF FOR HEALTH PROJECT IN MALAWI | Management Sciences for Health | Lilongwe, Malawi | | Director Civil Society (emphasis climate adaptation) | Institute for Sustainable Communities | Washington, DC | | COUNTRY AND REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES, FAMINE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS | ARD, Inc. | Multiple Locations Worldwide, Guatemala | | Communications Director, Global Health | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Deputy Executive Director, Communications and Public Affairs | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Researcher, U.S. Immigration Policy/Criminal Justice | Human Rights Watch | New York, NY | | Web Producer/Project Manager | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Director, Corporate Relations | United Nations Foundation (UNF)/Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington , DC | | Executive Assistant, Energy Climate | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Director of Corporate Relations | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | | |  | |  | |
 | - The UN Secretary-General and his climate finance advisers are exploring private financing options to deliver resources to combat climate change. Developing countries pledged "fast-start" financing -- $10 billion per year for the next three years, growing to $100 billion annually by 2020 -- for those nations least responsible for, and most affected by, climate changes.
Should private donors contribute to aid to mitigate the effects of climate change in developing countries?
| Yes -- it is everyone's responsibility |  92.36% | | No -- governments should find their own financing |  7.64% | |
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| | | About UN WIRE | | UN Wire is a free service sponsored by the United Nations Foundation which is dedicated to supporting the United Nations' efforts to address the most pressing humanitarian, socioeconomic and environmental challenges facing the world today. | | | | | | | | Recent UN Wire Issues: - Thursday, July 22, 2010
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