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- Ban issues invites for disarmament talks
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is hoping to jump-start stalled disarmament negotiations by going outside the framework of the Conference on Disarmament, which requires unanimous approval of its 65 members for any agreement. Ban is looking for ministers of the UN's 192 member countries to meet Sept. 24, and reforming the CD's operations may be on the agenda, according to a Reuters report. AlertNet.org/Reuters (7/21) , The Washington Post/The Associated Press (7/21)       - UN funding is a lifeline for Somalia, says envoy
Somalis are heavily dependent on United Nations-funded aid and humanitarian services for survival, the UN humanitarian and resident coordinator for Somalia Mark Bowden told the Security Council. Ongoing conflict, a weak central government, lack of food and access to basic services are among the many challenges Somalis face on a daily basis, Bowden said. CNN (7/22) - Aftershocks persist following memo criticizing Ban
The office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that it would respond to perceived misrepresentations in a harsh memorandum critical of Ban that was issued by Inga-Britt Ahlenius, Swedish former UN undersecretary-general for the Office of Internal Oversight Services. Ahlenius's severe, 50-page end-of-term report blamed Ban for undermining the UN's mission -- though Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said that friction between the UN leadership and its oversight arm is natural. CNN (7/22)  - IMF cancels Haiti's $268M debt
The International Monetary Fund agreed Wednesday to cancel Haiti's $268 million debt and approve a new $60 million loan. The new three-year interest-free loan is intended for use by Haiti's central bank to maintain an international currency reserve and manage the flow of aid and reconstruction funds into the country. AlertNet.org/Reuters (7/21) - Obama is falling down on AIDS crisis in Africa
 In a New York Times opinion piece, Archbishop Desmond Tutu criticizes U.S. President Barack Obama for not living up to his promises to address the AIDS epidemic in Africa -- and for not living up to his predecessor, President George W. Bush. Though Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program has mobilized $19 billion in aid since 2004, Obama only added $366 million to the program this year -- short of the $1 billion he pledged. Obama has also suggested a cut in the budget for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The New York Times (free registration) (7/20) - China scrambles to contain oil spill
Chinese authorities are scrambling to keep an oil spill caused by a pipeline explosion last week in the Yellow Sea from spreading into international waters. The spill, reportedly the largest in China's history, has spread to cover more than 165 square miles of water despite the efforts of cleanup crews. Greenpeace China is calling on authorities to reform the energy sector and endorse a serious push toward the use of renewable energy sources. The Toronto Star/The Associated Press (7/21) , The Christian Science Monitor (7/21) - Mobile tech helped power Haiti quake response
Reliance on the use of technology such as cellular telephones and GPS mapping after the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake is changing the way humanitarian groups view disasters and emergency response. Humanitarian and aid groups have used technology for basic fundraising during previous disaster-response campaigns, but the proliferation of "crowd sourcing" tools to share information, coordinate aid plans and provide mapping in Haiti has proved critical to response efforts. The Huffington Post (7/19) - Race is on for Africa's cellular phone customers
Cellular telephone operators from Asia and Europe are moving rapidly to obtain market share in Africa, which has some of the highest user growth rates in the world and 300 million people yet to obtain services. There is fierce competition, and operators are pushing farther into rural areas to reach new subscribers. Bloomberg Businessweek (7/15) - Kosovo awaits word on independence status
Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci met with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to accept an international aid package, a trip that puts him in Washington when the International Court of Justice rules on the validity of Kosovo's independence bid two years ago. NATO fought a 78-day bombing campaign in Kosovo to eject Serbian forces, but the effort to rebuild and bring peace to the last former Yugoslav province has taken far longer. The U.S. has signaled its support for Kosovar independence and territorial sovereignty. The New York Times (free registration) (7/21) - Unprecedented car bomb signals escalation in Mexican drug war
Experts from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives labored to reconstruct a never-before-seen type of car bomb used in Ciudad Juarez -- an escalation in the intense fighting between the Mexican government and Mexico's drug traffickers. The car bomb was triggered by a cell phone and used Tovex, a liquid explosive often used in place of dynamite. Recent graffiti has warned that more car bombings will follow unless the U.S. investigates alleged ties between the Mexican government and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa drug cartel. The Washington Post (7/22)  | |  | | | | | | |  |  Director Civil Society (emphasis climate adaptation) | Institute for Sustainable Communities | Washington, DC | | MSH SEEKS STAFF FOR HEALTH PROJECT IN MALAWI | Management Sciences for Health | Lilongwe, Malawi | | COUNTRY AND REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES, FAMINE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS | ARD, Inc. | Multiple Locations Worldwide, Guatemala | | Researcher, U.S. Immigration Policy/Criminal Justice | Human Rights Watch | New York, NY | | Communications Director, Global Health | United Nations Foundation (UNF) / Better World Fund (BWF) | Washington, DC | | Web Producer/Project Manager | 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 | | 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 | | No -- governments should find their own financing |
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