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- Security Council extends Nepal mission again
The United Nations Security Council voted to extend a UN monitoring mission in Nepal for four more months after Nepalese officials and the Maoist opposition committed to complete steps necessary to implement a 2006 peace deal by mid-January 2011. UN monitors are stationed at camps for former Maoist soldiers and weapons storage facilities. Under the peace agreement, former Maoist soldiers are to be integrated into the national army but 19,000 still live in 28 UN-run camps. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/15)       - UN withdraws some Afghanistan staff in advance of elections
Facing predictions of violence on the eve of elections in Afghanistan, the UN has withdrawn about one-third of its staff from Afghanistan -- and placed the rest under tight security precautions. About 300 UN staffers are leaving Afghanistan for about one week, while the remaining staff will face stiff security regulations, including restrictions on their movement around Kabul. The Guardian (London) (9/15) - UN official is concerned over refugee camp dangers to children
Children forced into refugee camps by conflict face serious challenges to their safety such as sexual assault and recruitment as soldiers, Radhika Coomaraswamy, the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, told the UN Human Rights Council in a report. Coomaraswamy says that the development of uniform standards for camps no matter what entity is managing them and the provision of basic education facilities would help address some of the security concerns for children. BBC (9/14)   | - UN to begin review of response to mega-crises
The world needs to create a broader battle plan to deal with mass catastrophes such as the Haiti earthquake and monsoon flooding in Pakistan, warns Valerie Amos, United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. The scale and complexity of massive crises in recent years points to need to revamp disaster management planning, funding and appeals to the global donor base, and the UN will shortly begin a review of how UN agencies and relief groups respond to mega-crises, Amos said. Google/Agence France-Presse (9/15) - Haiti sees recovery, but more help is needed
Haiti has made remarkable progress in the wake of the Jan. 12 earthquake, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive says. Highway, medical facility and housing construction are well under way, but Haiti needs donors to follow through on funding commitments, he said. World Bank officials have compared the complex rebuilding efforts to the reconstruction of Europe after World War II and warned it will take years of dedicated effort to help Haiti recover. The Miami Herald (free registration) (9/14) , AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/15)  | - UN tracks recovery of ozone layer
The decline of the ozone layer has slowed and should progress toward recovery by midcentury, though portions over the Arctic and Antarctic will take longer, a report from the World Meteorological Organization and United Nations Environment Programme says. Two hundred countries committed in 1987 to halt additional loss of the ozone, which protects earth from the sun, and support efforts to mitigate the greenhouse effect. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/16)  | - Technology can help achieve health MDGs
Cell phone-based applications can provide new solutions to address long-standing factors that contribute to maternal and infant mortality, mHealth Alliance Executive Director David Aylward writes. Applications that help rural health care workers monitor pregnant women and transmit data to medical facilities, text message reminders to expectant mothers about medicines and connect doctors directly to rural women are among the many ways in which new technology can help bring the world closer to health-related Millennium Development Goals. GlobalHealthMagazine.com (9/14) - Tribunal formally indicts Khmer Rouge leaders
Four surviving top members of the Khmer Rouge were formally charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for the deaths of 1.7 million people during the regime's 1970s rule today by a United Nations-backed tribunal. All four will be tried together at a trial scheduled to begin by mid-2011. Google/The Associated Press (9/16) - Obama, Sudanese officials plan referendum meeting at UN
U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Sudanese leaders and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN on Sept. 24 in a bid to shore up preparations for an independence referendum for Southern Sudan. Preparations have fallen behind schedule and diplomats fear a return to violence in the area. U.S. officials have offered Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir a batch of incentives including increased investment if the referendum proceeds peacefully. The Washington Post (9/16) - North Korea extends military talks as olive branch to South Korea
After months of heightened tensions after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office in 2008 and culminating in the sinking of a South Korean warship that many officials in South Korea and abroad believe was the work of a North Korean torpedo, North Korea has proposed military talks with South Korea. The proposal follows some recent signs of easing tensions, including an offer from North Korea to resume reunions of families divided by the war and an offer of humanitarian aid from South Korea to North Korea. South Korean officials are welcoming the proposal of military, which would seek to clarify disputed territorial waters. The New York Times (free registration) (9/16) - Russia, Norway settle Barents Sea dispute
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg signed a treaty Wednesday to end a bitter 40 year dispute over maritime borders in the Barents Sea and pave the wave for oil and gas exploration. The treaty equally divides the territory between the two countries and can serve as an example of how Arctic countries can resolve other territorial issues, Medvedev said. The Guardian (London) (9/15) - Somali life is marked by utter lack of government, infrastructure
The near total lack of government in Somalia for the past two decades has had lasting effects on populations far from the front lines of the civil war and insurgency, forcing people with little in the way of wealth or infrastructure to fend for themselves. Government as it stands is provided by a dizzying clan system, which is unable to provide electricity or running water -- or disincentive from the lure of piracy and insurgency. The New York Times (free registration) (9/15) - Shelling, stalling hamper Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited the official residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue peace talks -- a gesture to continue the talks despite the impasse over settlement constructions. As the peace talks stall, the Israeli military continues to retaliate against mortar shelling from the Gaza Strip with air strikes, in what has become the heaviest exchange of fire since March 2009. The violence has so far not deterred the talks, though longer range Hamas missile attacks -- and the technology that has made them possible -- are a subject of discussion. The New York Times (free registration) (9/15) - Musharraf maps his return to Pakistani politics
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he will formally launch his new political party -- the All Pakistan Muslim League -- in London on Oct. 1 as part of his plans to return home and contest national elections in 2013. Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 military coup and later dropped his military status, went into exile after his political allies suffered electoral defeat in 2008. BBC (9/15)  | |  | | | | | | | | Executive Director, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Senior Associate, Development | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Communications Officer, mHealth Alliance | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director of Performance Measurement | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Director, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program | HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | New York, NY | | Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia Division | Human Rights Watch | London, United Kingdom | | New York Director - Crisis Action | Crisis Action | New York, NY | | | |  | |  | |
- What should President Barack Obama say at the UN General Assembly?
 | Support international efforts to curb climate change. | | Strengthen global cooperation in counterterrorism. | | Encourage reduction of nuclear stockpiles. |
- MDGs: Everyone has a role
This month, world leaders will convene in New York for a high-level summit to advance the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs offer a way to tackle the biggest problems facing the world today -- these include global poverty, women's and children's health, hunger and education. Everyone has a stake in advancing the MDGs by advocating for a world, free from extreme poverty and preventable disease. By coming together in partnership, we can make this happen. To find out how you can help, please visit www.unfoundation.org/mdgs. - Register now for the mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C.
The 2010 mHealth Summit brings together leaders in government, private sector/industry, academia and not-for-profit organizations to share information and experiences related to the intersection of mobile technology, health research and policy.Featured speakers include Bill Gates, Co-chair and Trustee of the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation; Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer; Dr. Julio Frenk Dean of Faculty, Harvard School of Public Health; and Ted Turner, Chairman, UN Foundation. The mHealth Summit takes place Nov. 8 to 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Click here for more information and to register. |
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