| |  | |  UNAIDS: New HIV infections are declining Worldwide, fewer people are being infected with the HIV, and fewer are dying from AIDS, a new UNAIDS report says. The number of HIV-positive individuals dipped in 2009 from the previous year, and 56 countries report flat or declining rates of new HIV infection. Even as UNAIDS announced this success, it cautioned that there are 10 million people around the world who are infected with HIV and cannot access treatment, and that a quarter of AIDS deaths are caused by tuberculosis, which can be cured. Click here to download a release on the report from UNAIDS. AlertNet.org/Reuters (11/23) , Los Angeles Times (11/23)
|  |  | For the first time, we can say that we are breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic." UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe. Click here for the full story. |
|  | "How bad is the cholera epidemic in Haiti? According to official figures, since the outbreak three weeks ago, 1250 people have died from contracting cholera. An additional 52,715 are being treated, and 20,867 people hospitalized." UN Dispatch | |
- UN, diplomats embrace social media
The United Nations and governments around the world have increasingly embraced blogging and other social-media activities for their diplomats in recent years lifting a curtain of confidentiality that has traditionally characterized diplomacy. In most cases, the online activities mirror official statements and news releases, but a few have sparked international controversy or turned the authors into online celebrities. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (11/22)      - Haiti cholera cases are still climbing
The number of deaths from Haiti's cholera outbreak has reached more than 1,340 people, prompting calls from some candidates to postpone the country's presidential and legislative elections set for Sunday. Violence has accompanied the outbreak, and some aid agencies worry it has not yet reached its peak. BBC (11/22) - NGOs seek safe passage in Taliban territory
Aid groups and other non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan are doing more to demonstrate neutrality in the long-simmering conflict in efforts to carry out their work in safety. The Taliban are showing restraint toward some groups that have distanced themselves from the U.S.-led coalition. The Wall Street Journal (11/22) - Optimism over resumption of UN climate talks
A high-ranking UN official believes there is a good chance that meaningful agreements can be reached among the 200 countries participating next week in climate talks in Cancun, Mexico. Accord already is near over issues such as forest protection, technology sharing and aid for developing countries. Reid Detchon, an energy expert with the UN Foundation, expects incremental change from the Cancun meeting. "I would not look for any major agreement. I would look toward small agreements for progress being made," he said. Bloomberg (11/22) , USA TODAY (11/23) - New technologies may offset some climate-change costs
The costs associated with battling global warming will increase if the world fails to cap greenhouse-gas emissions, but developing technologies may help offset some of the increased expense, says Rajendra Pachauri, head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Pachauri cited a drop in telephone bills in recent years due to new communications technologies as an example, and predicted a shift away from fossil fuels would lead to less pollution and decreased health costs. AlertNet.org/Reuters (11/22) - Indonesia seeks payout for forest destruction
A report by Greenpeace claims that the Indonesian government is planning by 2030 to fell some 60 million hectares of forest -- an area five times the size of England -- for production of palm oil and biofuels. Moreover, the country could be eligible for climate aid that, ironically, would pay for the destruction and replanting of the forests, the report shows. The Guardian (London) (11/23) - Threats plague South Sudan voter registration
South Sudanese and International Organization for Migration officials are facing harassment as preparations for a January independence referendum ramp up. Potential voters and IOM staff helping with registration in Uganda have received threatening letters, phone calls and nighttime visits warning of violent consequences for participating in the referendum. Reuters (11/23) - North Korea shells South Korean island
North Korea bombarded a South Korean island with artillery rockets today in one of the most serious cross-border clashes since the end of the Korean War in the 1953. It was unclear as to what instigated the shelling of the island of Yeonpyeong, during which two South Korean soldiers were killed and some 1,200 civilians sought refuge in bomb shelters. BBC (11/23) , The Wall Street Journal (11/23) - North Korea nuclear proposal gains little traction
North Korean officials told U.S. representatives the country is willing to dismantle one of its nuclear programs, by transferring nuclear fuel rods to a third country, if the U.S. will recommit to previous pledges guaranteeing no "hostile intent" toward the Asian country. American officials gave a guarded reaction to the proposal in light of recent revelations regarding Pyongyang's expansion of nuclear programs. The Washington Post (11/23)
- What aspect of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is most important to you?
 | Reducing sex trafficking and domestic violence | | Providing access to education and vocational training | | Ensuring the right to vote | | Ending forced marriage and child marriage | | Helping mothers and families by providing access to maternal health care |
 | - UN Foundation welcomes new UNFPA head
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, formerly Minister of Health of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was named as the new head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth issued a statement welcoming Dr. Osotimehin's appointment, noting that she had "championed reproductive health and rights and global development challenges with a clear understanding of the importance of women and girls in meeting those goals. This kind of experience will be critical in helping UNFPA continue to meet its mission of making certain that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect." Click here for more from the UN Foundation. |
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