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- UN resolution is lambasted by U.S., gay activists
The United States was attempting today to restore language to a UN resolution that denounces killing of people for reasons of their sexuality alongside the killings of people based on their racial, national, ethnic, religious or linguistic identity. The exclusion of gays, lesbians and others as worthy of protection was omitted at the urging of some Arab and African countries. The Guardian (London) (12/21)       - Nigeria struggles to address lead poisoning
A lead poisoning crisis has gripped northern Nigeria, killing more than 280 children and sickening hundreds more. Area residents unintentionally fed the crisis through gold mining efforts, spreading lead dust particles through their villages and infecting water supplies. Nigerian authorities moved to ban mining in certain areas, but residents have simply moved their small operations into their homes to avoid detection. Bloomberg (12/20) - Taking stock of the Gates Foundation
Five years after Bill Gates promised funding to scientists to help tackle the world's pressing public health concerns, such as vaccine availability and nutritious food supply, the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation has provided more than $450 million in grants to 43 projects. As involved scientists gather with the foundation to assess progress, there is a growing realization that even with the innovative thinking and approaches being tested it will be years before the scientific community is able to produce things such as vaccines that can remain effective without refrigeration. The New York Times (free registration) (12/20) - Aid workers complain about Gaza restrictions
Israeli restrictions on imports of building materials to the Gaza Strip, ostensibly designed to weaken the government there, are doing more to thwart international humanitarian work than Hamas leaders, aid groups say. "We're held up from building schools. We're held up from our other infrastructure projects, from the housing people need," said a UN relief official. The Washington Post (12/20) - UN urges industrialized world to act on pledges
The United Nations is calling upon world governments, especially industrialized countries, to swiftly put into practice pledges they made at the recent climate talks in Cancun, Mexico. The agreed-upon curbs on greenhouse-gas emissions would nevertheless constitute only 60% of what is needed to halt increases in temperature to less than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Reuters (12/20) - Invasive species wait, then invade
Foreign animal and plant species introduced into new ecosystems may take decades to reach a level where they reveal invasive tendencies toward a new habitat, according to a study published in the U.S. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study focused on Europe, which research shows, has incurred costs exceeding $16 billion a year to fend off the effects of invasive species such as ragweed and the black locust tree. AlertNet/Reuters (12/20) - Liberia's former child soldiers still struggle
Thousands of former child soldiers caught up in Liberia's 1990s civil war are struggling to get their lives on track in a country where unemployment rates top 80%. Few have been able to find steady work and eke out livings through casual labor or crime. The Toronto Star (12/21) - Haiti's officials delay release of vote results
Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council has delayed the release of final results from the country's Nov. 28 election while specialists from the Organization of American States help examine the ballots. Several presidential candidates alleged widespread fraud in the vote, sparking street protests and political uncertainty. Reuters (12/20)  | |  | | | | |  |  Director | International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) | New York, NY | | Executive Director, Business Council for the United Nations / Director of Corporate Relations | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Communications Director, Strategic Energy and Climate Initiatives | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Executive Assistant | Arcus Foundation | New York, NY | | Director, Girl Up (The UN Foundations girl campaign) | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Program Associate - NYC Office | Arcus Foundation | New York, NY | | | |  | |  |
- Which of these findings from the WHO 2010 World Malaria Report do you find most surprising?
 | Global funding for malaria has steeply increased in the past decade | | By the end of this year, 289 million malaria-preventing bed nets will have been delivered to Sub-Saharan Africa since 2008 | | 23 countries in Africa have adopted the WHO recommendation to provide nets to everyone at risk of malaria | | None of the above surprises me |
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