| |  | |  U.S. set to pass new START American legislators backed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on Tuesday that will limit U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons and materials stocks. The treaty requires both countries to reduce their nuclear weapons arsenals within seven years and resume on-site inspections. The measure is expected to pass a final vote easily today before heading to the desk of U.S. President Barack Obama for official ratification. The Toronto Star (12/21) , The New York Times (free registration) (12/21)
|  |  | It is clear that President Gbagbo's camp is doing everything to make life difficult for us, including by blocking our supplies and by harassing our personnel, and carrying out provocations, some armed." UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy. Click here for the full story. |
|  | "The humanitarian consequences of [the Cote d'Ivoire election crisis] are beginning to show. The UN Refugee Agency says that between 6,000 and 6,200 people, mostly women and children, have fled to neighboring Liberia. The Refugee Agency is also preparing for as many as 300,000 refugees. Amnesty International, meanwhile, is receiving 'a growing number of reports' of abductions ..." UN Dispatch | |
- UN adds gay clause to minority killings measure
Human rights advocates welcomed Tuesday's vote by the UN General Assembly to reintroduce into a resolution language condemning the killing of those who are targeted simply because of their sexual orientations. Some Arab and African member states had successfully lobbied for the removal of the clause in the resolution on the unjustified killing of minority groups, which is renewed every two years. BBC (12/21) , The Washington Post/The Associated Press (12/21)      - UN resolution over Palestinian statehood is expected soon
Arab countries disillusioned by the stymied Middle East peace process could submit as early as next week a draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning the continued construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The United Nations already has characterized the building as illegal, and a resolution could test U.S. willingness to support the international consensus over Palestinian statehood. TIME (12/21) - Groups to assess disability-HIV/AIDS risks
Civil society groups and UN health agencies are joining forces to examine whether people living with disabilities are at increased risk for HIV/AIDS infection. More than 600 million people worldwide live with the disabilities, 80% of them in developing countries, but little data exists to assess any increased risks. IRINNews.org (12/22) - Japan to abandon emissions trading plan?
Japanese politicians are expected to shelve plans to launch a carbon emissions trading scheme in the wake of pressure from the private sector and lingering financial concerns. Such a move would be a further blow to hopes industrialized countries outside the European Union will take significant climate change action after both Australia and the U.S. recently abandoned emissions scheme plans. Environmental News Network/Reuters (12/22)  | - Iranian women's right activists are ready protest
A group of prominent Iranian women's rights activists, including Nobel peace prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, will stage a sit-in in front of the United Nations Human Rights Council offices in Geneva to show support for imprisoned lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Iranian authorities have been criticized by activists for a prolonged campaign against rights defenders, particularly lawyers in recent years. Sotoudeh has been in solitary confinement since September and has been waging a hunger strike. CNN (12/21) - Iraqi lawmakers back new government
Iraqi politicians approved a new multiparty government Tuesday ending months of political deadlock after an inconclusive election. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki struggled to overcome sectarian and ethnic divisions in his quest to form a new government. The Toronto Star/Reuters (12/21)  | |  | | | | |  |  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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A noxious odor, believed to be sewer gas, forced the evacuation Tuesday morning of the UN General Assembly and Security Council from their New York headquarters. City authorities later attributed the stench to a sewage backup as a result of high tides in the East River. 
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