| |
- Security Council faces new year, members
The composition of the United Nations Security Council -- moving in to 2011 with non-permanent members including India and South Africa -- increasingly reflect the way power is distributed across the globe -- but may complicate efforts to reach consensus on major issues. The council's first business of the new year includes the political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan's referendum. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (1/6)       - Palestinians soon to force UN vote on Israeli settlements
A vote could be held as early as next week on a resolution expected to be tabled by Palestinians asking the UN Security Council to condemn the continued Israeli construction of Jewish settlements in occupied territories and parts of East Jerusalem. It is unclear whether the United States would veto the resolution, which also would reiterate an existing UN demand for the stoppage of all such construction. Google/Agence France-Presse (1/5) - Researchers laud anti-HIV gel
An anti-microbial gel containing HIV/AIDS drugs and a zinc compound has proved successful in preventing the disease's transmission in female monkeys and could be a safe, cheap way to provide protection to people, researchers report in the journal PLoS ONE. AlertNet/Reuters (1/5) - Oxfam: Poor leadership is hampering Haitian quake recovery
A lack of leadership from the Haitian government, as well as the international community, is at the root of the country's laggardly rate of recovery a year after the devastating earthquake that killed some 250,000 people and made a million more homeless, according to a report from Oxfam. The report charges that just 5% of the rubble has been cleared, and only 15% of the necessary shelter has been built. AlertNet/Reuters (1/6) - Microloans and politics can create a caustic mix
Microloan institutions have begun to encounter some political hostility in countries such as Bangladesh, India and Nicaragua, as questions arise over lenders' profits and the inability of many borrowers to rid themselves of chronic debt. Observers note that the oversaturation of microfinance occurs quickly, and the mechanisms for monitoring may not be fully developed, creating conditions ripe where politicians might see potential gain from criticizing the process. The New York Times (free registration) (1/5) - BP, partners are named in preventable oil spill
Cost-cutting measures taken to save time and money lead to the deadly blow-out last spring of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. commission has found. The companies BP, Transocean and Halliburton are named in the commission's forthcoming report on the spill, which it says could have been prevented. The Guardian (London) (1/6) - Rapid growth is expected for mHealth applications
More than 200 million cell phone-based mobile health care applications are already in use and the number is set to triple by the end of 2012, according to a report from Pyramid Research. The increase in applications will help drive innovation, but delivery may be slowed by the related expense and training needed for health care providers. InformationWeek (1/5) - Pro-Kremlin activists use laws to thwart protests
Ongoing protests against the arrest in Russia of a prominent opposition figure are not only being frustrated by bureaucrats unwilling to grant permits to stage rallies, but by pro-Kremlin youth activists who exploit the restrictive laws to keep even lone individuals from exercising free speech in public. The Kremlin has again clamped down on public assembly after relaxing control last fall. The New York Times (free registration) (1/5) - UN to seek more peacekeepers for Cote d'Ivoire
The UN Security Council will be asked to approve the addition of 1,000 to 2,000 peacekeeping troops to the current operation in the Cote d'Ivoire, UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy says. Political crisis has gripped the Cote d'Ivoire after incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to acknowledge election results. AlertNet/Reuters (1/5) - UN's Nepal pullout to leave void
The UN Mission in Nepal is scheduled to end Jan. 15 after four years, but disagreements among the country's political leadership over how to continue to carry out current UN responsibilities could lead to a failure of the peace process. "It's not clear what will happen after [the UN] withdraws," an official says. Reuters (1/6)
- How likely are you to use text-to-give to contribute to your favorite causes?
 | Very likely | | Possibly | | Not likely | | Undecided |
- Women and girls face challenges in Haiti
 Next Wednesday marks the one year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. In the year since the earthquake, women and girls have faced some critical challenges. Tamara Kreinin, executive director of women and population at the UN Foundation, talks about some of the challenges facing women and girls in Haiti -- and what local groups, the UN and the international community are doing to support reproductive health and female empowerment. Have a listen. |
 | Key Sites
| | |
This SmartBrief was created for eleccion@yahoogroups.com
| Advertise With Us | Amy DiElsi
Director for UN Foundation Communications
United Nations Foundation
1800 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
(D) 202-419-3230
(C) 202-492-3078
(F) 202-887-9021
www.unfoundation.org | | | | About UN WIRE | | UN Wire is a free service sponsored by the United Nations Foundation which is dedicated to supporting the United Nations' efforts to address the most pressing humanitarian, socioeconomic and environmental challenges facing the world today. |
| | | | | | | Recent UN Wire Issues: - Wednesday, January 05, 2011
- Tuesday, January 04, 2011
- Monday, January 03, 2011
- Thursday, December 30, 2010
- Wednesday, December 29, 2010
| | | Lead Editor: Adam Mazmanian
Contributing Editor: Juliette Terzieff
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment