| |
- UN team helps nab Rwandan militia leader
The Rwandan militia leader accused of masterminding the 100-day genocide in 1994 of some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus has been captured. Bernard Munyagishari -- who had been at large for some 17 years -- was seized in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in a joint operation with the Congolese army and a team from the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. BBC (5/26)       - Rights group criticizes UN defense of Ivorian civilians
A report by the human rights group Amnesty International accuses the UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire of not doing enough to protect civilians during the five-month postelection crisis in which thousands died in the struggle between armed forces loyal to strongman Laurent Gbagbo and challenger Alassane Ouattara. A UN spokesman said its 12,000-strong force did not have the resources to respond to all of the estimated 15,000 calls it received asking for help. Reuters (5/26) - Will the fight against AIDS stay funded?
Donations from rich countries to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in developing countries fell for the first time last year despite new evidence that suggests anti-retroviral drugs could be used to finally control the global epidemic that afflicts some 33 million people. Organizers of a UN meeting on HIV/AIDS slated for next month were unsure whether to set specific treatment targets in light of the economic slowdown worldwide, and the corresponding drop-off in funding. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (5/27) - Indian state takes action on child marriage
Police in the Indian state of Rajasthan have taken the rare step of arresting 16 local caste leaders for issuing a decree calling for village community members to ostracize a man who refused to allow his 16-year-old daughter to be married. The Times of India (5/27) - Report: Tsunami plans lacking
Operators at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan in 2001 ruled out the possibility of a tsunami large enough to knock the plant offline -- conclusions disproved only last March, when the effects of an earthquake and tsunami caused the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. The Japanese government neither verified, nor required supporting documents for, the claims in the single-page memo. Google/The Associated Press (5/27) - UNEP wants metals recycling ramped up
Global recycling rates of metals are low despite the fact the metals are inherently recyclable, and many metals are essential to clean technologies, according to a report of the UN Environment Programme. Less than a third of some 60 metals cited in the report have a recycling rate in excess of 50%. Reuters (5/26) - UN Foundation partners to transform mHealth
In an interview, the chief executive officer and co-founder of DataDyne, which creates Web and mobile software for the global health and international development community, cites the partnership between the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation -- which provided funding and communications support -- as essential to the success of the social startup. "Obviously, the funding was important, and we wouldn't have been able to do anything without that, but almost as important was their help in getting the word out about what we were creating," said Joel Selanikio. The Guardian (London) (5/27)  | - Saudis secure Arab monarchies
The popular revolt that has swept across the Middle East and North Africa this spring has alarmed Saudi Arabia into scrambling, politically and financially, to shore up authoritarian governments and inhibit growing Iranian influence. Analysts say the country's recent proposal to include Jordan and Morocco in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council -- a "Club of Kings," as it were -- is intended to show Iran's Shiite leadership that Sunni Arab monarchs will protect their interests. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (5/27) - Number of Sudanese displaced by Abyei fighting soars
The humanitarian affairs minister in southern Sudan says that the United Nations has underestimated the number of people displaced by the recent seizure of the disputed Abyei region by the north. James Kok Ruea says the figure is closer to 150,000 than the UN assessment of between 30,000 and 40,000, which was determined primarily through aerial surveillance. BBC (5/27) - Investing in girls' and women's education advances global development goals
United Nations Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin praised the announcement made today by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of the Global Partnership for Girls' and Women's Education, in which UNESCO will work with partners including the U.S. State Department, to boost secondary education rates and adult literacy. Calvin said, "A strong educational foundation is essential to the success of girls, and their communities, around the world. Investing in an educated, healthy, skilled, and empowered girl today means she will have the tools to reinvest back into her family, her community, and our world tomorrow." | Spotlight: UNA-USA |  | | | - Texas high school wins Global Classrooms honors
A team of 18 seniors and juniors from Clark High School in San Antonio, Texas, beat out 149 schools from across the U.S. to win the Secretary General's Award at the Global Classrooms International Model UN Conference, held in New York. The students stepped into the shoes of UN delegates from Switzerland to debate a range of issues -- such as poverty, terrorism, health care and hazardous waste. Faculty sponsor Kevin Pumphrey said, "I think the most effective way of activating all that they learn in the classroom leading up to this is to place them in a hands-on environment where they see how having all that knowledge pays off in tackling these problems. You can actually see how their minds are being opened." San Antonio Express-News (5/26)  | |  | | | | |  |  Project Coordinator | Invisible Children | Dungu, Congo (Dem. Rep. of) | | Senior Associate, Private Sector Engagement | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Regional Leader, East Asia | World Vision International | Bangkok, Thailand | | Program Administrator - Project on Justice in Times of Transition, Institute for Global Leadership | Tufts University | Medford, MA | | Senior Associate, Planning and Learning | United Nations Foundations | Washington, DC | | Senior Communications Officer, Global Health | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Communications Officer, (UNA) | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Associate, Online Communications (UNA) | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | | |  | |  |
 | - What do you think about UN Wire?
Does UN Wire provide the information you need? What else would help you save time and stay informed? Click here before June 8 to make your voice heard via our short reader survey. It will only take a few minutes, and in addition to helping make UN Wire the best news resource possible, you may receive one of two $100 Amazon.com gift cards! Thanks in advance for taking our survey. - UN Wire will not be published on Monday
In observance of the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S., UN Wire will not be published on Monday. Publication will resume Tuesday. |
 | 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: - Thursday, May 26, 2011
- Wednesday, May 25, 2011
- Tuesday, May 24, 2011
- Monday, May 23, 2011
- Friday, May 20, 2011
| | | 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