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- UN issues call for Libya aid
The ongoing Libyan conflict has left 2.1 million people in need of aid, says the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Libya, Panos Moumtzis. Violence has disrupted local services and created shortages of food and medical supplies, and the UN needs $408 million to meet needs. Google/The Associated Press (5/18)       - Pillay takes Mideast leaders to task
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay lashed out at Syrian, Libyan and Yemeni political leaders over their failures to uphold basic rights. Syrian, Libyan and Yemeni authorities have unleashed violent crackdowns against pro-reform movements. Bloomberg (5/18) - UN could lose global standing if it balks at reform
The president of the UN General Assembly said that the world body risks losing credibility if it does not adopt reforms governing the number, rank and function of its members. "Our organization will be marginalized and important issues will be discussed in other forums and groupings which are perceived to be more efficient and more representative of the new realities of the day," Joseph Deiss said in a statement. United Press International (5/17)   | - UNHCR disappointed at Gitmo prison
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said she was "extremely disappointed" that the U.S. was not phasing out use of the Guantanamo Bay facility to house suspected terrorists, and at plans to resume military trials of terrorism suspects. Pillay said, "The continuation of U.S. policy of holding persons indefinitely without trial in Guantanamo and the use of ad hoc military tribunals overseen by military judges and lawyers is a stain on the country's human-rights record." Bloomberg Businessweek (5/18) - Sounding the alarm on indoor air pollution
Advocacy efforts, including the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, are prompting researchers to study the health effects of indoor air pollution. Environmental scientist Kirk Smith said, "If we can show even half the observational [effect], the economic value of reduced neonatal care would justify the cost of the program [to supply clean cookstoves]." BMJ (London) (5/17) - Children's health featured in "Sesame Square"
Nigerian developers have given "Sesame Street" a decidedly local flavor with "Sesame Square" -- an attempt to help pre-school children jump-start their education and raise public awareness about public health concerns. One of the "Sesame Square" characters is HIV-positive and one show focused on the story of a main character using an anti-malaria insecticide-treated bed net improperly. Google/Agence France-Presse (5/18) - AIDS patients shunned in China's hospitals
 A UN study finds that the estimated 740,000 in China suffering from HIV and AIDS are regularly denied medical treatment at mainstream hospitals. Discrimination by health care workers, which is fueled largely by fear and ignorance, could mean that many among the afflicted shun medical care, according to the findings by International Labor Organization. AlertNet/Reuters (5/17) - Child marriage around the world
This article and photo essay document how child marriage is practiced Northern India, Yemen and elsewhere. In India, where child marriage is illegal, ceremonies are frequently conducted in the dead of night. In places where marriage of prepubescent girls is common, advocates for the rights of young girls have a complex of loyalties and customs to contend with. National Geographic (6/2011) - Afghan women reporters fight the odds
A growing number of young Afghan women are picking up pen and paper to join the Kabul press corps despite disapproving families, death threats and a society that limits their ability to work. Like many of the young women, 25-year-old Mina Habib is focusing her reporting on corruption and efforts to build democratic institutions in the conflict-ravaged country. Los Angeles Times (5/18) - Amphibians await discovery
A third of amphibian species including frogs and salamanders living in the world's tropical forests have yet to be discovered by scientists and such regions should be given protection as homes for "unknown" species, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Many of the species are believed to be indigenous to only small ranges of land with the Amazon, Congo basin and Papua island the most likely regions. AlertNet/Reuters (5/17) - Violence prompts WFP to halt Ethiopia drought operations
The World Food Programme has suspended operations in Ethiopia's Somali region after an ambush left one staff worker dead and two missing. Ethiopia issued an emergency appeal for $75 million to help feed 2 million people in the drought-stricken region. Bloomberg (5/18) - Innovations in disaster relief
Recent innovations harbor promise for helping organizations provide humanitarian aid in instances of conflict and disaster, but their widespread use is still hampered by cost. Among the new gadgets are a fabric shelter that turns to concrete when sprayed with water, an inflatable hospital, lightweight portable water filters, solar-powered refrigeration units and long-lasting, chemical-infused mosquito nets. BBC (5/17)  | - Security Council takes up Syrian crackdown
 Russia and China were threatening to veto a UN Security Council resolution on the ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Syria, while France and Britain announced they had nearly secured the favorable votes of nine members of the powerful body. The United States and European Union, which already have imposed sanctions against some in the Syrian regime's inner circle, were planning new measures as Syrian tanks and soldiers stormed a city in the south amid reports that security forces killed at least 27 people in a three-day assault on a border town. Reuters (5/17), Al-Jazeera (5/17), Reuters (5/17)  | |  | | | | |  |  Project Coordinator | Invisible Children | Dungu, Congo (Dem. Rep. of) | | Program Administrator - Project on Justice in Times of Transition, Institute for Global Leadership | Tufts University | Medford, MA | | Regional Leader, East Asia | World Vision International | Bangkok, Thailand | | Communications Director, Strategic Energy and Climate Initiatives | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | 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 | | | |  | |  |
 | - Wirth on service
UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth had a long and varied career in government service, ranging from the Department of Education to Congress to the Department of State. In this interview, Sen. Wirth talks about how to attract young people to careers in service and about the UN Foundation's focus on campaigns such as polio eradication and measles prevention, as opposed to direct grantmaking. The Washington Post/The Federal Coach blog (5/18) - Follow the WHO Assembly live
Tune into the UN Foundation's live coverage of the 64th World health Assembly in Geneva this week on Facebook and Twitter. |
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