| - UN chief says Arab leaders are slow to reform
In an interview, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the popular unrest sweeping the Middle East and North Africa is a direct result of a reluctance by leaders to carry out reforms in response to a common desire for genuine freedom. "Why I have been troubled in the last several months is that leaders in the region have come out always too late, too little," he said. Google/Agence France-Presse (5/18) - UNA-USA holds Model UN in General Assembly hall
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice joined United Nations Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth at the UNA-USA's 12th annual Global Classroom conference at UN headquarters last week. The event brings thousands of students and teachers to the UN for three days to debate development issues. Other speakers included UNA-USA Executive Director Patrick Madden and Johns Hopkins University student Samuel Lichtenstein, who served as conference secretary-general. Click here for a photoset of the event on the UNA-USA Facebook page. Click here to learn more about Global Classrooms. The InterDependent (5/18) - Uganda struggles with insecticides and malaria
Uganda's constitutional court will hear a case brought by Ugandan environmental campaigners and farmers against the use of DDT to combat malaria on the grounds the government did not follow international guidelines or prepare local populations. While insecticides are considered an effective tool in the battle against malaria, broad spraying programs have disrupted the organic farming industry and development efforts. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (5/18) - New commitments are announced at WHA
The Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health got a boost at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, with 16 countries pledging support for initiatives including access to contraception, use of birth attendants, immunizations and curbing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "Political and financial support for action on women's and children's health is reaching new and encouraging heights." UN Dispatch (5/19) - Indian educators face discipline over child marriage
Officials at a government school in the Indian state of Ajmer are facing criticism from state authorities for renting out facilities for marriage celebrations involving a 12-year-old girl. State authorities run an annual campaign against the practice of child marriages, but the custom persists across India. The Times of India (5/16) - Nuclear crisis in Japan persists despite progress
The head of the UN atomic energy agency said Japanese authorities are making progress containing the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant amid reports of delays, and indications that radiation might have leaked from the plant in March even before the arrival of the tsunami. "The situation continues to be very serious but we have some signs of recovery, like the recovery of electricity or instrumentation," said Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. AlertNet/Reuters (5/19), Bloomberg (5/19) - Brazil is criticized as deforestation rate rises
The rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon spiked in March and April in what environmental campaigners say is a response to an impending law that would ease land-use rules. The law, which would effectively give farmers who have illegally cleared land amnesty from prosecution, has attracted criticism for placing economic interest above environmental and development issues. BBC (5/19), AlertNet/Reuters (5/18) - U.S. announces new cyberspace strategy
The Obama administration has released the first official U.S. vision for the Internet to promote development, security and defense efforts. The new strategy calls for increased general access to secure Internet networks and closer collaboration between governments. The Washington Post (5/16) - DR Congo wants peacekeepers out
Public safety has improved throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo to such an extent that UN peacekeepers -- at 19,000, the largest such force in the world -- should withdraw "without delay," according to the country's minister for international and regional cooperation. The UN Security Council acknowledged that progress has been made in the nation's security, but stressed that "significant security challenges remain." Google/The Associated Press (5/18) - Freed journalist recounts ordeal in Syrian prison
A journalist from Al-Jazeera who was detained in Syria, then deported to Iran, over the course of 19 days recounts that Syrian youth -- many with no apparent ties to the anti-government demonstrations -- are being held and beaten in secret prisons. "Most of the our days were spent listening to the sounds of young men being brutally interrogated, sometimes tied up in stress positions until it sounded like their bones were cracking," Dorothy Parvaz says in an interview. Al-Jazeera (5/18) | | | | | | | 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 | | | | | | | | 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, May 18, 2011
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