| |  | |  UN's Ban: Time to act on climate fund Rich countries must stop dragging their feet and contribute financially to the Green Climate Fund so that $100 billion can be disbursed by 2020 to developing countries struggling to cope with the effects of climate change, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday. "We've entered a time of economic uncertainty, an era of fiscal austerity, but I cannot stress enough how important it is," Ban said. Mail & Guardian Online (South Africa) (12/8)     
|  |  | We can ALL help moms babies live healthier lives, no matter where they live! #amillionmoms There are so many ways to take action." @unfoundation |
|  | "This holiday season, Girl Up is working with you to change the lives of 2,000 girls in the Jijiga refugee camp in Ethiopia, run by UNHCR. While these girls have fled their homes in Somalia to escape conflict and famine, the reality of life in a refugee camp means they need our help more than ever." Learn more about how to help, via the Girl Up initiative of the United Nations Foundation. GirlUp.org | |
- Annan: Rights council has important work
Some criticisms of the United Nations Human Rights Council are valid, writes former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, but overall the world benefits from a global approach to human rights. Annan writes that on many human rights issues the "regional bloc voting practices of the past are giving way to more considered discussion and collective action." Though authoritarian states are eligible for representation on the Human Rights Council, recent votes concerning Syria, Iran and Libya suggest that the council is reflecting slow, steady diplomatic progress on human rights. The Christian Science Monitor (12/8) - U.S. is needed to help UNESCO fulfill vital mission
UNESCO lost 22% of its funding when the U.S. withheld its contribution this year, forcing deep cuts in vital programs that will have wide and harsh repercussions, writes jazz pianist and UN Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock. "Many Americans shrug their shoulders, while others celebrate what they believe is a comeuppance for the United Nations," Hancock says. "I, however, strongly believe it is essential that we stay involved and engaged." The Washington Post (12/2) - Malaria vaccine is a top medical breakthrough
The first-ever malaria vaccine, which was shown to cut the risk of infection by half among children in sub-Saharan Africa, is listed among the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2011 by TIME magazine. Results from the ongoing trial of the vaccine, which involves 15,460 children through 2014, will help public health officials decide whether to employ the vaccine where malaria is rife. Time.com (12/7) - An old mechanism to boost new development
 While handouts from rich countries to poor countries, private philanthropy, double-bottom line investing, and the mobilization of local resources are contributing to development, it is difficult to implement these finance streams effectively. Microsaving, or allowing low-income people to securely save small sums of money, could be an even bigger vehicle for change, writes Isobel Coleman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Devex.com/Busannovate blog (12/7) - Food and beverage industry must do more to stop hunger
 Food and beverage companies, just a few of whom control thousands of brands around the world, have a bigger role to play in reducing global poverty, writes Jordan Dey, former U.S. director of the UN World Food Program. The companies generally buy ingredients, such as corn, rice, wheat and cocoa, from wealthier countries when they could be buying them from small farmers in the developing world, providing subsistence farmers -- who make up 70% of the world's poor -- with dependable buyers who pay fair prices. The Huffington Post (12/7) - Haiti reconstruction lags amid instability, inertia
Political instability and a stagnant bureaucracy are among the factors holding back reconstruction and recovery from Haiti's major earthquake two years ago, says Philippe Verstraeten, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Haiti. But outside aid organizations come in for some share of the blame to deploy billions of dollars in pledged aid. "One of the weaknesses, and not just for OCHA but for other aid agencies, was the lack of highly trained and qualified staff at the senior level, trained in emergency relief and who were French-speaking," Verstraeten says. Devex.com/The Development Newswire blog (12/8) - How women, children suffer from statelessness
The U.S. intends to work to persuade governments to legally ensure that all children are provided with birth certificates, and deal more effectively with refugees, displaced and stateless people, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a meeting of the UN refugee agency in Geneva. Women and children are the most vulnerable among the estimated 12 million stateless people in the world, she said, often subjected to abuse, exploitation, arbitrary arrest, detention and trafficking. AlertNet/TrustLaw (12/7) - Human Rights Watch pressures Yemen on child brides
After an agreed resolution to Yemen's months of political unrest, Human Rights Watch is pressing its campaign against child marriage in the country. The organization is calling on Yemen's government to ban marriage for girls under 18, noting that the arrangements often pair them with much older men, affecting the brides' health and denying them a chance at education. Reuters (12/8) - Putin lashes out at U.S.
 Anti-government protests were being organized in more than 80 cities across Russia after credible reports of irregularities in voting that saw United Russia, the political party of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, lose seats, yet retain a slim majority in the lower house of Parliament. Hundreds of protesters have been detained by police in demonstrations Putin on Wednesday blamed the U.S. for fomenting. The Guardian (London) (12/7), BBC (12/8) - "Smart" sanctions are out of favor as West pursues results
The far-reaching sanctions imposed recently on Syria and Iran mark a departure from recent practices, when U.S., European and UN diplomats bent over backward to craft sanctions that targeted ruling elites, through bans on travel and freezes on assets, and spared ordinary people. The potential humanitarian impact of the latest measures has been less controversial, especially concerning Syria, because Western diplomats believe it is only a matter of months before the regime collapses. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (12/6)
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