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- UN gets Hollywood exposure
United Nations officials are placing a higher premium on outreach to Hollywood, opening up the world body's headquarters to movie and television productions as a means to raise the UN's public profile, particularly among younger generations. Television shows "Ugly Betty" and "Law Order" and the Hollywood movie franchise "Transformers" are among the productions to film at the UN in the past two years. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (11/17)       - World food crisis looms after surge in costs
The United Nations says that people should be prepared to spend more money for food next year, and that the world is on the cusp of another food crisis. Already the cost of imports of key commodities -- such as wheat, corn, rice, oilseeds, dairy products, sugar and meats -- is close to levels seen during the peak of the 2008 food crisis. The Washington Post/Financial Times (11/17) - Support for female circumcision wanes
Public support for female circumcision is dropping across Africa as rates of performed procedures decrease, according to a study by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Center. Public education campaigns and the use of local figures to promote education about the dangers of the procedure have helped drive the change, the report says. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (11/18) - Defaults plague India microfinance
The wide-scale refusal by poor borrowers in India to repay small loans has brought the blossoming microfinance industry to the verge of collapse. The government is concerned that some lenders are using overly aggressive methods to collect debts, and extended credit to borrowers without regard for their ability to repay. V. Vasant Kumar, minister for rural development in the state of Andhra Pradesh, said that some lenders "aren't looking at sustainability or ensuring the money is going to income-generating activities." The New York Times (free registration) (11/17) - Study challenges key tenet of marine diversity
The understanding that overfishing will wipe out large fish, leading to an overpopulation of jellyfish and plankton, is being challenged by a study published in the journal Nature. A recent census of marine diversity shows that a wide range of species are likely to survive, but in sharply reduced numbers. Nature News (11/17) , AlertNet.org/Reuters (11/17) - Report: "Fast start" climate aid targets CO2 reduction
Less than 20% of the $30 billion promised by wealthy countries in Copenhagen to help developing countries battle climate change will go toward efforts to mitigate global warming effects, the International Institute for Environment and Development reports. The bulk of donor funds have been allocated to support greenhouse-gas emissions cutting projects, despite the Copenhagen accord to split climate aid equally between adaptation and mitigation efforts. AlertNet.org (11/17) - Advocates push new mHealth research
More than 100,000 women have signed up to receive prenatal medical reminders via cell phone since the text4baby service launched in the U.S. in February -- a prime example, advocates say, of how quickly the mHealth sector is developing. The U.S. government, private companies and philanthropists are all pouring millions of dollars into applications research and development to promote growth. The Washington Post (11/15) - Search begins for scalable mHealth business model
MHealth advocates are examining ways to prove the efficacy of pilot projects to function on a larger scale and cement the burgeoning industry as a game-changer for the future of global public health concerns. Recent studies have shown mHealth initiatives -- such as a Kenyan text service to remind patients to take their HIV/AIDS drug treatments -- improve care and cut costs. Now both the public and private sector are looking at broader applications including cloud computing, which allows for the sharing and storage of data. The Economist (11/11)  | - China's propaganda machine faces backlash
Chinese authorities' efforts to control coverage of an incident where a man used government connections to walk away from a deadly car accident has captured the attention of the country and sparked an online backlash against impunity and abuse of power. The young man -- the son of a deputy police chief -- was reportedly intoxicated when he hit two women, one of whom died the next day. "My father is Li Gang" has become a national catch phrase to express anti-government feeling. The New York Times (free registration) (11/17) - U.S. to refocus diplomatic strategy
The United States is looking to spend more money to improve public health and fight hunger worldwide, as well as help manage energy affairs, if an overhaul of the country's diplomatic strategy goes ahead, officials said. Another policy push would entail tighter policing of illicit financial networks. AlertNet.org/Reuters (11/17)
- What do you think should be the top priority of UN Women?
 | Advancing reproductive health | | Education for young girls | | Ensuring that women are represented in government and decision-making | | Empowering women to lead economically, through agriculture and small business |
- Better World Campaign launches new website
The Better World Campaign (BWC) today announced the launch of its new website that reflects the strong and effective relationship between the United States and the United Nations. The new BWC website utilizes new and innovative technologies to improve access to information and enable interactive communications. Click here to check out the new website. Click here to read more from the UN Foundation. |
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| | | 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, November 17, 2010
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| | | Lead Editor: Adam Mazmanian
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