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- Iraq is freed from longstanding UN sanctions
The UN Security Council on Wednesday ended key longstanding sanctions against Iraq, restoring to the country control over how it spends oil revenue, and paving the way for its planned pursuit of a civilian nuclear energy program. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who presided over the Security Council session, said the move brings "an end to the burdensome remnants of the dark era of Saddam Hussein." BBC (12/15) , The Wall Street Journal (12/16) , Los Angeles Times (12/15)       - Holbrooke's UN legacy
While Ambassador to the UN under former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Richard Holbrooke, in only 17 months, prodded Indonesia into accepting the independence of East Timor, prevented Sudan from getting on the Security Council, managed to get HIV/AIDS designated as an international threat to security, and compelled the UN to issue condoms to peacekeepers. He also got 188 poorer countries to contribute more to the UN budget. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (12/15) - NBA legend, UN Foundation take a shot at measles
NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo has joined forces with the UN Foundation's Measles Initiative to vaccinate children against the preventable disease. Measles kills hundreds of people every day and continues to threaten millions of children around the world, Mutombo writes in this guest post on UN Dispatch. UN Dispatch (12/16) - Clinton warns against Haiti aid cuts
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton says cutting aid to Haiti in response to the country's political woes would cost the Haitian people and stall reconstruction efforts. A senior U.S. legislator called for a halt to direct aid for the Haitian government until it successfully ensured a free and fair outcome to presidential elections that are scheduled for a January runoff. AlertNet/Reuters (12/16) - Independent body to investigate Haiti cholera origin
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected Friday to announce the creation of an independent commission to determine whether UN peacekeepers from Nepal brought cholera to the devastated island of Haiti, where the disease has killed more than 2,400 and sickened tens of thousands. The outbreak, which is expected to affect some 600,000 people, is the first in Haiti in recent memory. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (12/15) - How Cancun sets the stage for binding cuts
 The modest gains on international agreement achieved at the Cancun climate summit pave the way for further action in the future and represent a success for a meeting that began with low expectations. While delegates did forge agreement on issues like funding climate change mitigation strategies for developing countries, the bigger questions -- such as binding greenhouse-gas emission cuts -- were left out for now. The Nation (12/14) - Mobile tech and health infrastructure
 Mobile health technologies are increasingly becoming part of the wider system of eHealth, spurring efforts to learn how best to use the technologies to connect with databases and track outcomes, Karl Brown, of the Rockefeller Foundation, says in an interview. The Rockefeller Foundation is a founding member of the Mobile Health Alliance, along with the UN Foundation and the Vodafone Foundation. AllAfrica Global Media (12/9) - A blueprint for mobile learning
The use of mobile phones to deliver English-language lessons to users in parts of Asia and Africa is also providing a template for those who seek to provide educational programs to some of the world's poorest communities. Successful programs by BBC in Bangladesh, and Nokia in Nigeria and elsewhere, are examples. The Guardian (London) (12/7) - Campaigners urge consumer action on DRC conflict minerals
Human rights groups continue their campaigns to raise awareness around linkages between mineral supply in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ongoing deadly conflict and consumer electronics. Campaigners are calling on consumers to press cellular telephone, computer and other electronics companies to ensure their products do not contain any "conflict minerals" sourced from the DRC. NPR.org/GlobalPost (12/15) - Reports portray troubled Afghan picture
As the U.S. Pentagon prepares to release an upbeat assessment of progress in the U.S.-led war against the Afghan Taliban, intelligence agencies and aid groups are releasing their own grimmer reports detailing the situation on the ground. Aid agencies warn that intensified fighting is affecting the delivery of aid and increasing civilian casualties. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (12/16) - Russia cracks down on violent extremists
Police have arrested more than 800 people in Moscow, and hundreds more in other Russian cities, in an effort to prevent further ethnically charged street violence following the recent shooting of a soccer fan during an alleged fight with minorities from the North Caucasus. "It's necessary to harshly suppress displays of extremism from all quarters," Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said during an interview. BBC (12/15) , Reuters (12/16)  | |  | | | | |  |  Director | International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) | New York, NY | | Executive Director, Business Council for the United Nations / Director of Corporate Relations | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Communications Director, Strategic Energy and Climate Initiatives | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Executive Assistant | Arcus Foundation | New York, NY | | Director, Girl Up (The UN Foundations girl campaign) | United Nations Foundations | Washington DC, DC | | Program Associate - NYC Office | Arcus Foundation | New York, NY | | | |  | |  |
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 | Global health | | Climate change | | Women and children | | Technology in development | | U.S./UN relations |
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