| |  | |  Rice explains why the UN is needed Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, acknowledged that the world body has its share of internal problems, but said that it would be "immoral" and "dangerous" for American lawmakers to withhold funds for UN programs. Rice said UN dues account for a tiny fraction of the U.S. tax burden and that UN funding represents "a real return on our tax dollars." Click here for the full text of Ambassador Rice's remarks. Google/Agence France-Presse (2/12), Reuters (2/11)
|  |  | America can't police every conflict, end every crisis, and shelter every refugee. The UN provides a real return on our tax dollars by bringing 192 countries together to share the cost of providing stability, vital aid, and hope in the world's most broken places." Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the UN. Click here for the full story. |
|  | "Less than half of Afghanistan's 34 provinces have even one shelter for women. Yet, where shelters do exist, they save women's lives. To protect these lifelines, the human rights community is working behind the scenes to stop the government's impending takeover." UN Dispatch | |
- IAEA sees better nuclear security
Coordinated global efforts by government to secure materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons is decreasing the ability of groups such as al-Qaida to obtain components, the International Atomic Energy Agency says. Countries are working together to counter smuggling with border control personnel training and updated security equipment. AlertNet/Reuters (2/14)      - U.S. calls on Lebanon to back Hariri tribunal
U.S. officials marked the sixth anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri with calls for Lebanon's new government to cooperate with investigations into his death. U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Lebanon's new prime minister, Najib Mikati, to cooperate with the United Nations-backed tribunal pursuing those behind the assassination. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (2/13) - Hunger, malnutrition defy India's economic rise
India's economy might be flaunting growth rates of some 9% annually, but the government is struggling to feed it's 1.1 billion people decades after investments in agricultural technologies in the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Nearly half of the country's children age 5 or younger are malnourished, a figure that could worsen amid food shortages and drastic price increases. The New York Times (free registration) (2/11) - China overtakes Japan economically, poised for No. 1
 China could replace the United States as the world's leading economy within a decade, analysts say, after the country unseated Japan in 2010 as the world's second biggest. Its $5.8 trillion economy is fueled not only by manufacturing, but a new postindustrial reality linking productivity to population. BBC (2/14), The Wall Street Journal (2/14) Top five news stories selected by UN Wire readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
- Better global communication for weather needed
The failure to communicate early data warnings of massive impending rainfall in Pakistan in early 2010 highlights the gaps in the existing global network of weather prediction systems. European weather simulation programs predicted the heavy rains, but the potential severity was not effectively communicated. Monsoon flooding subsequently killed 2,000 people and forced 20 million out of their homes. The Washington Post (2/14) - Rapes continue in Congolese border region
Uniformed security forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo are responsible for the rapes in January of women and girls expelled from Angola, according to a UN envoy. The mass rapes are the latest in the systematic sexual violence against Congolese women reported last fall, with a UN mission confirming 1,357 reported rape cases in a single village. AlertNet/Reuters (2/12) - Palestinian Cabinet steps down ahead of elections
In the wake of mass protests that toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, the Palestinian Authority's Cabinet resigned and President Mahmoud Abbas asked the prime minister to form a new, more inclusive government. The move also comes ahead of elections promised for no later than September. Bloomberg (2/14)
|
 | 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: - Friday, February 11, 2011
- Thursday, February 10, 2011
- Wednesday, February 09, 2011
- Tuesday, February 08, 2011
- Monday, February 07, 2011
| | | Lead Editor: Adam Mazmanian
Contributing Editor: Juliette Terzieff
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment