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- UNESCO seeks funding in wake of U.S. cutoff
The head of the UNESCO said Wednesday that the cutoff of U.S. aid in response to Palestinian membership, contributing to a $65 million shortfall in funding for 2011, provides an opportunity to further reform the agency and reduce administrative costs. "We will launch an emergency fund ... to [collect] contributions from governments, the private sector, citizens and philanthropists," said Irina Bokova, adding that debt markets could be tapped only as a worst-case scenario. Reuters (11/9)      - Experts urge more focus on urban planning
Urban planning needs to be a more central focus area in the battle against climate change as the world's 3.3 billion-strong urban population faces some of the most direct risks, urban planning and climate experts warn. Efforts to improve building codes, use of land and disaster response systems at the local level would make planning more effective and reduce risks. AlertNet (11/10) - Haitian program to combat cholera spurs debate
An $870,000 pilot project to inoculate Haitians against cholera is being both praised and criticized by public health advocates. Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard professor and special UN envoy, says the vaccinations are an appropriate response to the world's worst cholera epidemic, whereas Dr. David Olson, a medical adviser for Doctors Without Borders, says the vaccinations should not be funded at the expense of permanent water and sanitation measures. USA TODAY/The Associated Press (11/9) - Aid groups are working to save starving Somali children
The International Rescue Committee and other aid groups have been able to bring some Somali children back from the brink of starvation with intensive treatment despite serious infrastructure and security concerns. Tens of thousands of Somali children have died during the current famine, but aid agencies have managed to expand their reach to 2.2 million people in need. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (11/9) - Nothing But Nets finds friends on Broadway
The United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets -- a global, grassroots campaign to fight malaria in Africa -- announced that Disney's The Lion King and the Nederlander Organization are joining the campaign as its newest partners in the movement to end malaria. The organizations will work together to raise awareness among millions of Broadway fans about how they can help stop malaria, a disease spread by a single mosquito bite that kills a child every 45 seconds in Africa. Read the full release from the UN Foundation.  | - Julia Roberts backs Clean Cookstoves
Academy Award-winning actor Julia Roberts, who serves as Global Ambassador of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, released the following statement today in recognition of World Pneumonia Day: "This World Pneumonia Day I'm speaking out as a mother about the leading killer of children under the age of 5. Pneumonia kills about 1.4 million young children annually, 99% of whom die in developing countries. That's one child dying every 20 seconds." Read the full statement from Julia Roberts on the Cooking Shouldn't Kill website.  | - Pakistani school is tailored to help girls
The Business and Life Skills School, or BLISS, aims to help Pakistani girls get an education and contribute financially to their families by providing income-earning opportunities in addition to traditional education subjects. Young Pakistani females face many challenges to attending educational institutions stemming from poverty, infrastructure gaps and social pressures. The Huffington Post (11/9) - Figueres: Engage the private sector on climate
Private-sector entities employing low-carbon business strategies can help governments develop national climate-change battle plans, says Christiana Figueres, head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Negotiators from around the world are set to attend a summit beginning this month to seek agreement on climate-protection efforts after the Kyoto Treaty expires in 2012. Bloomberg (11/10) - Energy costs are projected to spike due to coal dependence
If the world continues to burn coal instead of developing renewable and atomic energies, the costs of consumption will become "viciously more expensive" by 2035, by which time global demand for energy is expected to increase some 40%, according to the International Energy Agency. About $1.5 trillion must be invested annually in energy infrastructure merely to meet the projected demand, the IEA said in its annual World Energy Outlook report. San Francisco Chronicle/Bloomberg (11/9) - Syria crisis deepens; opposition divisions emerge
Syrian soldiers unwilling to carry out abuses against their countrymen are defecting in growing numbers to the opposition's camp, raising fears civil war could erupt, Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Security Council. Syrian opposition leaders are divided over whether engagement with the government of Bashar al-Assad can bring about the democratic changes sought by the pro-reform movement. Reuters (11/9) - UN Foundation honors global leaders
In today's world, leaders from all walks of life are turning to the United Nations to solve some of the toughest challenges. This week at the Global Leadership Awards Dinner in New York, United Nations Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner, UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth, and Executive Director of the UN Association of the United States of America Patrick Madden saluted leaders from diverse backgrounds -- from the entertainment industry, to the corporate sector, and government -- for their innovative work with the UN to develop fresh solutions for today's global problems. Read the full release from the UN Foundation. Check out pictures from the event on Flickr.
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Russia on Wednesday poured cold water on plans by European states to impose "unprecedented" sanctions against Iran in the wake of the release of a UN report indicating a military component to the country's nuclear program. "The world community will see all additional sanctions against Iran as an instrument of regime change," Gennadi Gatilov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, was quoted as saying. 
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