| |  | |  Measuring happiness is discussed at the UN The purpose of development must be to create conditions for the pursuit of happiness and not merely boost the gross domestic product, which does not adequately reflect the happiness and well-being of people, Jigmi Thinley, prime minister of Bhutan, told a high-level United Nations meeting Monday. Jeffery Sachs, an economist at Columbia University who co-edited the UN's First World Happiness Report, said: "The U.S. has had a three time increase of [gross national product] per capita since 1960, but the happiness needle hasn't budged. Other countries have pursued other policies and achieved much greater gains of happiness, even at much lower levels of per capita income." The Washington Post/The Associated Press (4/2), The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Dot Earth blog (4/2)     
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|  | "Bombings in Southern Thailand on Saturday killed thirteen people and wounded over 300 in the cities of Yala and Hat Yai. The series of explosions targeted civilians in popular shopping districts, a McDonald's restaurant, and a tourist hotel." UN Dispatch | |
- Syria agrees to April 10 troop pullout
Syria has pledged to withdraw its security forces from cities and surrounding areas by April 10 under a United Nations peace plan, Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy to the country, told the Security Council on Monday. Previous commitments to end the violence have been followed by intensification of bombardments, and Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the world body, said, "The United States, for one, would look at these commitments and say yet again that the proof is in the actions, not in the words." Reuters (4/3), The Economist (3/31), PBS/"NewsHour" (4/2) - France seeks Council discussion of Mali coup
France is calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss events in Mali, where a junta has overthrown the democratically-elected government and unaffiliated armed rebels have assumed control over much of the country's north. Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, wrote in a blog post that treasured mosques and mausoleums in ancient towns of Timbuktu and Gao are under threat from armed conflict. The Daily Star (Lebanon) (4/3), MSNBC/World News blog (4/2) - Support grows for Okonjo-Iweala World Bank bid
 Jim Yong Kim is virtually assured election to the presidency of the World Bank because he is the U.S. nominee, but many observers are questioning whether he should be a shoo-in. The candidacy of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist with a Ph.D. from MIT and World Bank experience is attracting support from backers of pro-growth development. ForeignPolicy.com/Passport blog (4/2), The Economist (3/31)  | - Nigeria sets ambitious clean cookstove goal
Nigeria plans to introduce 10 million fuel-efficient cookstoves to the country by 2020 to reduce deaths from smoke, and the need for women and children to gather or buy wood. One impediment to gas-powered stoves is the lack of gas canisters in easily affordable sizes, said Ewah Otu Eleri of the nonprofit International Center for Energy, Environment and Development. Radha Muthiah, executive director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, said: "We are looking for ways to make it affordable to the end users." Vanguard (Nigeria) (4/3)  | - Energy costs outstrip aid for poor countries
Developing countries must turn to cleaner, renewable sources of energy because oil prices are projected to remain high, and costs of energy imports already outstrip foreign development aid, according to the International Energy Agency. Today, developing countries are paying between $120 to $130 a barrel, said Fatih Birol, IEA's chief economist, suggesting that clean development mechanisms are necessary to help lift poorer countries out of poverty. The Guardian (London) (4/1) - West African fishing grounds are being plundered
 The waters off West Africa could become like those off the continent's east coast of Somalia if major fishing trawlers from the European Union, China, Russia and Iceland continue to out-muscle the 1.5 million local fishermen of Senegal, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and elsewhere. The fishing grounds are being fully or over-exploited to the detriment of locals who cannot compete, or feed their growing populations, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. The Guardian (London) (4/2) | | | Position Title | Company Name | Location | | Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum Program Associate (Africa) | Social Science Research Council | Brooklyn , NY | | Leo Nevas Human Rights Fellow | United Nations Foundation | New York City, NY | | mHealth Technical Advisor, Evidence Financing and Policy | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Associate, Online Communications, Nothing But Nets | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Community Manager, mHealth Alliance | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | mHealth Technical Advisor, Technology Integration, Interoperability and Capacity | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | Middle East and North Africa Advocacy and Communications Director | Human Rights Watch | (Based in the MENA region, flexible), Lebanon | | Program Manager, Standards and Testing, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves | United Nations Foundation | Washington, DC | | | Click here to view more job listings. | | |
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