SWINE FLU / URIBE
Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe contracts the H1N1 virus. FILE
Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe contracts the H1N1 virus. FILE
UNICEF says the latest data shows that half of all children in the Democratic Republic of Congo do not go to school and those that do are mostly boys who usually only make it to the fifth grade. UNICEF
Experts and politicians from around the world meet in Geneva this week to ensure that current and future generations have access to climate predictions and information necessary for various socio-economic sectors to cope with climate change. UNTV / FILE
With help from the World Bank, India’s 'Education for All’ movement is trying to get all children to school, including millions of the poorest and most marginalized. WORLD BANK
You can’t work, study or live freely in the land of your forefathers – and you can’t return to the land of your birth. That’s the sad predicament facing more than 100,000 people in refugee camps in Nepal, who are desperate to return to nearby Bhutan. UNTV / ROCKHOPPER.TV
UNICEF’s Chief of Health, Dr. Mickey Chopra says UN agencies are preparing for another cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe once the rainy season starts in September. Last year’s outbreak, which was officially declared over in July, infected at least 100,000 people and killed 4,000. UNICEF / FILE
Sunday (30 August) marks the tenth anniversary of the historic referendum in which the people of East Timor voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia. Reflecting on the challenges facing them ever since the results of the poll sparked terrible violence, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it is time to strengthen Timor-Leste’s democratic institutions. UNTV / [...]
UN Under-Secretary-General Susana Malcorra, in charge of field support for peacekeeping missions, visits Goma to assess the logistical challenges facing the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), and opens a workshop for senior commanders on sexual exploitation and abuse. MONUC
For the millions of people who live in Bangladesh’s crowded urban centers, life can be very hard. But change is taking place through a UNDP-supported poverty reduction program that puts development in the hands of ordinary people. UNDP
At a ceremony attended by NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo and UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa launches two new centers of excellence to improve the treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS. UNICEF
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the worst child mortality rate in the world. In Katanga province, where the HIV infection rate has surpassed the national average, UNICEF supports a prevention of mother to child transmission program to educate mothers on how to protect their unborn babies from HIV. UNICEF
The Security Council votes to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). UNTV
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon drops by the daily UN press briefing to “share his personal sadness” at the death of US Senator Edward Kennedy, and reacts to the leaked criticism by a Norwegian diplomat ahead of his upcoming trip to Norway and the North Pole. UNTV
The World Health Organization (WHO) and health partners have prevented large-scale disease outbreaks in northwest Pakistan with the help of an early warning system. The mass dislocation of people due to conflict has fanned enormous health challenges, including the threat of epidemics. WHO
Poor nutrition has left 46 per cent of children under five chronically malnourished in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNICEF-supported health centres with a community approach to treating malnutrition are helping to dramatically improve children’s health and nutritional status. UNICEF
With the security situation in Haiti relatively stable over the last months, a lot of Haitians from the diaspora returned to the country this summer – for a vacation on the beach. MINUSTAH
The predominately Tamil tea plantation workers in South Central Sri Lanka are some of the poorest people in the country. UNDP is working with the government to find ways to improve their lives. UNDP
Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, is one of the largest islands in the world. It is rich in wildlife, but water is scarce. The government and private enterprise, with help from the World Bank, are working together to get clean fresh water to the people of Madagascar. WORLD BANK
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed the current French Ambassador to the United Nations as his Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan, a new position created in response to Pakistan’s displacement crisis which at its zenith earlier this year had forced over two million people from their homes in the South Asian nation’s north-west. FILE
The outgoing Force Commander of the joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMD), Martin Luther Agwai hands over the reins to Patrick Nyamvumba of Rwanda. UNAMID
South Sudan is facing severe food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). Deteriorating security and inaccessible roads may force WFP to switch back to emergency operations and airdrop food. UNMIS
The UN special envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide urges all candidates and voters to be patient while the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) considers allegations of irregularities in last week’s national elections. UNAMA
It’s an impossible choice – let your family go hungry, or run the risk of a brutal sexual attack. It has happened to hundreds of thousands of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since civil war broke out ten years ago. The assaults show no sign of abating, even though a simple solution [...]
A young entrepreneur in Haiti follows a family tradition making cigars individually rolled by hand, and hopes that they will become well known throughout the world. Yvan Milord and his team produce 4,000 cigars every three months in the three most common sizes – Churchill, Corona and Robusto. MINUSTAH
Lyn Lusi of the Heal Africa hospital for victims of rape in Goma says the problem of sexual violence against women, children, and even men in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is “growing more and more acute”. Lusi also says she is “terribly disappointed” with Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to her clinic. MONUC / FILE
After yesterday’s presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan, the UN special envoy to the country Kai Eide tells reporters in Kabul that “overall, 20 August 2009 has been a good day for Afghanistan”. The Security Council has welcomed the “historic” elections, while condemning the actions of those who sought to disrupt the polls. UNAMA
The UN’s top envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide tells reporters at a polling station in Kabul that despite “scattered incidents”, today’s presidential and provincial council elections have gone “quite well”. UNAMA
Following closed consultations of the UN Security Council, UK Ambassador and current Council President John Sawers comments on today’s elections in Afghanistan and on Lebanon. UNTV
On the occasion of the first World Humanitarian Day (19 August), the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) Bangladesh contingent takes its mobile medical unit to the village of Lologo on the outskirts of the city of Juba in southern Sudan. The peacekeepers provide free consultation and medical treatment to over 200 needy people. UNMIS
Ahead of Afghanistan’s national elections on 20 August the mood is tense and security is on everyone’s mind. These are the first elections since the 1970s that have been organized by Afghans themselves. UNAMA / FILE
The UN Security Council condemns “in the strongest terms” today’s violence in Baghdad, where a string of attacks reportedly killed 95 people and wounded more than 500. UNTV
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco calls on Israel to adhere to international law and roadmap obligations and to “cease and reverse provocative actions such as demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem”. UNTV
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leads the first observance of World Humanitarian Day (19 August) honoring humanitarian workers who risk their lives to help people in need, and solemnly marks the anniversary of the bombing of the UN in Baghdad that killed 22 people on 19 August 2003, including Sergio Vieira de Mello. UNTV / FILE
The top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan Kai Eide appeals to all groups threatening violence in Afghanistan on Election Day (20 August) to allow their fellow Afghans to choose their future leader. UNAMA
The first World Humanitarian Day will be observed on 19 August 2009 to increase understanding of humanitarian activities and honor humanitarian workers who have lost their lives or been injured in the course of their work. The date was chosen in memory of the 22 people, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, killed in an attack [...]
Nowadays, the water in Tajikistan’s capital runs mostly clean and clear out of the city’s taps. Fresh, drinkable water is a new thing for the residents of Dushanbe who, until very recently, had to boil their water, which was thick with mud and a source of disease. WORLD BANK
The Convention on the Rights of the Child calls access to clean water a right of all children. It also enshrines a child’s right to education. But all too often these two fundamental rights don’t meet in the classroom. Around the world, UNICEF is helping to change that by promoting water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns in a new report that despite significant progress in consolidating peace and stability, the situation in Liberia remains fragile. In Monrovia last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States would do more to help strengthen the national police force, as she vowed to “stand with” Liberia’s [...]
In Afghanistan voting at the local community level has paved the way for thousands of small scale development projects in recent years. The National Solidarity Program (NSP) was founded on the principles of grassroots democracy to channel resources to communities for projects developing irrigation, power, water supply and roads. WORLD BANK
The Philippines Congress is considering a controversial bill that would make it easier for poor women to avoid unintended pregnancies. UNFPA
As the demand for gold grows in Guyana, so too do its dangers to miners and the environment from the mercury used in the process. To minimize the risks of mercury poisoning, the government of Guyana enacts new laws to protect its people and the environment. UNTV / VIDEOMEGA PRODUCTIONS
The US pledges 17 million dollars this week to help fight the epidemic of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The UN says that at least 200,000 cases of rape have been recorded in the region since 1996, with the true number estimated to be even higher. MONUC / FILE
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wraps up her seven-nation Africa tour. UNMIL / MONUC
With less than a week to go until elections in Afghanistan on 20 August, election materials have been transported to all 34 provinces, and the UN-supported Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) is gearing up to handle complaints expected to arise around the polls. UNAMA
The UN Mission in Sudan hands over a new six-room building that will house the outpatient department of the Al Sabah Juba Children’s Hospital. UNMIS
The International Criminal Court orders the release of Democratic Republic of Congo ex-vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba ahead of his war crimes trial, but was put on hold pending conditions of his release and which state would take him. FILE
The Karen hill tribes of Northern Thailand are receiving training from a UNDP supported project that helps them keep their ancestral lands and at the same time helps conserve the forest. UNDP
The Security Council calls for the release of all political prisoners in Myanmar, while expressing concern over this week’s verdict against pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. UNTV
Marking International Youth Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns that young men and women around the world are hit excessively hard by the impact of the global economic meltdown and climate change. UNTV
UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Lise Grande says that spiraling inter-tribal conflict, a massive food shortage and a lingering budget crisis are contributing to a “humanitarian perfect storm” brewing in Southern Sudan. UNMIS
The Minster of Foreign Affairs of China, Yang Jiechi addresses the Conference on Disarmament, laying out China’s position on disarmament and non-proliferation and its strategy for working towards a world free from nuclear weapons. UNTV
The Security Council to meet in closed consultations. A Myanmar court sentenced democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi today to serve 18 months under house arrest for violating her house arrest by letting an American to stay at her home. UNTV
India is taking steps to ensure its young people have the education and skills needed to compete for jobs, particularly in high tech industries. The country is pushing universities and colleges to improve their teaching techniques and update their equipment. International Youth Day is Wednesday (12 August). WORLD BANK
A new UN report says an estimated 50 million women in Asia who are either married or in long-term relationships with men who engage in high-risk sexual behaviors are at risk of becoming infected with HIV from their partners. FILE
The UN air service, shuttling aid workers to remote locations to provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable people in Africa, is in danger of being shut down due to a funding shortage, according to the World Food Programme (WFP) which operates the flights. WFP
Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Argentina and NBA star player Manu Ginóbili visits a school in Fontana, Argentina, home to a sizeable indigenous population belonging to the Qom group, to promote the “Cities for Education” initiative, which promotes the right of all children and adolescents to complete their elementary and secondary studies. UNICEF
This year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous People focuses on HIV/ AIDS, especially among indigenous women, who are particularly vulnerable to the threat of the virus, suffering disproportionately from a number of socio-economic difficulties that increase the spread of the disease, including poverty, homelessness and poor access to education. UNTV
Insecurity is having a serious impact on preparations for Afghanistan’s upcoming elections, especially for women, according to a United Nations report released Sunday, which added that despite attacks and threats, Afghans are eager to take part in the polls. UNAMA
Commenting on her recent trip to the Central African Republic (CAR), Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg says she was “quite struck” by the lack of international pressure on the government to provide both humanitarian relief and protection to the displaced.
The International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) opens in Bali, Indonesia on Sunday (9 August). Women are now getting infected faster than men in several Southeast Asian countries, where an estimated 1.6 million people are HIV-positive. UNIFEM
The displaced from the Abkhaz war in 1993 has been mostly forgotten until the conflict last year in the break -away region of South Ossetia. Then suddenly the international community took stock of the miserable conditions and funding started to come through. Now after more than a decade of waiting they have renewed hope for [...]
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns the Security Council about the horrific acts of sexual violence that continue to take place on a widespread and systematic basis around the world and urges the Council to immediately authorize an independent commission of inquiry supported by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. UNTV / FILE
A call to bring about an end to all nuclear weapons was renewed today during a ceremony held at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) to remember the destruction of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. IAEA
Summer camp is a yearly ritual in many parts of the world, but in the Republic of Georgia- a new camp has been started to help the youth who lost their homes find way to rebuild their confidence and regain their optimism. UNHCR
Briefing the press, UNAMID Force Commander Martin Luther Agwai says his mission has done much to stabilize the situation in Darfur, but that until UNAMID is fully deployed, some camps for internally displaced people in the conflict-torn region will have to go without 24/7 security. UNTV / FILE
In the Baltic nation of Estonia, a campaign to improve roads and road safety has paid off. Travel times have shortened. Aggressive campaigns to improve road safety and tough laws against drunk driving have halved the number of car crash deaths. WORLD BANK
It has been one year since the deadly conflict in South Ossetia which pitted Georgia against separatists and their Russian allies – more than 190,000 people fled. There are dozens of collective centers in Gori like this former kindergarten, where Elderly Shura and about 400 other displaced now live. UNCHR
In one of the worst instances of ethnic violence witnessed in southern Sudan this year, an attack on a group of Lou Nuer tribesmen in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 2 killed at least 185 people, and most of the victims were women and children. UNMIS
Speaking at an open debate on UN peacekeeping, UNAMID’s Force Commander Major General Martin Luther Agwai tells the Security Council that from its early days, UNAMID has had to deal with a “lack of critical strategic enablers” including helicopter and communication resources. UNTV / FILE
High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres tours Dadaab camp in Kenya. The continued violence in Somalia is impacting neighbouring states. In Kenya it’s estimated that upwards of 5,000 Somalis a month are seeking refuge there and Dadaab refugee camp is now massively overcrowded. UNHCR
On the occasion of the 64th anniversary this week of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls on the world to “convince leaders, once and for all, of the waste, futility and dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction.” UNTV / FILE
Nearly 400 students from 57 countries of the existing Model United Nations attend the first Global Model United Nations Conference in Geneva. UNTV
UN Chief Electoral Officer Ray Kennedy says a stable and secure environment is crucial for Sudan’s first multi-party elections in 20 years. The elections are expected to take place in April 2010. UNMIS
The Security Council hears a briefing from the new UN Special Representative for Iraq Ad Melkert. UNTV
United Kingdom’s Ambassador and President of the Security Council for August John Sawers says the additions and expansions of settlements by Israel in East Jerusalem are not helping the peace process, “on the contrary, they are making the peace process much more difficult.” UNTV
The Security Council to adopt a new landmark resolution 1882 on children and armed conflict. For the first time, the Council calls upon the Secretary-General to expand his “list of shame” beyond recruitment and use of children to include names of parties to conflict who are responsible for the killing and maiming of children as [...]
Continued violence is forcing ever greater numbers of people to flee from the capital Mogadishu in Somalia. Few aid groups are still able to operate in the area and so the conditions of civilians caught up in the fighting is said to be dire. UNCHR
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambroisine Kpongo meets with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at headquarters. Fighting in the Central African Republic in the last year has displaced more than 125,000 people.UNTV
Alexei Petrushevski, the founder and director of the Bishkek Centre for Street Children in Kyrgyzstan helps one thousand homeless or troubled young people reach their full potential. UNICEF
In Haiti’s north coast, the mangroves are making a slow comeback through efforts of a local environmental group and funding from USAID. In the last 50 years, the mangrove forests here have been devastated – almost entirely cut down for charcoal fuel. These shoreline plantations are an integral part of maritime ecology. MINUSTAH
India’s population is booming, already well past one billion, it’s on its way to overtaking China’s in the next decades, but a gross imbalance is developing between the numbers of boys and girls. Vast numbers of female foetuses are being aborted every year. It’s a phenomenon that has spread to many parts of south and [...]