A number of UN Member States add their names to the 'Paris Commitments’ to protect children from recruitment and use by armed forces or armed groups. Eighty-four States have endorsed the commitments now including Albania, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Guinea, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Panama and Senegal. UNICEF
A new report by UNICEF and WHO says that more than four million people in low and middle-income countries were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the close of 2008. This represents a 36 percent increase in one year and a ten-fold increase over five years. UNICEF
The Security Council unanimously approves a resolution demanding that all parties to armed conflict immediately take appropriate measures to protect civilians, including women and children, from all forms of sexual violence. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that violence against women is, “not cultural but criminal.” UNTV / FILE
The first of five special reports from Turkey ahead of the World Bank/IMF annual meetings in Istanbul tells how the Turkish government, with the help of the World Bank, is trying to protect the city’s inhabitants and its antiquities from the North Anatolian Fault, a center of earthquake activity that runs right under the city. [...]
WHO Director Margaret Chan tells a group of health ministers from the Americas gathered for the annual Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) meeting in Washington DC that when the current H1N1 influenza pandemic nears its end, there will be a flurry of assessments of the event, its impact and how it was managed. PAHO
The UN refugee agency reports that fighting in northern Yemen remains “tense and volatile,” noting that civilians are unable to leave Sa’ada and there is still no humanitarian access to the embattled city. UNHCR
At a Security Council meeting to be chaired by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday (30 September), the United States is expected to introduce a resolution to further strengthen efforts to curb sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict. UNTV / FILE
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative Kai Eide calls for a change of mindset in Afghanistan and says that, “more of the same is simply not an option anymore.” UNTV / FILE
Commenting on Iran’s undisclosed nuclear facility, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he told President Ahmadinejad that Iran should give full access to the IAEA and that they should have informed the agency when they began constructing the facility. UNTV
The head of a UN fact finding mission into the recent conflict in Gaza Richard Goldstone has told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that both sides committed war crimes. UNTV
World Bank President Robert Zoellick says the world-wide economic crisis is hastening massive shifts in trade, currency markets, and the role of developing countries. WORLD BANK
Prime Minister of Myanmar Thein Sein says that, “democracy cannot be imposed from the outside and a system suitable for Myanmar can only be born out of Myanmar society.” Package also to include: Mexico, Cuba, DRC and Sudan. UNTV
Over 100 civilians and security officers were the most recent victims of the growing ethnic violence spreading across Southern Sudan. UNMIS
In the small town of Berbera in Somalia, the population suffers from insufficient and poor quality of water. UNICEF and partners are working to expand and rehabilitate existing water supply.UNICEF
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres says that the combined impact of global economic crisis with population growth, urbanization, global warming and shortages of food and water are causing crises to multiply and deepen. UNHCR
The 64th General Assembly debate continues – package includes: Netherlands, Tuvalu, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the rejection of Madagascar’s leader to address the GA. UNTV
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton co-host and event on the global food security crisis. Following last year’s dramatic rise in food prices, the UN system is working together to mobilize billions of dollars to save millions of lives. UNTV/ FILE
Marking the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Convention, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the landmark principles adopted in 1949 to protect individuals in time of war were a major advance in human rights, but the challenge even today is to ensure they are respected and enforced. UNTV / ARCHIVE
Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas says that “time is running out” to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East and cautions that the settlement policy pursued by Israel “will abort opportunities to relaunch the peace process.” UNTV
In early September extensive rainfall left parts of the city of Agadez, in Northern Niger destroyed. UNICEF and partners are sustaining their efforts to provide shelter, sanitation and psychosocial support to the affected population. UNICEF
Commenting on the Jewish settlements, Secretary-General for the League of Arab States Amre Moussa tells reporters that to negotiate while settlements are being built would be detrimental to the negotiations. UNTV
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim tells the UN Security Council that any attempt to penetrate his country’s embassy in Honduras, which he says has been “under siege” since ousted President Manuel Zelaya began sheltering there five days ago, would amount to a threat to regional security. UNTV
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton along with UN partners launch a new initiative in the fight against sexual violence against girls, a scourge which affects 150 million victims in a given year and contributes to the spread of HIV and AIDS. UNTV / FILE
The latest figures from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) shows that number of Somalis reaching Kenya’s Dabaab Refugee camp this year has passed 50,000. UNHCR
The 64th UN General Debate continues – package to include: Rwanda, Spain, Israel, Japan and Venezuela. UNTV
National leaders and senior government ministers from around the world gather at UN headquarters to pay tribute to the efforts of the UN agency that has assisted Palestinian refugees across the Middle East for 60 years. UNTV
IAEA Chief Mohamed ElBaradei says that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) still remains fragile and has many shortcomings. UNTV
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells a high-level gathering to facilitate the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) that “we’re happy to be back working with you”. She vowed to work towards US ratification of the treaty, which was signed by former US President Bill Clinton thirteen years ago today. UNTV [...]
The Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution calling on all States that are not parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to accede to it as non-nuclear-weapon States so as to achieve its universality at the earliest. This was the first UN Security Council meeting at a heads of state level on the issue including [...]
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown hosts a global forum on maternal mortality, “Investing In Our Common Future: Healthy Women, Healthy Children.” France’s first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy hosts “Protecting Mothers and Children against HIV.” UNTV
Ahead of a series of meetings on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation on Thursday (24 Sept), including a Security Council summit to be chaired by US President Barack Obama and the opening of a two-day conference to promote the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls on the international [...]
Opening the GA, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tells dozens of world leaders that the world’s most pressing challenges can only be solved when countries unite through the UN. Brazil’s President Lula da Silva calls for a return to power of Honduran leader José Manuel Zelaya, Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi praises US president Barack Obama and Ugandan [...]
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US President Barack Obama toast the United Nations at a luncheon in honor of heads of state and government. UNTV
Sixty years after the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was set up following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the Agency has become the main provider of basic services – education, health, relief and social services – to over 4.6 million registered Palestine refugees in the Middle East. [...]
Addressing the GA, US President Barack Obama says that those who used to “chastise” America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world’s problems alone. “We have sought – in word and deed- a new era of engagement in the world.” UNTV
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to present a closing summary of the summit on climate change. UNTV
Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed tells world leaders gathered for a climate change summit at the UN that his small-island nation wants to go from being merely a “canary in the goldmine” for climate change, to leading by example and becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral nation. In an interview, Nasheed also talks about his idea of [...]
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presses world leaders gathered at the UN for the largest ever summit on climate change, to speed up their action on global warming and preserve the planet for future generations. UNTV
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman meet with students and staff at the Young Women’s Leadership School in East Harlem to discuss the important role that quality education plays in improving children’s lives. UNICEF
Ahead of a high-level event Wednesday (23 September) on maternal health led by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it is “just unacceptable” that in the 21st century, a woman still dies every minute from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. UNTV / UNICEF / FILE
Egypt’s green house gas emissions are among the fastest growing the world. The country is now tapping international funds to reverse that trend.
On Tuesday (22 September), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will convene the largest-ever summit of world leaders on climate change, in the hope of galvanizing them towards reaching an ambitious agreement at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December. UNTV / FILE
In what aims to be the most ambitious peace campaign Afghanistan has seen, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and acclaimed author Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner) takes part in a kite-flying event near Kabul, while a polio drive aims to immunize millions of children in Afghanistan’s most dangerous areas. 21 September is the International Day of Peace. [...]
“I think the majority of countries are in favor of strengthening the General Assembly which represents the world as a whole”, Ali Abdussalam Treki, the President of the United Nations 64th General Assembly Plenary tells reporters. UNTV
UNICEF’s regional Goodwill Ambassador, Egyptian Actor Mahmoud Kabil’s visits the occupied Palestinian territory to raise awareness about the plight of Palestinians, especially Bedouins. UNICEF
Karen Koning AbuZayd, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) tells reporters that her agency might be facing problems in paying the salaries of the twenty nine thousand staff who carry out all the human developments activities.” UNTV
“It is a time to reflect on the horror and cost of war, and on our duty to resolve disputes peacefully”, says the United Nations Secretary General while commemorating this year’s International Day of Peace at the United Nations. UNTV
On her first visit to Cameroon, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow sees how malnutrition is devastating the country. Fifty-two thousand children die here every year because they don’t get enough to eat. REUTERS
The seventh round of the talks between Russia and Georgia continue in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations, the European Union and the OSCE. UNTV
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemns today’s suicide bombing at an African Union compound in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, which has left at least nine peacekeepers dead. UNTV
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry says for negotiations to be enabled, it is critical that the parties commit to and implement their “road map” obligations and that continued Israeli settlement activity remains a, “source of deep concern.” UNTV
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes to provide a general humanitarian overview focusing on situations in Sri Lanka, Yemen, some Horn of Africa countries and Guatemala. UNTV/ FILE
Food aid is at a 20-year low despite the number of critically hungry people. The World Food Program (WFP) says that number will pass one billion this year for the first time and the agency is facing a serious budget shortfall. WFP
The UN refugee agency announces that its Nansen Refugee Award will go to the late Senator Edward Kennedy for his achievements as an unparalleled champion of refugee protection and assistance for more than 45 years. UNHCR
Russia and Serbia sign a $25 million trade contract for repatriation of spent nuclear fuel that will allow the fuel to be removed from the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences in Serbia and returned to the Russian Federation. IAEA
UN Special Rapporteur Okechukwu Ibeanu will present a report today on the dumping of 500 tons of toxic waste in Cote d’Ivoire . The document states that there appears to be strong prima facie evidence that the reported deaths and adverse health consequences are related to the dumping of the waste from the cargo ship [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlines his expectations for the “crucially important” 64th session of the General Assembly, opening today. World leaders, including US President Barack Obama, are set to focus on climate change, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and other issues such as the Middle East during next week’s high-level segment. UNTV / FILE
UNICEF and its partners launch an ambitious $70 million dollar program to get a textbook into the hands of every primary school child in Zimbabwe. UNICEF
A new World Bank report says a climate smart world is achievable for developing countries, but only with financial and technical support from the developed world. WORLD BANK
In a key note speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay says that combating the scourge of discrimination and tackling impunity for attacks on civilians during armed conflict are her top priorities. UNTV
Richard Goldstone, head of the UN fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict says that there is “strong evidence” to establish that numerous serious violations of international law amounting to war crimes which could amount to crimes against humanity were committed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the January invasion of Gaza. UNTV/ FILE
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay criticises Italy, Malta and Libya for violating international law by ignoring the plight of thousands of migrants attempting to reach their shores by boat. UNTV/ FILE
In 2007, the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) raided Lainya County in Central Equatoria State in Southern Sudan. The rebel group employed their standard tactics by terrorizing the villages, burning huts, and abducting children. Steven Taban was one of the boys abducted by the LRA, he was 18 years old. UNMIS
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei reports on the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the annual five-day general conference in Vienna, Austria. IAEA
Disagreement over who should represent Honduras at the UN mars the opening session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. UNTV
The Cheha District of Ethiopia abandons Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) through community dialogue and the implementation a campaign to rid the country of the controversial practice. UNICEF
For the first time since the UN Human Rights Council was established in March 2006, the United States actively participates in the world’s top human rights body. UNTV
UNEP says the underground water supplies, upon which 1.5 million Palestinians depend for agricultural and drinking water are in danger of collapse. UNEP
UN Executive Representative for Sierra Leone Michael Schulenberg cautions that though Sierra Leone had embarked on a remarkable journey towards a stable, peaceful and democratic country, “this journey would be bumpy, long and even, at times, dangerous.” UNTV
UN Deputy Special Envoy and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan Ameerah Haq expresses grave concern about the increasing number of deaths and displacements due to the escalating attacks by the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) against civilians. UNMIS
The agony of losing a loved one is unbearable, no matter the circumstances. But imagine waiting decades to find out how a member of your family died. That’s been the plight of people on both sides of the divided island nation of Cyprus. But soon, those harrowing mysteries may be solved. UNTV / ARCHIVE
Against the backdrop of twin crises – the August 2008 conflict and a global economic slump – the World Bank is launching a new partnership strategy with Georgia to guide its assistance to that country until 2012. Under the strategy, the Bank expects to provide between US$740 to $900 million in financing over four years. [...]
The World Bank Group has approved a US$75 million no interest credit for Sri Lanka to help that country’s poorest people. The funding will be used in Sri Lanka’s rural communities for the second phase of a community program that has already touched the lives of nearly one million poor Sri Lankans. WORLD BANK
The Regional Coordinator for South Sudan at the UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS), David Gressley tells reporters in New York that whatever the outcome of the 2011 referendum on independence for southern Sudan, “neither side seems to want a renewed conflict.” UNTV / FILE
A multimillion dollar appeal to save East Africa’s Mau Forest Complex in Kenya is launched by the government and UNEP, aimed to mobilize resources for the rehabilitation of the Mau, the largest closed-canopy forest ecosystem in Kenya covering over 400,000 hectares. UNEP
New figures released by UNICEF show that the numbers of children who die before their fifth birthday continues to decline. Report features an interview with UNICEF Chief of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Renee Van de Weerdt. UNICEF
Suicide Prevention Day raises awareness that suicide is often a taboo issue and relevant to all levels of society. Every year, approximately one million people commit suicide, around 3,000 deaths a day or one death every 40 seconds. UNTV
An IAEA mission to get powerful radioactive sources out of Lebanon was completed last month after a plane carrying the high-activity cargo safely touched down in Russia, where the sources are now securely and safely stored. IAEA
The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia meets to discuss ways for more effective and concerted anti-piracy efforts by the international community. Somali Ambassador Elmi Ahmed Duale says he wishes the “costs and human resources” spent on combating piracy could have been diverted to the humanitarian needs of Somalia. UNTV / FILE
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opens the 62nd Department of Public Information’s Non-Governmental Organization Conference dedicated to the theme of disarmament in Mexico City. UNIC MEXICO
The US and other countries sign the “New York Declaration” which will commit countries to promulgating internationally recognized best management practices for the self-protection of vessels on its register, in order to help avoid, deter, or delay pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia. UNTV
Former US President Bill Clinton, the UN Special Envoy to Haiti set to open today’s Security Council meeting on that country. UNTV / FILE
A three-day conference begins in Manila to discuss ways for Asian economies to transition to a resource-efficient and low-carbon pattern of industrial development. UNIDO
Despite the impact of the global financial crisis, a record number of countries made it easier for business by reforming regulations in the past year. That’s a key finding of the IFC and the World Bank’s Doing Business 2010 report, which found developing countries have taken the lead in reforms to make doing business easier. [...]
A new UN report says that more effective regulation and supervision of financial market activity is indispensable to prevent a repeat of the current global financial and economic crisis. But equally important, is a reform of the international monetary and financial system aimed at reducing the scope for gains from currency speculation and at avoiding [...]
UNICEF’s Chief of Health, Dr. Mickey Chopra says he hopes the H1N1 pandemic “will be an opportunity to put some spotlight on the need to improve maternal health”. Pregnant women are a high-risk group for the swine flu virus, but Chopra says the impact pales against other conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth that already [...]
IAEA Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei reports on nuclear safeguards in Syria and Iran, as well as other issues including illicit nuclear trafficking and the assurance of supply of nuclear fuel. IAEA
Only seven percent of the garbage in Haiti’s capital Port au Prince is collected by the public service. Small-time garbage collectors sift through the rest and eke out a living by delivering their finds to companies like Tropical Recycling, which sells plastic waste to the United States and China for recycling. MINUSTAH
Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, targeted violence against women in Afghanistan is back at an alarming level. Women of all ages are enduring brutal physical and sexual abuse in their own homes. UNTV
The Brazilian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Butantã Institute in São Paulo, will start the production of around 17 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine in October 2009. The vaccines will be available at the beginning of 2010. PAHO
More than 30 parliamentarians from 14 Latin American countries gathered this past week in Costa Rica to discuss the role of parliaments in combating one of the region’s most serious social problems – violence against children. The trip included a visit to a UNICEF-supported initiative that helps vulnerable children. UNICEF
Ahead of a UN-sponsored conference on disarmament for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Mexico City next week, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Sergio Duarte notes that “thousands of nuclear weapons capable of destroying entire cities” still remain in arsenals around the world. UNTV
More children drown in flood-prone Bangladesh than anywhere else in the world. 17,000 Bangladeshi children die each year simply because they cannot swim. With more extreme weather patterns, flooding and rising sea-levels expected because of climate change, UNICEF and partners are in a race against time to teach more Bangladeshi children to save their own [...]
Afghan celebrities, civil society representatives, and UN staff launch the 2009 'What Are You Doing for Peace in Afghanistan?’ campaign which runs up to International Peace Day on 21 September. UNAMA
Building on the success of the six-month-long Child Health Days initiative that began late last year, UNICEF and the WHO kick off the second round of a campaign to reach every Somali community with a life-saving package of essential services for children and women. UNICEF
Sadiq Al-Mahdi, the head of the Umma Party is in Juba to discuss the upcoming elections with Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). The 74-year-old Umma party leader is to talk about the terms of coexistence, if South Sudan decides for independence and about the fraternal relationship between North Sudan and South Sudan. UNMIS
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls for faster work on a new climate treaty to fend off what he said could be economic disaster and a rise in sea levels of up to 2 metres (6.5 ft) by 2100. UNTV
The 2009 Afghan Opium Survey by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says that opium cultivation and production is down more than expected, but that a marriage of convenience between insurgents and criminal groups is spawning narco-cartels in Afghanistan linked to the Taliban. UNODC
The Secretary-General wraps up his visit to Norway after ending a boat trip that took him to the Arctic Circle Tuesday, where he stood on the ice and urged world leaders to take action against climate change. UNTV
US Ambassador Susan Rice says that virtually, “every American has been offended” by the reception accorded to Abdel Baset al-Megrahi upon his return from the UK. “This is a very raw and sensitive subject for all Americans.” UNTV
The French Government is helping drain a lake in the city of Miragoane which flooded during last year’s hurricane season, destroying farmer’s crops and cutting most of the road access in the southern region. MINUSTAH
On of her five-day visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman visits Panzi Hospital – a haven for women suffering from the effects of traumatic sexual violence – it treats nearly four thousand women a year. UNICEF
A new UN report calls for a big investment push to deliver on both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping communities to cope with climate change. UNTV/ FILE
The International Organization on Migration (IOM) rebuilds 74 public schools that were damaged during last year’s hurricane season. MINUSTAH
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with government officials in Norway and later attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Memorial Monument of the first Secretary-General, Trygve Lie. UNTV