In many countries, people with disabilities have been seen as a burden to society — incapable of caring for themselves. But this is beginning to change in Hong Kong, where one man, determined to overcome discrimination, is changing the way society views disabilities. UNTV
Despite recent conflict in Georgia, the country is pushing ahead with its plans to expand food production. The agricultural sector remains well below its potential, but the World Bank is helping Georgia’s government finance lines of credit so farmers and agricultural producers can grow their businesses. WORLD BANK
The lack of rainfall in Southern Sudan has left farmers a very small harvest in the region. An estimated half a million people in the south are currently short of food. Bangladeshi peacekeepers are providing the IDPs in one of Maridi’s villages the opportunity to cultivate their land and train them in planting and irrigation. [...]
UN officials pay tribute to the five UN staff killed on Wednesday after a deadly attack in Kabul. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls for more “political, material and financial” support for UN staff security. UNTV
As the world focused on talks to supply Iran with nuclear fuel at IAEA headquarters in Vienna last week, one floor down, a silent crisis was being discussed. Cancer – and the imminent pandemic that will hit the developing world. Within 20 years – 70 percent of cancer patients will be in low income countries. [...]
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to brief the press after a closed meeting with the Security Council on Afghanistan. UNTV
Through a UNICEF safe school program, students in Malaysia are learning to cope with different forms of physical and psychological bullying and prevent it from going too far. UNICEF
The Economic and Social Council holds food security related meetings with the participation of goodwill ambassadors Dionne Warwick and Carl Lewis. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says that food aid to crisis areas should not be reduced due to budget constraints. UNTV
Following a Security Council vote extending sanctions in Cote d’Ivoire, Ivorian Ambassador Alcide Djedj says that the fact that very similar resolutions have succeeded since 2004 shows, “the anachronism of today’s decision to maintain the sanctions for another year.” UNTV / ONUCI
Comments from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes and the Security Council condemning the attack on a guest house in Kabul that claimed the lives of at least five UN staff members and injured several others. UNTV
The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for the 18th year in a row to end to the 47-year-old United States imposed trade embargo on Cuba. US ambassador Susan Rice defends the embargo and says that “cold war rhetoric” must be left behind. UNTV
Kosovo, a country still recovering from civil conflict, is busy improving its schools with grants from the World Bank. The money is being used to buy essential teaching tools with local communities deciding themselves what improvements are most needed. WORLD BANK
The legacy of Senator Edward Kennedy’s work on behalf of refugees will be recognized on Wednesday as he receives posthumously the Nansen Refugee Award. The wife of the late Senator, Vicky Kennedy, will accept the award on his behalf at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. UNHCR
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon comments on security for UN staff in Afghanistan, the IAEA talks with Iran, the special envoy to Iraq, the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen and the latest on the Goldstone report. UNTV
The Namibian ministry on immigration sets up an office in a maternity ward at a hospital in the country’s capital Windhoek to make sure every child born gets a birth certificate. In Namibia, 80 percent of women deliver in the hospital, but only four out of every ten children have a birth certificate. UNICEF
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston says that the use by the United States of unmanned drone aircraft in Pakistan and Afghanistan may be in violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. UNTV
Despite recent assurances from Israeli authorities to the UN that the house demolitions in the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem would cease, another wave hit Palestinian areas of the city today, destroying the homes of six families. UNWRA
UN political affairs head Lynn Pascoe says that although the situation in Somalia remains fragile, it is still functioning. “Unlike a few months ago when everyone was making dire predictions that the government was going to fall, that it was going to be taken over, I don’t think people are making any of that assumption [...]
The government of South Sudan is attracting agricultural investors by giving them eight to thirty-two year renewable leases. The new deal allows investors tax free importation of tractors, seeds and other farming materials. UNMIS
Marc Salvail, senior emergency specialist for UNICEF updates on the humanitarian situation in Pakistan. UNICEF / FILE
Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team, expresses concern that just weeks away from the United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen, public support in the United States may be declining. UNTV / FILE
Post conflict funds have helped Kosovo ensure that basic infrastructure for health services is in place for the people. Kosovo’s reconstruction has progressed since the end of the conflict there in 1999. WORLD BANK
The United Nations (UN) Security Council today strongly condemned the twin car bombing attacks in Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday which killed at least 100 people and wounded more than 500.
Security chiefs are working on developing best practices for major event security in Europe by using new technologies like electronic monitoring in crowded situations. UNTV
Five “Citizen Ambassadors” selected as the winners of a groundbreaking online contest on the UN’s YouTube channel, visit the United Nations headquarters and meet with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. UNTV
Israel’s Minister of Regional Cooperation and Development Silvan Shalom says that the Goldstone Report should stay in Geneva and not go to the Security Council because the report is, “so unfair and so biased that it should remain there in the hands of Iran, Cuba and Saudi Arabia.” UNTV
A ground breaking convention that would offer protection to millions of uprooted Africans has been adopted by heads of State at an AU Special Summit in Kampala. Across the continent, there are an estimated 11.6 million people who’ve been forced from their homes because of violence- but remain in their own country. UNHCR
The Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), John Hocking talks about the genocide trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžic set to begin on Monday. ICTY / UNTV
Children from a catholic school in the village of Gao speak with the commander of the International Space Station Frank De Winne from space. UNICEF
Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire and Chad have the largest numbers of internally displaced people- – these are citizens who are forced to flee because of war or persecution, but stay within the borders of their own country. In Somalia more than 1.5 million people are internally displaced. UNHCR
The UN special envoy on human rights and business, John Ruggie announces that a group of countries including China has signed up for a brainstorming session on preventing corporate human rights abuses in conflict zones, where companies can become embroiled in forced labor and genocide. The UN envoys on human rights in Myanmar and North [...]
An unprecedented vaccination crisis that started in May 2008 is putting many Ukrainian children at risk of contracting deadly diseases. Parents’ fear of immunizing their children could be the result of negative reporting in the media, rumors and misinformation. UNICEF
The UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that preparations by Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) for a second round are now in full swing. Ballot papers have been printed and delivered, polling stations kits have been packed and distribution will begin today. UNAMA
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterates calls to alleviate poverty, underdevelopment and lack of equal opportunity, which make people, especially women and children, vulnerable to trafficking. UNTV/ FILE
The Deputy Force Commander of UNMIS Peacekeeping troops Brigadier Ahmad Moin Uddin, is killed by unknown gunmen in Pakistan. UNMIS
The head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) pledge the agency’s full support to the government and people of the Philippines as they seek to deal with the effects of the violent storms that devastated parts of the country last month. WFP
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and the UN special rapporteur on trafficking in persons will brief on, “Giving Voice to Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking.” The Secretary-General will deliver opening remarks at the special event which will take place at headquarters tomorrow. UNTV / FILE
A new report by the WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank says that more infants are being immunized than ever before and vaccine development worldwide is booming. Immunization rates are now at their highest ever – with a record 106 millions children vaccinated in 2008. UNICEF
A local NGO in Sudan is teaching women how to manage their own chicken farms and egg production to increase dietary protein sources, especially for children. UNMIS
Georgia is embarking on an ambitious reform program for its health care system. With help from international donors, including the World Bank, Georgia is providing specialized training to hundreds of doctors and nurses, and revamping its primary health care facilities. WORLD BANK
A new report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says that opium trafficked from Afghanistan to other countries has created a market worth $65 billion. Catering to 15 million addicts, it causes up to 100,000 deaths per year, spreads HIV at an unprecedented rate, and funds criminal groups, insurgents and terrorists. UNODC [...]
Thirty million African migrants send more than 40 billion dollars home to their families each year, according to a new study from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Nearly three days of talks supported by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wraps up with a draft agreement on how to provide Iran with fuel for a civilian nuclear research facility. IAEA
Manfred Nowak, special rapporteur on torture and other inhuman treatment who is here this week to present his report to the General Assembly will brief the press. UNTV
United Nations Deputy Police Adviser Ann-Marie Orler says that it is crucial to recruit female officers as women in conflict areas are often the victims of men in uniform, and female officers can help to “reach out and build trust” with victims. UNTV / FILE
Young people participate in news gathering as part of a two-day workshop designed to draw attention to the findings of Situation Analysis of Children in Syria report, which said that despite corporal punishment being prohibited, children are subject to violence at home and in school. UNICEF
The Secretary-General welcomes the statement today by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, making it clear that the constitutional process regarding the Afghan elections must be fully respected.UNTV
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to be granted observer status at the UN General Assembly. UNTV / FILE
During her six-day mission to the Middle East, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors Mia Farrow and Mahmoud Kabil witness the impact of the 28-month blockade on children and the 22-day military attack on Gaza. UNICEF
James Anaya, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedom of indigenous people says that the, “challenges are significant, there are problems that are systemic and patterns of violations for centuries and those patterns are hard to reverse.” UNTV / FILE
Two kidnapped international aid workers from the Irish Agency Goal are released in Darfur after being abducted from their residence and held for more than one hundred days. UNMIS
In Haiti one can find car tires everywhere on the streets. There are about 200,000 vehicles in the country, consuming on average 500,000 tires per year. But with imagination interesting objects can be made out of these tires. MINUSTAH
For a decade, the lives of young Cambodian women were transformed by jobs in the textile industry. But the global economic crisis changed all that, threatening to undo ten years of progress. UNTV
High Commissioner António Guterres compares the Congolese displacement crisis to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, urging the international community to help. UNHCR
UN Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of Congo Alan Doss tells the Security Council that there is now a real prospect that the conflicts that have long blighted the eastern Congo can be ended. UNTV / FILE
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leads students at the UN International School in “standing up” as part of the global campaign “Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!” Millions of citizens around the world are expected to take part in events over the next three days to call on their leaders to meet their commitments to end [...]
With the failure of four consecutive rainy seasons, the impact of drought, hunger and disease is not only felt in eastern Kenya and throughout the Horn of Africa. Across the region, some 24 million people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia and parts of Uganda are now in need of humanitarian aid, up from 20 [...]
An FAO irrigation project in western Kenya shows what a difference small investments in agriculture can make. Rice is an important staple in Kenya, and demand is growing. Yet the country produces less than a third of what it needs, and relies on imports to make up the difference. Today is World Food Day. FAO
The United Nations Human Rights Council endorses the report on this winter’s Gaza conflict, prepared by a team of human rights experts it named to look into alleged violations of human rights and humanitarian law. UNTV
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes wraps up a two-day mission to Indonesia. It has been two weeks since a powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale left a path of destruction across West Sumatra, damaging houses, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure. OCHA
The Security Council is set to meet to discuss the report of the Secretary-General on the UN Interim administration mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). UNTV
On the eve of World Food Day, a story on how Yemen is upgrading and diversifying its agriculture and livestock in rural areas as a way of reducing levels of poverty aggravated by the global economic crisis. WORLD BANK
As the number of hungry people shoots past record levels, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) calls on the world to remember the more than one billion urgently hungry people with inadequate access to food. WFP
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria will serve two-year terms on the Security Council starting next January after winning elections to the 15-member body. UNTV
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay calls for urgent action to counter impunity in Israel and the occupied territories. UNTV
Idelphonse Nizeyimana appears before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The former second in command in the Rwanda intelligence services was arrested last week for war crimes. ICTR
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes visits the earthquake-affected area of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It has been two weeks since a powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale left a path of destruction across West Sumatra, damaging houses, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure. OCHA
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who is accused of waging genocide against Bosnia’s Muslim population in the early 1990s, will go on trial this month, after a war crimes court ruled against two appeals. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Tribunal Registrar John Hocking comments on the upcoming trial. UNTV / [...]
Several new demolition orders have been issued in recent weeks in East Jerusalem, adding to the increasing tension in the city and Palestinian fears that the number of house demolitions will increase in the near future. UNRWA
Following a Security Council session on the Goldstone Report, Israeli Ambassador Gabriela Shalev argues for Israel’s right to defend itself, while Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour says that “the pretext of self defense” does not give the right to collective punishment. UNTV
The latest UN report on hunger says that the current global economic crisis has triggered a spike in world hunger which has reached the highest level in four decades. Some one billion people are undernourished – more than any time since 1970. FILE
Diarrhea kills more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. UNICEF and the World Health Organize are releasing a new report with the aim of refocusing global efforts to prevent and treat this leading cause of child mortality. UNICEF
Ahead of this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction (14 October), the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) says the tragedies that struck the Asia and Pacific region this month underscore the need for urgent action to better protect hospitals from natural disasters. WHO / UNTV / FILE
The UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti holds a memorial ceremony in Port-au-Prince to honor the 11 military officers killed when a plane crashed last Friday into a mountainside in the southeast of the country. MINUSTAH
A joint study launched by the Council of Europe and the UN says a new international convention is needed to prevent trafficking in organs, tissues and cells (OTC), protect victims and prosecute offenders. UNTV
The Security Council meets behind closed doors to analyze the situation in Cote d’Ivoire as final preparations are made for the upcoming presidential elections scheduled to take place on 29 November this year, after a five year delay. UNTV/ ONUCI
Secretary-General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Pagan Amum reinforces the principles agreed in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that Sudan’s general elections should be convened within the timeframe stipulated in the CPA. UNMIS
The Foreign Minister of Honduras, Patricia Rodas calls for the international community to “remain steadfast” in putting pressure on the country’s de-facto rulers. UNTV
Almost eleven hundred children were affected by the tsunami that struck southern Samoa late last month. UNICEF is working with the Samoan government to ensure that tsunami-affected children are able to resume their education as soon as possible. UNICEF
Head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Kai Eide acknowledges there was “widespread fraud” in the August presidential elections. One of the Electoral Complaints Commission’s (ECC) two Afghan members reportedly resigned today, citing a lack of Afghan input into the body’s decision-making. UNAMA / FILE
California’s United States Senator Barbara Boxer (D) comments on the pace of the UN to appoint a special representative to oversee efforts to stop the sexual violence against women in combat areas. “There isn’t enough movement here at the UN and my message is that the women of the senate and the American people want [...]
British actor Orlando Bloom is named UNICEF goodwill ambassador. FILE
Developed countries like the United States are enticing nursing staff from around the world with higher pay, causing shortages in their home countries. UNTV
On her week-long visit to the Philippines, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman surveyed the damage done by Tropical Storm Ondoy, spoke with storm victims and met with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. UNICEF
The global conference on renewable energy wraps its three-day conference in León, Mexico. Experts and decision makers met to come up with concrete proposals for renewable energy for developing countries in time for COP15. UNIDO
The latest human settlement report assesses the effectiveness of urban planning as a tool for dealing with the unprecedented challenges facing the 21st Century and to enhance sustainable urbanization. UNTV/ FILE
Stars of “Ugly Betty” talk about the filming of the series season premiere episode due to air on 16 October; the first-ever television comedy series to be filmed at the UN and aimed at drawing attention to the “Nothing But Nets” scheme to combat Malaria . ABC / FILE
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praises the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama, saying it, “gives the world’s people fresh hope and fresh prospects.” IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei says it was, “well deserved.” UNTV / IAEA
While an international forum on energy was meeting in Leon, Mexico this week with some 1,000 experts and decision makers from 40 countries exchanging concepts energy efficiency, a tortilla bakery not a kilometre away was putting the ideas into practice. UNIDO
Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority Riyad al-Malki to speak at the stakeout. On Tuesday, Libya asked for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss a UN report that condemned Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip. UNTV
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe says money received today in Somalia will have far greater impact on stability than that which arrives in three months’ time,” adding that the “extremely generous pledges” of $200 million made earlier this year need to be fulfilled immediately. UNTV
Mike Baker of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), which is lobbying for the adoption of a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare, tells reporters that the prevailing view of animal welfare as an unnecessary luxury has been “damaging and holding back” sustainable development. UNTV / FILE
Actors and directors from the American network ABC talk about their season premiere of 'Ugly Betty’ which raises awareness about malaria. UNTV/ FILE
As the only region currently showing growth in tourism across the globe, African leaders are now looking to get beyond the stereotypical view that the continent is just about safaris. UNWTO
While the situation in Iraq has stabilized in recent months, displacement continues. It’s estimated that more than 1.5 million Iraqis remain in exile in neighboring states and two million Iraqis are displaced from their homes inside Iraq. UNHCR
Director of the Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political Affairs Craig Jenness says that anyone claiming that allegations of fraud in the Afghan presidential elections are being ignored by the UN, is “either not watching” or “has other motives”. UNTV / FILE
Some 1,000 experts and political leaders attend the Global Renewable Energy Forum in León, Guanajuato, Mexico in an attempt to come up with concrete proposals for renewable energy for developing countries in time for COP15. UNIDO
According to a new World Bank report, getting more women into the labor force in Turkey would cut poverty and spur economic growth. WORLD BANK
Tourism across southern African is set to be one of the major winners of the 2010 FIFA World Cup next year, as the region’s ministers put in plans to capitalize on an event that could draw up to 450,000 overseas visitors. UNWTO
The United Nations launches an appeal for $74 million to help 1 million flood-stricken people in the Philippines which has been hit by massive back-to-back storms. UNTV
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes says that the offices in Pakistan are closed throughout the country but the operations on the ground are continuing. UNTV / WFP / FILE
The World Bank’s president kicks off the institution’s annual meetings in Istanbul, Turkey with a pledge to reform. Robert Zoellick says the World Bank needs to be more nimble and efficient to keep up with sweeping changes to the globe’s economies. WORLD BANK
Tourism leaders from 142 countries met to endorse a roadmap for recovery in a bid to boost global travel. This comes as the industry faces one of the worst slumps in modern history. UNWTO
The latest Progress for Children report from UNICEF uses new data to show that some progress has been made on protecting children from violence and exploitation since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child 20 years ago. UNICEF
In Istanbul, a key World Bank committee looks to sharing power with developing countries and stresses that the institution needs funding to continue its crucial work. WORLD BANK
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva launched the 2009 Human Development Report in Bangkok. The 2009 report looks at migration and how it effects human development. UNDP
As the world faces one of the worst years in history for international tourism, ministers and representatives from 142 countries met in Astana to encourage people to travel again. Confidence in the sector is now being slightly bolstered by less negative figures. UNWTO
After Rio de Janeiro won the bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, the country and South America is now looking to the benefits that tourism will bring from hosting the event. UNWTO
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says that the suicide bomb attack that killed five UN employees at the offices of the WFP in the Pakistan was unjustifiable adding that it will not deter the UN from delivering much needed humanitarian assistance to over 2 million displaced people in the South Asian country. UNTV
Over 700 million people around the world migrate within their own countries. In India, more than 30 percent of the population migrates to urban areas in search of a higher standard of living, better health care and education for their children. UNDP
The third special report on Turkey as the World Bank/IMF meetings are underway in Istanbul, explores Turkey’s new approach to waste management. At a former dump outside Ankara, managers look on other people’s trash as a potential source of money. WORLD BANK
Thousands of Zimbabweans cross the border into South Africa every month in search of work and security. Their journey into to the cities often takes many weeks and when they finally arrive, they are not guaranteed work. UNDP
UNICEF Director of Emergency Programs Louis Georges Arsenault comments on the storm in the Philippines which left almost two million people struggling to cope with dangerous flooding. UNICEF
On his third visit to Haiti since being named UN special envoy, Bill Clinton addresses an investor conference in Port-au-Prince aimed at encouraging investment to build up the industries in the garment, agriculture and energy sectors. MINUSTAH
Thai law provides for equal treatment for all workers including migrants and registered migrants so they can access services like health care and education. UNDP
Thousands of young Indonesian women seek work abroad as domestic help. Some use work agencies to facilitate their training, travel and placement, but many end up being abused by their employers. UNDP
The third special report on Turkey as the World Bank/IMF meetings are underway in Istanbul, explores Turkey’s new approach to waste management. At a former dump outside Ankara, managers look on other people’s trash as a potential source of money. WORLD BANK
The World Bank kicks off its annual meetings in Istanbul Turkey with the institution’s president saying the recession may be easing, but poor countries still have tremendous needs. Robert Zoellick warned against complacency as the world economy recovers slowly. WORLD BANK
Recent fighting in Somalia between rival factions has brought new violence to the southern port city of Kismayo and forced untold numbers of people to flee. A total of 145 people have been killed and 285 injured in heavy clashes in Kismayo, Beled Weyne and Mogadishu in September alone. UNHCR
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes comments on a string of natural disasters in Asia, including the storm in the Philippines which left almost two million people struggling to cope with dangerous flooding. UNTV
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says that the election regulations in his country have been made so that, “no government organ can make irregularities or do anything to change the outcome of the elections.” UNTV
Mass distribution of insecticide treated bed nets are being distributed on an unprecedented scale in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNICEF
Nearly two dozen Sudanese political parties threaten to boycott next year’s elections unless President Omar al-Bashir implements reforms. UNMIS
The second special report from Turkey ahead of the World Bank/IMF meetings in Istanbul looks at how Turkey is tackling health care and life expectancy. Turkey is nearly ten years below the European average and among middle-income countries, its infant and mother death rates are among the highest in the world. WORLD BANK