DJIBOUTI / AIDS
Though relatively small, the African Horn nation of Djibouti has a high rate of HIV/ AIDS. The country is now working to reverse that, through increased health care services and counseling. WORLD BANK
Though relatively small, the African Horn nation of Djibouti has a high rate of HIV/ AIDS. The country is now working to reverse that, through increased health care services and counseling. WORLD BANK
The United Nations appeals for 7.1 billion dollars to provide humanitarian assistance for 48 million people in 25 countries next year. UNTV / FILE
UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé talks about the state of the global AIDS epidemic and prospects for finding a vaccine. 1 December is World AIDS Day. UNAIDS / FILE
For the more than 100,000 people who live in displaced camps in the Northwest Frontier Province, winter’s cold temperatures will soon make their lives more miserable. Most fled their home villages after fighting started more than one year ago. UNHCR
The Accompagnateur Project (Community Health Workers) in rural Haiti helps nearly 5,000 AIDS patients, delivering antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and educating them about their disease. But with a global recession in full swing, the program is facing budget cuts, beginning with the social services they offer patients. MINUSTAH
Vietnam’s economy is finally thriving after decades of war, but a new and insidious enemy – global warming – is hitting this Southeast Asian country, with deadly force. UNTV / VTV
UNICEF is supporting a Child Development Centre which assesses children’s health and evaluates their psychological and behavioural development. UNICEF
Half a million people are known to be living with HIV in Cameroon, of which 69,000 are under the age of 15. Young women are especially at risk because they’re often unable to negotiate safe sex. UNICEF
The latest UN Stocktaking report says that preventing the transmission of AIDS from mother-to-child is key to reducing the impact of the pandemic, and that the global economic crisis has been especially hard on those struggling with the effects of HIV/AIDS. (EMBARGOED UNTIL 30 NOVEMBER 2009 0600 GMT) UNICEF
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) organizes and mobilizes over 16,000 volunteers to clean up garbage in Juba following reports of cholera and diarrheal diseases because of poor sanitation in the town. UNMIS
UNICEF is providing rapid diagnostic tests and malaria medication in the Dembia District of Ethiopia. With the rainy season ending, conditions are prime for mosquitoes carrying one of the most dangerous strains of the disease. UNICEF
The villagers of Fadieda in Mali have significantly reduced cases of diarrhea in their community due to a new approach to sanitation. The Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is method that promotes hygiene behavior changes, through strong participation of the community. UNICEF
According to a new UN report, women who have to feed their families will face special challenges and must help shape the response to climate change. In the Philippines, mobilizing women can make a difference in addressing environmental concerns. UNFPA
In the United States, this is the busiest travel time of the year, because of the American holiday of Thanksgiving. But in Lagos, Nigeria, every day can mean gridlock with millions of people traveling on the mega city’s roads. WORLD BANK
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios tells the Security Council that the decision of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas not to seek a new term reflects a worrying assessment, from a leader unquestionably devoted to peace, that the political process lacks sufficient content and credibility at this time. UNTV
A UNICEF health campaign reaches displaced communities in Somalia’s Afgoye Corridor for the first time, providing at least 46,000 children with a life-saving health package. UNICEF
The posting of the provisional electoral list in collection centres around the country began on Monday. Last week, the Ivorian Constitutional Council validated 14 out of 20 candidates for the presidential election among them President Laurent Gbagbo and opposition leaders Henri Konan Bedie and Alassane Dramane Ouattara. ONUCI
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by launching a Network of Men Leaders, a major new initiative bringing together current and former politicians, activists, religious and community figures to combat the global pandemic. UNTV
Local communities around the world are getting more involved in making the decisions about what they need and what will be the best use of funds. In Senegal, it is leading to more local ownership and greater incentives to strive for success. WORLD BANK
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes says that things have been “changing for the better” in the last few weeks in Sri Lanka and that the release of IDPs has been going at a “fast pace.” UNTV
UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy wraps up a nine-day visit to Sudan where she met government officials and representatives from various armed groups. UNMIS
UNIFEM issues a call to action to tackle a “pandemic” of violence affecting almost three quarters of women at some point in their lives. International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is 25 November 2009. UNIFEM / UNTV / FILE
High up in the Bolivian Andes mountains a disaster is in the making, as many of the glaciers are melting at dangerous rates. At risk are tens of thousands of people who rely on the water as a source of life. UNTV
The General Assembly third committee which focuses on human rights abuses passes a Canadian sponsored resolution calling on Iran to end human-rights violations. The resolution received the support of 74 members of the 192-member General Assembly, with 48 voting against it and 59 abstaining. UNTV
World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan visits health facilities devastated by the 30 September earthquakes that struck West Sumatra Province, assessing first-hand health needs and efforts to restore life-saving health care services. WHO
As the world marks International Children’s Day, malnutrition among children and babies is a major problem in developing countries. Experts predict the global financial crisis could push more than 1 billion people into chronic hunger. But a program in Senegal is showing there’s a way to improve nutrition levels. WORLD BANK
Marking the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says that children’s human rights, “need special protection that adults’ do not” and that the challenge is to build, “a world that is fit for children.” UNICEF / FILE
Actress Lucy Liu and former child soldier Grace Akalla joined UNICEF Executive Director Ann M Veneman at UNICEF House today to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of a landmark achievement-the Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF
Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Yvo de Boer says that the political leadership promised at the UN Climate Change Summit in September, “is alive, it is well, and will lead to success in Copenhagen.” UNTV / FILE
Civil society groups from Darfur and Khartoum are meeting in Qatar to participate in the ongoing Darfur peace process. Traditional administrators, religious leaders, women, youth and intellectuals are expected to inject views in the peace process in areas such as reconciliation, voluntary returnees of IDPS, land disputes and compensation, human rights and justice among others. [...]
The UN appeals court overturns the conviction of the former Rwandan President Habyarimana’s brother-in-law Protais Igiranyirazo, who was sentenced to 20 years for organizing a massacre during the 1994 genocide which left 1,000 people dead. UNICTR
On Friday (20 Nov), UNICEF will celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the first legally binding international instrument that incorporated the full range of human rights for children. UNICEF
At a parliamentary meeting at UN headquarters, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says that the global recession threatens every society, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and undermines security. “Markets may be going up, but so, too, is unemployment. An additional one hundred million people could fall into poverty by the end of this year.” UNTV
Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah says that piracy has become a highly profitable business and calls for the problem to be tackled as a criminal activity with many tentacles in the region and around the world. UNTV
UNICEF through European Union (EU) funding aims to aid poor households and ensure the rights of orphans and vulnerable children through the Lesotho Child Grants Programme. UNICEF
A United Nations report urges policymakers to heed the role of women – who make up the majority of the poor – in combating climate change. UNFPA
The Security Council condemns the recent attacks on civilians by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and calls for international cooperation for the protection of civilians. UNTV / FILE
The latest edition of the State of World Population report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) shows that women bear the disproportionate burden of climate change, but have been largely overlooked in the debate on how to address problems of rising seas, droughts, melting glaciers and extreme weather. The report will be launched Wednesday 18 [...]
UNICEF with the government of Cameroon and Recamef, an association of mothers, is going into villages to try and convince families and traditional leaders to send girls to school. Friday, 20 November is the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF
A UNICEF supported program aims to provide basic education for parents from the Penan indigenous group so that they will support their own children’s schooling. The right to education is enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the child, which is 20 years old this year. UNICEF
As Georgia struggles to cope with the fallout from last year’s conflict and the global economic downturn, the government is assisting its poorest citizens to cope with these twin crises. WORLD BANK
On Sunday, unknown gunmen ambushed the entourage of the government of Southern Sudan’s (GoSS) Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Samson Kwaje, killing at least three people and wounding another five including the minister. UNMIS
Special Representative for Iraq Ad Melkert tells the Security Council that “there will be no shortcuts” in completing UNAMI’s work in Iraq and warns that elections will take place under threat of new attacks. UNTV
For countless generations, cattle have played a central role in the life of Southern Sudanese. They are considered sign of wealth and are used for dowry and other social use. There are millions of white bulls in the region and they are considered a symbol of prosperity. But now there is a new bull in [...]
Ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the World Bank and its partners have awarded close to US$5 million dollars to 26 innovative climate smart projects from around the globe. The funding was provided through Development Marketplace 2009, after a competition attracting over 1,700 entries. WORLD BANK
More than 6 million Ethiopians are in need of food assistance following drought, global recession and a deficit in food aid. UNICEF supports outpatient therapeutic feeding centres to bring services to children with severe malnutrition closer to home. UNICEF
Voluntary community workers fight malnutrition in northern Cameroon through a UNICEF supported initiative, where 412 voluntary community workers visit households to educate families on nutrition. UNICEF
UN Humanitarian coordinators Ross Mountain and Michele Falavigna provide and update on the humanitarian situations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad. UNTV / FILE
The General Assembly debates expansion and reform of the Security Council. UNTV
After more than three decades of civil war, the UN Development Program (UNDP) is bringing together disabled children from the north and south for a sporting event. UNDP
The Child Rights Syllabus developed by the Dublin Institute of Technology is teaching journalism students in Turkey about understanding child rights and how to report stories about children in a responsible way. UNICEF
A dozen vehicles leave Abidjan this morning as ONUCI begins the transport of the voters’ lists throughout the country. ONUCI
The Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists honors Academy Award winner Emma Thompson and presents its Inspiration Award to psychotherapist Helen Bamber. Both women have been active in campaigns against human trafficking. UNTV / FILE
The Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution urging parties involved in armed conflicts to take all measures to ensure the protection of civilians. UNTV / FILE
Fresh talks are underway in Geneva between Russia and Georgia to discuss the issues between the two countries. UNTV
Kosovo, still recovering from the civil conflict in 1999 which destroyed much of its infrastructure – is tapping the World Bank’s Post Conflict Fund to help some of the worst hit communities to rebuild and mange their own water supplies. WORLD BANK
According to a new UNICEF report, the number of malnourished people worldwide has surpassed one billion and is a factor in one third of all under five deaths. UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman visits Mali, where one in five children do not survive to see their fifth birthday.UNICEF
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) begins an airlift operation to provide food for over 150,000 people living in areas that cannot be accessed by road in Sudan’s ten southern states. The region is plagued by tribal violence, high food prices and poor harvests induced by drought. UNMIS
The Electoral Independent Commission hands over the provisional voters list to the mission in Cote d’Ivoire (ONUCI) for the presidential election scheduled for 29 November. ONUCI
Austrian Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting comments on the letter containing white powder that was sent to the U.S. missions of France, Austria and Uzbekistan in New York City on Monday. UNTV
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams says that the UN is looking forward to working with the new government but more needs to be done to safeguard what’s been achieved over the past three years in southern Lebanon. UNTV / UNIFIL
A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that critical food insecurity is affecting 31 countries and requires emergency assistance. In Pakistan, the FAO and the European Union (EU) have partnered to provide seed and fertilizer to almost 100,000 farmers in rural Pakistan who were hit by the surge in food prices [...]
As the number of hungry and malnourished people passes one billion, a new UNICEF report identifies lack of food as one of the largest causes of death amongst children. Undernutrition in mothers and children is a factor in a third of all deaths of children under five. (EMBARGOED UNTIL 11 NOVEMBER 2009 1100 EST). UNICEF
A new World Bank report calls on the Middle East and North Africa region to strengthen the private sector, which will be vital to create the 40 million more jobs the region’s growing population will need over the next ten years. WORLD BANK
For the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November, UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassadors records Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to spread the word about children’s rights. UNICEF
UN special envoy for the Great Lakes region President Olusegun Obasanjo says that the slide to war that threatened the Democratic Republic of Congo last year has been 'effectively reversed,” but only the “symptoms” have been treated and that without dealing with underlying issues, “peace can neither be durable nor irreversible.” UNTV / FILE
Director of the Secretary-General’s Climate Support Team Janos Pasztor announces that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be traveling to Washington where he will meet with senators and White House staff in order to drum up support for a comprehensive agreement on climate change in Copenhagen. UNTV
High-profile figures from the world of sport, politics, non-governmental organizations, global health, and business come together in support of the United Against Malaria campaign across Africa joining forces ahead of the historic hosting of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010. UNTV / UNITED AGAINST MALARIA
Children receive school supplies made possible through funding by the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) through the “quick impact projects”. UNMIS
At a special screening of his documentary ‘Home’ at the United Nations, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Yann Arthus-Bertrand says that with one month to go before the opening of the Copenhagen conference on climate change, “courageous politics” are lacking. UNTV / EUROPACORP AND ELZEVIR FILMS
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to speak to the press following a closed meeting with the Security Council on the security situation in Afghanistan. UNTV / UNAMA
Zimbabwe’s children’s parliament met for its 17th Annual Session with the aim of spurring the government into action to ensure children’s survival and empowerment. UNICEF
For years, China-the world’s largest producer of methane–has been capturing gas from household and farm waste to use as fuel. With help from the World Bank, it is refining and expanding its energy revolution. WORLD BANK
The head of the UN Mission in Nepal Karin Landgren tells the Security Council that the central challenge to the success of the Nepalese peace process will be to move forward through consensus and establish a unity government. UNTV
The General Assembly today (5 November) endorsed the report of the United Nations investigation which found that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants were guilty of serious human rights violations during the conflict in the Gaza Strip at the start of the year. UNTV
Voter registration is underway across Sudan ahead of the country’s first Presidential and Legislative elections in nearly a quarter of a century. After a slow start, the numbers of residents coming out to register in the capital Khartoum are slowly increasing. UNMIS
Head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Antonio Costa tells the Security Council that West Africa is now on the verge of becoming a source of drugs, not only a transit area. “The country is very vulnerable because of its poor judicial system, uncontrolled sea and air space and open land borders.” UNTV
The UN takes additional steps to reduce risks to its national and international staff serving in Afghanistan in light of the 28 October attack against UN staff in Kabul, as well as further ongoing threats. UNTV / UNAMA
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) carries out an evaluation and assessment exercise to find the exact number of IDPs living in the Kiwanja camp in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. MONUC
UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman opens the exhibit of the “Art in All of Us,” based on a book that features children’s photography, poetry and art. She also introduces UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu and filmmaker Guy Jacobson, who screened their film, “Redlight,” about child trafficking in Cambodia. The events are leading up to [...]
Israeli Ambassador Gabriela Shalev says that the Goldstone report was, “conceived in hate and executed in sin” and that the Human Rights Council is obsessed with Israel. UNTV
With just about 14 months to go before Sudan’s referendum on unity or secession for the south, there is a general feeling that the parties to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a two-decade war are not doing enough to make unity attractive. UNMIS
Years of neglect have depleted the agricultural potential of Central Asia’s fertile Ferghana Valley. The mighty river that flows through the valley is a key source of water for several countries and now farmers in Tajikistan are trying to tap into it to revive an important industry. WORLD BANK
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping operations Alain Le Roy visits the villages of Ntoto and Nayabiondo in the Territory of Masisi, North Kivu Province Democratic Republic of Congo to evaluate the security situation on the ground. MONUC
A new World Bank report shows East Asian economies rebounding–but the progress is almost entirely driven by China. This new report, showing some surprising signals signs of economic health, and also some huge gaps, comes just as the region’s heads of state are meeting in Singapore this week. WORLD BANK
Austrian Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting, President of the Security Council for November briefs on the Council’s program of work for the month. UNTV
Chilean Ambassador Heraldo Munoz announces the collaboration between the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission and Yoko Ono to donate proceeds from John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” 40th anniversary digital single to the U.N. Peacebuilding Fund. UNTV
More children die every day of pneumonia than of any other disease. UNICEF and the World Health Organization released a comprehensive plan, The Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia (GAPP), to save millions of lives from this fatal illness. Robin Nandy, Senior Health Specialist for UNICEF discusses key components of the plan. [...]
UNICEF is providing essential equipment for immunization and holding briefing sessions for health professionals in preparation for the nationwide immunization campaign in Samoa. UNICEF
In his final address to the General Assembly in his capacity as IAEA chief, Mohammed ElBaradei says that the important lessons to be learned from Iraq and DPRK are that “we must let the diplomacy and thorough verification take their course however lengthy and tiresome the process might be”. UNTV
While visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo this weekend, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Alain Le Roy noted that insecurity in the region prevails. MONUC
Voter registration for Sudan’s first Presidential and Legislative elections in nearly a quarter of a century, due to be held in April, kicked off on Sunday. UNMIS