Mary Robinson, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, arrived to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo yesterday where she met with President Joseph Kabila, and Prime Minister Augustin Matata. MONUSCO
Ambassador Baso Sangqu of South Africa, which has just left the Security Council after two terms as a non-permanent member, told reporters that the Council "desperately needs to be reformed" and Africa given greater say. UNTV
Ahead of a special event at UN headquarters on the role of leadership in the fight against homophobia – featuring Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and singers Ricky Martin and Yvonne Chaka Chaka – the South African singer said “hiding behind culture” was not a valid excuse for discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. [...]
On a visit to South Africa, actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom talked with young people this weekend about issues like gang violence and sexual exploitation. UNICEF
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today (26 September) announced that he has secured 1.5 billion US dollars in commitments for a new initiative to increase access to, and the quality of, education for children worldwide. UNTV
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today told the Human Rights Council he is "deeply troubled by the aerial bombardments of civilians by government forces" in Syria and "by the apparent choice of both sides to pursue a solution through force rather than dialogue." CH UNTV
Around half a million children become ill with Tuberculosis (TB) every year around the world, and in South Africa alone, where forty percent of people with TB also carry HIV, 50 thousand children contract TB every year, while many more are believed to go undiagnosed. TB advocates will convene next week at the International AIDS [...]
The United Nations today (18 July) marked Nelson Mandela International Day, celebrating the South African leader’s 94th birthday and honouring his contributions to democracy, racial justice and reconciliation with events at its Headquarters in New York and around the world. UINTV
New figures released in the run-up to Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development opening in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday (20 June), show that rhino poaching in South Africa has reached record levels. Fuelled by demand for rhino horns in Asia, the death toll has gone up from 13 to 449 annually within [...]
For over a decade, HIV positive pregnant mothers in South Africa were assured that they would stop the transmission of HIV to their babies by not breastfeeding and instead feed their infants formula. But by not breastfeeding, they were exposing them to other deadly childhood killers like diarrhea and pneumonia. The government is now rolling [...]