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 Time for an expanded Security Council?
Though powerful member states like the U.S. and Britain are supporting expansion of the United Nations Security Council, many hurdles remain before any reform can be undertaken. Many members are reluctant to empower rival members with a Security Council veto, and many small developing nations consider the entire permanent-member structure to be oppressive and undemocratic. International Herald Tribune/Associated Press (9/27)
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| UN News |
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 | Will the UN reform before Annan's term ends?
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan made institutional reform a centerpiece of his secretariat in 2003, when he challenged the UN to embrace reform. With reports from Annan-appointed reform panels on nuclear proliferation, UN balance of power and the doctrine of military preemption due in 2005, there may not be much for Annan to accomplish in the current session of the General Assembly. Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.)/Los Angeles Times (9/27)
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| Pronk, Lubbers urge action in Darfur
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers and Special Representative for Sudan Jan Pronk both made pleas for international assistance to curb militia violence in Sudan. Pronk renewed his call for "many thousands" of African Union troops with a "broad mandate" to keep the peace, while Lubbers told reporters, "the time has come for the parties really to sit down at the negotiating table and sort things out." The New York Times (9/27), BBC (9/27)
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| Interview: World Bank President James Wolfensohn
In an interview with USA TODAY, World Bank President James Wolfensohn discusses extremist terrorism, nation-building, spreading democracy, corruption in international development and the challenge posed by the rapidly accelerating Chinese economy. USA TODAY (9/27)
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| Commentary: "The World Bank's force of nature"
The rumor mill is grinding out such names as Bill Clinton and Colin Powell as possible successors to World Bank President James Wolfensohn. But, as columnist and Bank observer Sebastian Mallaby points out, don't be surprised if these and other big names are outflanked by Wolfensohn himself, who may be seeking a third term as president. The Washington Post (9/27)
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| Commentary: "How to split the UN"
"Things are not what they seem or what they used to be in the increasingly dysfunctional family of nations," writes Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland, and terrorist insurgents in Iraq are taking advantage of a fractured trans-Atlantic alliance and complaints about the U.S. doctrine of pre-emption. The Washington Post (9/26)
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| Children's Health |
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| Oman sets target of 2010 to wipe out polio
Health Minister Dr. Ali bin Mohammed bin Moosa also said he wants Oman to reduce the cases of neonatal tetanus as well as eliminate measles by 2010. Moosa also discussed plans to combat whooping cough, diphtheria, hepatitis B, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. Times of Oman (9/25)
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| Women & Population |
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| Women & Population Special: Countdown 2015: Egypt
Former UN Bureau Chief of The New York Times Barbara Crossette reports on how microfinance impacts the lives of women. The article is the second in a series of 10 independent reports Crossette filed on the way reproductive health programs are actually working -- or not working -- to improve women's lives around the world. The series is called: Three Continents, Four Cultures: Ten years after Cairo, the people take charge. One report is included in UN Wire each day. Read today to learn how small loans from an Egyptian NGO helped a 53-year-old woman with no formal training as an electrician run a thriving appliance repair business.
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| Commentary: "When he eats little, she eats less"
In the world of finance, it is men who make the majority of decisions, and often the choices developing nations are required to make to become eligible for World Bank and International Monetary Fund loans hurt women, Noreena Hertz writes in The Guardian. Often, governments decide to curb infrastructure development, such as water and sanitation projects, cut back on public expenditure or add charges for health care and education, which often further alienates women and girls, Hertz says. The Guardian (London) (9/24)
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| Northern Uganda hard hit by HIV/AIDS
Conflict in the northern part of Uganda has directly contributed to the HIV/AIDS rates in that region being twice that of the rest of the country, aid group World Vision says in a report released today. Young girls, who are abducted and used as sex slaves as part of the rebel war, are often found to be infected with HIV. After they are released from their captors, many girls are rejected by their families and engage in risky sex to survive, further spreading the disease. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/27)
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| Energy & Environment |
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| Analysis: Bush's energy policies changing Wyoming's landscape
A five-part Seattle Times series on the environmental records of President George W. Bush and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry begins today with an exploration of the energy policies put into place under Bush. Controversial proposals to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling grabbed headlines over the last four years, but far less attention has been paid to the rapid expansion of natural gas and coal extraction operations in Wyoming and elsewhere. Critics contend the Bush administration allowed energy lobbyists to rewrite environmental policy. The Seattle Times (9/26)
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| A renaissance for nuclear energy?
Soaring energy costs, rising energy consumption and a public less opposed to nuclear energy may be helping to revive the nuclear industry, but a Massachusetts Institute of Technology report says putting necessary safeguards in place is still far too costly. USA TODAY (9/26)
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| U.S. wild lands at risk
The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush is taking advantage of its executive authority to open millions of acres of public land to development and mineral extraction. Critics of the current environmental policy complain Bush's plan rewards generous campaign donors with government compensation while betraying the U.S. commitment to conservation of habitat and species. The Washington Post (9/27)
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| Peace, Security & Human Rights |
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| Israel admits to killing Hamas leader in Syria
Israeli security officials speaking off the record told reporters that Israel was behind the assassination of Hamas military leader Izz el-Deen al-Sheikh Khalil Sunday in Damascus, Syria. The attack, which drew stern condemnations and warnings of possible reprisal from the Syrian government, was widely seen as an effort to both deprive Hamas of a military mastermind and put Syria on notice that Israel will act against perceived threats beyond its national borders. BBC (9/27), The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (9/27), The Christian Science Monitor (9/27)
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| |  | Hamas debates global action: The Jerusalem Post is reporting that within the ranks of Hamas, a debate is emerging about whether to begin targeting Israeli officials worldwide. Hamas conducts operations in Israel because the organization's leaders believe it characterizes them as a national liberation movement instead of an international terrorist organization like al-Qaida. The Jerusalem Post (free registration) (9/26)
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| India revises development aid position
Though India aspires to become a donor rather than a recipient of developmental aid, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced it was expanding the list of nations from which it will accept aid donations. This calls into focus India's own aid donation policy, which often links monetary grants with contracts with Indian firms. Financial Times (free content) (9/27)
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| Chemical weapons stockpiles in disrepair worldwide
Time is running out on the 10-year phase-out of chemical weapons stocks mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997, but nations everywhere are having problems meeting the deadline for the safe decommissioning of existing chemical weapons stocks. The U.S., Russia, India, South Korea, Albania and Libya all have chemical weapons stockpiles governed by the Convention. Los Angeles Times (9/26)
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| Powell: Iraq "getting worse"
Appearing on ABC's This Week, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell acknowledged that the security situation in Iraq is "getting worse." Powell chalked up the renewed insurgency to opposition to holding elections in January. Chicago Tribune (9/27), Financial Times (free content) (9/27)
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| Commentary: Is it too late to stop Iran?
Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, writes Iran "has too much invested and hidden and too many scientists salted away for mere bombing or bribing to cap their nuclear ambitions." Instead, the United Nations must strictly enforce its conventions so rogue nuclear programs are isolated from doing business with any and all Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signatories. The Wall Street Journal (9/27)
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| Indonesia tortures dissidents, Human Rights Watch says
Human Rights Watch is reporting that members and sympathizers of Indonesian separatist movements such as the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, or Free Aceh Movement, are routinely rounded up and tortured for information, and the maltreatment extends to individuals with no ties to dissident political organizations. Sam Zarifi of Human Rights Watch told reporters, "In the Indonesian security forces, there's a real culture of impunity right now." The Washington Post (9/27)
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| UN Foundation & Better World Campaign |
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| The People Speak series continues
A discussion on global security will take place in Westford, Mass. tomorrow and one on economics will be held Oct. 13. Last week, United Nations Foundation President Tim Wirth was on hand for a spirited discussion in Colorado which culminated in the audience and panel singing him "Happy Birthday" to celebrate his 65th birthday.
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