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| UN Wire |
| November 5, 2009 |
UN to remove staff temporarily from Afghanistan
In the wake of a devastating attack on a UN guesthouse in Afghanistan, the UN has decided to temporarily relocate hundreds of staffers as it establishes safer housing for its employees. Most UN staffers living in or around Kabul are protected only by a few Afghan security staff. With doubts growing about the international support for the civilian and military mission in Afghanistan, UN Special Representative Kai Eide announced about 600 of the approximately 1,200 UN staff in Afghanistan will relocate to Dubai and Central Asia for at least three weeks. NYTimes.com (11/5) Los Angeles Times (11/5) The Guardian (London) (11/5)
Bill Clinton, former U.S. President, addressing students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Click here to get the full story.
Peace is not just the absence of conflict. It is the presence of opportunity and cooperation and a sense of justice and fairness and movement."
Excerpts from UN Dispatch
UN Dispatch: If the world's most developed country worked cooperatively with the world's most rapidly developing country to promote low carbon economic growth, real progress could be made toward mitigating climate change. Also, an important precedent could be set for approaching the thorny issue of low carbon economic development more broadly. The problem is, there currently exists no single entity in the United States government that deals directly and on a sustained basis with this issue. UN Dispatch (1/21)
United Nations Radio
UN mission in Afghanistan relocates its staff UN Radio (12/14)
ElBaradei unhappy with lack of progress
Efforts to curb nuclear proliferation are faring poorly and the risk of use of nuclear weapons is greater now than during the Cold War, departing head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei says. Despite the complicated political maneuvering involved, ElBaradei still hopes to reach an agreement for Iran to ship its uranium to Europe before he leaves office Dec. 1. The Wall Street Journal (11/5)
UN members support investigations for Israel, Hamas
The UN General Assembly will vote on a nonbinding resolution supported by dozens of countries that calls for Israel and the Palestinians to conduct independent inquiries into allegations of war crimes during the three-week war between Israel and Hamas. A report commissioned by the UN and authored by former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone found Hamas and Israel had committed war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity, and that both should be referred to the International Criminal Court unless those crimes are investigated. BBC (11/5)
Yoko Ono, Lennon children make a gift of "Peace"
John Lennon's family is donating proceeds from the 40th anniversary release of "Give Peace a Chance" to support the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, set up to assist countries emerging from conflict. Sierra Leone, Burundi, Haiti and Nepal are among the countries that have received assistance from the 4-year-old fund. Google/The Associated Press (11/4)
Kenya takes aim at cervical cancer
Ignorance and a lack of available preventative treatment leaves HIV-positive women particularly vulnerable to cervical cancer, the most prevalent cancer among Kenyan women. Kenyan authorities are planning an early detection screening and treatment program and a countrywide public-awareness campaign. IRINNews.org (11/3)
U.S. dials back Copenhagen goals
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry said the U.S. was abandoning its pursuit of a legally binding global climate change treaty at Copenhagen in December, saying the U.S. will pursue a treaty for 2010. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who had indicated the Copenhagen assembly represented the world's last chance to curb global climate change, said waiting a year to agree to a treaty would be too long a delay. The Guardian (London) (11/4)
Russia uncommitted to a climate change treaty
Russia is notoriously uninterested in the issue of climate change. Because the country is the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, its participation is considered essential for any meaningful outcome at the Copenhagen climate summit. TIME (subscription required) (11/4)
Other News
Debate over mHealth focuses on sustainability
International efforts to develop mHealth initiatives typically function as sustainable pay-for-service models -- models that might not be best suited for mHealth. Blogger Wayan Vota suggests mHealth initiatives should be funded by governments as being in the national interest, not as self-sustaining enterprises. ICTWorks.org (10/28)
At mHealth Summit, experts discuss magic of wireless health
At the mHealth Summit in Washington, experts discussed a need for wireless health solutions that lead to better outcomes but also demonstrate how they work and show whether they are improving health outcomes so these devices come to be seen as core tools instead of flashy technology. Follow the discussion of the inaugural mHealth Summit on Twitter. MobiHealthNews.com (11/1)
India draws blinds on Dalai Lama visit
The Indian government has banned foreign journalists from traveling to the Arunachal Pradesh region at the heart of a decades-long conflict between China and India during the upcoming visit by the Dalai Lama to the state. The Dalai Lama, who lives in India in exile, indicated his visit to the Himalayan state was religious in nature, not political. CBC.ca (Canada) (11/5)
Brits struggle with Afghan role in wake of attack
The deaths of five British soldiers by an Afghan policeman have sparked an uproar in Britain, where support for the Afghan campaign has been waning. Polls show less than 50% of Britons support the country's continued military presence even though authorities insist the effort is helping to prevent attacks like the 2005 assault on London's transit system. NYTimes.com (11/4)
Clashes in Iran over target of protests
Clashes broke out between people at a rally marking the 30th anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and protesters demonstrating against the leadership of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The young people who form the bulk of the opposition in Iran have no memory of the conflict with the U.S., and some support a more open engagement with the international community. Motorcycle squads of Revolutionary Guards Corps dispersed the crowds. The Washington Post (11/5)
ICC to open investigation into Kenya violence
International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he will investigate the post-election violence in Kenya that left more than 1,000 people dead in 2008, saying he believed crimes against humanity had been committed. Though President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have been accused of interfering with a meaningful internal investigation into the deaths and displacement of thousands, both have pledged to support the ICC. A Kenyan commission in October 2008 discovered the names of those thought to be responsible, which were then sealed and given to former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. NYTimes.com (11/5)
Bill Clinton raises tough issues during Dubai visit
Extremism and a lack of opportunity drives people to drastic measures such as agreeing to carry out suicide attacks, former U.S. President Bill Clinton told students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Toronto Star/The Associated Press (11/4)
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