November 2011
3 posts
This extract is from Al Jazeera. Views expressed are the author’s own.
An air raid on a camp packed with displaced women and children has killed at least five people and wounded 45 others, including 31 children, according to the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
The Kenyan military admitted carrying out Sunday’s attack on the town of Jilib, where the camp for internally displaced...
This article is from The Guardian Global Development by Tracy McVeigh. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Fears are growing that the forthcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo will trigger a new wave of violence, amid reports that militias are re-forming.
One of Congo’s leading peacemakers, Henri Ladyi – who has been called “Africa’s Schindler” for his work rehabilitating...
Literacy Programs for Afghan Police Under Threat... →
The State Department today announced that it is halting a $60 million payment to UNESCO that is due in November because of decades old prohibition against funding any UN entity that accepts…
October 2011
77 posts
Amb. Rice: Leading from behind? That’s 'whacked.' →
So, what does Susan Rice, the
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, really think of the so-called doctrine
“leading from behind.”
“That’s just a whacked out phrase,” Rice told Turtle…
UNESCO Votes To Admit Palestine. What’s Next? →
A Special Guest Post from Senator Timothy Wirth, President of the UN Foundation
As the eyes of the world are focused on the Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations in New York, another…
10 Years Changes in Afghanistan →
During the Taliban regime women were locked up in at home, they were not allowed to go out for shopping or work in the public places. Since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001,…
In the past few days, there have been signs that Somalia and Kenya are coming back into the press. However, given how fragmented the reporting has been, it is still hard to assess how Somali and Kenyan civilians have been affected by the recent Kenyan military incursion into a Somali border area, as well as the ongoing food crisis. This pick of the week brings together some of the latest news and...
D.R. of Congo/U.S.A: Conflict-Free: A Growing... →
Africa: New Social Network for African Radio... →
Goodbye, no-fly →
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously yesterday to end
the NATO-led no-fly zone over Libya, marking the conclusion of a controversial
military conflict that deeply divided the…
This article is from AFP by Jenny Vaughan. Views expressed are the author’s own.
SHERKOLE, Ethiopia — The two holes where the bullets entered Sudanese refugee Abseta Afalla’s calf are still raw, a grim reminder from the boiling civil war in Sudan’s Blue Nile state he fled from.
It still pains him to walk on his wounded leg, so he spends most of his days lying in his tent in this refugee camp in...
Map of the Day: Global Homicide Rates →
There were 468,000 homicides around the world in 2010. More than a third (36 per cent) of those are estimated to have occurred in Africa, 31 per cent in the Americas, 27 per cent in Asia, 5 per…
This extract is from Newsline, by Afia Salam. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Nothing hits one more than the phrase ‘water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink,’ when passing through those parts of Sindh hit by the monsoon rains that started in August and laid to waste most of the province within just a couple of weeks. What makes people angry though is the fact that it needn’t have...
Afghanistan Security Forces Face Big, Big Test... →
In a statement from Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the insurgent group threatened yesterday to use violence against anyone involved in a loya jirga that will be convened in Kabul next…
Seven billion people and shrinking? →
Sometime around Halloween,
the United Nations will celebrate the birth of the world’s 7th billion baby. As
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
told world leaders in New York last month, the 7th…
USAID Launches New PSA Campaign for the Horn of... →
Last month, USAID Administrator Raj Shah announced the launch of a new USAID Social Media and marketing campaign to connect Americans to the crisis in the Horn of Africa. USAID – F/W/D (Famine,…
The Afghan Women’s Writing Project was set up in 2008, inspired by the novelist, Masha Hamilton, who wanted to provide the incredible Afghan women that she knew with a forum to share their stories. This arena, unbiased by the media or the influence of male relatives, allows these women to assert their voices, even if they often have to do so secretly and without the knowledge of their families.
...
Happy UN Day — Now How About Not Abandoning... →
66 years ago today,the Charter of the United Nations officially entered into force and the United Nations was born. Ever since, October 24 has been commemorated as UN Day. So, happy UN Day,…
New Security Council Takes Shape →
Azerbaijan bested Slovenia in the sixteenth round of elections for a two year Security Council seat representing eastern Europe. The Security Council for the next 12 months is now all set. Here…
This is an original piece from Egypt. The author’s details have been withheld for their own safety.
Last year hundreds of Muslims wept for those who died in the bombing of a church in Alexandria and joined Christian protesters dressed in black. At churches across the country, Muslims joined Christian friends and neighbours on Christmas to act as shields against potential attacks by Islamist...
President Obama Wishes You a Happy UN Day →
An official proclamation from the White House!
UNITED NATIONS DAY, 2011
- – - – - – -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
In 1945, 51 nations in a world shaken by…
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Two active organizations in Afghanistan, YOUNG WOMEN FOR CHANGE and INTELLECTUAL YOUTHS, are holding a book drive from now until November 1st! Kindly send us your books, DVDs, and other educational media for the women and youths of Afghanistan to use! This project is designed to provide Afghans with informative and motivational books and bring the people from different parts of...
Major Earthquake in Turkey →
A powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey today. The 7.2 magnitude quake struck near the Iranian border and caused several buildings to collapse and likely a massive number of injuries. From AP
Top of the Morning: Gadhafi’s Last Moments; A... →
Top stories — plus a new feature! — from today’s EST Edition of the the DAWNS Digest. Sign up to receive the full digest of global and humanitarian news delivered to your inbox every…
Guest blog: US should not repeat Ugandan failures... →
This guest blog was written by Ledio Cakaj. He has worked almost exclusively on the LRA conflict for the last three years as a consultant with various organizations. Most recently he was…
Did the U.N. Security Council just grant amnesty... →
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Friday
to condemn Yemen’s bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters, and endorsed a
regional political initiative aimed at securing President …
Security Council Makes Yemen’s President and Offer... →
The Security Council is laying out a pretty sweet deal for President Saleh:
The U.N. Security Council called Friday for Yemen’s president to immediately accept a deal to transfer power to his…
U.N. Human Rights agency calls for investigation... →
The U.N.’s chief human rights agency today said there is a need
for an investigation into the death of Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi, citing
the broadcast of “disturbing” video of the bloodied…
Gaddafi’s Downfall. How We Got Here. →
It wasn’t that long ago that an African leader massacring his own people in a struggle to maintain power was not something that garnered worldwide attention. Sure, world leaders have routinely…
The Afghan Women’s Writing Project was set up in 2008, inspired by the novelist, Masha Hamilton, who wanted to provide the incredible Afghan women that she knew with a forum to share their stories. This arena, unbiased by the media or the influence of male relatives, allows these women to assert their voices, even if they often have to do so secretly and without the knowledge of their families.
...
10 Years Changes in Afghanistan →
Note: This piece first appeared on NATO Review.
First, I fled Taliban brutality. Then I spent time in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan. Finally, I found myself working in Dubai.
Top of the Morning: Make or Break Time for... →
Top stories from today’s Development and Aid Workers News Service–DAWNS Digest. You gotta sign up to read the full digest of global humanitarian news.
The Next 24 Hours Will Be Make or…
World's richest minister of agriculture and... →
Equatorial
Guinea’s President Teodoro
Obiang Nguema Mbasogo lost
his latest bid to establish a UNESCO life science prize in his own name,
following protests by human rights advocates and…
Women in Blue Helmets: A Source of Strength and a... →
Ed note. This is a special guest post from Kristen Cordell of Refugees International
While working as a gender-based violence consultant for my first UN peacekeeping mission in…
This original piece was sent to Channel 16 by a Somali human rights group, contact details were removed for the authors’ safety. Views expressed are the group’s own.
14th October 2011-CS-MOGDISHU-SOMALIA. A remote-controlled landmine planted at the roadside was targeted at a vehicle owned by a Somali parliamentarian member (MP) in the Zone K in Hodan district.
Three persons were injured in the...
Top of the Morning →
Top stories from today’s Development and Aid Workers News Service — DAWNS Digest. To receive the full digest of global and humanitarian news delivered straight to your inbox each morning, …
UNICEF appeals to Israel to release minors →
As the Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap got under way this week, the
U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) appealed late last night to the Israel military
to ensure the release of 164 Palestinian…
Ulama, an Invisible Force →
Ulama are the most influential figures in Afghan society. They do not have a visible presence in the government nor in the public domain, however, they are a great tool for…
Talking Swaziland Uprisings on Al Jazeera’s The... →
I am guest hosting Al Jazeera’s social media and global news program The Stream later today. Most of the show will be devoted to the uprisings in Swaziland.
“Uprisings in Swaziland,” you ask?…
Sudan’s Next War →
An Mi-26 heavy lift cargo helicopter lands at the team site of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in Abyei, central Sudan, as Zambian soldiers serving with the international…
Afghanistan: Theater for Social Change →
A collective of producers led by Damon Albarn recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to produce a new album in collaboration with Congolese musicians.
Kinshasa One Two was recorded in Kinshasa, DRC, over five days this past July. DRC Music (a collective of producers gathered by Damon Albarn) set out to make an album with contemporary Congolese musicians and worked with more than...
Top of the Morning →
These are top stories pulled from the EST Edition of today’s Development and Aid Workers News Service–DAWNS Digest. For the full digest of global humanitarian news delivered to your inbox each…
More Trick Than Treat: House GOP Threatens UNICEF →
Later today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider a bill that basically guts American contributions to the UN. The bill is championed by Chairwoman Ileana Ros Lehtinen and would…
This extract is from New Internationalist, by Sally Healy. Views expressed are the author’s own.
In a world of plenty, famine is a very serious thing. It shouldn’t happen in the 21st century, but it is happening in Somalia. In simple terms, famine is declared when there is evidence of acute malnutrition affecting more than 30 per cent of children. In some parts of Somalia, levels have reached 50...
American Contributions to the UN: Small Outlay.... →
The House Foreign Affairs Committee is voting today on a bill that would gut American financial contributions to the United Nations. Republicans who are championing this measure say it is a way…
A Photo Essay of Life in Kabul Ten Years after the... →
Ed note. UN Dispatch’s own Una Moore has been in Afghanistan for the better part of two years. I asked her to share some of her thoughts on life and living in Kabul to mark the ten year…
New Polling Data Shows Americans Overwhelmingly... →
Tomorrow, Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee will vote on a proposal that would slash American funding for United Nations. The proposed legislation would change how the United States…
D.R. of Congo: Consolidating Democracy or... →
Tuberculosis on the Retreat…For the First Time... →
More evidence that recent interventions in global health are working. From the World Health Organization:
WHO reports for the first time that the number of people falling ill with…