Secretary-General addresses women's health during visit to Washington
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in Washington on Monday where he delivered remarks at the 'Women Deliver' Conference, a global conference on maternal and reproductive health as part of a larger goal of achieving the Millennium Development Goal to invest in women.
"Gender inequality is a danger to women's health," Mr. Ban said at the Washington Convention Center where the conference was held. "The United Nations is working to end it. Working together, we aim to make 2010 a turning point for women's health."
The conference included notable speakers such as Melinda Gates of the Bill & Melinda Gatese Foundation, Valerie Jarrett, an Obama administration official and Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile.
While in Washington, Mr. Ban also addressed the United Nations Association-USA National Convention and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria before departing for a trip to South Africa.
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Security Council extends mandate of UN body dealing with North Korea sanctions
The Security Council voted unanimously to extend for another year the mandate of the expert body dealing with United Nations sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).
The Council also urged all states, relevant UN bodies and other interested parties to furnish the relevant committee with "any information at their disposal on the implementation of the measures imposed by resolution 1718 (2006) and resolution 1874 (2009)."
Resolution 1718, adopted by the Council following Pyongyang's claims to have conducted a nuclear test in October 2006, imposed sanctions against the country as well as individuals supporting its military program.
The Council adopted resolution 1874 in June of last year, imposing a series of measures on North Korea that include tougher inspections of cargo suspected of containing banned items related to the country's nuclear and ballistic missile activities, a tighter arms embargo with the exception of light weapons and new financial restrictions.
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Iranian nuclear program is of special concern, says head of IAEA
The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that the potential military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program make the country a "special case" for the agency as he called on Tehran to take action to ensure it fully implements its international obligations.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told the body's Board of Governors in Vienna that "Iran's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement requires the agency to seek to verify both the non-diversion of nuclear material from declared activities and the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities."
Iran's nuclear program - which its officials have stated is for peaceful purposes, but some other countries contend is driven by military ambitions - has been a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that the country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Mr. Amano said that the "necessary cooperation" on the part of Iran would include implementing resolutions of both the IAEA Board of Governors and the Security Council, as well as putting the Additional Protocol, a set of safeguards aimed at boosting the agency's ability to ensure that a State does not have undeclared nuclear material, into place.
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Actor Don Cheadle named UN Goodwill Ambassador for environment
Actor Don Cheadle has been appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations environment agency during a ceremony in Rwanda to mark the World Environment Day.
The appointment was announced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, the global host of this year's World Environment Day. Mr. Cheadle also took part in the traditional Kwita Izina gorilla-naming ceremony.
The renowned actor's trip to Rwanda was especially meaningful given his ties to the country through his Academy Award-nominated role in the 2004 film "Hotel Rwanda" in which he portrayed a hotel manager who saved hundreds of lives during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Mr. Cheadle has a strong record of humanitarian and environmental advocacy, including work on clean energy and active campaigning for genocide victims. In 2009, he appeared in the UN Seal the Deal! campaign's public service announcement on climate change.
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Week in Pictures
Bangladeshi All-Female Police Unit Arrives in Haiti
June 1, 2010 - An all-female Formed Police Unit from Bangladesh, serving with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), arrives in Port-au-Prince to assist with post-earthquake reconstruction. UN Photo/Marco Dormino
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Secretary-General Meets Goodwill Ambassador Annie Lennox
June 7, 2010 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) poses with Annie Lennox (center), newly-appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, at the 2010 Women Deliver conference in Washington, D.C. UN Photo/Mark Garten
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