Kabul Conference, Iraq Aid, Nelson Mandela Day and World Headlines

(File Photo): Secretary-General Meets President of Afghanistan "We are here to support the Afghan government and its new priorities ... to reaffirm our pledge to stay engaged for the long term," Mr. Ban told participants at the Kabul Conference, the first international gathering on Afghanistan to be held in the country.

While the government has begun to take essential steps to deliver on the needs of its people, it needs the full backing of the country's citizens, he said.

"These plans aim to deliver real results for you, the Afghan people, without delay. They aim to establish effective democratic governance ... and guarantee your rights and the rule of law.

"Yet these programs cannot succeed without your support - without all of you, acting in good faith," he added.

The conference, co-chaired by the Secretary-General and President Hamid Karzai, builds on previous international meetings between Afghanistan and its international partners, most recently the London Conference held in January.

Lack of funding hampering aid efforts for Iraq's most vulnerable, UN warns

The United Nations humanitarian arm has warned that a lack of funding is hampering efforts to assist vulnerable Iraqis, with food distributions to hundreds of thousands of pregnant women and schoolchildren already having been suspended.

File Photo: Erbil, Iraq So far, only $22.3 million - or 12 percent - of the required $187.7 million sought for the 2010 humanitarian action plan for Iraq, which was launched six months ago, has been received, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The lack of funding has already resulted in the World Food Programme (WFP) suspending food distributions to 800,000 pregnant and nursing women and malnourished children, as well as to 960,000 schoolchildren.

The funding shortage for Iraq is part of a nearly $5 billion shortfall faced by UN agencies and their partners this year in responding to humanitarian crises spanning the globe. The appeals to help 53 million people in 34 countries - amounting to a total of $9.5 billion - are so far only nearly half funded.

UN honors former anti-apartheid leader on first-ever Nelson Mandela Day

The United Nations marked Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18 for the first-time this year in honor of the former South African leader's contribution to the struggle for peace and freedom.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was most impressed by Mr. Mandela's humility when he met the former anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Mr. Mandela preferred to talk not about himself but about what other people had done in the struggle for human rights and dignity, Mr. Ban said in a message to a special commemorative ceremony held at UN Headquarters in New York.

"That is just one reason why Nelson Mandela is such an inspiration to millions. He was not backed by money or power. As he constantly reminds us, he is an ordinary man. But he has achieved extraordinary things.

In Washington, US House of Representative John Lewis (D-Georgia) introduced a resolution to commemorate the inaugural Nelson Mandela International Day.

UN spokeswoman joins UN Washington office

Marie Okabe, the Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General at United Nations headquarters in New York, joined the UN Information Center Washington staff as Deputy Director on July 12.

Marie Okabe In her new position as Deputy Director, Okabe will be responsible for media and outreach to the Washington policy community.

"Marie brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise on the UN's work to help solve the world's most challenging problems," said Will Davis, Director of the UN Information Center Washington. "Her experience will be essential to reaching out to the Washington policy community and to help Congress, NGOs and media better understand the significant role the UN has in the livelihoods of people around the world."

For more than a decade, Okabe served as a spokesperson for the Secretary-General for the United Nations, including the last five years as Deputy Spokesperson for Secretary-Generals Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan. She thus accompanied the Secretary-General on missions to more than 50 countries.

Okabe succeeds David Smith who was appointed as Director of the United Nations Information Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Week in Pictures

UN Humanitarian Affairs Chief Visits Haiti IDP Camp

July 12, 2010 - On the six-month anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, John Holmes (left), Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, speaks to residents of a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, during his visit to the country. UN Photo/Logan Abass

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Secretary-General Meets MDG Advocacy Group in Madrid

July 16, 2010 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (front, fourth from left) poses with members of his Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Advocacy Group in Madrid, Spain, where the Group held its first meeting. The Group includes co-chair Paul Kagame (left of Mr. Ban), President of the Republic of Rwanda; Michelle Bachelet Jeria (front, second from left), former President of Chile; Philippe Douste-Blazy (front, left), former Foreign Minister of France and UN Special Adviser on Innovative Financing for Development; and Antonio Banderas, actor and activist (front, third from right). UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre

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About the United Nations in Washington

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