UN Calendar |
December 10
Human Rights Day
Secretary-General's message and High Commissioner for Human Rights' message
December 13
Security Council ambassadors travel to Washington, DC to meet with White House and State Department officials.
The annual high-level conference on the Central Emergency Response Fund, organized by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is held at UN headquarters.
December 14
The Security Council hears briefings and holds consultations on the Middle East, the United Nations Mission in Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT).
December 15
US Vice President Biden attends a high-level event on Iraq.
December 16
The Security Council is expected to adopt resolutions on the UN Integrated Office in Burundi, Liberia sanctions and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and will hold consultations on Sudan. The Council will hold an open debate on women and peace and security.
December 17
UN headquarters holds a panel discussion on the occasion of International Migrants Day and in observance of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
December 21
The United States chairs a Security Council event titled, Your World, Your Future: Voices of a New Generation that will bring the 15 members of the Council together to debate three top ideas submitted by young people.
December 22
Security Council holds a debate on Afghanistan.
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Security Council's December Calendar
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New UN Reports
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Secretary-General's Reports
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Security Council Reports
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
UN Development Programme (UNDP)
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
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UN Washington Online | 
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 | December 7, 2010 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the opening high-level segment of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP16) in Cancun, Mexico. See story below. UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras |
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Climate change financing will benefit all, UN chief tells Cancun meeting
Committing funds to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in developing countries will lead to a safer, healthier and prosperous world for all, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates at the United Nations climate change conference in Cancun on December 8, urging them to find ways of raising the required resources.
"Climate financing is one of the most important aspects of our efforts to address the climate change challenge," Mr. Ban told a side event related to his high-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing.
"It is not a panacea for the climate problem, but it is crucial to have adequate financial support for developing countries and for building trust between countries," he said.
The Secretary-General urged delegates at the conference to "anchor" the findings and recommendations of the Advisory Group in their climate change negotiations.
At the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, last December, developed nations pledged $30 billion of fast-track funding for developing countries through 2012 and committed to jointly raise $100 billion annually by 2020.
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UN in Washington
A UN inter-agency Sudan team headed by Atul Khare, assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations and Jack Christofides, team leader of the Sudan integrated operational team in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, are in Washington, D.C. for meetings with US administration officials and for a public event titled, "Preparing for Sudan's Referendum" at the Center for Strategic International Studies.
Margot Ellis, deputy commissioner-general for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is in Washington, D.C. meeting with US administration officials and NGOs.
Alec Wargo, a program officer at the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, is in Washington, D.C. to meet with US administration officials.
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Haiti: Secretary-General appeals for end to violence after election results announced
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed for an end to violence in Haiti following the announcement of preliminary election results in a country that has already been ravaged this year by a devastating earthquake and a raging cholera epidemic. "A peaceful solution to the current situation is crucial not only to confront the cholera epidemic in the short-term but also to create the conditions in the medium term for recovery and development from the earthquake," a statement issued on December 8 said.
The statement voiced concern at allegations of fraud and noted that the results of the November 28 presidential and legislative elections are not final. "He urges all candidates to exhaust the formal remedies and legal procedures, which will allow a clearer picture to emerge," it added. "This would be a solid base on which to move forward. According to media reports, thousands of protesters rampaged through the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital, setting fire to the headquarters of the ruling government coalition, which they accused of rigging the results, after Tuesday's announcement that former first lady Mirlande Manigat and outgoing President Rene Préval's party candidate Jude Celestin qualified for the January presidential run-off by coming in first and second. Read more
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In meeting with Israeli defense minister, Secretary-General voices concern over settlements
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over the settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem at a meeting with Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak on December 9, during which the United Nations chief also raised the issue of freedom of movement for the world body. Mr. Ban emphasized the need to break the current diplomatic stalemate and the importance of resuming talks between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, according to a read-out of the meeting provided to the press.
The Secretary-General took positive note of the decision by the government of Israel to allow exports from Gaza, which he sees as essential to revive Gaza's economy, it added. He also urged Mr. Barak to facilitate additional UN reconstruction work in Gaza, and touched on the issue of the freedom of movement for the UN between Jerusalem and the West Bank. Read more
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Secretary-General calls for additional steps to fight sexual violence in conflict
Faced with rampant sexual violence in conflicts around the world, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for additional steps to enhance protection, including increased pressure on perpetrators through sanctions and other targeted measures.
"Tragically, laudable progress made at the level of policy has been overshadowed by the surge of sexual violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its continuing prevalence elsewhere," he says in a report to the Security Council mandated by resolution 1888 adopted in September 2009 to eliminate the scourge.
"While the Council has created historic momentum, additional measures must be put in place to deliver tangible protection outcomes," he adds, citing among these the need to call on parties to a conflict to make specific and time-bound commitments to ceasing all acts of sexual violence, access for the United Nations to verify the fulfillment of such commitments, and support for UN efforts to establish monitoring and reporting arrangements.
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Week in Pictures
UNPOL Contingent Gives Christmas Gifts to Timor Charities
December 3, 2010 - Children at a local charity in Timor-Leste receive Christmas gifts distributed by officers of the Portuguese UN Police (UNPOL) contingent. The contingent received nearly 8 tons of gifts from Portugal for donation to various Timorese charities. UN Photo/Martine Perret _______________________________Displaced Sudanese Return Home
December 7, 2010 - A convoy of trucks carries former residents of the Kalma internally displaced persons camp in Nyala, South Darfur, to their native villages in West Darfur. The transport is part of an operation organized by the government of Sudan, with assistance from UN agencies, to return 1,500 of Kalma's residents to their homes. UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran

December 6, 2010 - Displaced Sudanese aboard a bus leaving Kalma Camp in Nyala, South Darfur. Returnees are being transported gradually, with the operation expected to end December 12. UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran
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Week in Numbers
$100 BILLION
At the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, last December, developed nations pledged $30 billion of fast-track funding for developing countries through 2012 and committed to jointly raise $100 billion annually by 2020. Read more
20,000 SCHOOLS
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today that some 2.2 million children of school age in more than 20,000 schools in Haiti need to be protected, particularly with safe drinking water and knowledge of good hygiene practices. Read more
800 TRANSFERS
Representatives from more than 60 countries gathered in Rome on December 8 for a United Nations-backed meeting to promote the international treaty considered essential for the conservation and use of the world's threatened plant genetic resources. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources was adopted by the Conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to facilitate international cooperation and the fair exchange of genetic resources. Since 2004, there have been more than 800 daily transfers of seeds and other plant material from a pool of more than 1.3 million samples. Read more
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