United Nations Washington
In This Issue
UN Calendar
UN Headlines
New UN Reports
Climate change financing will benefit all, UN chief tells Cancun meeting
UN in Washington
Haiti: Secretary-General appeals for end to violence after election results announced
In meeting with Israeli defense minister, Secretary-General voices concern over settlements
Secretary-General calls for additional steps to fight sexual violence in conflict
Week in Pictures
Week in Numbers

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




UN Headlines

AFRICA


Côte d'Ivoire: UN envoy meets winner of presidential election

 

Sudan: UN panel welcomes conclusion of voter registration for south Sudan referendum

 

Darfur: Three UN air service crew members freed from captivity

 

Burundi: Outlook good 'in many regards' as it turns to economic development

 

Central African Republic: Fair elections key to stability, says UN envoy

 

Togo: West African youth to benefit from world-class ICT training at center

 

Guinea: Ban welcomes conclusion of presidential election, urges reconciliation

 

AMERICAS

 

South America: Climate change effects depicted graphically in UN report

 

ASIA PACIFIC

 

China: Top UN human rights official dismayed at restrictions over Chinese Nobel peace winner

 

Afghanistan: Harmful traditional practices against women pervasive

 

Nepal: UN rights office proposes changes to draft law on caste discrimination

 

India: UNICEF chief urges focus on most vulnerable children during visit

 

South Korea: ICC prosecutor looking into possibility of war crimes

 

Pakistan: Urgent funds needed as winter, polio compound flood emergency

 

Myanmar: Next two months crucial for political future, warns Secretary-General

 

EUROPE

 

Secretary-General looks to Europe to help lead way on aid for developing countries

 

MIDDLE EAST

 

Lebanon: UN envoy calls again for dialogue to resolve tensions

 

Gaza: Top UN humanitarian official concerned over closure of youth NGO

Israel/Syria: Ban calls for resumption of talks, extension of UN force

 

WORLD

 

UN official calls for greater attention to justice for women

 

Development efforts must include steps to end violence against women, says UN expert

 

UN chief urges business leaders to denounce and fight corruption

 

Secretary-General stresses global responsibility to prevent genocide

 

Top UN refugee official calls for better protection for displaced people

 

New UN-backed rapid test could transform tuberculosis care and control

 

UN to develop first-ever information standards for traditional medicine

 

State cooperation vital to completing work of UN war tribunals, Security Council told

 

Despite gains, bulk of world's poor live in rural areas, UN report finds



New UN Reports
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)




The Environmental Consequences of Ocean Acidification


For a complete listing of reports, please visit:
 
UN Reports


UN Washington Online
UN Washington YouTube Page
 Facebook
Secretary-General Addresses Cancun Climate Change Summit
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

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.

 

High-level Segment Opens at Cancun Climate Change Summit"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.

 

Read more 



UN in Washington

US Capitol

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.

 

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.

 

Ballots Delivered to Displaced Haitians ahead of Presidential Elections"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


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.

 

Secretary-General Meets Israeli Defense MinisterMr. 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


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.

 

Darfur Women March in Campaign against Gender-Based Violence"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.


Read more


Week in Pictures

UNPOL Contingent Gives Christmas Gifts to Timor Charities

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

 

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Displaced Sudanese Return Home

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


 

Displaced Sudanese Return Home
 


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



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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