UN Calendar |
May 2
The 19th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development begins at UN headquarters in New York until May 13.
May 3
World Press Freedom Day
The 186th meeting of the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) begins in Paris through May 19.
***** Watch live coverage of the events listed above at www.un.org/webcast
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April 29, 2011, Geneva, Switzerland - Kyung-wha Kang (left), Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, addresses as a special session of the Human Rights Council on the continued violent crackdowns of anti-government protests in the Syrian Arab Republic. Pictured with her is Bente Angell-Hansen, Permanent Representative of Norway to the UN Office at Geneva and Vice-President of the Council. UN Photo/Pierre Albouy
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UN Human Rights Council calls for investigation into alleged abuses in Syria The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted for a mission to be sent to Syria to investigate alleged violations of international human rights law and crimes committed against civilians in the Middle East country, where hundreds of people have been killed during weeks of unrest. |
April 29, 2011 - A wide view of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, at its special session on the continued violent crackdowns of anti-government protests in the Syrian Arab Republic. UN Photo/Pierre Albouy
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Condemning the use of deadly violence against peaceful demonstrators and the "hindrance of access to medical treatment," the Council urged the Syrian government to protect civilians and respect fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression and assembly. During the April 29 session, it also called for the restoration of access to the Internet and other communication networks, the lifting of media censorship and to allow foreign journalists into the country. In a resolution supported by 26 of the Council's 47 member states, the Geneva-based panel requested that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights dispatch a mission to Syria to investigate alleged violations. Nine member states voted against the resolution, seven abstained and four were absent. Read more
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Ban urges world to remember terrorism's victims in wake of death of Osama bin Laden
The death of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind some of the world's most notorious terrorist attacks, represents a "watershed moment" in the fight against the scourge of terrorism, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
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May 2, 2011 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) addresses the press on the death yesterday of Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Pictured with Mr. Ban are his Spokesperson Martin Nesirky (second from left) and Deputy Chef de Cabinet Kim Won-soo (third from left).
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras
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Speaking to reporters at United Nations headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban said it was "a day to remember the victims and families of victims, here in the United States and everywhere in the world."
Mr. Ban described Bin Laden's death as "a watershed moment in our common global fight against terrorism."
In a statement, he voiced relief at the news and commended "the work and the determined and principled commitment of many people in the world who have been struggling to eradicate international terrorism."
The Secretary-General stressed that the UN would continue to lead the global campaign against terrorism, drawing from the counter-terrorism strategy adopted by the General Assembly.
Read more
| VIDEO: Secretary-General's remarks on death of Osama bin Laden. � |
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New UN-AU project aims to boost humanitarian access in Darfur
The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur has announced a new initiative to help aid agencies access hard-to-reach communities in parts of the strife-torn Sudanese region.
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March 2011 - Women and children in Jawa village, in East Jebel Marra, Sudan. The area is controlled by the government. UNAMID Photo/Olivier Chassot
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The three-week project is dubbed "Operation Spring Basket" and will involve visits to several villages which have been inaccessible to humanitarian workers for some time, according to a news releaseissued by the mission (UNAMID), which organized the initiative along with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"I can assure you that this will be an ongoing process. The humanitarian community will follow up in order to deliver humanitarian relief to those in need," said Ibrahim Gambari, the head of UNAMID.
The mission has been working for months with the Sudanese government and non-signatory movements to open access to areas in the Jebel Marra region and other parts of North and West Darfur, which UN agencies believe may be in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
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Tobacco could kill a billion people this century, UN health official warns
Up to one billion people could die this century from smoking or being exposed to tobacco if current rates continue, a senior United Nations health official has warned, urging governments of low- and middle-income countries to adopt the same measures that many wealthier nations have already taken to deter people from smoking.
"A cataclysmic future" lies ahead unless serious steps are taken to curb smoking, said Douglas Bettcher, Director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Tobacco Free Initiative on April 29, stressing that all deaths from tobacco use are entirely preventable.
Dr. Bettcher said an estimated 6 million people currently die each year from either directly smoking tobacco or being exposed to it, with the victims disproportionately likely to come from poorer countries.
"It's not coincidental" that the highest rates are now being found in low- and middle-income countries where access to health care is often limited and many governments have been lax about regulating the tobacco industry, he said.
He described "a vicious circle of poverty" which traps smokers who contract illnesses and cannot afford decent health care and drain limited family income to pay for treatment or even for cigarettes themselves.
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Week in Review
VIDEO: Libya Faces Potential Food Crisis
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Unless a major effort is undertaken to replenish food stocks in Libya, the country is at risk of a major food crisis within the next two months, a senior United Nations official has warned. Daly Belgasami of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that the disruption of port activities, coupled with the lack of fuel and hard currency, is making it difficult for the country to import enough food. Read more
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| _______________________________ VIDEO: UN Spotlights Benefits of Immunization in a Week of Global Events
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An annual global push by the United Nations to spotlight the role that immunization plays in saving lives, especially those of children, will wrap up on Sunday after a week of vaccination campaigns, training sessions, exhibitions and round-table discussions around the world. Immunization Week 2011 was marked in nearly 180 countries and territories across five major regions this year, a record, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO ).
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