Selected summary of United Nations related news and events
Security Council Calls for Smooth transition to UN Operation in Darfur
Iran Urged to Stop Nuclear Work
Injuries Mount as Demonstrators Battle With Police in Nepal
UN Agencies Limit Hamas Government Contacts
UNICEF: 1 in 3 Zimbabwe Children an Orphan
Wetlands Restoration Key to Slashing Bird Flu
CNN: "The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency will visit Iran this week for talks about that nation's nuclear activities, a spokeswoman for the group told CNN Sunday.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohammed ElBaradei will arrive in Tehran Tuesday or Wednesday, the spokeswoman said."
"Reacting to the recent upsurge in Middle East violence, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on both sides to refrain from any measures that could cause a further escalation.
"The head of the U.N. mission's human rights unit in Haiti accused judicial officials and the U.S.-backed interim government on Thursday of illegally detaining most of the 4,000 people behind bars in the country.
"International donors are turning their backs on Sudan's crisis-torn Darfur region, putting at even greater risk the lives of people who are already victims of conflict and banditry, UNICEF said on Wednesday.
Dan Toole, head of emergency programmes for the United Nations' children's fund, said large parts of the vast region were off limits to aid workers as government forces and local militias battled each other as peace talks faltered." [More]
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
Rikomatic: "The United Nations recently concluded an international conference on early warning in Bonn, Germany. Over 1,200 participants from 140 countries participated in the gathering, that concluded that a "people-centered" approach was needed to build effective early-warning systems to prevent the loss of human life from natural disasters such as floods, tsunamis and pandemics. As a preparation for the conference, a "Global Survey of Early Warning Systems" [PDF] was prepared by the UN, that details what capacity already exists for early warning, what the major gaps are."
"Rich countries have changed their attitude toward would-be immigrants and are adopting or changing laws to allow in skilled and low-skilled workers to meet specific workplace demands, according to a U.N. report released Tuesday.
At the same time, countries are stepping up efforts to prevent and combat illegal immigration, especially since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, it said." [More]