"Highlighting the role played by women in promoting peace in countries emerging from conflict, the United Nations Security Council today stressed it was essential to promote the full participation of women in helping rebuild such societies and also encouraged more female involvement in UN peacekeeping operations." More
Alertnet: "NATO warplanes killed at least 50 civilians, mostly women and children, in bombing in southern Afghanistan during a major Islamic holiday, local leaders said on Thursday.... Witnesses say 25 homes were razed in 4-5 hours of bombing.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, on Thursday urged a speedy and thorough investigation. "The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is very concerned by reports that a great number of civilians may have died during the conduct of military operations," it said in a statement in Kabul."
It seems that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's theatrics at the General Assembly have backfired. After 36 rounds of voting, Venezuela still cannot garner the support of 2/3rds of member states necessary to win a seat on the Security Council. In the New York Times today, Warren Hoge explains that member states -- particularly in Latin America -- were none too happy with Chavez's anti-U.S. diatribe.
IHT: "The next secretary-general of the United Nations pledged Tuesday to restore trust in the world body and enact reforms, speaking on the 61st anniversary of the organization's founding. Ban Ki-moon, South Korea's foreign minister who will assume the top U.N. job in January, said the organization cannot forge united global political will in an atmosphere of mistrust.
UN News: States are still showing a "lack of awareness" over the seriousness of torture, despite the fact they are obligated to criminalize the practice, an independent United Nations expert said today, warning that few cases are ever brought to justice and where they are, the perpetrators generally get away with minor sentences.
A little over one month ago, the pollster Frank Luntz released survey data suggesting that members of Congress could profit from making the United Nations into a "wedge issue" in the coming election. At the time, some pollsters questioned his conclusions, calling the work more of a PR driven poll designed to highlight negative sentiment than an objective research exercise.
NYT: "Sudan's government ordered the chief United Nations envoy out of the country today, saying he was an enemy of the country and its armed forces.
Secretary General Kofi Annan said that he was reviewing the letter from the Khartoum government and had requested the envoy, Jan Pronk, to return to New York for "consultations."