Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, spoke yesterday at the World Social Forum in Nairobi about urbanization, sustainable housing, and how these issues affect women.
"This is a result of natural population growth, human mobility including rural-urban migration and international migration, as well as the reclassification of rural areas as urban areas. It is therefore important to consider the challenges of urbanization as you discuss women and poverty and listen to testimonies of women." More
Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, spoke yesterday at the World Social Forum in Nairobi about urbanization, sustainable housing, and how these issues affect women.
"This is a result of natural population growth, human mobility including rural-urban migration and international migration, as well as the reclassification of rural areas as urban areas. It is therefore important to consider the challenges of urbanization as you discuss women and poverty and listen to testimonies of women." More
105 Indian police officers, set to be deployed to Liberia, make up the UN's first all-female peacekeeping group.
Seema Dhundia, a unit commander, said "Women police are seen to be much less threatening, although they can be just as tough as men. But in a conflict situation, they are more approachable and it makes women and children feel safer." More
The UN's mission in Sudan has agreed to set up a task force in collaboration with the government and UNICEF in order to stamp out sexual exploitation.
"The Task force's mandate is to coordinate measures to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation; ensure more effective communication on the subject between all actors concerned from the UN and the Government of Sudan; and review existing mechanisms for reporting, response and follow up on allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation." More
UNEP announced their Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign today, an effort to help dampen global warning.
"Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, individuals, children, youth and community groups, schools, non-governmental organizations, business and industry, farmers, local authorities, and national governments are urged to plant trees as a small but practical step to combat what UNEP says is probably the key challenge of the 21st century. So far over 157 million tree planting pledges have been received." More
The campaign was inspired by 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya.
Get involved: Tree-planting pledges can be entered on the campaign website. 
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday that he has called on U.S. President George W. Bush and Congressional leaders to drop their spending cap on UN peacekeeping, noting that the limited funding creates "very difficult constraints in smoothly carrying out peacekeeping operations."
"The US Government is the largest financial contributor to the regular budget, as well as the peacekeeping operations budget. The US Congress has imposed a cap of 25 percent in peacekeeping operations...I have raised this issue in my meetings with President Bush and all the Congressional leaders. I strongly appealed and requested that the US Congress lift this spending cap...They said they will discuss this matter." More
For a transcript of Ban's remarks to the press, click here.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that his first meeting with United States President George W. Bush since assuming office was "a very good, very useful meeting."
"The United Nations needs the strong and active participation and strong support of the United States, as the UN and the US have a shared objective of promoting human rights, democracy and freedom and peace and security, as well as mutual prosperity," said Ban. More
Click here to read remarks from both Ban and Bush.