I just saw this link on twitter – it’s old, but I thought it was a great end of year reflection: 60 Ways the UN Makes a Difference. In the midst of global financial crisis, climate change, and rapid globalization it’s easy to forget just how much the United Nations is part of our global history. Of the sixty ways, these are six of my favorite:
The UN Refugee Agency called on the Thai Government to cease the forced repatriation of Hmong refugees to Laos.
This just came in over my transom. Ban Ki Moon's official statement on the Copenhagen Accord, issued yesterday afternoon.
The Secretary-General welcomes the outcome of the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 5th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. He thanks the Government of Denmark for hosting the conference and leading the negotiations to a successful conclusions with substantive outcomes.
By Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Old and new forms of discrimination and intolerance continue to divide communities all over the world. Sentiments of xenophobia are on the rise. They are often manipulated for demagogic purposes or even for sinister political agendas. Day after day, their corrosive effects undermine the rights of countless victims. This is why today on Human Rights Day, the United Nations is urging everyone everywhere in the world to embrace diversity and end discrimination.
Stevie Wonder, Ban Ki Moon, and Ambassador Rice attend a press conference in which Stevie Wonder is confered with a messenger of peace honor for his work to help the physically disabled. Here is the video. When introducing Wonder, Ban asks if the UN can use "Sign, Sealed, Delivered" as a soundtrack for the Copenhagen climate change conference.
From the UN Information Center:
Singer/songwriter legend Stevie Wonder is joining the United Nations as one of its 10 Messengers of Peace to lend his talents to this work. It is the latest move in a long career of writing, producing and performing songs to highlight challenges many children and adults face - from disabilities, to HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, hunger, homelessness and domestic abuse.
UNICEF Director Ann Venemen sits down for a brief interview with Steve Perlstein of the Washington Post.
I headed up to the UN yesterday for the Dag Hammarskjold Scholarship Fund for Journalists and Inspiration Award luncheon. As the event’s name would suggest, the lunch served two purposes. First, it honored four recipients of the aforementioned fellowship, which is a program of the UN Correspondents Association that funds reporting projects for four journalists from the developing world during a ten week stint at the UN. (The UN Foundation is a sponsor).
The Uzbek, Austrian and New York Missions to the United Nations received a package with suspicious white powder in the mail. Local news outlet ABC 7 reports:
