On September 21, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a new initiative - "Sustainable Energy for All". One of the initiative's main goals is to ensure universal access to sustainable energy by 2030.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released a comprehensive report on war crimes and human rights violations in the DRC between 1993 and 2003. A first step to ending a culture of impunity in the region?
During the UN General Assembly in September, New Yorker photographer Platon set up a small studio right outside the "green room" where world leaders waited prior to addressing the General Assembly. There, he was able to coax dozens of heads of state into posing for a profile photograph, a collection of which is included in this week's New Yorker magazine. The New Yorker website has an interactive feature that includes commentary by the photograpger. *Of Qadaffi, Platon
Ruth Wedgewood rises in defense of Ban Ki Moon: Tune in here at about 10 am for a live feed of President Obama's address to the General Assembly, courtesy of the White House. You can watch all the action throughout the day via the UN live webcast. N.B. that President Obama will be immediately followed by..."H.E. Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi" Full schedule after the jump. There is a flurry of activity today. I just wanted to flag a couple of press releases. The first is from the UN Foundation, highlighting a new film series, "See You in Copenhagen" (As regular readers know, UN Dispatch enjoys the sponsorship of the UN Foundation) “See You in Copenhagen,” a short-film series highlighting the need for strong and immediate action on climate change. The first installment in the series was broadcast at the beginning of the Climate Week NYC Opening Ceremony, where United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Danish Minister of Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard, actor Hugh Jackman and others addressed the urgent need to reach a new global agreement to combat climate change. The films, supported by the UN Foundation and the Global Campaign for Climate Action, were produced and directed by Gabriel London of Found Object Films. They are designed to raise public awareness and support civic engagement in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, Denmark this December. Here is the trailer: See You in Copenhagen_ Copenhagen Is... from See You in Copenhagen on Vimeo. Speaking of Copenhagen, below the fold is the full text of a release from the UN spelling out what to expect from the High Level Event on Climate Change tomorrow. Below the fold. Climate change, nukes, and speeches galore. What to expect when Obama, Hu, Qaddafi, and 120 other world leaders descend on New York. From Foreign Policy magazine.