Hacking to Promote Global Sustainability

Today, the United Nations launched a competition whose end goal is to uncover sustainable approaches to information and communication technology (ICT). International Telecommunications Union (ITU) opened this two day "hackathon" in Barcelona. Developers will compete to develop innovative ICT application of sustainable energy.

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said that, "ITU is committed to stimulating the creation of innovative ICT apps founded on new modes of thinking; ideas to effect the change needed to achieve a sustainable future." The winner and runner-up of the hackathon will win cash prizes of $3000 and $2000 respectively. This competition is a great example of how the private IT sector can mobilize for sustainable energy development.

-Akshika Patel


SOURCE: UN News Centre

UN Relief for Victims of Ethnic Clashes

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya, Georg Charpentier, announced that the UN will be providing relief supplies to the residents of Kufra, in South-Eastern Libya. Thankfully, the climate in Kufra is fairly calm. This is mainly due to a ceasefire between the Toubu and Zwai tribe.

However, at least 30 people have been killed so far, and the tolls are expected to rise. With this rise in violence in the region, Mr.Charpentier has taken notice. Yesterday, an inter-agency mission arrived in Kurfa to assess, monitor, and determine the humanitarian needs of the region.

Libya's intermi authorities are working towards mediating hostilities between Toubu and the Zwai.

-Akshika Patel


SOURCE: UN News Centre

Funds for Washi

Last year's tropical storm Washi continues to effect over 300,000 Filipino people. When Washi hit the island of Mindanao almost 48,000 houses were damaged and more than 550,000 had to leave their homes.

Seven weeks following storm Washi, 21,900 environmental refugees had overcrowded the evacuation centers of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. More than 400,000 are now residing in makeshift shelters.

The United Nations has revised its prior humanitarian action plan, which had previously asked for $28.4million, and is now seeking $39 million. So far, $9.6 million has been received. The Central Emergency Fund, managed by OCHA, has contributed $3 million to disaster relief efforts.

-Akshika Patel


SOURCE:UN News Centre

Green Institutions Necessary for Sustainable Development

Today, the President of the General Assembly Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser said that in order to sustain sustainable development, reform of environmental institutions is a necessity. Sustainable development is dependent on strong institutions and decision-making processes at local, national, regional and global levels.

Mr. Al-Nasser highlights the fact that Rio+ 20 is an opportunity to create new mechanisms that ensure environmental mandates are carried out. This will require the full support of member states. Mr.Al Nasser stated that, "There is no doubt that the success of our efforts will require longer-term vision, as well as the genuine willingness of Member States to preserve our planet for future generations to enjoy in dignity."

-Akshika Patel


SOURCE:UN News Centre

Ban Ki-moon: Private Investment and Universal Energy Access

One in five people lacks access to modern electricity. Three billion people use wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and heating. In an attempt to address this huge disparity, business leaders from around the world attended the World Economic Forum's conference on "Ending Energy Poverty" in Davos, Switzerland.

During this conference, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon underlined the necessity of private investment for the achievement of universal and sustainable energy access. Mr.Ban urged those attending to utilize their resources in order to support government and non-public sector relationships. He stressed that by working with global CEOs and investors, the international community can work to improve energy access and enhance efficiency.

Mr.Ban has proposed to the panel his Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. This initiative looks to cement universal access to modern energy services, double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency and increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030. By gaining access to modern energy, developing nations will be able to improve productivity, public health, and education. Mr.Ban said at the conference that,"By providing sustainable energy for all, we can revitalize economic growth, protect the planet, protect the environment and spread the benefits of development more equitably. This can be a triple win."

-Akshika Patel


SOURCE:UN News Centre

Myanmar Called on to Support Development Partnerships

Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Noeleen Heyzer, has called on the Myanmar government to support private and public partnerships that help accelerate development in the country. Heyzer and Myanmar President, Thein Sein, were involved in a two day forum, organized by Myanmar and ESCAP. Government ministry representatives and over 130 private investors attended the meeting.

Secretary Heyzer made it a point to communicate that investment can in fact support Sein's reform agenda. The President stated that Myanmar needs, "private sector investment to contribute to national development and inclusive growth." Thein stated that the Myanmar government looks to ESCAP as a trusted partner in its path to development. In the spirit of joint cooperation between ESCAP and the Myanmar government, Heyzer proposed that a ESCAP Asia-Pacific Business Forum after  the international community lifts trade restrictions on Myanmar.

-Akshika Patel


SOURCE: UN News Centre

Innovative Ways To Deal With Maternal And Infant Mortality

Two of the most important issues in Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are maternal and infant mortality. More than 350,000 women still die each year around the world from complications of childbirth, and 3 million children die in the first month of life which makes these issues a grave one. A new report from the U.N.'s Every Woman, Every Child Innovation Working Group presents some of the most capable and innovative projects that could help tackle these problems. The report sheds light on five interesting projects in developing region that other countries could use as models in fighting against high maternal and infant mortality.

Project: ColaLife, Zambia

The first one is Project ColaLife of Zambia which is a time and space saving project dealing with health supplies. ColaLife takes advantage of Coca-Cola's extensive supply chain to provide isolated communities in rural areas of developing countries with essential medical supplies. The medical supply kit filled with basic health supplies can fit into any unused crate space of Coca-Cola and are delivered to local contacts when beverage supplies are distributed. ColaLife is currently working on an anti-diarrheal kit that would carry rehydration salts, soap, water treatment tools and educational materials as Diarrhea, a preventable and treatable disease is one of the leading causes of death for children under five in the developing world.

Project: HERproject, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Pakistan and Vietnam

HERproject (Health Enables Returns) trains female employees at their workplace to teach their peers about reproductive health, nutrition, infectious disease and other health issues. The project operates in more than 70 factories manufacturing everything from Levis to Microsoft in above mentioned seven countries. The project also connects women to health services, either by improving in-factory clinics or directing women to outside government services.

Project: Cell-Life, South Africa

This project takes advantage of cell-phone technology and provides assistance to HIV-AIDS programs. In South Africa, 40% of children under five still die from AIDS-related diseases, partially because many mothers do not complete the mother-to-child prevention programs by taking the medication correctly. Cell-Life developed a 10-week program of text message reminders designed to help mothers remember when to attend appointments, and give medication. The program also tells the mothers how to safely feed their babies. The result of the trial so far suggests that mothers using the SMS program are more likely to get their babies tested for HIV.

Project: LifeSpring, India

This program works in low-income families in India who cannot afford regular maternal and child healthcare. LifeSpring developed a chain of hospitals for women who earn about between $3 to $6 per day. The facilities provide an all-inclusive maternal care package for about half or one-third what other private facilities might offer. The program breaks down complex processes into different tasks so that less-skilled professionals can perform some of the responsibilities.

Project: SMS for Life, Tanzania

SMS for Life is an innovative approach for dealing with shortage of medical supplies. A partnership between several private groups, including Novartis and the ministry of health in Tanzania designed the SMS for Life system in an attempt to end stock-outs. When a clinic in Sub-Saharan Africa runs out of malaria medication, it becomes a life-and-death issue for patients. It has been reported that SMS messages on stock levels, along with a data system used to map distribution helped reduce the proportion of health facilities reporting malaria medication shortages from 78% to 26% in just 21 weeks.

These are some innovative ways to deal with the maternal and infant mortality problems. Let’s hope that all countries dealing with these problems copy these models in their respective countries and achieve better results in future.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: PBS NEWSHOUR

Anti-UN Legislation Underway in Congress

The UN first began under Franklin Roosevelt to bring together other nations as allies. Through the years, the UN and its agencies have sought international cooperation in law, security, economics, human rights, and social progress with the ultimate goal of one day achieving world peace. After nearly 70 years as an important leader of the UN, the US may forego its position.

Last week, representative lleana Ros-Lehtinen introduced H.R. 2829 that would threaten future funding to the UN from the US, which would therefore, cause the US to lose its leadership position. In opposition to the proposed legislation, the Better World Campaign has introduced the U.S. Lead Campaign in hopes to counteract H.R. 2829.

Peter Yeo, Executive Director of the Better World Campaign, said, "As the U.S. and the UN tackle serious security and political crises in places like Libya, Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and deliver critical humanitarian aid to those affected by natural catastrophes in the Horn of Africa, Haiti and Japan, it is absolutely irresponsible to cut off U.S. support for UN peacekeeping and for UN operations."

The UN is vital in providing security and long-term stability to the country and others around the world. By deploying UN peacekeepers to areas that could be a threat, the US is saving huge sums of money by not sending military personnel. In addition, programs like UNICEF and the World Health Programme that both play a major part in humanitarian efforts across the world may have to disband if funding from the US is cut off.

"Now is not the time undermine U.S. national security and turn our backs on the world. It is time for us, for the U.S., to lead," said Yeo.


-Chelsey Dambro

Source: Better World Campaign

Empowerment through Electricity

A growing partnership between the UN and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) could help in providing electricity to millions of people around the world who lack the means to access energy. Recently, UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon met up with representatives of the NREL to check out sustainable energy innovations in Denver.



Some of these innovations include a solar blanket that can be laid out on the ground during the day, where sunlight can be soaked up and transferred over to batteries to be used when needed. These blankets can then be rolled up and stored at night, preventing theft. Another innovation being developed by the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a solar-powered drip irrigation system that can ease the burden of small-scale farmers.



Why the focus on electricity? UN agencies believe that electricity is a perquisite for meeting basic human needs. By providing access to energy resources, people are given a sense of empowerment. Lack of energy also means a lack in food security as irrigation becomes time-consuming and unpredictable due to weather patterns. The less time that it takes getting water means more time spent on agricultural activity and a better chance of producing surpluses to sell in the market.



The end-all goal of providing electricity to energy-poor areas is to ultimately enhance self-reliance. Farmers can start to purchase solar systems through micro-loans and companies like SELF can provide the training to keep projects running in to the future. With access to energy comes new ways to purify water, store vaccines and medications, promote small-scale agriculture, and support community growth.



-Chelsey Dambro



Source: denverpost.com and The Christian Science Monitor

Ban Ki-moon: Global Aid For Trade Is Vital For Boosting Development

United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, addressed the WTO's Third Global Review of Aid for Trade in Geneva on July 19th. He urged the donors to maintain their support of "Aid for Trade." These efforts help developing countries, especially the poorest, accelerate their development and benefit from economic growth.

Aid for Trade was launched by the World Trade Organization (WTO) more than five years ago and it specifically helps developing countries develop trade-related skills and infrastructure in order to benefit from WTO agreements and expand trade.

Ban stated that Aid for Trade is crucial for building global partnerships and for global development.

However, with the economic decline, budgets are tight. "this is no excuse for letting up our efforts," stated Ban. The Secretary-General stressed the need to pay attention to the needs of the least developed countries and ensure that they are not left behind.

Another main topic of the speech was the necessity of sustainable development. "Meeting our development goals is ultimately about building self-sufficiency and helping people feed themselves," said Ban.

-Gabrielle Gurian

SOURCE: UN NEWS WIRE

In Honor of Madela, UN Asks World To Devote 67 Minutes To Public Service

July 15th marks the second annual Nelson Mandela International Day!

In Honor of him, the UN is asking that people around the world perform 67 hours of public service, which represents one minute of every year of Mandela's own service to humanity.

The UN call to take part in public service is part of the "Take Action! Inspire Change" campaign put forth by the Mandela Foundation.

It is in recognition of the South African Leader's contribution as a human rights lawyer, freedom fighter, prisoner, international peace maker and the first democratically-elected president of a free South Africa.

On a separate message sent out, Mr. Ban calls on people everywhere to embrace Mandela's message to change the world. "Tutor a child, find someone less fortunate, care for the enviornment, volunteer at a hospital of community center. Together we can help achieve the dignity and liberty that are our birthright. This is the best way to honor Nelson Mandela."

There is also an interactive exhibit in New York called, "Take Action! Inspire Change." It will soon be displayed in UN Headquarters!

-Gabrielle Gurian

SOURCE: UN NEWS

Good Sanitation Can Save Thousands Of Lives

Most of the time people ignore the matter of proper sanitation as it is an unglamorous issue. I mean who wants to talk about sanitation if issues like hunger and health are around? But good hygiene can save thousands of lives by reducing the amount of deaths from diarrhea. Children under five around the world are the most vulnerable to poor hygiene and inadequate sanitation, two of the major causes of diarrhoea. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the disease kills at least 1.2 million children under five each year, but with proper sanitation cases of diarrhoea in children under five can be reduced by a third.

In order to ensure the well-being of millions of people around the world, the United Nations launched the program “Sustainable sanitation: The Five-Year-Drive to 2015” yesterday as part of its goal of halving the proportion of the population without access to basic sanitation by 2015. The main message of the new drive is that sanitation is vital for health, brings dignity, equality and safety, represents a good economic investment and sustains clean environments.

Access to sanitation has been recognized by the UN as a human right, a basic service required to live a normal life. It can be noted that, some 2.6 billion people – or half the population in the developing world – still lack access to good sanitation. The drive will call for an end to open defecation, the most dangerous sanitation practice for public health which is being practiced by over 1.1 billion people worldwide.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: UN NEWS CENTRE

Global Need For Disaster Preparedness

Global cities from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Pakistan have recently been affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and mudslides. They continue to pay a very high price in human and economic terms. In response to these global disasters, the third session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Geneva on May 10-13, leaders from across the world will gather to discuss and decide on immediate actions on disaster risk reduction. The progressive theme of the forum will be "Invest today for a safer tomorrow: Increase investment in local action."

"We are in a fast-moving car and ahead is a crash waiting to happen. We need to act," stated Margareta Wahlstrom, the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Recent global experiences such as those mentioned above and the earthquake in Haiti prove that despite goodwill and collective effort, the international systems of support for national reconstruction and recovery are not adequate. "If done right, a crisis situation can be a window of opportunity," stated Selena Jackson a World Bank Special Representative to the UN and the WTO. But, as we have seen from the devastation caused by these incidents , presently this is not the case. We need to re-think reconstruction for a better and safer future was her main argument.

The Global Platform will be opened by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who will launch the 2011 report on Assessment of Disaster Risk Reduction. Hopefully the forum will be able to help governments and communities around the world build better disaster preparedness programs in order to avoid paying the human and economic prices we are now.

--Gabrielle Gurian

SOURCE: UN NEWS

DPR Korea In Need Of Food

Three and a half million people in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are estimated to be in desperate need of food. Their particularly intense winter caused severe crop losses. The vegetable harvest was down 44% percent last year. A one year United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) operation is being launched to feed this estimated 3.5 million people and they say that women and children will be the focus, following an assessment by several aid agencies.

Since, government supplied rations only amount to about half a persons needed daily food intake, UNICEF has launched $20 million to appeal to fund assistance programs in the five DPRK provinces. Families have already started cutting out the size or number of meals each day. Therefore, under the WFP operation, cereals and the ingredients for local production of foods such as corn-soy milk, rice milk, and high nutrient biscuits will be distributed through the public distribution system. The operation should continue through the harvest expected in October, with nutrition products being distributed until then. The UNICEF assistance program will be dealing with behavioral and structural issues such as hygiene, infant feeding practices and water sanitation, all of which are extremely important for the livelihood of the population.

The overall rates of acute malnutrition have not yet reached crisis level, but it is clear that the situation is deteriorating. "We face a critical window to get supplies into the country and reach the millions who are already hungry," stated Amir Abdullah, WFPs Deputy Executive Director and Chief.

--Gabrielle Gurian

SOURCE: UN NEWS CENTER

Indigenous Tribe In Bolivia Wins UN Prize

An indigenous tribe in Bolivia has been awarded the United Nation's Equator Prize for sustained ecological development. The prize is awarded biennially to recognise outstanding community efforts across the tropics to reduce poverty through the conservation.

"The prize is called The Equatorial Prize and it's been instituted by the United Nations, various countries and civil organisations. Its purpose is to recognise the examples of success in the Equatorial region that protect the environment and at the same time reduce poverty," said Yoriko Yasukawa, the UN's coordinator in Bolivia. Nominations for the Equator Prize are accepted from three regions of eligibility within the equatorial belt (23.5 degrees north and south of the equator): Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Tsimae Mosetene community was honoured for their work through their regional assembly that works to protect the rights of indigenous people and the environment they live in. The prize money of five thousand dollars was handed to a community representative at a ceremony on Friday (April 1).

The Bolivians received an opportunity to have their story promoted internationally through the prestige of such a win. "We feel very proud to have received the Equator Prize. We are going to continue working to improve and preserve nature in the future because it is what they have always taught us," said community leader Clemente Caiman. It can be noted that, the project has also worked to help produce traditional goods to sell tourists and to include women in territorial administration.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: NTN24NEWS

UN-backed Polio Immunization Campaign Began In Southern Sudan

A three-day United Nations-backed Polio immunization campaign began in Southern Sudan on Monday in response to the recent outbreak of the disease after being free from Polio for last three years. The region experienced the last outbreak in 2008 when 60 infections were confirmed among children at that time, leaving them very vulnerable to the disease since few had previously received routine immunization. The current campaign is targeting children under the age of five and is an attempt to increase awareness among local population to understand the importance of meeting the full dosage of the vaccine.

The campaign has been organized by the Government of Southern Sudan in collaboration with UNICEF, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It can be noted that, Southern Sudan voted in January to secede from Sudan and is scheduled to become an independent nation on 9th July.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: UN NEWS CENTRE

UN Says Half Of World's LDCs Can Escape Poverty By 2020

According to a recent report by the Group of Eminent Persons, appointed by UN, half of world's 48 least developed countries (LDCs) can escape poverty within 10 years if they can benefit from globalization. The objective may seem difficult but the UN Secretary-General said, “This is the time for global solidarity to achieve progress even in the poorest countries of the world, which will go a long way in advancing global prosperity and security.” It can be noted that, there have been 51 LDCs since the category was created by the UN in 1970, and only three, Botswana, Cape Verde and Maldives have graduated since then.

The report shows that while developed countries are progressing continuously, the least developed ones are showing flat-line growth. In this era of globalization this marginalization of poor countries is a serious threat to the world's future. The report proposed some measures that can help LDCs to graduate from their poor status, adequate, prioritized and better targeted development assistance; duty- and quota-free access for LDC exports; doubling farm productivity and school enrolment; and beefing up the developmental and democratic capacities of LDC governments. Most of these countries have already started practising democratic culture, therefore, it is high time that they start benefiting from the advantages of globalization.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: UN NEWS CENTRE

International World Water Day

Today we celebrate the International World Water Day. This event has been celebrated every 22nd March since it was designated so by the UN General Assembly in 1993, as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and sustainable management of water resources.

Each year the International World Water Day highlights one particular aspect of water. This year it regards water and urbanisation, with the motto "Water for Cities: responding to the urban challenge." In the past years, other subjects were treated, such as water scarcity, sanitation, water quality, transboundary waters, disasters, or water and culture. More than 800 events are taking place today to commemorate this day, being the main one located in Capetown, South Africa. A number of agreements and treaties are being signed this day too, like a Memorandum of Understanding to face water challenges between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick.

- David Nebreda

SOURCE: UN WATER

IFAD Notes Progress In Gender Equality Goals

The UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said that it has made significant progress in improving gender equality and strengthening the role of women in agriculture production. Following a report by its evaluation committee, IFAD noted that it has adopted three strategies to improve gender equality and women's empowerment. These stretegies include, expanding women's access to assets; strengthening their decision-making role in community affairs; and easing their workload by facilitating access to basic rural services and infrastructure.

IFAD, a specialized agency of the UN is dedicated to eradicating global poverty in developing countries, especially in countries where majority of people's livelihood depends on agriculture and related activities. The agency has already noted significant progress in promoting gender equality and in addressing challenges faced by women in developing countries. But it also outlined several areas where IFAD's performance can be improved. Although compared to other UN agencies IFAD is better positioned, it still needs to improve gender balance by assigning human resources and financial resources in the required field.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: NEW KERALA

Giving the Poor a Voice & a Conference

In response to the UN MDG Summit in New York, the idea for a conference featuring the world's actual poor (and not just word leaders and celebrities) was born from a Twitter discussion about the lack of grassroots voices at the Summit.

This idea became the "Villages in Action" conference, which was held on November 27 in western Uganda. Almost 600 villagers gathered to have a conversation about the state of development in their region, and whether or not that development was in line with achieving any of the Millennium Development Goals. The conference was broadcast globally and with the help of the internet the rest of the world could engage directly with the grassroots people.

As the co-founder of Project Diaspora describes it, this conference was less about the numbers, charts and power-point slides, but more about the local community working together and celebrating everyday life. "It was about making sure everyone knew that their efforts contributed to a whole. This was about showing the power of ubuntu – "I am because you are"."

-Clare O.

SOURCE: The Guardian