News Archives - 2007

• UN takes over Darfur peace force

  BBC, 31 Dec - The United Nations has taken control of the peacekeeping mission for Darfur in Sudan after months of negotiations but it remains seriously under strength. ...click here to read more

• HK 'to elect its leader by 2017'

  BBC, 29 Dec - Hong Kong's chief executive has said Beijing plans to allow the special region to directly elect its leader by 2017 and legislators by 2020. ...click here to read more

• Indigenous leaders threaten UN action

  The Australian, Dec 26 — A GROUP of prominent Aboriginal leaders has threatened to take its case against new welfare laws for indigenous families in far north Queensland to the UN unless the Rudd and Bligh governments immediately suspend plans to introduce the "racist" reforms....click here to read more

• U.S. sole no vote on U.N. budget

  Washington Times, Dec 23 — The United Nations General Assembly approved a two-year U.N. budget of $4.17 billion yesterday, with the United States casting the only "no" vote because of objections to funding for a follow-up to a conference it considered anti-Israel....click here to read more

• China to ratify UN protocol to safeguard children from armed conflicts

  BEIJING, Dec 23 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature is to read and ratify the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts, at the 31st session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) opening here on Sunday....click here to read more

• Secretary-General declares Nepal eligible for UN Peacebuilding Fund

  28 December 2007 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today that Nepal is eligible to receive assistance from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, set up a year ago to help countries emerging from conflict consolidate their gains and avoid slipping back into war. ...click here to read more

• CHALLENGES 2007-2008: Short Shrift for Human Rights in South-east Asia

  BANGKOK, Dec 22 (IPS) - For nearly 30 years Cambodians have grappled with a question that no one in the country could answer with certainty: will the surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime face justice for the genocide they perpetrated on their own people in the mid-1970s? ...click here to read more

• China Grabs West’s Smoke-Spewing Factories

  NY Times, 21 Dec - When residents of this northern Chinese city hang their clothes out to dry, the black fallout from nearby Handan Iron and Steel often sends them back to the wash....click here to read more

• U.N. Body Plans to End Investigation of Contracts

  NY Times, 21 Dec - The General Assembly is preparing to put an early end to an in-house panel that has exposed more than $600 million in tainted United Nations contracts and is currently investigating an additional $1 billion in suspect agreements....click here to read more

• Ethiopia PM attacks UN on Somalia

  BBC, 20 Dec - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has accused the UN of playing a damaging role in the Somali crisis....click here to read more

• Q&A: "In Most Conflicts We Know What Needs to Be Done"

  VENICE, 10 Dec (IPS) - There is hardly a trouble-shooter in the world today more trusted than Martti Ahtisaari, Chairman of the Crisis Management Initiative. Kosovo, the disputed southern province of Serbia, is the latest challenge he has taken on....click here to read more

• Guinea-Bissau added to agenda of peacebuilding commission; Brazil elected chair of country-specific configuration

  DPI-UN, 19 Dec — Acting on recommendations contained in an 11 December letter from the President of the Security Council, the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission today established a country-specific configuration to consider the situation in Guinea-Bissau, making the African nation the third country to come under the newly-established body’s purview....click here to read more

• UN votes for death penalty freeze

  BBC, 18 Dec — The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty, with the ultimate aim of abolishing capital punishment....click here to read more

• FAO calls for urgent steps to protect the poor from soaring food prices

  FAO, 17 Dec — FAO is urging governments and the international community to implement immediate measures in support of poor countries hit hard by dramatic food price increases....click here to read more

• US House honours Burma's Suu Kyi

  BBC, 18 Dec — The US House of Representatives has voted to award Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi its highest honour - the Congressional Gold Medal....click here to read more

• 'Gov't should ratify human rights court'

  Jamaica Gleaner, 18 Dec — The Jamaican Government has been advised to seriously consider ratifying the jurisdiction of the Inter American Court of Human Rights....click here to read more

• China's economic muscle 'shrinks'

  BBC, 17 Dec — China's economy, the world's second largest, is not as big as was thought, a report by the World Bank has claimed....click here to read more

• Climate Plan Looks Beyond Bush’s Tenure

  New York Times, 16 Dec — The world’s faltering effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions got a new lease on life on Saturday, as delegates from 187 countries agreed to negotiate a new accord over the next two years — pushing the crucial debates about United States participation into the administration of a new American president....click here to read more

• Wrapping up session, UN Human Rights Council to send expert to Myanmar

  UN News Centre, 14 Dec -The United Nations Human Rights Council concluded its sixth session today in Geneva, adopting 13 resolutions and decisions, including a request that the independent expert on Myanmar return to the South-East Asian nation for further assessments....click here to read more

• U.N. deeds are often ignored

  Heraldtribune.com, 15 Dec - In the frenzy following the release of the National Intelligence Estimate last week, stating that Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003, not many reports have noted that it was inspectors of the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency who discovered the secret weapons program in 2003 and pressured the Iranian government to put it on hold. (See the Jan. 14, 2005, update of the Congressional Research Service's Report for Congress titled "Iran's Nuclear Program: Recent Developments," discussing 2003 inspections.)...click here to read more

• Climate talks stalled amidst rows

  BBC, 14 Dec - Talks at the UN climate summit in Bali have continued past their scheduled end despite optimism that a compromise could be reached between the EU and US....click here to read more

• Double vision over Myanmar crackdown

  Asia Times, 13 Dec - - A consensus is gathering that Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council's (SPDC) official version of events of its violent crackdown on street demonstrations in late September, continued detention without trial of protesters and ongoing harassment and arrests of activists doesn't square with the actual facts. ...click here to read more

• CLIMATE CHANGE: No Deal in Sight at Bali

  PENANG, Malaysia, Dec 10 (IPS) - As a major United Nations 'framework convention' on climate change (UNFCCC) crossed into its second half on Monday, the official view is one of optimism that progress has been made in laying the ''building blocks'' for a future agreement. ...click here to read more

• Grim reminder helps mark rights day

  Swissinfo.ch, 10 Dec - The Swiss Red Cross is highlighting abuses against people by opening one of its clinics for torture victims to the general public on Human Rights Day...click here to read more

• UN call for faster Burma reform

  BBC, 10 Dec - UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has said that the world's patience is "running out" with Burma's government....click here to read more

• Fresh round of UN-backed talks on Western Sahara set for next month

  UN, 7 Dec - A third round of United Nations-backed negotiations on Western Sahara, bringing together representatives of Morocco and Frente Polisario, will take place early next month, it was announced today....click here to read more

• Nato-Russia tension over Kosovo

  BBC, 7 Dec - Nato and Russia have failed to narrow their differences over the future status of Kosovo ahead of Monday's UN deadline for an agreement....click here to read more

• Burma toll at least 31, UN says

  BBC, 7 Dec - Burma's military authorities killed at least 31 people during the suppression of pro-democracy protests earlier this year, a UN human rights envoy has said....click here to read more

• UN refugee agency hails new protection law in Central African Republic

  UN, 5 Dec - The United Nations refugee agency today hailed a new law approved in the Central African Republic (CAR) guaranteeing refugees protection and other fundamental rights....click here to read more

• Working Group Revises Methods of Work and Adopts Annual Report

  UN, 3 Dec - The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances issued the following statement on Friday, 30 November:...click here to read more

• A Decade of De-mining

  Time, 4 Dec - Muneera Habib Mansoor was at a garden party in Kabul in 1997 when she stepped on a land mine. Her first leg was blown off, the second had to be amputated. Najmuddin Helal drove over a land mine in 1982 and lost both legs. Gulandam Karami, a widow with three children, stepped on one last year as she was taking her goats to pasture. She lost both legs at the hip, and is only just now learning to walk on prosthetics. She is progressing well, but worries that her new legs shod in bright red Adidas will not be able to handle the pathways in her mountain village, which is a three-hour drive from Kabul. Still, she says, any help at all is a boon. "Before this, I was crawling."...click here to read more

• UNIDO to further cooperate with China's Tibet on renewable energy

  Xinhua, 30 Nov - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) said here Thursday that it would further cooperate with China and its Tibet Autonomous Region on energy development....click here to read more

• ASIAN WOMEN SEEK TO APPLY UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION

  Forum Asia, 30 Nov - Women working in conflict areas in Asia met on 27-28 November in Bangkok to discuss how to apply UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 to the different conflict situations they face in their countries....click here to read more

• Secretary-General, in message to inaugural asia-pacific water summit, warns that scarcity threatens socio-economic gains, could fuel conflicts

  DPI, UN, 3 Dec - Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons video message for the first Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Beppu, Japan, today, 3 December: Our planet faces a growing water crisis. But the situation in the Asia-Pacific region is especially troubling. High population growth, unsustainable consumption, pollution and poor management all threaten the areas clean water sources....click here to read more

• Israelis scuttle U.N. edict on peace

  The Washington Times, 2 Dec - Because of Israeli objections, the United States suddenly withdrew a U.N. resolution endorsing last week's agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to reach a Middle East peace settlement even though the measure had overwhelming Security Council support....click here to read more

• Key climate summit opens in Bali

  BBC, 3 Dec - Governments at a key UN climate summit will discuss how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the current Kyoto Protocol targets expire in 2012....click here to read more

• Bali climate summit: a test of the world's resolve

  The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Nov - Next week is seen as crunch time in the fight against global warming. Representatives from some 130 nations will gather in Bali, Indonesia, beginning a two-year effort to agree on a new pact to cut greenhouse-gas emissions - one that goes well beyond the goals of the current Kyoto Protocol....click here to read more

• China increases estimate of people with HIV

  International Herald Tribune, 29 Nov - The number of people estimated to be living with HIV in China has risen to 700,000, says a report released Thursday by the United Nations and the Chinese government....click here to read more

• Though deadlocked, sides agree to avoid violence over Kosovo

  International Herald Tribune, 28 Nov - Kosovo on Wednesday refused to soften its demand for full independence from Serbia, derailing another international effort to forge a settlement and raising the chances of a showdown next month at the United Nations Security Council....click here to read more

• World economic growth rate slowing: UN

  UNITED NATIONS, 29 Nov - The world economy has been growing more slowly after global unemployment jumped to 6.3 per cent last year, the highest in a decade, the United Nations reported. ...click here to read more

• HIV/AIDS discrimination widespread in China--U.N.

  BEIJING, Nov 28 (Reuters) - China's efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS-related discrimination have failed to stamp out "widespread" stigmatisation of sufferers, United Nations. officials said on Wednesday....click here to read more

• THIRD COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN, AS IT APPROVES FIVE DRAFT TEXTS

  DPI, UN, 27 Nov - Profoundly concerned by the situation facing children in situations of armed conflict and foreign occupation, and by the number of children subject to trafficking, prostitution and child pornography, the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative to act as a high-profile global advocate on the elimination of violence against children, according to one of five draft resolutions approved by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today....click here to read more

• SUB-COMMITTEE ON PREVENTION OF TORTURE CONCLUDES THIRD SESSION AND ANNOUNCES THE SECOND PHASE OF VISITS

  UN Press Release, 27 Nov - The Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) has announced the second phase of its visits programme for 2008. ...click here to read more

• New Statistics Point to Dramatic Increase in Chinese Political Arrests in 2006

  Dui Hua Foundation, 27 Nov - Chinese arrests for "endangering state security" (ESS) doubled in 2006 over the previous year, according to official statistics recently released by the Chinese government....click here to read more

• Sarkozy in China climate appeal

  BBC, 27 Nov -China must play its part in talks to frame a new deal on climate change, French President Nicolas Sarkozy says. ...click here to read more

• From hero to villain in 13 short years...

  IOL, 26 Nov - We are a proud democracy. We call ourselves the rainbow nation and we are the only country in the world that voluntarily changed from a tyrannical apartheid regime to a fully-fledged democracy where all our citizens, irrespective of race, creed or colour have full human rights. ...click here to read more

• Ban Ki-moon pledges system-wide UN campaign to fight violence against women

  UN News Centre, 25 Nov - Denouncing violence against women as "one of the most heinous, systematic and prevalent human rights abuses in the world," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has vowed to lead a campaign against the scourge....click here to read more

• China's rural poverty elimination drive stalls in minority habitats

  People's Daily Online, 23 Nov - After slashing its rural poverty-stricken population by an impressive 80 percent in 20 years, China finds itself mired in the fight against entrenched destitution in the remote interior, especially among ethnic minorities. ...click here to read more

• The 'China honeymoon' is over

  International Herald Tribune, 26 Nov - For Europe, the "China honeymoon" is over. As the 10th European Union-China summit meeting convenes in Beijing this week, and after 15 years of rapidly and dramatically developing ties, there are numerous indications of new strains emerging in the relationship....click here to read more

• Human-rights dialogue with China hurt by MPs

  The Globe and Mail, Nov 24 -- Political squabbling in Ottawa has jeopardized a plan to overhaul Canada's human-rights dialogue with China, a coalition of human-rights groups has warned....click here to read more

• Chinese Peacekeepers Arrive in Darfur

  VOA News, Nov 24 - An advance team of Chinese engineers and medical officers arrived in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region Saturday. ...click here to read more

• Colleges to Learn Human Rights Education

  The Korea Times, Nov 23 - The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Korea University and Ewha Womans University to provide students majoring in law with human rights-related education programs. ...click here to read more

• GUATEMALA: Activists Call for Reparations for Victims of Conflicts

  GUATEMALA CITY, Nov 21 (IPS) - Human rights groups from Guatemala, Mexico, Uruguay, Colombia, Western Sahara and Sweden called for reparations for victims of armed conflicts and crimes against humanity, and punishment for those responsible....click here to read more

• Anne Frank tree escapes axe again

  BBC, 21 November 2007 - The chestnut tree that comforted Anne Frank as she hid from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II has won another reprieve. Amsterdam city council ruled in March that the rotting 150-year-old tree must be felled as a danger to the public. ...click here to read more

• Climate change a growing threat in Tibet, media report

  BEIJING (AFP), 20, 2007 - Climate change is causing more weather-related disasters than ever in the Himalayan region of Tibet, where the temperature is rising faster than the rest of China, state press reported Wednesday....click here to read more

• Analysis: Prepping for post-Kyoto talks

  UPI, Nov. 20, 2007 - The success of post-Kyoto Protocol talks this December hinge on determining which countries must commit to limit greenhouse gas emissions and what the nature of those commitments should be, experts say. ...click here to read more

• OHCHR on UPR: Speak up and die

  AHCHR, Nov 21 - Yesterday, civil society organizations hurried up to meet the deadline for submission of the Stakeholders reports under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council. For those not following the United Nations Human Rights Council, it provides for Universal Periodic Review of the States for assessing "each State of its human rights obligations and commitments". ...click here to read more

• China urges Iran to abide by U.N. resolutions

  BEIJING, Nov 20 (Reuters) - China urged Iran on Tuesday to abide by U.N. resolutions demanding it curtail nuclear activity but said there was still room to negotiate a solution to the worsening standoff....click here to read more

• Third committee approves three country-specific texts on human rights despite opposition led by developing countries.

  UN, DPI, 20 November 2007- Draft resolutions that would have the General Assembly address the human rights situations in three Member States -- Myanmar, Iran and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea -- were approved today by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) amid a barrage of objections by many delegations, which maintained that the freshly constituted Human Rights Council was the correct forum to address such concerns....click here to read more

• Row over integrity forces UN departure

  FT.COM, 15 November 2007- The head of the United Nations intellectual property agency, under pressure from industrialised countries to resign, has announced he will leave office late next year, 12 months before his contract expires....click here to read more

• 18 Candles - The Convention on the Rights of the Child Reaches Majority

  OHCHR - This booklet is a present offered to Miss Convention on the occasion of the attainment of her age of majority. It is also as a tribute to all persons who have worked and are continuing to strive to enforce childrens rights. ...click here to read more

• First hearing for Cambodia court

  BBC, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 - An international genocide tribunal set up to try surviving members of Cambodia's brutal Khmer Rouge regime is holding its first public hearing. ...click here to read more

• No people participation - No ASEAN Charter signing

  Forum Asia, Tuesday, 06 November 2007 - This month, the leaders of Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) at its 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore will sign the "ASEAN Charter", aiming to turn the loosely structured body into a rule-based one. ASEAN currently exercises without a legally binding document unlike other regional inter-governmental organisations such as the European Union, the Organisation of American States, and the African Union. ...click here to read more

• Burma warned over Asean charter

  BBC, 19 Nov - Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has said her country is unlikely to sign a new Asean charter unless Burma frees the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi....click here to read more

• UN committee calls for abolition of the death penalty

  Guardian Unlimited, 16 Nov -A UN general assembly committee has passed a draft resolution calling for an end to the death penalty in a debate that put the US in the same camp as Iran and Syria....click here to read more

• US criticism of UN Human Rights Council fails to derail draft resolution

  International Herald Tribune, 16 Nov - UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Friday renewed criticism of the U.N. Human Rights Council, arguing it had shown a misplaced focus on Israel while giving a free pass to countries with poor human rights records....click here to read more

• Assembly President calls for international relations to reflect key principles

  UN News Center, 15 November 2007 - A new culture of international relations based on the principles of full respect for human rights, human security, the responsibility to protect and the promotion of sustainable development is necessary, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said today....click here to read more

• EU under fire at UN death penalty debate

  UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - A bid to have the U.N. General Assembly call for a moratorium on the death penalty drew charges on Wednesday that the European Union was trying to impose its values on others in a throwback to colonialism....click here to read more

• France supports G-4's claim for permanent seat in UNSC

  Dharam Shourie United Nations, Nov 13 (PTI) France has voiced strong support for induction of India, Japan, Germany and Brazil as permanent members into the Security Council as the world body embarked on a debate on reforms in its most powerful organ including its expansion. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, French Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said induction of India and other members of G-4 will make the Security Council more effective and reflect current realities....click here to read more

• New edition of UN Chronicle magazine focuses on racism, racial discrimination

  DPI, UN, 13 Nov: The new edition of the UN Chronicle magazine, Issue 3, 2007, which focuses on racial discrimination, is now available in English and in French. Titled The Solidarity of Peoples,it contains 26 articles on the present state of the international debate on racism and racial discrimination. The contributions look at present and past forms of social exclusion of affected groups and populations, and the multiple dimensions of racial discrimination and related forms of intolerance....click here to read more

• Soft power of the United Nations

  The Financial Express,Joseph S Nye, 13 Nov: Joseph Stalin once dismissed the relevance of "soft power" by asking, "How many troops does the Pope have?" Today, many self-styled realists dismiss the United Nations (UN) as powerless, and argue that it can be ignored. They are mistaken. ...click here to read more

• UN calls for Burma reconciliation

  BBC, 13 Nov: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has urged Burma's leaders and opposition to redouble their efforts to achieve national reconciliation....click here to read more

• EU delegation meets Asma Jehangir

  Daily Times, 11 Nov - LAHORE: A three-member European Union (EU) delegation, including Portugal and France ambassadors to Pakistan, met the house-arrested Human rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairwoman Asma Jehangir at her residence in Gulberg on Saturday, sources said. The meeting lasted for more than 90 minutes....click here to read more

• Third Committee Asks Assembly TO designate international year for human rights learning

  DPI, UN, 9 Nov - As the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today concluded its review of the right of peoples to self-determination, this afternoon, acting without a vote, it approved a draft resolution, as orally amended, that would have the General Assembly designate an international year for human rights learning, commencing 10 December 2008....click here to read more

• UN to vote on death penalty halt

  BBC News, New York, 9 Nov - A resolution calling for a worldwide suspension of the use of the death penalty has been introduced at the United Nations General Assembly....click here to read more

• AUSTRALIA: Gov't Consistent in Opposing Indigenous Rights

  MELBOURNE, Nov 2 (IPS) - Australias opposition to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, passed in September, is in step with the governments approach to domestic policies under Prime Minister John Howard....click here to read more

• INTERVIEW - UN climate chief confident on Bali progress

  SINGAPORE, Nov 6 (Reuters) - The U.N.'s top climate change official said on Tuesday he was confident world governments meeting in Bali next month would finally begin negotiations on mapping out a second plan to fight global warming....click here to read more

• Thirty two member states to come under microscope of Human Rights Council's universal periodic review mechanism by June 2008, Third Committee told

  DPI,UN, 5 November 2007 - With its institutional-building process essentially completed, the Human Rights Council was now looking forward to implementing its mechanisms in the first half of 2008 as it embarked on its mission to promote and protect human rights worldwide, Doru-Romulus Costea, the Councils President, told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon....click here to read more

• POLITICS: Death Penalty Threatens to Split World Body

  UNITED NATIONS, Oct 31 (IPS) - The 192-member U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote, perhaps by early or mid-November, on one of the most divisive political issues before the world body: a moratorium on the death penalty....click here to read more

• Australia says USA and China must cut greenhouse gases

  USA TODAY, - Australia's prime minister said Wednesday he wants the U.S. and China to make significant commitments to reduce carbon emissions at a meeting in December, as climate change dominates the Australian election campaign....click here to read more

• U.N. adopts truce resolution for Beijing Games

  Reuters, BEIJING - The U.N. General Assembly has adopted the Olympic truce resolution for the 2008 Beijing Games in New York in the face of opposition from activists pushing for a free Tibet....click here to read more

• More vital than ever to move away from selectivity and partial approaches to Human Rights Issues, Third Committee Told

  DPI, UN, 31 October 2007 - As the recently established Human Rights Council continued to receive a stream of support from many delegations today in the Third Committees (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continuing review of human rights issues, a number of speakers warned that although that body was now the practical expression of reform ideas, there had been efforts to artificially create a negative atmosphere, to use it to divide countries and as a means of wielding power....click here to read more

• International Criminal Court needs more cooperation from States, official says

  DPI, UN, 30 October 2007 - A senior official from the International Criminal Court (ICC) briefing journalists at United Nations Headquarters in New York today called on countries to provide greater support for its work. ...click here to read more

• System of impunity making mockery of special procedures to address extrajudicial killings, rapporteur tells third committee

  DPI, UN, 26 October 2007 - The abdication of responsibility by both the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in enforcing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions had rendered the mandate impotent, said Philip Alston, the current mandate holder, to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today as it continued its review of human rights issues....click here to read more

• New Human Rights Council could help put rights abusers on notice, third committee told

  DPI, UN, 24 October 2007 October 2007 - The frequency of the meetings of the new Human Rights Council could help put human rights abusers on notice and allow situations of concern to be scrutinized all year round and in real time, Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights told delegations this morning as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its discussion of human rights issues....click here to read more

• SEVEN DRAFT RESOLUTIONS ON KEY HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES INTRODUCED TO THIRD COMMITTEE

  DPI, UN, 23 October 2007 October 2007 - Seven draft resolutions on key human rights issues including eliminating violence against women, promoting rights for the disabled and raising global awareness for autistic children were introduced to the Third Committee today as delegations also kicked off two weeks of wide-ranging discussions on human rights matters....click here to read more

• China on the watch for fighting social inequality, new UNDP report says

  UNDP - Chinas Human Development Report 2005 is the first comprehensive study to offer a set of bold and practical policy recommendations to improve conditions for the rural poor, and bolster education, health care and the social security system....click here to read more

• Asylum seekers need more protection in face of counter-terrorism measures - UN expert

  UN News Centre29 October 2007 - Counter-terrorism measures in many parts of the globe disproportionately impact asylum-seekers, refugees and immigrants, a United Nations independent human rights expert said in New York today....click here to read more

• Preference for sons in Asia could have severe social consequences: UN agency

  UN News Centre29 October 2007 - Prenatal son selection in several Asian countries could result in severe social consequences - such as a surge in sexual violence and trafficking of women - in the coming years, according to new studies commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). ...click here to read more

• Business and human rights: Doing the wrong thing

  The Economist print edition, Oct 25th 2007- MANY human-rights activists believe that it was their protests at the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, a financial company controlled by Warren Buffett, that prompted the sale of its 11% shareholding in PetroChina. After all, why else would the investment genius have taken such a bad financial decision? Although he made a profit of $3.5 billion when he sold the shares in the Chinese oil company, which activists accuse of indirectly funding the genocide in Darfur, PetroChina's share price has since continued to soar. ...click here to read more

• India says UN budget for 2008-09 "technically inadequate"

  United Nations (PTI): In a sharp criticism of the $ 4.2 billion UN budget presented by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for 2008-09, India has slammed its emphasis only on peace, security and human rights rather than on resolving the basic causes of conflicts including lack of development and socio-economic inequities....click here to read more

• Ban Ki-Moon: Alone At The Top Of The World

  NEWSWEEK, By Richard M. Smith, 27 Oct 2007 - Since taking over "the world's most impossible job" at the beginning of the year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has remained determinedly upbeat, despite the usual sniping from all sides. The low-key former South Korean foreign minister is still figuring out where he can make his mark, but he is beginning to look more focused in his efforts to tackle some of the world's most complex problems. In his office on the United Nations' 38th floor last week, he talked with NEWSWEEK Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Richard M. Smith....click here to read more

• UN concern over Olympic pollution

  By Michael Bristow, BBC News, Beijing, 25 Oct 2007 - Air pollution in Beijing will not significantly improve before next year's Olympic Games, a United Nations report suggests....click here to read more

• Problems of Security Council Expansion

  By Inder Malhotra, The Navhind Times, 22 Oct 2007 - Over two years ago, when the United Nations casually bypassed the long-nourished expectations of the Security Council reform, together with Indias efforts to get a permanent seat on the Council, it was taken for granted that the matter had been deferred for at least a decade. ...click here to read more

• China, UN Talk of Sudan, Myanmar

  BEIJING (AP) 20 October, 2007- China has discussed tensions in Sudan and Myanmar with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday....click here to read more

• Darfur activists urge China to stop arming Sudan

  WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - International activists working to end the conflict in Darfur called on Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday to stop selling weapons to Sudan and press Khartoum to admit U.N. peacekeepers....click here to read more