How to Prevent Second Story Window Falls Since the number of children falling from windows each year averages around 5,200, and at least one in four of those falls is serious enough to warrant hospitalization, taking the necessary precautions to ensure that kids don’t end up tumbling out of a second-story window is essential. So important is this safety concern that an annual National Window Safety Week is held to raise awareness of the dangers that can accompany a fall out of a … [Read more...]
Cyclone Mahasen evacuees still homeless, Take Action!
June 6, 2013 by
Cyclone Mahasen evacuees still homeless Several weeks ago, reports came in of a fearsome tropical cyclone poised to strike Myanmar and Bangladesh. Over 1 million people evacuated their homes. CARE's emergency teams sprang into action, coordinating with other groups and governmental agencies to be at the ready with crisis materials: 40,000 emergency family kits, including plastic sheeting for shelter, water purification tablets, and soap, to be distributed to families who lost their homes to … [Read more...]
Japan Taking Action to combat illicit drugs and human trafficking
June 4, 2013 by
June 2013 – The United Nations and the Government of Japan today agreed to enhance regional cooperation to fight the trade of illicit narcotics and human trafficking, as well as terrorism and cyber crime in Africa and Southeast Asia. The Joint Action Plan of Action between the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Japan was signed at the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), which concluded earlier today in Yokohama, Japan. “The United Nations Office … [Read more...]
Bangladesh must address lack of protection for women from violence
May 31, 2013 by
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo. UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras May 2013 – A United Nations independent expert today called on Bangladesh to ensure the effective implementation of laws and measures that protect women from violence, stressing that in addition to the enforcement of policies, changes in attitudes need to occur regarding women’s role in society. “The absence of effective implementation of existing laws, the lack of responsive justice systems, and … [Read more...]
Born into crisis: Unwanted pregnancies in Syria
May 31, 2013 by
ZA’ATARI CAMP, JORDAN, 29 May 2013 (IRIN) - When aid workers with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) speak to women inside Syria - many of them displaced from their homes and living in cramped collective shelters - they say they would rather do anything than get pregnant. “No one wants to be pregnant in the shelters… that’s universal wherever we go,” said Laila Baker, UNFPA representative in Syria. “There is no place to take care of the baby and it’s another mouth to feed.” In … [Read more...]
RWANDA’S ‘STRONG POLITICAL COMMITMENT’
May 25, 2013 by
SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS RWANDA’S ‘STRONG POLITICAL COMMITMENT’ TO FIGHT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, CHILDREN AT NEW CENTRE CEREMONY Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Ceremony for the Centre of Excellence for the Fight against Violence against Women and Children, in Kigali, on 23 May: It is a profound honour to join you as we lay the foundation stone for this vital centre of excellence. I see reflected in all of you, Rwanda’s … [Read more...]
CANADA is leader in global food security initiatives, celebrate!
May 25, 2013 by
ROME — Canada's leadership on food security and nutrition is contributing to the reduction of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in developing countries. The Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, participated today in a round table in Rome to discuss global food security and nutrition, and the role of private sector partnerships. "Ensuring access to safe and nutritious food is a priority of Canada's international assistance to developing countries," said … [Read more...]
WFP Helping Burundi’s Fight Against Malnutrition
May 18, 2013 by
Burundi (pronounced /bəˈɹʊndɨ/), officially the Republic of Burundi (Kirundi: Republika y'Uburundi, [buˈɾundi]; French: République du Burundi, [byˈʁyndi]), is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura. Although the country is landlocked, much of the southwestern border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika. The Twa, Tutsi and … [Read more...]
Fiji, UNFPA Chief Stresses Women’s Empowerment, Girls Education
May 14, 2013 by
Following the formal opening of the G77 High-Level Panel of Eminent Personalities of the South, UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin posed along with other eminent figures, including Heads of State of the Pacific Island Nations. SUVA, Fiji — If alarming rates of Violence Against Women are to be effectively addressed, the status of women needs to be elevated. UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin emphasized the fundamental, often unacknowledged, contributions of … [Read more...]
RAPE: Mali Sexual Assault Survivors – No Support, No Justice
May 7, 2013 by
Little support, no justice for Mali rape survivors GAO/BAMAKO, May 2013 (IRIN) - During the rebel takeover of northern Mali in April 2012, many women said they were subjected to rape or sexual assault. Since then, little or no support has come through for these women, say aid workers. Aminata Touré* was on her way to her uncle’s house in the city of Gao in June 2012 when she was stopped by two men on a motorbike. “I had no choice. They were armed and threatened to kill me,” she … [Read more...]
Iraqi Women do not have equal opportunities, Take Action!
May 7, 2013 by
DUBAI, May 2013 (IRIN) - In the 1980s, the UN says, Iraqi Women enjoyed more basic rights than other women in the region. But years of dictatorship, sanctions and conflict, including the US-led invasion one decade ago, led to deterioration in women’s status. “Across the board, women are suffering more [than they used to],” said Sudipto Mukerjee, deputy head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq. Despite steps taken towards gender equality since 1990, Iraqi women today do not … [Read more...]
