World population projected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050, and 11.2 billion in 2100 The current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to a new United Nations report launched on 21 June. With roughly 83 million people being added to the world’s population every year, the upward trend in population size is expected to continue, even assuming that fertility levels will continue to decline. The World … [Read more...]
Giving Girls in Uganda an Equal Chance
“I want to be a nurse.” This comment was made in response to my age old question of, “What would you like to be when you grow up?” I’ve asked this question to children in the United States, but this time I was in Uganda, speaking with a 14-year-old girl, Malacondia, who attends St. Luke’s Primary School in the northern part of Uganda, near the border with South Sudan. The school educates children from Uganda as well as refugees from South Sudan, displaced by the horrific unrest there. Not … [Read more...]
UN Foundation, Elizabeth Gore
Can becoming an entrepreneur help a refugee live a better life? I recently had the opportunity to join the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for a visit to the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda, where I met seven incredible women entrepreneurs who have formed the Twitezimbere tailoring group. And through them, I learned the answer is yes. Despite the challenges they’ve faced, these women have been able to create and grow a business serving their neighbors in the eighth largest … [Read more...]
PTSD, The plight of FGM in The Gambia, Africa
Slowly changing, but unmoving: The plight of FGM in The Gambia, Africa A Stop FGM – Female Genital Mutilation sign in Bakau New Town, Gambia gives a phone number to reach for those women who want talk with someone about FGM. Image: Nichol Brummer/Flickr London, UNITED KINGDOM, WESTERN EUROPE: Rainy season in upcountry rural Gambia, is green. It is a warm, inviting blend of a thousand greens; a mixture of beautiful, calm, peaceful mingling greens. As I look around and soak in the reality … [Read more...]
Women’s Participation, Rights, and Civil Society Essential
Women's Participation, Rights, and Civil Society Essential to Peaceful Future for Great Lakes Region and DRC The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security welcomed the UN Security Council's attention to "the full and effective participation of women in conflict resolution and peace building" in today's high-level meeting on the Great Lakes region, including the Democratic Republic of Congo. In her briefing to the Security Council, UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Mary … [Read more...]
UGANDA: Executive Training on Leadership [July 22 – 26]
Uganda: Executive Training on Foundation of Government Information Leadership Monday, 22 July 2013 - 11:00am to Friday, 26 July 2013 - 7:00pm Contact: Jaco Du TOIT, Advisor for Communication & Information (Email: [email protected]; Mobile: +254 (0) 728 610 912; Fax: +254 (0)20 762 2750) Type of Event: Category 7-Seminar and Workshop Focal point: CI UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya will carry out a one week “Executive Training on Foundation of … [Read more...]
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Recounts 5-year-Old Girl’s Ordeal
SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS TEXT URGING TARGETED SANCTIONS AGAINST PERPETRATORS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE DURING ARMED CONFLICT Rape Largely ‘Cost-free’, Says Special Representative As UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Recounts 5-year-Old Girl’s Ordeal The Security Council today urged the United Nations sanctions committees to apply targeted sanctions against parties committing sexual violence during armed conflict. Ahead of a debate on the subject that attracted more than 60 speakers, the … [Read more...]
PrEP can reduce HIV risk among people who inject drugs
DAILY HIV MEDICATIONS NOW PROVEN TO PREVENT HIV AMONG ALL GROUPS AT HIGH RISK A daily dose of a medication used to treat HIV infection reduced the risk of HIV acquisition among people who inject drugs by 49 percent. Those who took the medication most consistently had even higher levels of protection, according to a new study announced today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – in collaboration with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Thailand Ministry of … [Read more...]
Ugandan HIV campaign targets “cheaters”
KAMPALA, January 2013 (PlusNews) - A new Ugandan HIV-prevention campaign that frankly addresses sexual infidelity is generating heated debate over the direction the country's HIV strategy should take. Billboards erected in various parts of the capital, Kampala, by Uganda Cares - a programme of the US NGO AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) - bear the image of a broken heart and the lines "Cheating? Use a condom" and "Cheated on? Get tested". The campaign aims to address the growing … [Read more...]