The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is observed annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first celebrated in 1982, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples. In 2013, for the first time, the Day was dedicated by the Secretary-General of the … [Read more...]
PTSD, The plight of FGM in The Gambia, Africa
July 26, 2014 by
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...]
Jihadists in Iraq – Girls undergo FGM ‘Fatwa’, ISIS
July 24, 2014 by
GENEVA: Jihadists in Iraq have ordered that all women between the ages of 11 and 46 must undergo female genital mutilation, which could affect up to four million women and girls in the war-ravaged country, a UN official said Thursday. The UN's second most senior official in Iraq, Jacqueline Badcock, said, "It is a fatwa (or religious edict) from ISIS, we learnt about it this morning. We have no precise numbers." The Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the … [Read more...]
Helen Clark, Floods in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Serbia
July 17, 2014 by
There is a pressing need in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to make rapid progress on meeting the needs of the most vulnerable people as a result of the disastrous floods in May, said UN development chief Helen Clark during her visit to Brussels for the international donor conference in support of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the devastating floods, a UN Team of Experts , which was deployed for the first time of history of Serbia, arrived in the country within 36 hours’ time. … [Read more...]
POST 2015, UNICEF, UN Women and UNDP, July 8 ( NYC )
July 7, 2014 by
PARTICIPATORY MONITORING AND ACCOUNTABILITY: CRITICAL COMPONENTS FOR THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA Side Event to the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) Hosted by Governments of Canada, Peru, Republic of Korea Supported by UNICEF, UN Women and UNDP Time and Venue: Date: 8 July 2014 Time: 12:45-1:15 PM: Light lunch available 1:15 – 2:30 PM: Panel Presentation and Q&A Venue: UN Secretariat North Lawn Building, Conference Room 7, New York Over the last two years the UN system … [Read more...]
World We Want 2015
July 2, 2014 by
The World We Want 2015 enables people to engage, visualize and analyze people’s voices on sustainable development. Trends & Outcomes “The World We Want 2015 Trends” is a one-stop shop for people’s participation and engagement with policy making. It also allows policy makers to better understand the needs and priorities of their constituents. At the same time, it is a place for local solutions to be shared and learnt from, a space for open-knowledge, open-data, and cooperation. Thanks to … [Read more...]
World Urbanization Prospects Worldwide
July 1, 2014 by
Revealing urbanization trends worldwide The world’s urban population has grown rapidly since 1950 and the coming decades will bring further profound changes to its size and distribution. On 10 July, UN DESA’s Population Division will release the latest urbanization trends, providing data that are critical for assessing current and future needs with respect to urban growth. Scheduled for launch on 10 July, just one day before World Population Day, the latest version of the World … [Read more...]
Iraq, displaced girls/women face increasing risk of sexual violence, UN warns
June 30, 2014 by
An estimated 20,000 women and girls in Iraq are at an increased risk of sexual violence as a result of the mounting crisis in northern and western parts of the country, warned the United Nations today, urging immediate action to ensure their protection. “We must act immediately to ensure that women and girls are protected from sexual violence,” said Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Babatunde Osotimehin, stressing that the international community must not wait for cases to … [Read more...]
Global Human Trafficking, a Modern form of Slavery
June 29, 2014 by
Steve McQueen, director of this year’s Oscar winner for best film “12 Years A Slave,” mentioned in his acceptance speech last month that 21 million people are living in slavery today. That quoted figure comes from the 2012 report issued by the United Nation’s International Labor Organization (ILO) that has been attempting to gather international data for over a decade now. In the Asia-Pacific region where most of the world’s forced laborers come from at 56%, an estimated 11.7 million people, … [Read more...]
World Elder Abuse Day, June 15
June 15, 2014 by
Please Join Us In Commemorating World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is recognized annually on or around the 15th of June. Since its inception in 2006, communities throughout the country and around the world have used this day to raise the visibility of elder abuse by sharing information about abuse, neglect, and exploitation in later life and promoting the resources and services that work to increase victim safety and improve offender … [Read more...]
