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January 17, 2012 | News covering the UN and the world	Sign up  |  E-Mail this  |  Donate


UNFAO chief: Battle to end hunger is winnable
Gains in the battle against malnutrition have been made in many countries, but a concerted effort to slash the number of people around the world facing food shortages is still needed, Jose Graziano da Silva, the new head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says in this interview. Da Silva is supporting tighter regulations on speculation, which has been broadly tagged as a major contributing factor to rising food prices. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (1/16)


UN keeps searching for end to Syria crisis
Health aid is under threat in financial downturn
Valuing Indian women, by the numbers
IEA chief: Nuclear phase-out means more coal
Rwanda to stage first genocide trial
Sustainable Energy for All
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#Energy is everything. #UN kicked off Int'l Year of Sustainable Energy for All this weekend. VIDEO: ow.ly/8wn6H @SGenergyforall"

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"The USA is restoring full diplomatic relations with Burma. The move comes after several months of very rapid reforms and liberalization within the country. The final straw it seemed, was the release of over 650 political prisoners."
UN Dispatch


UN keeps searching for end to Syria crisis
Members of the United Nations Security Council are grappling with a revised Syria resolution proposal from Russia, while the world body confirmed plans to send trainers to Egypt to help Arab League observers manage their mission to Syria. Two Syrian parliamentarians have publicly sided with the pro-reform movement against the government and have fled the country. AlertNet/Reuters (1/16), Al-Jazeera (1/16), Bloomberg Businessweek (1/17)
UN report projects moderate economic growth
Governments must act quickly to address economic weaknesses such as sovereign debt overload and unstable banking system if the world economy is to grow by anything more than 0.5% in 2012, according to the latest United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects report. The new version of this annual report projects an average economic growth of 2.6% for the year and 3.2% for 2013 as long as major economic crises can be avoided. Reuters (1/17)
Other News
New UN greenhouse gas offsets fall as Greece heads for default
Bloomberg (1/16)
UNODC adds Pakistani cricketer Afridi as global ambassador
The Express Tribune (Pakistan) (1/17)


Health aid is under threat in financial downturn
As financing for global health aid continues to dry up as a result of Europe's debt crisis, people across the developing world, notably the Democratic Republic of Congo, are getting sicker and dying at ever increasing rates. "Governments in donor countries across the board are struggling, and we're seeing some severe public expenditure cuts. Some of that has to impact development assistance," said Stefan Emblad, head of resource mobilization for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Bloomberg Businessweek (1/17)
Gains against famine in Somalia are still fragile, UN warns
The relief effort in Somalia has made significant inroads against the consequences of famine, yet many Somalians continue to live in precarious conditions, said Mark Bowden, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator. An estimated 4 million Somalis require assistance -- food aid, health care, and water and sanitation services -- on a regular basis, he said. The Guardian (London) (1/16)
Fake malaria drugs endanger Africans
Millions of lives in Africa could be put at risk by sub-standard and counterfeit malaria drugs, some of which are suspected to have been manufactured in China, according to a study. Researchers at the Trust-Mahosot Hospital-Oxford University Tropical Medicine Research Collaboration examined anti-malarial drugs on sale in 11 African countries between 2002 and 2010. BBC (1/16)

Other News
UN: $173 million is needed to aid Cote d'Ivoire
AlertNet (1/16)
Nigeria restores gas subsidy in face of national strike
The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (1/16)
City dwellers dominate for first time in Chinese history
AlertNet/Reuters (1/17)


Valuing Indian women, by the numbers
A considerable drop in the number of girls in India as a result of sex-selective abortions and general neglect could, in fact, make women more valuable in accordance with the law of supply and demand. Not only could women begin to be paid better in relation to men, but their marriage value could rise, too, ostensibly reducing the burden of dowries on families. The Wall Street Journal/India Real Time blog (1/16)

Kenyan faces legal action over child bride
A Kenyan man facing charges for defiling a child bride he paid about $58 for has called for the girl's parents to be brought in to corroborate. Child marriage remains commonplace in Kenya thanks to chronic poverty, tradition and the desire to protect family honor. AlertNet (1/17)
Other News
Segregated bus service is designed to protect Pakistani women
BBC (1/16)

IEA chief: Nuclear phase-out means more coal
Efforts to phase out the use of nuclear energy are likely to increase greenhouse gas emissions from the use of coal over the short to medium term, International Energy Agency chief economist Fatih Birol told attendees at the World Future Energy Summit. Several countries including Germany and Switzerland have announced plans in the wake of Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster to phase out or scale back the use of nuclear power. BusinessGreen (U.K.) (1/17)
Solar micro-grids in India boost health, revenue
Some of the poorest villagers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh are shelving kerosene as a source of energy and tying into solar-powered micro grids to power their homes. Users say the service -- which provides two LED lights and one cell-charging point for a low weekly cost -- allows them to work longer hours and enables children to study longer. The Guardian (London) (1/16)
Other News
UNDP-built homes help protect against floods in Bangladesh
AlertNet (1/17)

Rwanda to stage first genocide trial
Rwandans charged with genocide can now get fair trials in their own country, where, nearly 18 years ago, some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred over 100 days of violence, according to prosecutors from the UN war crimes tribunal based in Tanzania. The case of Jean Uwinkindi, a pastor arrested in 2010 and indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity, is slated to be the first heard in Rwanda. Reuters (1/16)
Other News
Al-Qaida operatives overrun Yemeni town of Radda
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/The Associated Press (1/16)
UN panel exonerates Eritrea in alleged Islamist weapons airlift
The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Reuters (1/16)
Kazakh parliamentary vote is criticized as neither free, fair
The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (1/16)
El Salvador's president apologizes for civil war massacre that killed 1,000
BBC (1/17)

Sustainable Energy for All
In his keynote address to the World Future Energy Summit, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on governments, the private sector, and civil society to make significant commitments to action in support of his Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. His call to action underscores the importance of energy to sustainable development, and contributes to the global launch of 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. To learn more about the Sustainable Energy For All movement, visit the UN Foundation website. Download this factsheet for key events and information. Read more at the Sustainable Energy for All website.


Position Title	Company Name	Location
Africa Program Specialist	METI Inc., contractor for the USDA Forest Service Office of International Programs	Washington D.C., DC
Program Director - Sustainable and Thriving Environments for West Africa Regional Development	METI Inc, contractor for the USDA Forest Service Office of International Programs	Freetown, Sierra Leone
Director, Health & Ecosystems: Analysis of Linkages (HEAL)	Wildlife Conservation Society	Bronx, NY, NY
Communications Officer, Nothing But Nets	United Nations Foundation	Washington DC, DC
Grants Manager, Women and Population	United Nations Foundation	Washington DC, DC
Senior Director, Global Market Development and Program Quality, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves	United Nations Foundation	Washington DC, DC
Director, International Reproductive Health and Family Planning (IRH/FP)	United Nations Foundation	Washington DC, DC
Click here to view more job listings.



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