United Nations

Photo: 26 women from 16 villages in Liberia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda were selected to participate in six months of training on building, installing and maintaining solar lamps and panels. Photo: Thomas Dworzak

UN Pleads for Highlighting Achievements of Women Scientists

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Stories about women who have excelled in subjects like science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can help overcome bias against girls and create new role models, UN officials said on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11.

A recent study, ‘Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests’, shows that by the age of 6, girls are already less likely than boys to describe their own gender as ‘brilliant’, and less likely to join an activity labelled for ‘very, very smart’ kids.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 12 February 2017

Photo: A Trident missile-armed Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine leaving its base at HMNB Clyde. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Forthcoming UN Conference Underlines Resistance to Nukes

By Samantha Sen

LONDON (IDN) - Now that the new world order some of us were talking about threatens to collapse into a new world disorder, the emerging fear is what the U.S and Russia could agree on, rather than what they disagree about. U.S President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discovered one another as political twins looking in the same direction from opposite sides – what were thought to be opposing sides anyhow. Nowhere does this union of vision appear more deadly than in the business of nuclear armament, and business it is.

Both leaders have said yes to all the weapons they have, and nodded in the direction of yet more. Both have spoken of “strengthening” their nuclear capabilities. Strengthen how much more to what end? Dire arithmetic abounds on how many times over each can destroy the world. Skip the count; once would be enough.

: Samantha Sen; ARMAMENTS; 09 February 2017

Photo: Laszlo Szombatfalvy. Credit: Global Challenges Foundation.

A Swedish Billionaire Invites Ideas for a New UN

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) - Laszlo Szombatfalvy, a Swedish billionaire of Hungarian origin, is willing to pay US$5 million to anyone who comes up with innovative ideas for revamping the global governance system as currently manifested in the 71-year old United Nations now facing a huge funding challenge from the U.S. with Donald Trump as the President.

It is officially described as 'The Global Challenges Prize 2017: A New Shape – Remodelling Global Cooperation'. The award has been issued by the Global Challenges Foundation, which is urging "big thinkers, from all disciplines, everywhere" to use their "brainpower" and "best ideas as never before" to "help to reshape our world".

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 06 February 2017

Photo: ICC Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal at World Economic Forum in 2013. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Chamber of Commerce Gets Direct Voice in UN Decision Making

By Svenja Brunkhorst and Jens Martens

BONN | NEW YORK (IDN | Global Policy Forum) - In an unprecedented and historic move, the Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly recently granted observer status to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The resolution was submitted by France, Albania, Colombia, the Netherlands and Tunisia and was adopted during the seventy-first session of the General Assembly. The resolution sets out the ICC’s position as observer in the General Assembly from January 1, 2017 on. For the first time, the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly (GA) has approved a business organization as an observer to the UN General Assembly.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; UN INSIDER; 05 February 2017

Photo: UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Credit: Marco Grob.

UN Women Urges Renewed Efforts To Eliminate FGM

By Jaya Ramachandran

NEW YORK (IDN) - While there has been an overall decline in the prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) across countries, this progress is likely to be offset by rapid population growth in states where FGM occurs, unless efforts to eliminate the practice are renewed in light of recent research, and urgently stepped up, UN Women has warned.

In a statement on the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on February 6, UN Women – United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women – refers to a 2016 report of the UN Secretary-General. The single largest factor influencing the continuation of female genital mutilation is the desire for social acceptance and avoidance of social stigma, the report found.

: Jaya Ramachandran; UN INSIDER; 03 February 2017

Photo: UNDP Administrator Helen Clark at the first regular session of the UNDP Executive Board for 2017. Credit: UNDP / Freya Morales

UNDP Succeeds in Diversifying Funding Sources

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) - While uncertainty persists over U.S. contributions to the United Nations, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark says that "there is significant potential to attract new supporters and funding" beyond the organisation's traditional partnership base.

"These relationships take time to nurture, but over time can yield good results," she told the first regular session of the UNDP Executive Board for 2017 on January 30, pointing to significant steps to diversify UNDP's resource base.

UN coordination is a key priority for UNDP and a commitment in its Strategic Plan. The UNDP Administrator is the Chair of the UN Development Group (UNDG), which unites the funds, programmes, specialized agencies, departments and offices of the UN system that play a role in development.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 02 February 2017

Photo: Secretary-General António Guterres (3rd right, front row) with African Union leaders at the opening of AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 30. Credit: UN Photo/Antonio Fiorente

UN Chief Pleads for High-level Interaction with Africa

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) - The United Nations and the African Union (AU) have agreed to establish regular, high-level interaction between the two organizations in the interest of "enhanced energies and avenues of cooperation", according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“We have agreed that Agenda 2063 (the development agenda of the African Union) and the 2030 Agenda (for sustainable development) will be aligned,” Guterres said at a press encounter at the UN Headquarters, in New York on February 1 after his return from Africa and his participation at the African Union Summit on January 30-31.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 01 February 2017

Photo: Demonstration of waterboarding at a street protest during a visit by Condoleezza Rice to Iceland, May 2008. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Donald Trump Says 'Yes' and 'No' to Torture

By Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) - In a press conference on January 27 President Donald Trump said he believed in the worth of torture but then added most surprisingly that using it wasn’t going to be his decision. It would be decided by the Secretary of Defence, General James Mattis, who, as Trump said, is against torture.

Three years ago the US Senate Intelligence Committee published a summary of a thorough report on the recent American use of torture. Its chairwoman, Dianne Feinstein, said the 6,000-page report is “one of the most significant oversight efforts in the history of the US”.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 31 January 2017

UN and Thailand Launch 'South-South In Action' Series

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) has launched a publication series – 'South-South In Action' – purported to highlight the vast reservoir of developing country experiences and how these are enhancing South-South cooperation.

The first volume of the series, jointly published by the Royal Thai Government and the UNOSSC was presented at the UN headquarters in New York on January 12, one day before the Southeast Asian country handed the annual Chair of the Group of 77 (G77) and China over to Ecuador.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 29 January 2017

Photo: UN Secretary-General Guterres (left) and General Assembly President Thomson at the high-level dialogue on January 24. Credit: UN

Search For 'Hopeful Spots' As Funding Cuts Threaten UN

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | NEW YORK (IDN) – While a drastic cut in U.S. contributions is hanging like a Damocles' Sword over the head of the new UN Secretary-General António Guterres, senior Government officials and civil society representatives have stressed the "nexus" between enduring peace and sustainable development, urging the need to raise awareness about such a link beyond the world body's headquarters in New York.

Goal 16 of the Agenda for Sustainable Development that highlights the importance of the need to "promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies" underlines such an innate bond, they say, but it has escaped wider public and diplomatic attention – one year after the United Nations started implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) endorsed by 193 member states in September 2015.