United Nations

June 16, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement on Luol Deng being selected as the 2008 recipient of the UN Refugee Agency's Humanitarian of the Year Award:

"I want to congratulate Luol Deng on being honored with this award. In a world rife with conflict, one of our most important obligations is to look after the innocent victims of war, including those who are forced to flee their homes as refugees - and few understand this better than Luol.

"His dedication to bringing hope to millions of children living as refugees in Sudan and around the world is an inspiration, as is Luol's own life itself. Both on and off the court, Luol sets a standard of excellence and service that all Americans can look to for inspiration."    » read more »

15 June 2008 -- "Omar, a 69-year-old refugee from Baghdad, said he will die a 'slow death' if assistance is stopped. He and his family have depended on food and medical assistance since they fled to Syria in 2006." – UNHCR, May 2008.

Iraq remains one of the most dangerous places in the world. Its refugee crisis is worsening. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, an estimated 4.7 million have been displaced both within and outside Iraq and for many the situation is desperate.    » read more »

15 June 2008 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Saudi Arabia will increase its oil production next month by 200,000 barrels a day.

Mr. Ban says he learned of the Saudi plan to raise oil output again from Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia already increased its oil production by 300,000 barrels a day this month, compared to May, to meet growing demand from customers. The additional increase would raise total Saudi production to nine-point-seven million barrels a day.

Mr. Ban was speaking after a visit to the Saudi city of Jeddah, where he met Saturday with Saudi King Abdullah. The U.N. chief says they discussed global concerns about the rising price of oil and its impact on the cost of food.    » read more »

09 June 2008 -- U.N. helicopters are delivering aid to Burma's Irrawaddy Delta Monday for the first time, bringing supplies to people struggling to survive since Cyclone Nargis devastated the region May 3.

A World Food Program spokesman said boats have been delivering some aid to villages cut off by flooding, but helicopters are much more efficient.

Cyclone Nargis damage, Burma: Photo by Ground Report (CC)

He said the U.N. is sending four more helicopters to Burma this week, bringing the total to 10.    » read more »

30 May 2008 -- Delegates from 111 countries have formally adopted a comprehensive ban on cluster bombs.

The treaty comes at the close of a 12-day meeting Friday in Dublin and bans the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster bombs. It requires signatories to destroy their stocks within eight years and to assist in clearing contaminated areas.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the development and urged all countries to sign the pact without delay.

The United States - one of the world's largest cluster bomb makers - opposes a ban. It boycotted the Dublin conference, along with Israel, Russia, China, India and Pakistan.    » read more »

May 27, 2008 -- Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s message for World Environment Day 2008, to be observed on 5 June:

Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions. Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Meets Earthquake Rescuers, China: UN Photo/Evan Schneider    » read more »

21 May 2008 -- The United States has defended its policy of detaining juveniles in prisons in Iraq, and Afghanistan. The issue is expected to be high on the agenda Thursday when the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child examines U.S. compliance with U.N. rules on dealing with children in armed conflict.

In a report submitted to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, the United States acknowledges it has detained almost 2,500 youths under the age of 18 since 2002. Almost all have been detained in Iraq under President Bush's anti-terrorism campaign.

Washington says it is holding more than 500 juveniles suspected of being "unlawful enemy combatants" in detention centers in Iraq. Another 10 are being held at the U.S. base at Bagram, Afghanistan.    » read more »

14 May 2008 -- With senior ministers gathered in New York for high-level talks on sustainable development, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today for a “second green revolution” that would embrace innovative agricultural methods, produce enough food to feed the burgeoning global population, and promote eco-friendly urban and rural development, especially in Africa.    » read more »

12 May 2008 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is frustrated by the Burmese government's handling of the humanitarian crisis in the cyclone-devastated country. He is urging the military government to increase access for international relief efforts, warning that further delays could set the country back years.

Mr. Ban expressed his frustration with the pace of relief efforts in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

"Today is the 11th day since Typhoon Nargis hit Myanmar," he said. "I want to register my deep concern and immense frustration at the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis."    » read more »

08 May 2008 -- The U.N. Children's Fund estimates one-third of all those killed by Cyclone Nargis in Burma are children. Burmese authorities report more than 22,000 people lost their lives and more than 40,000 are still missing.

The U.N. Children's Fund says in any disaster, children suffer the most. And, the disaster, which hit Burma a few days ago, is no exception.

Deputy Director of UNICEF's Office of Emergency Programs, Pierrette Vu Thi, says children are most at risk from getting sick. During a disaster, she says children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.    » read more »

10 May 2008 -- The UN refugee agency warns it may have to reduce or even suspend a number of aid programs for hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees because it has received only about half of the $261 million it needs.

The UN refugee agency says fading international interest in Iraq is having a terrible impact on the nearly five million people who have fled their homes.

A young boy watches as U.S. Marines distribute clothes and toys to Iraqi refugees: Humanitarian aid compound in Fallujah, Iraq. Photo by James Gordon (CC)    » read more »

07 April 2008 --Failed and weak states are unable for various reasons to provide security and other basic services for their citizens. The Bush administration and a growing number of foreign policy experts say failed states pose a threat to world peace and security. But there are critics who argue that intervening in a failed state can do more harm than good.

Gul Khan was just a boy when his family left its village near Jalalabad to escape the war in Afghanistan. For more than 30 years, he lived in Pakistan because he says it was too dangerous to return. Today he is coming home.

"I am asking my brothers and villagers to come back to this village and this lovely country. If they come back, we can rebuild," he said.    » read more »

Bangkok, Thailand - 03/31/2008 - Today, Angela Anderson, Director of the Pew Environment Group’s Global Warming Campaign, issued the following statement on the opening of the United Nations Bangkok climate talks, which mark the beginning of negotiations to create a new global treaty to reduce the threat of global warming. The meeting runs Monday, March 31- Friday, April 4, 2008.

“This week in Bangkok will be a success if the world sets an ambitious and rigorous plan for creating an agreement that all countries can ratify. But it must also be stringent enough to avoid global warming’s worst effects. If guided by the science, the agreement will aim to keep global temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius.    » read more »

United Nations relief officials say nearly a million people across Southern Africa have suffered damaging effects from recent floods, cyclones and heavy rains.

The officials say severe weather that began last October has disrupted the lives of about 987,000 people.

They say Madagascar has been hardest hit, with more than 332,000 people affected by several cyclones and floods.

The floods and cyclones have destroyed homes, roads and crops across the region. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says many families are living in temporary shelters, while others have lost their cattle and livelihoods.

The U.N. says the worst weather is over for another year, but problems could persist through the end of April.    » read more »

16 March 2008 -- The United Nations Environment Program says the world's glaciers are shrinking at record rates and many could disappear within decades, in a troubling sign of global climate change.

The U.N. agency said Sunday that glaciers shrank by an average of 1.5 meters in 2006, up from just over half a meter in 2005. The agency says further ice loss could have dramatic consequences, particularly in Asia where millions of people depend on seasonal melt water from the Himalayas.    » read more »