December 2009
148 posts
It’s the Last Day for 2009 Charitable Donations –... →
Tuberculosis is probably the scariest infectious disease in the world, and the Stop TB partnership helps countries get access to the TB drugs they need.
It’s been a rough year for a lot of…
Morning Coffee - 31 December 2009 →
Summary: Suicide bombings kill 23 in Iraq; Netherlands start full-body scans on travelers bound for USA; CIA officers killed in Afghanistan.
Top Story: TWIN…
Sixty Ways the UN Makes a Difference →
In the midst of global financial crisis, climate change, and rapid globalization it’s easy to forget just how much the United Nations is part of our global history.
I just saw this link on…
Number of Afghan Returnees Down in 2009 →
A new UN report shows that he number of returning Afghan refugees fell significantly in 2009 compared to 2008.
A new UN report shows that he number of returning Afghan refugees fell…
Morning Coffee - 30 December 2009 →
Summary: A tale of two weddings; Karachi wracked by riots; China spends big in Afghanistan; corpse found in embassy cellar.
Top Story: TWO WEDDINGS AND AND TWO…
Drug Resistant Malaria is Getting Worse →
The new malaria strain that has been discovered in a Cambodian village is bad news, and not just for Cambodia.
The Thai-Cambodian border is the epicenter for new malaria strains. It’s the…
Best and Worst of 2009: The Year in Climate Change... →
Obama!
As the year began, there’s no doubt at all that it felt like, from an environmental perspective, the cobwebs had been cleaned out of the White House halls of science. Based on…
Best and Worst of 2009: The Year in Climate Change... →
photo: Julie G via flickr. It’s been a roller-coaster ride of a year in climate change politics, all speeding towards the COP15 conference in December, where with only a bit of…
UN Urges Thai Government to Cease the Forced... →
The UN Refugee Agency called on the Thai Government to cease the forced repatriation of Hmong refugees to Laos. In international law, this is called refoulement. And it is illegal.
The UN…
Peacekeeper Abuse - a Follow Up →
The UN’s Conduct and Discipline website now has a new section. Called “Statistics,” it will make public the aggregate data on peacekeeper abuses. It has the potential to be a powerful tool.
Morning Coffee - 28 December 2009 →
Summary: Yemen in the crosshairs; Thailand to expel 4000 Hmong immigrants to Laos; Karzai impersonator’s crass routine tests regime’s commitment to free speech.
Top Story:
Yemen: The Humanitarian Crisis →
Considering how the end of 2009 is shaping up, 2010 may be the year of Yemen. So far, fighting in Yemen has created a large humanitarian crisis.
Considering how the end of 2009 is shaping…
First US case of XXDR TB identified →
The AP reported Sunday on the first case of XXDR TB identified in the US. It was diagnosed in a Peruvian student named Oswaldo Juarez who was studying English in the US.
Until today, I…
UN Peacekeepers Accused of Abuses in Cote D'Ivoire →
The UN peacekeeping operation in Cote D’Ivoire has been accused of sexual abuse and exploitation by its personnel.
The United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) has been accused…
Interpol Under Siege by Uninformed Bloggers →
A certain cadre of bloggers seem to think that Interpol officers are about to arrest Americans. The thing is, there is no such thing as “an Interpol officer.”
Last week, the Obama…
Morning Coffee - 23 December 2009 →
Summary: UK priest tells parishioners it’s okay for poor people to shoplift food.
Top Story: WWJD?
Rev. Tim Jones touched off an international…
Eritrea's Transition to Pariah-State Status Nearly... →
Later today, Eritrea may be officially join the ranks of Sudan, North Korea, and Iran when the Security Council votes on a sanctions resolution on Eritrea and its political leadership.
Six…
Two out of the ten finalists for AP Female Athlete... →
The Associated Press shamefully lists two horses as finalists for its 2009 Female Athlete of the Year. All of the male finalists were human beings.
Over at the Huffington Post Dispatch…
The Power of Engagement at United Nations →
The Obama administration puts into practice its promise of engagement at the United Nations. And gets results.
There was a flurry of activity at the United Nations last week on the human…
Morning Coffee - 22 December 2009 →
Summary: Is the U.S. putting “boots on the ground” in its secret war on Pakistan? UN wants a human rights trial for the masterminds of the Conkary massacre in Guinea; Serbia applies to…
Pakistan, India, and Nuclear Winter →
Scientific American has an article on up their website right now estimating the global impact of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. It’s grim.
Scientific American has a cheery…
Morning Coffee - 21 December 2009 →
Summary: China pleased about cop15 while the rest of the world fumes; stolen Auschwitz sign recovered; Suu Kyi promised an appeal; Karzai promises to keep an eye on his own cabinet.
Ban Ki Moon's Reaction to Copenhagen Accord →
The Secretary General responds to the Copenhagen Accord.
This just came in over my transom. Ban Ki Moon’s official statement on the Copenhagen Accord, issued yesterday afternoon.
The…
Day 13 in Copenhagen: "Not Fair, Not Ambitious,... →
The UN climate summit in Copenhagen closed with a face-saving deal, but everyone is going home disappointed.
The UN climate summit in Copenhagen closed with a face-saving deal, but everyone…
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to +3C or the... →
On Thursday night about 500 people gathered in a Vigil for Survival, placing their hopes for the world in 2050 under candles at the end of the service. Photo: Matthew McDermott When…
COP15 In a Nutshell: We've Agreed Not to Do... →
Apologies if you’re offended by certain words in images, but it’s really apt right now… Photo: Matthew McDermott There’s going to be all sorts of analysis coming out in the next…
COP15's Final Hours: Hopenhagen or Nopenhagen?... →
photo: Matthew McDermott It’s shaping up to be a long night for negotiators here in Copenhagen for COP15. The last two days have been a flurry of speeches and rumors. Leaked…
COP15's Final Hours: Hopenhagen or Nopenhagen? →
It’s already dark in Copenhagen as I write this. It’s nearly the shortest day of the year and that means darkness by 3:30 in Denmark. Inside the Bella Center high level negotiations are…
Happy 30th Birthday, CEDAW →
Thirty years ago today, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was adopted by the General Assembly
Thirty years ago today, the Convention on the…
What Would You Do To Stop Climate Change? (Video) →
With COP15 in its final hours and world leaders now in Copenhagen to try to agree to some sort of global climate deal — and at this point what’s on the table is on track to create 3C of…
Morning Coffee - 18 December 2009 →
Summary: Obama in Copenhagen for final day of summit; Haiti trash talk; Lula offers cash.
Top Story: OBAMA IN COPENHAGEN
“Mitigation. Transparency….
Decision Time in Copenhagen →
Never before have 130+ world leaders gathered around a single issue at the same time, in the same place. At this stage the question is a matter of political will, not line item haggling.
…
Information: a right, a deliverable and a power →
Sector-wide the most under resourced aspect of communicating in emergencies is the communications with those affected by the emergency.
Sector-wide the most under resourced aspect of…
Voices That Touched My Heart – Last Hope in... →
When the heads of states were delivering their speeches late last night and early this morning, I was reminded of the most touching moment in Copenhagen, when I watched the United Nations University…
COP15 - The Final Push →
COP15 - The Final Push: Starting Thursday, we’ll have a home base and three major actions: a vigil at 5pm Thursday, the Fossil of the Year at 1pm Friday followed by a spectacular…
Clinton's $100 Billion Proposal →
Secretary Clinton announces that the United States will help set up a $100 billion fund to help poor countries adapt to the consequences of climate change.
I’m sure Lindsay, Aaron or…
Morning Coffee - 17 December 2009 →
Summary: The U.S. will contribute to medium-term climate aid; activists murdered in Honduras; Galbraith talked of replacing Karzai.
Top Story: CLINTON: U.S….
24, 24, 24 Hours to Go at COP15 & Where Are We... →
All photos: Matthew McDermott There’s one more day to go here at COP15 things in many ways seem to come off the rails. There is virtually no more NGO access to the Bella Center, with…
Author of Tech in Emergencies report answers your... →
Q&A with Diane Coyle, co-author of the UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation report New Technologies in Emergencies and Conflicts.
Q&A with Diane Coyle, co-author of the UN Foundation and…
Whose Summit? Our Summit! Bella Center Erupts in... →
At a bit before noon today activists inside the Bella Center began to, in their words, reclaim power. Those that were let it that is. Friends of the Earth, Avaaz and others had their…
Should the US Should Give Away its Swine Flu... →
The San Francisco Chronicle ran an editorial yesterday by three leading global health experts, calling for the US and other wealthy countries to immediately donate ten percent of their H1N1…
Whose Summit? Our Summit! Bella Center Erupts in... →
photo: Matthew McDermott NGO access to the Bella Center has been all but cut off. Friends of the Earth and Avaaz had their accreditation revoked. Nnimmo Bassey, head of FOE Intl,…
Human Rights on the Agenda →
Human Rights is back in the news. Hillary Clinton gave a major speech on the topic earlier this week. Tonight, the State Department is hosting an online chat.
Human Rights is back in the…
Morning Coffee - 16 December 2009 →
Summary: Karzai opens anti-corruption conference; Police beat back delegates, protesters in Copenhagen; Mexico’s president proposes political reforms.
Top Story:
CERFin' USA →
In a manifestation of the the Obama administration’s humanitarian impulse, the USA is committing $10 million to a UN disaster relief fund known as CERF.
When a disaster strikes somewhere in…
Send a Net. Save a Life. See a Hoops Game. →
Send a bed net to a refugee. Maybe save a life. And, thanks to Nothing But Nets and the NBA,receive two free basketball tickets.
On World Malaria Day last spring, the late Ken Bacon…
Copenhagen Day 9: Are We There Yet? →
A new draft negotiating text is circulating in Copenhagen. With less than four days left, the negotiators are still far apart on key issues including emissions targets and climate aid to…
Copenhagen Day 9: Are We There Yet? →
A new draft negotiating text is circulating in Copenhagen. With less than four days left, the negotiators are still far apart on key issues including emissions targets and climate aid to…
USAID Taking Criticism of Afghanistan Programs →
USAID is taking heavy criticism for its management of development assistance contracts in Afghanistan.
GlobalPost reported recently on a new Office of the Inspector General review of…
Mobile spells relief in Palestine →
Palestine has some advantages that allows it to rebuild quickly after emergencies — most families own a mobile that’s cheap to use and networks are durable enough to survive floods, armed…