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Sunday, September 20, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
HEALTH: Red Cross, UN Launch Fight against HIV/AIDS Stigma
Much of the expansion of HIV/AIDS can be attributed to the discrimination suffered by people who are infected with the virus, says the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as it begins a global campaign against the stigma associated with the disease.ECONOMY: Eastern Europe and Central Asia See ‘Remarkable Growth’
Russia and the transition economies of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, former members of the now-defunct socialist bloc, were among the world leaders in growth in 2001.TRADE: Full Recovery to Be Delayed, Says WTO Report
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) predicts a "moderate recovery" of around one percent for exports by year-end, following the contraction recorded last year.RIGHTS: NGOs Disenchanted with UN Commission’s Results
The outcome of the annual sessions of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which ended Friday, has left non-governmental groups disappointed, as they saw their once- active role in the discussions reduced to a presence they describe as "just for show."HEALTH-AFRICA: WHO Urges Switch in Malaria Treatments
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended Thursday that African countries speed up implementation of a new, more effective therapy to fight malaria, a disease that has developed resistance to conventional medicines.RIGHTS: UN Creates Global Anti-Torture Verification System
A United Nations body voted in favour of creating an international inspections system to determine whether torture is occurring at detention centres, although some countries, including the United States and Cuba, object to this new approach.RIGHTS: Cuba Taken to Task in Resolution of UN Commission
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights approved a resolution in a close vote Friday that calls on Cuba to recognise its citizens' human, civil and political rights and calls for sending a UN observervation mission to the socialist- run island.RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: Abuses under Scrutiny by UN Commission, NGOs
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, numerous non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the Colombian government coincide in their pessimistic outlook when it comes to the human rights situation in the war- torn South American nation.DEVELOPMENT: NGOs Decry Water Privatisation Scheme in WTO Talks
The European Union (EU) denied that it seeks to privatise all public services, including water, as stated in confidential documents attributed to the bloc that were distributed this week by non-governmental organisations (NGOs).HEALTH: One Last Push Needed to Wipe Out Polio Forever, Says WHO
Humanity is on the verge of eradicating poliomyelitis, but must step up efforts in a final phase to eliminate every last vestige of this disease, urges the World Health Organisation (WHO).HUMAN RIGHTS: NGOs and UN Rapporteurs Condemned to Silence
Non-governmental organisations and United Nations special rapporteurs charge that the Commission on Human Rights has condemned them to silence by reducing their presentation time or cancelling them outright due to financial troubles.TRADE: Oxfam Critique of WTO Triggers Reactions from All Sides
Top officials from the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rejected the analysis published Thursday by the humanitarian organisation Oxfam International about the inequities of the global trade system and the harm it purportedly causes developing countries.RIGHTS: Amnesty Presses UN to Act against Death Penalty
The human rights organisation Amnesty International urges the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to repeat its call for a universal moratorium on state executions, which in 2001 claimed the lives of at least 3,048 people.MIDDLE EAST: UN Rights Mission Heads to Zone of Conflict
The Middle East mission headed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, is slated to begin investigating the humanitarian situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories Tuesday.RIGHTS-MIDDLE EAST: Robinson to Head UN Fact-Finding Mission
The Islamic countries that support the Palestine National Authority convinced the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Friday to send a fact-finding mission to investigate alleged rights violations committed since Israel launched a military offensive in the Palestinian territories Mar 29.RIGHTS-MIDEAST: US Rejects Proposal, Report from UN’s Robinson
The United States rejected Tuesday the proposal from the United Nation's top human rights official to immediately send observers to the Palestinian territories to obtain information and make recommendations about the "severe deterioration" of the situation there.ENVIRONMENT: Global Agency Hesitant to Confirm El Niño’s Return
The first signs of El Niño, the periodic phenomenon that causes climate fluctuations and natural disasters around much of the world, have appeared along South America's Pacific coast, but scientists are awaiting more definitive indications before they will confirm its presence.HEALTH: NGOs Disillusioned by Tobacco Control Talks
The governments negotiating the text of an international agreement for controlling tobacco consumption expressed satisfaction with the results of the latest discussions, but pro-health and pro-consumer non-governmental organisations (NGOs) went home disappointed.RIGHTS: UN Rapporteur Documents Wave of Anti-Muslim Reactions
A new United Nations study highlights a wave of anti-Islamic and anti-Arab reactions seen in Australia, Canada, the United States and several European Union countries in the wake of the Sep 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.HEALTH: Transnationals Obstruct Anti-Tobacco Negotiations
Consumer and health activists accuse transnational cigarette companies of interfering in the negotiations of the international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).TRADE: Negotiators Dig in Heels as Steel Talks Begin
Trade negotiators from the United States initiated talks with representatives of the European Union (EU), Brazil and other member countries of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that are condemning the tariffs Washington recently slapped on its steel imports.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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