U.N. Whistleblower Shines Light on Human Trafficking and Private Militaries

“It is bittersweet to be back inside (U.N. walls) after twelve years and virtually being kicked out on my ass on its front steps in Bosnia,” said Kathryn Bolkovac at an event hosted by the U.N. Bookshop.

Combating Hate Speech Without Infringing Freedom of Expression

The international community faces an ongoing challenge in protecting the rights to freedom of opinion and expression while also combating incitement to genocide and preventing violence based on hatred. This was stated at a panel discussion Friday about hate speech and incitement to genocide.

Building Beaches Against the Sea

The government of this historic walled city, a bastion of tourism on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, is widening beaches and building dual carriageways on its north side to protect against the ever-worsening impacts of climate change.

Murder of Landless Workers’ Leader Recalls Brazil’s Dictatorship

The execution-style killing of a leader of the Landless Workers’ Movement in a sugarcane plantation in the southeastern Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, where bodies of opponents of the dictatorship were incinerated in the 1970s, recalls one of the most tragic chapters in this country’s history.

Israel Using Crowd Control Weapons ‘Unlawfully’

The Israeli army is systematically using crowd control weapons and live ammunition unlawfully against Palestinians in the West Bank, signaling a widespread breach of military regulations and an alarming culture of impunity, a leading Israeli human rights group has warned.

UNESCO-IHE Rector Predicts Water Cooperation, not Conflict

“Many are saying that water will be the principle cause of the next conflict,” said András Szöllösi-Nagy, Rector at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE), at a press briefing at U.N. Headquarters in New York. “If you look at history, (that’s) not true,” he added.

Humanitarian Situation Worsens in Mali

“The humanitarian situation in Mali continues to deteriorate,” said Philippe Lazzarini, Deputy Director of the Coordination and Response Division for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA) in a conference of member states at the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Twelve Promising Steps Forward for Global Development in 2012

As the developing world is fervently renewing and accelerating its efforts to achieve the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, and after a recent record-low in U.N. donor contributions for 2012, the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) on Monday recognised 12 stories of success.

Kyrgyzstan’s Labour Migrants Leave Behind “Social Orphans”

(EurasiaNet) - Like most residents of her children’s home in Osh, Nargiza is a part-time orphan. Her father disappeared when she was born and her mother works long spells in Russia. Nargiza has no siblings and doesn’t know her grandparents. But she does see her mother from time to time.

Learning From The Holocaust With “The Rescuers”

As the world continues to face the threat of genocide, Michael King’s poignant documentary film, “The Rescuers”, seeks to learn lessons through the little-known stories of 13 diplomats, who saved the lives of thousands of Jews during World War II.

Kerry Gets a Pass as Factions Gear Up for Hagel Fight

Sen. John Kerry received a warm reception from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee here Thursday, virtually assuring his approval as President Barack Obama’s second-term secretary of state as soon as next week.

AN APPRECIATION – Werner Fornos, Tireless Advocate of Population Stabilization

Werner H. Fornos, who came to the United States as a teenager from his native Germany following World War II, was later elected to the Maryland General Assembly, and became among the world's foremost spokespersons for global population stabilization, died on January 16 following a lengthy illness. He was 79.

Law Makes it Honourable to Kill

“Before she was murdered, she wasn’t alive. We’ll tell her story backwards from her murder to her birth”…so begins a powerful new song by critically acclaimed Palestinian hip-hop band DAM to draw attention to the continuing murder of Palestinian women by male relatives declaring that “family honour” has been damaged by alleged sexual indiscretions.

‘Green’ Approaches to Water Gaining Ground Around World

After Hurricane Sandy swept through the northeast of the United States late October 2012, millions of New Yorkers were left for days without electricity.  But they still had access to drinking water, thanks to New York City’s reliance on protected watershed areas for potable water.

Peru Moves to Protect its Natural Bounty

Peru’s economic growth is largely dependent on its wealth of natural resources, which provide over 50 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 80 percent of exports. In view of this fact, the government is developing a project for the valuation and protection of this natural bounty.

Vote, Violence and Weather Top 2012 U.S. TV News

The presidential election topped news coverage in 2012 from the three major U.S. television networks, closely followed by violence in the United States and Middle East, and extreme weather events in the United States, according to the latest annual review by the authoritative Tyndall Report.

Latest U.S. Poll Shows U.N. in Favourable Light

The majority of registered U.S. voters have favourable opinions of the U.N., according to polling data released  by the Better World Campaign (BWC).

Challenges Dog Community Radio, Finally on Air in El Salvador

For the first time in El Salvador, a community radio is broadcasting under its own licence. The struggle continues, however, for legislative change that will give these kinds of broadcasters more airspace. After years of challenges, Radio Mangle finally began broadcasting this week to over 200 communities in the area known as Bajo Lempa, in the municipality of Jiquilisco, in the south of the province of Usulután.

Mexico Tearing Its Hair Out Over Mercury

The Coatzacoalcos river basin in southern Mexico is so polluted that you can sense the mercury in the air, feel it and breathe it, and the population living in the area is only too aware of its undesirable neighbours: refineries and petrochemical complexes that emit this toxic element into the air and water.

“Slippery Slope” between R2P and Regime Change

“What would we do if tomorrow there was another [genocide in] Rwanda?” asked  former U.N.  Secretary-General Kofi Annan, at an event hosted by the U.N. Bookstore. “It’s something that haunted me.”

In Caribbean, Climate-Smart Agriculture Bolsters Farm Production

A new initiative is catching on in the Caribbean that aims to increase and sustain agricultural productivity by incorporating information about weather and climate into the farming process, all under the umbrella of climate-smart agriculture.