Tag: United Nations

South Sudan – What Now?

Now that South Sudan’s independence is a reality, a new set of challenges awaits On July 9th, South Sudan became an independent nation. The United Nations is currently working its way towards the vote that will officiate South Sudan as a member of the UN. On Wednesday afternoon, the UN Security Council decided to recommend that the …

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Tourism Ethics

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced on July 7th that it will be coming together with Spain to organize the First International Congress on Ethics and Tourism.  The conference will be held on the 15th and 16th of September in Madrid and will cover issues such as responsible tourism, fair tourism and poverty reduction, and the role of the …

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Gender Inequality in the Workplace

Gender inequality is a deplorable reality that runs rampant across the globe.  Women are vulnerable to injustice at home, work and in their communities.  Socially, economically, politically and culturally, women have been treated as second class citizens throughout history.  In the workplace, women earn less money on average than their male counterparts and face a …

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Allowing Aid Into Somalia

Al-Shabaab’s decision to allow non-Muslim aid organizations to once again work in Somalia is great news – but will the good news last? Every morning when I wake up, I fire up my laptop and check out the BBC’s news homepage. More often than not, the headlines are full of discouraging events, sometimes leading me …

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Microfinancing Myanmar

The president of Myanmar (formerly Burma) announced an interesting way to fight poverty and increase economic development in the countryside: a sustainable microfinance system.  Microfinance, for those of you that don’t know, is a system in which low-income clients and others who do not have access to banking services are given loans with the assumption …

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A Closer Look at the MDGs

In September 2000, the United Nations established eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in hopes of improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries. The MDGs have caused governments around the world to rally together in a global partnership to make significant progress in some of the most challenging areas in the developing world. The …

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What the East Africa Drought Really Means

Currently, the Eastern part of Africa is experiencing one of the worst droughts on record. More than ten million people are affected in countries such as Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. With increasing food prices, dry land, failing crops and dying livestock, many Africans in these countries simply don’t have access to food. Malnutrition …

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Peace Not Wanted in Lebanon?

Remember last week when I posted about honoring U.N. Peacekeepers? Well, I’m sorry to report that a vehicle filled with U.N. Peacekeepers has since been attacked in Lebanon. On Friday, May 27, a marked United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicle was blown up near the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon. Six Italian …

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The International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers

This Sunday, May 29 is the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. Never heard of it? It’s the day that recognizes and celebrates all those who have taken part in UN peacekeeping operations led by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). Never heard of that? Well, it’s a department of the United Nations that is …

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The CRPD: What’s missing?

In my earlier post I offered some background information about the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), including its history and purpose. I wrote the piece in recognition of the 100th ratification of the treaty last week, but it’s important to understand that ratifying is simply the first step. The hard …

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