With 58 cities already committed to “Making Cities Resilient”, and 70 more preparing to participate, the campaign had made great progress, Margareta Wahlström, Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said at a Headquarters press conference today.
In progress at UNHQ
Press Conference
After years of protracted talks, the United Nations is finally set to begin intergovernmental negotiations next week on a legally binding treaty to regulate the sale of conventional arms and help keep them from ending up in the wrong hands, “a delicate and sensitive matter and at the same time, a very urgent one”, according to the Argentinean Ambassador who will chair the preparatory process.
Acclaimed actor Edward Norton, the newly appointed United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for biodiversity, said today that the key challenge of his new role as advocate for species protection and environmental preservation would be making people more aware that human well-being is fundamentally intertwined with biological diversity.
As the world continued to adjust to changed circumstances in the wake of the economic and financial crisis — sluggish economic growth, tight-fisted lenders and wary investors — a senior International Labour Organization official suggested at Headquarters today that Governments seize the opportunity to craft policy measures to boost incomes, create new jobs and provide broad social protection.
Hailing the expected creation today of “UN Women”, the agency that would become the focal point for all the world body’s activities towards ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment, the President of the Economic and Social Council said today that the move was clear recognition that women remained at the very heart of efforts to realize the Millennium Development Goals.
Conflict prevention and settlement of disputes, particularly in Africa, would come under the spotlight during the tenure of Joy Ogwu of Nigeria as Security Council President for July, the Ambassador said today briefing correspondents about the Council’s programme of work for the month.
“UN Women” would give women and girls the strong unified voice they deserve on the world stage, said United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, ahead of an anticipated decision by the General Assembly to bring together four distinct parts of the United Nations system devoted to women’s issues into one composite entity.
A year after its inception, the United Nations revamped internal justice system had resulted in speedier, more judicious resolution of staff grievances over everything from work contracts to entitlements and promotions, and from discriminatory treatment to dismissals, senior United Nations administration of justice officials said today at a Headquarters press conference to mark the system’s first anniversary.
While the Group of 20 (G-20) had been important in addressing the global financial crisis, after more than a decade in existence, it had not significantly addressed the challenges of poverty eradication, labour equality, and the environment, which remained necessary for sustainable development, Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said at Headquarters today.
The International Olympic Committee’s new Permanent Observer status at the United Nations would enable it to promote sport as a right for all people, rather than a privilege, and help it empower women, Anita L. DeFrantz, Chair of the world sports body, said at a Headquarters press conference today.