Posted by jose ledonio on Monday, March 19, 2012,
In :
DSSG Members
The Society cordially welcomes Mr. Richard Kaplan of Alexandria, Virginia, as an Associate Member. Mr. Kaplan has long-served the US Federal government in various capacities, as well as in a number of UN-related field missions. His expertise range from Disarmament matter to Peacekeeping/Peace-buildings activities. He currently is with the US Department of Energy since 2007.Mr. Kaplan has a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences from the San Francisco State University and a Bachel... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
In :
Environment
The UN's upcoming Rio+20 conference will focus on sustainable development, not climate change, although goals such as conserving resources and reducing emissions are still on the agenda. United Nations Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth said, "The debate's changed because of China, India, Brazil and South Africa, the very rapid and surprisingly powerful growth of the newly industrialized countries." A draft document recently released for the June summit outlines seven main issues, includin... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
In :
United Nations
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
In :
United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today outlined an action agenda to help achieve progress in five key areas that will contribute to building "the future we want." Last September Mr. Ban presented five imperatives for his second term: sustainable development; preventing and mitigating conflicts, human rights abuses and the impacts of natural disasters; building a safer and more secure world; supporting countries in transition; and working to engage the talents of women and young people. "Today I... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
Apologies for our brief absence...but now, we're back. We hope that you will continue to benefit from the news posts on this site. With you in peace and goodness! Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Monday, November 28, 2011,
In :
Environment
The gap between greenhouse gas emissions cuts and what is needed to limit global temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius is set to widen, the United Nations Environment Programme warns in a report. Global carbon emissions hit record levels last year, and countries have not committed to emissions reductions sufficient to reverse the current trajectory. http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/emissions-cuts-off-course-to-halt-global-warming-unep/ Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Friday, October 14, 2011,
In :
United Nations
By a party line vote of 23-15, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a measure sponsored by committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., to cut U.S. funding for the United Nations by 50% if the world body does not shift over to permitting voluntary contributions. Proposed legislation would also see the U.S. withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council and disengage from any UN body that endorses a change in status for Palestinians. Polling released by the Better World Campaign indica... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Friday, October 14, 2011,
In :
United Nations
The 2011 Commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) will be held on Monday, 17 October at United Nations Headquarters in New York, focusing on the theme "From Poverty to Sustainability:People at the Centre of Inclusive Development". Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, October 12, 2011,
In :
Human Rights
More than 150 political prisoners have walked free in Myanmar under a government amnesty that reportedly could affect up to 6,000 prisoners, altogether. The country's press monitor and censor, Tint Swe, said last week in an interview with Radio Free Asia that his office should be shuttered. http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2011/10/change-myanmar Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, October 12, 2011,
In :
United Nations
An overwhelming majority of U.S. voters support engagement with the United Nations and financial support for the world body, according to a survey from the United Nations Foundation and Better World Campaign. More than eight out of 10 respondents from across the U.S. political spectrum said it important for the U.S. to maintain an active role. http://www.undispatch.com/new-polling-data-shows-americans-overwhelmingly-support-engagement-at-the-un Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Thursday, October 6, 2011,
In :
U.S. Politics
Conservative lawmakers took aim at the United Nations Population Fund in a bill that would eliminate the $50 million budget request made by U.S. President Barack Obama for the agency. Republicans who backed the bill in the Foreign Affairs Committee said they were upset by UNFPA's work in China, which maintains a policy limiting the number of children each family can have, and said the UN agency was complicit in forced sterilizations and abortions. The committee's ranking Democrat, Howard Berm... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, October 5, 2011,
In :
United Nations
It is a "well-known, yet seldom spoken truth" that the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly ushers in a frenzy not only of speech-making and diplomacy, but of spying. In fact, the gathering is the "Super Bowl" of UN spy games, reports the Associated Press. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/spy-games-york-general-assembly-14660956 Continue reading ...
Development projects in the occupied territories of the West Bank have been suspended after the U.S. Congress froze $200 million in financing in retaliation for Palestinian efforts to attain recognition of statehood at the United Nations. The administration of President Barack Obama was pressuring lawmakers to reverse their decision, which already has prompted the U.S. foreign aid agency to delay two projects -- valued at $81 million -- to boost the Palestinian private sector and improve over... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, October 5, 2011,
In :
Environment
Auditing firms that determine compliance for the world's biggest greenhouse-gas market could begin to turn away businesses because they cannot keep up with the surge in emission-reduction projects in need of validation, said Jonathan Hall, president of the Designated Operational Entities and Independent Entities Association. Over the past three months, a record number of projects, 592, entered the validation stage for UN Certified Emission Reduction credits. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, October 5, 2011,
In :
Environment
Bill Richards and J. Read Smith, co-chairs of the National 25x'25 Alliance, recommend a "long-term, stable energy policy to generate jobs and revitalize our economy" that focuses on renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal. "There has never been greater need for public policy and funding to maximize the economic benefits of our nation's vast sustainable resources," they write.http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111004/OPINION03/310040008/Renewable-energy-job-creator?odyssey... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Tuesday, September 27, 2011,
In :
Environment
Leaders of island nations on Saturday pleaded with the United Nations to move more quickly to reduce carbon emissions worldwide in order to prevent flooding and damage from more severe storms in light of rising sea levels attributed to climate change. "Without international cooperation and concerted effort the impact of climate change will be devastating for all our nations," Navinchandra Ramgoolam, prime minister of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, told the world body's General Assembly. htt... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Tuesday, September 27, 2011,
In :
Human Rights
An additional $700 million, plus greater access for aid workers, is needed in order to save more of the 750,000 lives under threat in drought- and famine-stricken East Africa, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told member states on Saturday. That day, the World Bank announced it would increase aid to countries in the area to $1.88 billion -- almost four times the amount originally pledged last summer -- through 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15050694 Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Friday, September 23, 2011,
In :
Environment
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated his administration's opposition to the plan of the Palestinian Authority to seek recognition as an independent state at the world body. "Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the UN. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now," Obama said. The speech also praised the pro-democracy movements sweeping the Middle East, and called on the UN to sanction Syria for its ... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Friday, September 23, 2011,
In :
United Nations
Nearly $45 billion has been pledged to support the United Nations Every Woman Every Child initiative in the year since the effort to reduce maternal and child mortality rates began. Bangladesh, Ethiopia and other poor countries have earmarked $11 billion for improving health services for pregnant women and newborns. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/poorest-countries-investing-more-as-un-states-meet-pledge-for-maternal-child-health/2011/09/20/gIQAUrj4iK_story.html Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Monday, September 19, 2011,
In :
Human Rights
Countries where females have solid opportunities perform better in regards to productivity and furthering development goals, the World Bank says in a report. While women now account for more than 40% of the global workforce, significant gaps in gender equity remain unaddressed. http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gender-equality-boosts-development-world-bank-says/ Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Monday, September 19, 2011,
In :
Human Rights
Women are integral to any country's economic, social and political development and are a major focus area for the current U.S. administration's international efforts, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says in this interview. U.S. government support for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Feed the Future work to help improve women's daily lives so they can reach for newer economic opportunities. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/09/18/clinton-s-cause-working-for-the-women-of... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Monday, September 19, 2011,
In :
United Nations
India, Brazil and South Africa may discover drumming up support for additional permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council for an emerging power has become more difficult. http://www.npr.org/2011/09/17/140533339/u-s-underwhelmed-with-emerging-powers-at-u-n Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Friday, September 9, 2011,
In :
United Nations
A bill introduced recently by U.S. lawmaker Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, contains "radical proposals" for reforming the United Nations that likely doom its potential for becoming law, preserving the current system of U.S. contributions to the world body. "If you wipe out the funding base of the UN, as her proposal does, you ... will eviscerate the good things they are doing," Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., said in an interview. Separately, United... Continue reading ...
The seat at the United Nations long held by Libya should be given over to the country's interim leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested Thursday. Russia, who has long opposed the NATO bombing campaign that helped lead to the apparent overthrow of strongman Moammar Gadhafi, officially recognized the country's fledgling National Transitional Council. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/01/us-libya-conference-clinton-idUSTRE7804F220110901 Continue reading ...
The 3% cost-of-living adjustment granted Aug. 1 to more than 4,800 UN international staff living in New York "is inappropriate at this time of global fiscal austerity, when member state governments everywhere are implementing drastic austerity measures such as layoffs, service reductions, revenue increases, and reductions in pay and benefits for civil servants," writes Joseph Torsella, the U.S. ambassador for management and reform at the world body. In a letter, Torsella calls for the Interna... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, August 31, 2011,
In :
United Nations
A strong relationship between the United Nations and the U.S. is in the best interest of both, but the world body needs reform to improve effectiveness, according to this Bloomberg editorial. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has already moved to strengthen financial accounting and should do more to reinforce principles contained in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-30/u-s-should-show-its-support-for-un-by-trying-to-fix-what-s-wrong-view.html Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, August 31, 2011,
In :
United Nations
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, August 31, 2011,
In :
Environment
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, August 31, 2011,
In :
United Nations
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, August 31, 2011,
Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim brothers! Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, August 17, 2011,
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, August 17, 2011,
In :
United Nations
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, August 17, 2011,
In :
Global Trade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtegUGSK1bg&feature=player_detailpage Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Friday, August 12, 2011,
In :
DSSG Members
The Diplomatic Society of St. Gabriel welcomes into its fold Ms. Michelle Harris.
Ms. Harris has had longstanding service in the private sector as well as in the US diplomatic service. She has demonstrated senior management
experience across corporate, nonprofit and government sectors and in
international and U.S. domestic environments. Her expertise include: managing catastrophic event response operations; infrastructure
and economy rebuilding; program
and project management; client service ... Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Thursday, July 28, 2011,
In :
U.S. Politics
Posted by jose ledonio on Monday, July 25, 2011,
On behalf of the Society, we offer our prayers for the speedy recovery of His Emininence Pietro Sambi. http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2011/07/pray-for-sambi.html Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Monday, July 18, 2011,
In :
Human Rights
Posted by jose ledonio on Monday, July 18, 2011,
In :
Global Trade
Posted by jose ledonio on Saturday, July 16, 2011,
In :
Human Rights
Posted by jose ledonio on Saturday, July 16, 2011,
In :
U.S. Politics
Posted by jose ledonio on Thursday, July 14, 2011,
In :
Human Rights
Posted by jose ledonio on Wednesday, July 13, 2011,
Posted by jose ledonio on Friday, July 8, 2011,
In :
Human Rights
Posted by jose ledonio on Thursday, July 7, 2011,
Ambassador Jesus "Gary" Domingo (2nd from right) meets with Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales Continue reading ...
Posted by jose ledonio on Tuesday, July 5, 2011,
Posted by jose ledonio on Tuesday, July 5, 2011,
Posted by jose ledonio on Tuesday, June 21, 2011,
| |
