Information and stories about United Nations.

, , ,

iMedcare Technologies Works to Improve Medicine

internet4
The 13th Infopoverty World Conference was held in New York City last week. The focus of the United Nations-founded technology conference was “Innovations for Nation-Building and the Empowerment of People.” The conference was established to share new advances in the use of technology to solve problems in the developing world.

One tool that received a great deal of interest was a system that allowed ultrasounds to be taken in a rural location while the data was transferred to a doctor in a city hospital. Such a device makes ultrasounds more easily available for people living in rural areas while also offering the service at a lower cost to the patient and hospital. The Chinese company iMedcare Technologies Co. is responsible for the invention. By using real-time internet camera tools and simple on-site machinery, simpler medical tests such as ultrasounds may be conducted. This advancement in the medical field may eventually lead to a large variety of tests that could be run remotely in real-time.

Instead of doctors, residents of the rural areas could be employed and educated about the on-site machinery and doctors would be able to keep living near and seeing their many patients in more urban areas. While doctors would have to be present in person for more involved operations, this innovation in medical procedures may save lives by making medical care more easily available for many people in poor rural areas.

– Kevin Sullivan

Source: China Daily
Photo: PC World

,

NGOs Make Emergency Appeal for Aid to Syria

Syria_NGO_Aid
A group of 14 UK-based NGOs, The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), has made an “emergency appeal” to provide aid to Syria, which is struggling under the duress of a civil war. With recent news of chemical warfare being used against civilians and a death toll that has reached nearly 70,000, aid groups are struggling to keep up with the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Recent estimates place at least 8,000 refugees fleeing the country per day, compared to 1,000 per day a few months ago.  Because of mass displacement and intense fighting, NGOs and other aid groups are finding it extremely difficult to reach civilians who are in need. Members of the DEC have been able to extend aid to refugees who have fled to other surrounding countries, and a number of other groups have had success reaching people throughout Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, and other areas throughout northern Syria.

The UN asserted that although they have requested $1.5 billion in emergency aid, only a small portion of that need has been met. The DEC’s Chief Executive, Saleh Saeed, said that even though a number of agencies are attempting to work together in the region, there remain a high number of civilians in urgent need, and that “the greatest challenge to meeting those needs remains the barriers to delivering aid which are faced by impartial humanitarian agencies such as our members,” as well as financial pressures.

The total number of people who are in need of aid directly stemming from the situation in Syria has reached 5 million, as the DEC plans to appeal to public and government officials for additional help.

– Christina Kindlon

Source: Guardian

, , , ,

5 Water Cooperation Facts for World Water Day

International Year of Water Cooperation
Friday, March 22, 2013 is World Water Day. This year’s World Water Day is especially important because the UN has designated 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation. Those new to water rights issues may wonder: what is water cooperation? Why have a year dedicated to water cooperation? This post will address some of the most important points about international water cooperation.

According to UN-Water:

1. The International Year of Water Cooperation aims to: raise awareness of water cooperation, initiate innovative action toward water cooperation, foster dialogue about water as a top international priority, and address water-related development goals for beyond 2015, when the Millennium Development Goals expire.

2. Water cooperation is: cooperation between all parties involved in water management. If one party does not cooperate, efficiency of water management decreases, to the detriment of human lives. Water cooperation happens on local, national, and international levels. Vital water sources such as rivers and ground water extend across political boundaries; cooperation is needed to share these resources. Building a village well or pumping water for irrigation requires the cooperation of separate parties, often with conflicting interests.

3. Water cooperation is essential because: without water cooperation, progress is impossible in other areas of human development such as food security, gender equality, and poverty reduction. Improving water access is key to reducing poverty, especially for women and children. Water cooperation creates economic benefits, and is necessary for preserving and protecting the natural environment. Life on earth depends on water; we are responsible for managing it sustainably and effectively.

4. Challenges to water cooperation are: reaching across social, political, and economic boundaries. Those involved in water management and policy-making must work with a broad range of stakeholders, local residents, governments, and NGOs. In these situations, cooperation and cultural understanding are essential for effective communication and decision-making. Water cooperation is further complicated by the increasing water needs of a growing population. Urbanization, pollution and climate change continue to threaten water resources, placing them under even greater pressure.

5. There are endless ways you can get involved with water cooperation efforts: educate yourself and others about water rights, impediments to water access, and water cooperation efforts. Engage others in your community to advocate for sustainable water management. Click here for more about how to get involved in World Water Day and the International Year of Water Cooperation!

– Kat Henrichs
Source: UN-Water
Photo:Tree Hugger

, , ,

March 22 is World Water Day

world-water-day-2013-water-cooperation_opt
Is water a commodity or a human right? Too many people, governments, and institutions see water as something merely to be bought and sold, and not as something every person on earth needs for survival. Like food, health care, educational and economic opportunities, and many of the other things we write about on the blog, safe water is a human right and necessity. Since 1993, the UN has designated March 22 as World Water Day. This serves to bring attention to, advocate for sustainable management of, and celebrate clean, fresh water.

2013 has also been designated the International Year of Water Cooperation, so this year’s World Water Day holds special significance. Events will be held across the globe to foster international cooperation around water. Because of the organization’s interdisciplinary approach to worldwide problems, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will coordinate the Day on behalf of UN-Water.

This day serves many purposes, including raising public awareness of water issues facing the globe and advocating for improvements in water management. Access to clean, safe drinking water is a major health concern among the world’s poorest populations. 88 percent of cases of diarrhea, the number one cause of death and illness in the world, are due to a lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities. Almost a billion people do not have access to improved water sources, while 2.5 billion live without adequate sanitation facilities.

While the statistics are disturbing, we can do something to improve these conditions. World Water Day is an opportunity to learn about water issues and take action on behalf of those whose basic water needs are not being met. To learn more about World Water Day 2013 and the International Year of Water Cooperation, visit the UN’s World Water Day page.

– Kat Henrichs
Source: UN-Water
Photo:UN

,

UN Says Poverty has Decreased Throughout the Developing World

UN Says Poverty has Decreased Throughout the Developing WorldAccording to a new study released by the United Nations, global poverty has seen drastic decreased in recent times, and “up to 80 percent of the world’s middle class will live in developing countries by 2030.”

Calling the rapid reduction in poverty an “epochal global rebalancing,” the UN says that rising incomes and economic development have engendered a rising middle class and have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of severe poverty, citing that at least 40 developing countries with growing economies have contributed to these latest figures.

Helen Clarke, the UN’s Development Program Administrator, said that these countries created fast economic growth by accepting foreign investment and focusing on improving infrastructure and increased education for their citizens.

Also cited as a reason for improved well-being was the GDP boom that occurred in India, China, and Brazil, where China and India managed to double output within the last 20 years.

The study, using the Human Development Index (HDI) as a measurement, also acknowledged other developing countries as having greatly improved individual well-being, with Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Angola “among 14 countries that have recorded gains in HDI of more than 2 percent a year since 2000.”

The UN found that global poverty has nearly decreased in half since 1990 when it was recorded at 43 percent. In 2008, global poverty was recorded at just 22 percent. The study highlighted that within this time period, 500 million people in China alone rose out of extreme poverty.

The report found that the largest factor in the reduction of poverty in recent years as global trade, which grew by 22 percent since 1980, which contributes to greater and more rapid economic growth.

– Christina Kindlon

Source: Financial Times
Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark

A New Way of Measuring World Hunger

A New Way of Measuring World HungerThe UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has partnered with the Gallup World Poll to redesign its system of measuring food security and is ready to begin testing. The new system is partially due to accusations of the FAO presenting inaccurate data on world hunger. The previous measurement of food security was based on calorie availability and was often regarded as too narrow a criterion, which resulted in the exclusion of many people who would meet the new, more extensive standards of hunger.

The new system consists of an eight-question survey in the participants’ native language and asks questions on a range of topics; particularly about if a lack of access to resources such as money had, in the past 12 months, “meant they were unable to eat enough food or healthy food, ran out of food, were forced to cut portions or skip meals altogether, or were hungry but did not eat.” Based on the responses, a participant will be placed on a “scale from mild to severe food insecurity.” The survey will be administered to 1,000 to 5,000 people per country, which amounts to over 160,000 participants worldwide.

Now that the FAO will no longer be using the 2011 statistics and will have access to more accurate measurements of food security, the organization will be able to better predict malnutrition before it occurs instead of treating it after onset.

Another way the survey benefits hunger-ridden people is by holding their governments more accountable to U.N. standards. Within the next five years, the FAO will develop standards that all governments must adhere to. The new data will also help the U.N. check on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

The first countries to test the questionnaire system will be Ethiopia, Malawi, Niger, and Angola. With proper funding, the FAO will fully adopt this technique and be better equipped to measure and prevent world hunger.

– Mary Penn

Source: AlertNet

,

Women in Zimbabwe Demand Answers

women
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day deals with ending violence against women. So did the theme in 2009 (“Ending impunity for violence against women and girls”) and in 2007 (“Women and men united to end violence against women in girls”). While International Women’s Day can choose a theme that highlights different issues plaguing women in rural and urban areas, the UN seems to keep going back to violence against women.

Why?

Violence against women is still a huge issue across the world and looking at Zimbabwe, how large of an issue it is becomes apparent. In Zimbabwe, women may be faced with abuse from their spouses, family members, and even their children. Reported cases of domestic violence have risen from 1,940 cases in 2008 to 10,351 cases in 2011, according to AllAfrica.org. The number of domestic violence cases in 2012 are said to surpass even that number, showing that domestic violence is not going away and bringing attention to the issue, which the UN’s International Women’s Day is doing, as necessary.

Even though the country has taken great strides to end violence against women, a 2010-2011 Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey shows that 30 percent of women have experienced some form of domestic violence since the age of 15. This violence, most often, comes from the people that women should be able to trust, who are supposed to protect them. Women are asking questions now – “what has to happen for violence against women to end, what are the challenges, who will stand up and look straight in the eyes of perpetrators to say enough is enough?” – and demanding answers.

Women in Zimbabwe are using International Women’s Day to denounce all types of violence against women, and are coming together to demand answers.

– Angela Hooks 

Source: AllAfrica
Photo: AllAfrica

, ,

Early Marriage as a Form of Violence

Early Marriage as a Form of ViolenceIn 2020, more than 140 million girls will be attending a wedding – their own. Of these 150 million girls, 50 million will be attending their own wedding before they have even celebrated their 15th birthday.

These numbers are based on current rates of early marriage, according to the UN.

Most child marriages occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In fact, nearly half of all young women are married before the age of 18 in South Asia. In Africa, this percentage drops, but only to one-third.

In light of International Women’s Day, whether child marriage should be considered a form of violence against women and children is up for debate. According to UN Women, early marriage increases a girl’s chance of becoming a victim of sexual violence in the home. It also limits a girl’s access to education because she is often expected to have children and take care of her husband and household. It is also associated with increased health risks due to early pregnancy and motherhood.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was recently presented a petition by the World Young Women’s Christian Association (WYWCA) that urged CSW to help end child marriage by 2030.

Yet, fighting early marriage will be an uphill battle. In many countries and cultures, marrying at a young age is traditional and is not seen as a problem. In some areas, particularly poorer countries, there are not enough resources for girls to continue in school as their male counterparts. Marriage serves as an easy way to justify girls abandoning their education to stay at home. Another issue plaguing poorer countries and people is the practice of a “bride price.” Some fathers will marry their daughters off for the price of a cow, especially during difficult times. According to Catherine Gotani Hara, Health Minister of Malawi, “Someone will come in and give a father a cow for a girl when they are eight or nine years old and when they reach puberty they will give another cow.” Out of need or necessity, a daughter may be worth two cows.

Getting around the barriers surrounding child marriage will require the support of governments and the passing of legislation that raises the legal age of marriage, as well as provides more resources for schools so that girls can reach the same level of education as their male counterparts. Currently, this is what happening in Malawi. The rate of child marriage in Malawi is currently 50 percent but by 2014, the age of legal marriage will hopefully have moved up from 15 to 18. Only time will tell if these steps will help eradicate child marriage.

– Angela Hooks

Source: Guardian

, , ,

UNCTAD Says Developing Countries Show Real Growth

UNCTAD Says Developing Countries Show Real Growth
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said that developing countries are now contributing much more to the global economy than ever before.

UNCTAD released the information that developing countries’ share in global value-added trade is now at about 40 percent, whereas the same figure was about 20 percent in 1990. Economists give most of the credit to transnational markets and global value chains, the chain of different countries in which a single multinational company operates.

These global value chains allow a weaker developing country to create an economic partnership with more developed economies by supplying raw materials and basic manufacturing or design. The capacity from growth comes from climbing the “chain,” by building the local economy, training workers, and producing more complex goods. People always ask for results in the mission to fight poverty, this growth is definitely evidence that economies around the developing world are growing.

These statistics, along with the rapidly decreasing statistic of people living in extreme poverty, are proof that real progress is being made as developing countries show real growth.

– Kevin Sullivan

Source: Industry Week
Photo: The Graduate Institute

How Quinoa Can Lead to Nutritional Security

How Quinoa Can Lead to Nutritional SecurityFebruary 20th marked the beginning of the International Year of Quinoa, a project designed to raise awareness of the benefits of quinoa and its ability to bring nutritional security. The project was launched by the United Nations and the Andean Community of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to help reach the Millenium Development Goal of reducing world hunger to a half by 2015.

Quinoa contains essential amino acids and vitamins, yet has no gluten. It is easy to grow because of its adaptability to different environments – thriving in below-freezing temperatures, as well as altitudes way above sea level. Thus, cultivating quinoa in areas with arid farming conditions and high malnutrition rates is both a possible and effective way to help combat global poverty and improve the standard of living in many countries. During the project’s launch, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon commented that the International Year of Quinoa will act as “a catalyst for learning about the potential of quinoa for food and nutrition security, for reducing poverty.”

Bringing awareness to the value of quinoa worldwide is beneficial not just to the fight against global hunger and poverty, but to quinoa farmers as well. As the price of quinoa rises due to its increased popularity with large companies, farmers that cultivate quinoa will experience higher incomes.

– Angela Hooks

Source: AllAfrica
Photo: NY Times