Battle for UNCTAD's Future Mandate
This issue of South Bulletin focuses on two sets of negotiations at the United Nations -- the UNCTAD XIII which starts on 21 April in Doha, and the Rio+20 summit to be held in June.
UNCTAD conferences are held every four years. The last two sessions were quite tame affairs. But UNCTAD XIII (21-26 April in Doha) is expected to be difficult and even fiery, because the future mandate of UNCTAD to undertake work on key issues like the global financial crisis is being questioned. Pre-conference negotiations in Geneva hit an impasse. The developing countries are putting up a fight to preserve the mandate given at UNCTAD XII in 2008.
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Latest in Economic Development
Reducing poverty through water and sanitation
Unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation cause an estimated 80 percent of all diseases in the developing world and together kill more people than all forms of violence, including war..read more
Latest in Global Health
Investing in mental health for a prosperous future
According to a new report released by the World Health Organization (WHO), people suffering with mental health disorders are being overlooked by the majority of development and poverty programs. .
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Latest in Food Security
Good governance and good food: the Cape Verde success story
Cape Verde has become one of the first African nations to make the transition from least developed (LDC) to middle income country (MIC), but poverty remains a national challenge; school lunches are often a Cape Verdean child's only meal for the day. .
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Latest in Earth Changes
Geo-engineering: should the world have a plan B?
Imagine the day when time has run out to decrease carbon emissions. This is the world where scientists move to a plan B, also known as geoengineering. The consequences of such a drastic atmospheric alteration however, could conceivable change ecosystems to such an extent, that the world would be no better than before.
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Gates and Clinton talk development at this year's CGI meeting
A recent survey found that only 5 percent of Americans knew what the Millennium Development Goals were. The Clinton Global Initiative (and its popularity) may be well suited for advocating to the US public, something the UN has had trouble doing since first setting the goals..
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The activist that would be Minister
MediaGlobal interviews Marcia Lopes, the Brazilian Minister for Social Development and Hunger..
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Environment Minister of Brazil calls for reduction in deforestation in developing countries
While the Copenhagen climate talks may have failed, one positive factor emerged: the countries of the developed world agreed to pay developing countries to stem the destruction of tropical forests..
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other news
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