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UNRIC Library Newsletter - August 2009
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NEW WEBSITES WITHIN THE UN SYSTEM

UN in General

Annotated Agenda - General Assembly 64th session (A/64/100)
English, French & Spanish: http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/64/100
The Annotated preliminary list of items to be included in the sixty-fourth (64th) regular session of the General Assembly is now available (A/64/100).

The annotated agenda:

• gives the history of each item proposed for inclusion on the agenda;
• lists selected documents from the previous session for each agenda item; and
• projects major documents (reports, etc.) to be submitted for discussion under the individual items.
  

The annexes include comprehensive (1946 to the present) listings of:

• Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly;
• Non-permanent members of the Security Council;
• Members of the Economic and Social Council; and
• States Members of the United Nations. 

Independent Audit Advisory Committee
http://www.un.org/iaac/index.shtml (January 2009)
Website now available in French & Spanish.
French: http://www.un.org/fr/ga/iaac/
Spanish: http://www.un.org/es/ga/iaac/
The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations is established as a subsidiary body of the General Assembly to serve in an expert advisory capacity and to assist the General Assembly in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities.

United Nations Conferences and Observances
(Reference Paper No. 48, August 2009)
English: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/Reference_Paper_No_48.doc.htm
French: http://www.un.org/News/fr-press/docs/2009/Reference_No_48.doc.htm

Peace and Security

International Day of Peace – 21 September 2009
English: http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/2009/
French: http://www.un.org/fr/events/peaceday/2009/
Spanish: http://www.un.org/es/events/peaceday/2009/
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has launched a multiplatform campaign under the slogan "WMD – We Must Disarm" to mark the 100-day countdown leading up to the International Day of Peace on 21 September 2009. During the 100 days of the campaign, the United Nations will raise awareness of the dangers and costs of nuclear weapons by issuing a reason a day on why nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation are so crucial, via Twitter and the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace.

Las Naciones Unidas y las actividades relativas a las minas
http://www.un.org/es/peace/mine/index.shtml

Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 5 of resolution 1859 (S/2009/385)
English, French & Spanish: http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/2009/385
The report presents information on actions needed for Iraq to achieve an international standing equal to that which it held prior to August 1990. 

Economic & Social Development

All Children, Everywhere: A strategy for basic education and gender equality (UNICEF)
http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/All_Children_Everywhere_EN_072409.pdf
“All Children, Everywhere” is the advocacy version of the United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) education strategy through 2015. It provides an overview of UNICEF's work in basic education and gender equality outlines the organization's goals, guiding principles, main partners and key actions to deliver a quality education for all children.

Global Financial Stability Report (IMF)
English: http://www.imf.org/External/Pubs/FT/fmu/eng/2009/02/index.htm
French: http://www.imf.org/external/french/pubs/ft/fmu/2009/02/0709f.pdf
Spanish: http://www.imf.org/external/spanish/pubs/ft/fmu/2009/02/0709s.pdf
Financial conditions have improved, as unprecedented policy intervention has reduced the risk of systemic collapse and expectations of economic recovery have risen. Nonetheless, vulnerabilities remain and complacency must be avoided.

UN Gender Equality Newsfeed (WomenWatch)
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/ungen/
The UN portal on gender equality and women’s empowerment, WomenWatch, launched a new online service known as the UN Gender Equality Newsfeed (UNGEN). "UNGEN newsfeed" provides a one-stop hub of RSS-based gender equality news of participating UN entities. It collects news items on gender equality from the RSS or "Really Simple Syndication" newsfeeds of UN entities and displays them on a single web page, with a view to publicizing the work of the UN on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The goal is to increase use of UN gender resources and traffic to UN entities’ websites on gender themes.

World Economic Outlook Update (IMF)
English: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/update/02/index.htm
French: http://www.imf.org/external/french/pubs/ft/weo/2009/update/02/pdf/0709f.pdf
Spanish: http://www.imf.org/external/spanish/pubs/ft/weo/2009/update/02/pdf/0709s.pdf
The global economy is beginning to pull out of a recession unprecedented in the post–World War II era, but stabilization is uneven and the recovery is expected to be sluggish.

Human Rights

Combating Trafficking in Persons in Accordance with the Principles of Islamic Law (UNODC)
http://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/
UNODC_Trafficking_and_Islamic_Law.pdf
Human trafficking is a global problem, transcending not only geographical but also religious borders. Measures to combat trafficking must, therefore, transcend geographical, economic, cultural and religious boundaries. In order to reach out to all Islamic countries, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently released this a ground-breaking paper. The publication successfully analyses the Islamic legal framework on trafficking in persons, especially by calling for the elimination of the institution of slavery, the prohibition of exploitation of human beings in all its forms, the rejection of oppression and hardship, and the promotion of the duty of the public to promote good and prohibit evil.

Transnational Trafficking and the Rule of Law in West Africa: A Threat Assessment (UNODC)
http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/
Studies/West_Africa_Report_2009.pdf
A new report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) notes that thousands of women are continually trafficked from West Africa to Europe in a multi-million dollar criminal industry. The women come from Nigeria and to a lesser extent Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cameroon and Guinea. They are usually taken to Italy, as well as the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and other countries. With an estimated value of between $152 million and $228 million annually, the market sees a yearly inflow of between 3800 and 5700 women. It is estimated that West African trafficking victims comprise about 10 per cent of the forced sexual labour pool in Western Europe.

Humanitarian Affairs

Locked In: The humanitarian impact of two years of blockade on the Gaza Strip (OCHA-oPt)
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/
Ocha_opt_Gaza_impact_of_two_years_of_blockade_August_2009_english.pdf
The report - issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (OCHA-oPt) - focuses on effects of import and export restrictions and the travel ban to and from Gaza on livelihoods, food security, education, health, shelter, energy, and water and sanitation.

Updated Quick Response Plan for Gaza: An Assessment of Needs Six Months After the War
http://www.un.org/unrwa/donors/docs/Updated_QRP_aug09.pdf
This document outlines UNRWA’s updated emergency plans for Palestine refugees in Gaza during 2009. It replaces the Agency’s original Quick Response Plan to Restore Critical Services to Refugees in Gaza, which covered the period January – September 2009, and reflects funding needs until the end of this calendar year. (http://www.un.org/unrwa/donors/docs/Updated_QRP_aug09.pdf)

UN Humanitarian Resolutions
http://ochaonline.un.org/AboutOCHA/HumanitarianResolutions/
tabid/1173/language/en-US/Default.aspx
This section is a compilation of resolutions (from 1998 to present) of the major UN Organs (General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council) that are specifically concerned with humanitarian issues. These resolutions are available in all official UN languages. In 2008, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) commissioned a project to analyse the normative developments in humanitarian assistance including coordination through analysing the relevant legislation of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council, since 1991. The project has produced three products: a matrix which provides a compilation of agreed language; the reference guide summarising normative developments; and an analysis on factors influencing these normative developments.

UNHCR Global Report 2008 and Global Appeal
http://www.unhcr.org/gr08/index.html#/home
http://www.unhcr.org/ga09/index.html
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) Global Appeal and Global Report are invaluable guides for general readers to UNHCR's worldwide operations and provides a comprehensive view of the agency's challenges and achievements.