Full Coverage: United Nations

31.10.2007 As the UN Human Rights Committee begins to scrutinise Britain's rights performance, Article 19 calls on the committee to question the government on its plans to reduce use of the Freedom of Information Act, the ban on unauthorised demonstrations near Parliament Square and the high cost of defending libel actions.

30.10.2007 An independent United Nations human rights expert claims brutal torture is routine in counter-terrorism operations in Sri Lanka. Nowak also drew attention to the low conviction rate by criminal courts in torture related cases.

28.10.2007 A new report from UNDP uses the Oil Price Vulnerability Index (OPVI) to measure the brunt of rising oil prices on Asia’s poor. While India may fare better than its neighbours in its ability to absorb oil price shocks, a continued rise could have an adverse impact on the region’s gains on MDGs, the report warns.

20.10.2007 38.8 million people worldwide broke last year's numbers to make a new world record for the Stand Up, Speak Out campaign on October 17, the International Day for Eradication of Poverty. By standing up, these people are calling upon Governments to match their actions by displaying the political will to end poverty, said Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General.

18.10.2007 India showed itself at the fore in standing up and speaking out against poverty on October 17 in the global anti-poverty campaign Stand Up and Speak Out. Over 38.7 million people created a new world record for the largest number of people to stand up for a cause, of which 13 million were from India.

16.10.2007 The Rajasthan government and UNICEF have joined hands to mobilize volunteers to strengthen routine immunization in the western Indian state. The pilot project will seek to make people aware of the benefits of vaccination and improve infant and child mortality.

12.10.2007 The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s Trade and Development Report 2007 assesses the pros and cons of globalization and regional co-operation among developing nations. While it stresses on the extension of regional cooperation to areas of policy, it is silent on the impact of politics on South Asian trade agreements, developed countries' reaction to nuclear empowerment and growing economic ties among developing countries.

11.10.2007 Most countries in South Asia are lagging far behind, when it comes to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, says a report released by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) earlier this week.

11.10.2007 Millennium Campaign Asia Deputy Director Minar Pimple spoke to OneWorld South Asia (OWSA) on how the Stand Up campaign in South Asia is making a difference by changing the perspectives of people on how they are being governed, and how they would like to be governed.

11.10.2007 With World Poverty Day around the corner, UNIFEM has joined hands with Women's Funding Network to call for increased investment in women to fight poverty. Their new site invites all to sign up for the online Stand Up on October 17.

11.10.2007 UNITED NATIONS, Oct 11 (OneWorld) - Activists campaigning for tough international actions against illicit gunrunners made further gains this week when they found an unexpected ally in their lobbying efforts at the United Nations.

10.10.2007 Bangkok based United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Asia Development Bank (AsDB) have admitted to a lack of comprehensive data post-1999 to gauge the progress of MDGs in the region. The dearth of information has drawn a sharp response from civil society organisations monitoring the MDG campaign.

10.10.2007 This year's Stand Up and Speak Out, scheduled on October 16-17, 2007, aims to move people to feel for the cause and also create more publicity than last year. This time the movement is more political too, says Sylvia Borren, co-chair of Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).

10.10.2007 Over 3,000 labourers signed on a monster banner to remind the Pakistan government of its promises to eradicate poverty and other MDG goals. The 10 km banner, patched together from smaller bits of cloth, will carry 1.5 million signatures to be unfurled in Bahawalpur on October 17.

09.10.2007 India is likely to fall short of the 2015 global deadline set by the United Nations to halve poverty and hunger, says a recent report by the UN and the Asian Development Bank.

08.10.2007 To mark the World Teachers' Day on October 5, the Ministry of Education along with the UNICEF will train 16,000 more female teachers to tackle the shortage of trained teachers. Afghanistan has been on a drive to recruit and train female teachers to encourage girls continue their studies.

03.10.2007 A recent report by WaterAid claims that the economic benefits of investing in sanitation are far greater than its costs. ‘Sanitation and Economic Development: Making the case for the MDG Orphan’ is a timely release to inform public policy debate during the United Nations’ International Year of Sanitation in 2008.

02.10.2007 The Indian Prime Minister said the value of non-violence as preached by Mahatma Gandhi is still relevant today. The 138th birth anniversary of the Mahatma on October 2 has been declared as the International Day of Non-violence.

01.10.2007 FAO’s new web platform will help users exchange personal experiences, opinions and best agricultural practices. This global initiative will bring policymakers, rural service providers, development practitioners, farmers, researchers and ICT specialists together to help promote rural development.

01.10.2007 Lack of proper toilets and poor hygiene are the cause of many diseases that can be averted. Yet everyone is embarrassed to talk about sanitation – one of the most neglected of Millennium Development Goals. But not Clarissa Brocklehurst, the UNICEF Water and Environmental Sanitation Chief, who is optimistic about the upcoming ‘International Year of Sanitation’ in 2008.