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 09/05/29 - World crises also "opportunities for change"
"You will not be surprised to hear me say that you graduate at a time of great global uncertainty. But perhaps it would surprise you to know that I also consider this as exciting a time as I can remember," Mr. Ban told the 122 high school graduates from 53 nations. "The crises we face -- food, fuel, finance and flu -- are devastating indeed. But they also create opportunities for change," he said. The Secretary-General told the graduates they have "tremendous potential" in playing a key role in making these changes happen. Citing challenges in world finance, climate change and the flu epidemic, he stressed that "no nation can deal with them alone." Global leadership and powerful partnerships are demanded to tackle such obstacles, Mr. Ban said. "During my boyhood in Korea, I experienced first-hand what is it like to be hungry, afraid and being alone. It was after the Korean War, and I went to school in the open air. There were no walls; only rubble. There was not much to eat. Often I went to sleep, crying from hunger," the Secretary-General told about his boyhood. "The United Nations helped feed and defend my people. It helped rebuild my country. Ever after, for me and my country, the United Nations has been the symbol of hope. For many hundreds of millions of people in the world, it is so today," he said. "I urge you to look out upon our world -- our world of trouble and need -- and consider not only what you can do to help, but consider a full-fledged life of public service," the Secretary-General said, urging the graduates to join such organizations as the Peace Corps, Red Cross, Red Crescent, Human Rights Watch or any number of emerging non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the developing world. "The point is to be a part of something larger, larger than yourself." "The United Nations needs you. The world needs you. You will be the leader of next generation," Mr. Ban concluded his speech. Read full text>> 09/05/19 - 17 Nobel Peace laureates called for a nuclear weapons-free world
09/05/19 - Singapore president is first head of state to hear A-bomb account directly President S.R. Nathan of Singapore, visiting Japan as a state guest, visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and listened to the A-bomb testimony of Akihiro Takahashi, a former director of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Mr. Nathan became the first head of state to hear directly from an A-bomb survivor during an official visit. Read more>> 09/04/23 - Call for End to Nuclear Weapons Senior Norwegian politicians issued a strong call for the abolition of nuclear weapons at the opening of an exhibition linking nuclear abolition and human security attended by around 120 diplomats, scholars and activists at the Oslo City Hall Gallery on April 15. Read more>> 09/04/23 - DVD: Testimonies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Soka Gakkai International(SGI) launches global grassroots campaign for abolition of nuclear weapons, with website and DVD resources. The DVD named "Testimonies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" is a testament of hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) who experienced the bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, and their cries for peace. Read more>> 08/09/12 - IPS Interviews Daisaku Ikeda on Nuclear Disarmament Inter Press Service (IPS), a news agency that specializes in development and human rights issues, recently interviewed Daisaku Ikeda, SGI president, on nuclear disarmament and the need to revive and re-energize efforts to achieve this goal. In the interview, Mr. Ikeda calls for a return to the original spirit of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the creation of an Arctic nuclear-weapons-free-zone. Read more>> 08/09/08 - Hiroshima, Nagasaki leaders hit India nuke waiver (The Japan Times) - Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Gov. Genjiro Kaneko expressed disappointment Sunday that a U.S. proposal to lift the global ban on nuclear trade with India has received international approval. Akiba issued a statement saying it is "totally disappointing." The 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group reached consensus Saturday to give India a trade waiver for its bilateral nuclear cooperation deal with the U.S. India, which is not party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, is now allowed to start trading nuclear technology for civil nuclear programs with NSG member states. Akiba urged the Japanese government, which approved the proposal, to make further efforts to achieve a total elimination of nuclear weapons. In Nagasaki, Kaneko said the decision was "very disappointing," adding the special treatment for India may affect the nonproliferation regime under the NPT. 08/06/27 - President Abdoulaye Wade will speak out at Tokyo, Japan President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal will deliver the fifteenth U Thant Distinguished Lecture at UNU Headquarters, Tokyo on 8 July. Read more>> 08/01/08 - Let 2008 be the year of world's poorest 'bottom billion' United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon holds first press conference for 2008. At the press conference, he stressed that 2008 should be the year of the "bottom billion," citing the need for renewed determination to address the needs of the poorest of the world's poor who have been left behind by global economic growth. Read more>> 08/01/07 - Secretary-General lays out challenging UN agenda for 2008 Peacekeeping, pre-emptive diplomacy, climate change and improving the lot of poor countries, as well as internal reform, will be high on the United Nations agenda for 2008, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. Read more>> 07/08/13 - At UN, youth stress efforts to promote development Events celebrating the International Youth Day kicked off on 10 August, with more than 200 young people from around the world gathering at United Nations headquarters in New York to showcase their contributions to society. Also the 4th annual World Youth Assembly is held at UN Headquarters until 15 August. Read more>> 07/08/07 - Ban Ki-moon calls for elimination of nuclear weapons On the 62nd anniversary of the world's first-ever atomic bomb attack, which devastated the Japanese city of Hiroshima, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the occasion serves as a "powerful reminder" of the efforts necessary to halt nuclear proliferation. Read more>> Hiroshima Peace Declaration 2007 Nagasaki Peace Declaration 2007 07/05/08 - One In Eight Iraqi Children Die Before the Age of Five Iraq's infant mortality rate has soared by 150 percent since 1990 according to a new report by the charity Save the Children. One in eight Iraqi children now die of disease or violence before the age of five. In 2005 alone, 122,000 Iraqi children died before reaching their fifth birthday. Save the Children said Iraq's child-survival ranking is now the lowest in the world. 07/04/13 - Chinese Prime Minister Meets SGI President Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao met with Soka Gakkai Honorary President Daisaku Ikeda at the New Otani Hotel for 30 minutes in the afternoon of April 12. Mr. Ikeda has been awarded over 70 honorary doctorates and professorships from universities and academies in China. Read more>> 07/03/07 - Call for urgent action to end human trafficking On 5 March, the International Conference on Trafficking in Women and Girls was held at UN Headquarters in New York. United Nations officials called for increased efforts to curb human trafficking, especially in women and girls. Read more>> 07/03/07 - Girls speak out for their rights Over 2,000 women and girls from around the world - including a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an HIV-positive rape victim from Zambia, and a child-labourer from Nepal - have come together to share the experiences that made them activists at an event at United Nations Headquarters. Read more>> 07/02/28 - Up to 1 billion people suffer from neurological disorders Up to 1 billion people, nearly one in six of the world's population, suffer from neurological disorders, from Alzheimer and Parkinson disease, strokes, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy to migraine, brain injuries and neuroinfections, with some 6.8 million dying of the maladies each year. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) study - Neurological disorders: Public health challenges - shows that people in all countries, irrespective of age, sex, education or income are affected, that the economic cost of such diseases in Europe reached some EUR139 billion in 2004, and that access to appropriate care is lacking in many parts of the world. The report recommends a series of simple but effective actions, calling for greater commitment from decision makers, increased social and professional awareness, strategies that address stigma and discrimination, national capacity building and international collaboration. The use of helmets by motorcyclists and of seat-belts in motor vehicles can prevent traumatic brain injury. Immunization against meningitis and the early identification and treatment of malaria are additional examples of concrete actions to reduce the burden of neurological disorders. Read Full Report>> 07/02/27 - The largest polar research programme gets under way The largest polar research programme in 50 years, with a major focus on global warming, gets under way this week with United Nations support as thousands of scientists from over 60 countries prepare to carry out 220 science and outreach projects in both the north and south polar regions. Read more>> 07/02/27 - Young people must not continue to be neglected To alleviate the growing "youth crisis" in poor rural areas of the world, development policies need to target young people, said experts participating in the Governing Council meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Panellists stressed that policymakers - and to some degree development practitioners - have neglected young people as a social category in their poverty reduction programmes. Asha Juma, Minister for Labour, Youth Development, Women and Children in Zanzibar, spoke about the Tanzanian government's efforts to increase employment opportunities in rural areas. "We have made good progress but there are still many challenges," including prostitution, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS, said Juma. Read more>> 07/02/07 - Hidden Costs of War in Iraq and Afganistan A new study from Harvard University reports that the hidden financial costs of war in Iraq and Afghanistan will overwhelm the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for decades. The study, titled "Soldiers Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan: The long-term costs of providing veterans medical care and disability benefits," finds that the Veterans Administration is both under-funded and under-equipped to deal with the current and future costs of veterans' health care. The study estimates that since the Global War on Terror began, 16 US soldiers have been wounded per fatality, a casualty rate that exceeds the rate of previous wars. Over 200,000 soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated at VA medical facilities thus far, with 900,000 still deployed on active duty. The study predicts that the cost of medical care and compensation benefits for returning veterans will skyrocket once those troops return home. It also estimates that the cost over the soldiers lives will amount to up to seven hundred billion dollars. The author of this study, Professor Linda Bilmes' interview has appeared on the website of Democracy Now! 07/02/05 - M. Gorbachev's op-ed in the WSJ on "The Nuclear Threat" The "Nuclear Threat" op-ed by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev published in the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Gorbachev concludes that "the key to success is reciprocity of obligations and actions." Read more>> 07/02/02 - "Silence Is No Longer An Option" --rally in Washington On 27 January, anti-war protesters filled the streets of Washington in one of the largest protests since the invasion of Iraq. Veterans and military families joined lawmakers, peace groups and celebrities to urge Congress and President Bush to bring the troops home now. Read more>> 07/01/18 - "Doomsday Clock" Moves Two Minutes Closer To Midnight The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) is moving the minute hand of the "Doomsday Clock" two minutes closer to midnight. It is now 5 minutes to midnight. Read more>> 07/01/17 - Ceremony on 100th day after Politkovskaya's murder On 15 January, Reporters Without Borders paid homage to slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in a ceremony outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the 100th day after her murder on 7 October in 2006. Read more>> 07/01/09 - Called for a world free of nuclear weapons Four top former US foreign policy officials, including Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, called for a world free of nuclear weapons in a co-authored article entitled "A World Free of Nuclear Weapons". Read more>> 07/01/07 - Appeal for the release of Tariq Aziz in Iraq Two Former UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Hans von Sponeck and Dennis J. Haliday, once again appeal for the release of Tariq Aziz, former Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq. Read more>> 07/01/05 - "INCREASE TOURISM TO FIGHT POVERTY" - UNWTO The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli said that 2007 should be a critical year to consolidate tourism as a key agent in the fight against poverty and a primary tool for sustainable development. Against a projection of continuing worldwide growth in international tourism of more than 4% for international arrivals and revenues, Secretary-General Frangialli called for renewed effort to include sustainable tourism in the international development agenda, as a key tool to advance the Millennium Development Goals. He identified five major areas for consolidated global action. Major UNWTO initiatives this year include a world summit on "Tourism and Religion," hosted by the Government of Spain, to explore ways to strengthen the interrelationship between tourism and the world's great religions so as to further encourage peaceful development and intercultural dialogue. IAEA Director General meets with SGI President Daisaku Ikeda On November 30, Nobel Peace Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), met with Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda in Tokyo, Japan. Read more>> IAEA Director General addressed in Tokyo, Japan On November 30, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made a speech in Tokyo. The Director General noted that the latest world energy projections show a 53% increase in global energy consumption by 2030 if current policies hold. "Two aspects of this analysis are especially interesting," he said. "The first is the expectation that 70% of the coming growth in demand will be from developing countries. The second is that... the increased use of nuclear power would help to meet the increase in energy demand, enhance the security of energy supply and mitigate carbon emissions... Nuclear energy alone is not a panacea, but it is likely in the near future to have an increasing role as part of the global energy mix." In his remarks, Dr. ElBaradei also addressed issues of nuclear security and safeguards. Regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, he said: "I am pleased to note the recent agreement to resume the six-party talks. The IAEA stands ready to work with the DPRK - and with all others - towards a solution for this issue that would make use of the Agency's verification capability to assure the international community that all nuclear activities in the DPRK are exclusively for peaceful purposes. Equally, this solution would seek to address the security, economic and other concerns of the DPRK. Bilateral concerns, such as the tragedy of the Japanese abducted persons that has resulted in so much anguish, will also need to be addressed." Child soldiers continue to be recruited and used Government forces, rebel groups, armed militia and mercenaries operating in conflicts in at least 12 countries recruit children to serve as soldiers or are responsible for murdering, torturing and committing sexual crimes against them, according to a new report from Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The report on children and armed conflict calls on the Security Council to maintain its pressure on those parties recruiting and using child soldiers to draw up time-bound action plans to end such behaviour. Mr. Annan recommends that all countries which are party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child take specific measures to strengthen their protection of children, starting by signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict. He also recommends enacting laws expressly prohibiting the recruitment of children under the age of 15 into armed forces, and much greater effort to be devoted to the rehabilitation and reintegration of former child soldiers. Read the report>> 1.16 million newborns in Sub-Saharan Africa die each year Each year at least 1.16 million newborns die in sub-Saharan Africa within the first 28 days of life, yet more than two thirds of these infants could be saved with low cost, low tech action, according to a United Nations-backed report. Under the umbrella of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), 9 organizations, 60 authors and over 40 reviewers, drawn from policymakers and programme leaders for MNCH in Africa, have been involved and contributed to this publication. The book provides an overview of the continuum of care through the lifecycle and opportunities to address gaps at all levels - family and community care, outreach services and health care facilities. Case studies are analysed in order to learn the practical steps for phasing interventions, strengthening and integrating service provision, and providing every mother, newborn and child in Africa with essential care. Read the report>> Child poverty in South-East Europe Although the number of children under 15 living in extreme poverty in South-Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States has dropped from 32 million to 18 million since the late '90s, governments must increase their health and education budgets to ensure regional prosperity. The Innocenti Social Monitor 2006: Understanding Child Poverty in South-Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States - finds that despite the widespread economic upturn in the region and the large drop in children living in extreme poverty, stark disparities in child well-being and opportunities persist. Read more>> The MOFA Japan-UNU Seminar "People Building Peace"
Aso said the budget for the proposal, though, has yet to be discussed by the government and expressed hope it will be settled before the Sept. 20 election for president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who will virtually become Japan's next premier and subsequently create a new Cabinet. He called the terakoya scheme one of his "commitments" in efforts to promote human resource development, apparently in a bid to raise his profile as one of the contenders in the LDP race to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The terakoya scheme, Aso said, is open to young people in Asia, given that some countries in Asia, such as Bangladesh, are already involved in peacekeeping operations and need knowledge and expertise in peace-building efforts. Aso said he envisions the scheme as providing programs ranging from short-term training courses to curricula through which a full academic degree could be earned in the future and recruiting instructors from schools in Sweden and Canada which have schools that train peace-keeping specialists. "The terakoya will be a means of imparting the necessary knowledge to and supplementing the experiences of the average people around you, making it possible for them to have the courage to be peace-builders," he said. Webcast of the seminar Ex-Iranian President Khatami calls for dialogue to promote peace
Khatami added that sustainable peace remains a dream for every citizen of the world. Referring to Hiroshima and Nagasaki events as well as Israeli crimes in Palestine and Lebanon, he said such events herald new human tragedies in the current age. He also called for the involvement of scholars and civil and international organizations, saying, "The dialogue of cultures and civilizations is an international issue that cannot remain restricted to an inter-governmental level." Khatami said Western policies in the Middle East are promoting violence, although they are supposed to be aimed at fighting terrorism. "Many of the policies the big powers are promoting are promoting violence, although in the name (of) fighting terrorism," he said. "This is like pouring gasoline on a fire." He also called the U.S. nonproliferation and nuclear arms policy hypocritical. "We are seeking peaceful usage, we have no need for nuclear weapons," he said. "If nuclear weapons are so bad, why do they have hundreds of nuclear warheads?" Webcast of the lecture Read the lecture ( Persian, English) Humanitarian Factsheet on Lebanon - 25 Aug. 2006 The following has been prepared by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): -- 1,187 dead and 4,060 wounded (Lebanese Higher Relief Council (HRC)). -- Estimated 30,000 homes damaged or destroyed, one quarter of them in southern suburbs of Beirut. -- Estimated $3.6 billion worth of physical damage, including 145 bridges and overpasses destroyed or damaged, 600 kilometres of roads, 900 factories, markets, farms and other commercial buildings, 29 airports, ports, water- and sewage-treatment plants, dams and electrical plants and 23 fuel stations. Read more>> Deteriorating situation in Darfur leaves UN 'extraordinarily concerned' (UN Daily News) 18 Aug. 2006 - Warning that "something very ugly is brewing" in Darfur, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown today urged the international community to pay close attention to the crisis in the impoverished and strife-torn region of western Sudan. Read more>> Help Indonesian Earthquake Victims
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