The Government of China together with the European Commission and the World Bank co-sponsored an International Pledging Conference on Avian and Human Influenza in Beijing. The conference assessed the financing needs at the country, regional and global levels. During this event the international community pledged US$1.9billion in financial support and discussed coordination mechanisms. Also, the paper Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza: UN System Contributions and Requirements. A Strategic Approach was included as background material for the discussions at the Conference
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of countries in the region will grow 4.6% in 2006, up slightly from last year (2005). For 2007, growth is expected to slow a little to around 4%. This is the projection from Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in its report published by Economic Projections Centre. (In Spanish)
The latest UNHCR report -presented on 19 April in London- examines the changing dynamics of displacement over the past half decade. While the number of refugees worldwide has reached its lowest level in 25 years at 9.2 million, the rise in internally displaced people to some 25 million has put the international system for dealing with human displacement at a critical juncture. The current challenges include the plight of tens of millions of internally displaced people, widespread confusion over migrants and refugees, and tightened asylum policies and growing intolerance
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report examines topics associated with the current state of the radical Islamic threat, like the dynamics of radicalization, the role of the Internet as both an ideological and operation tool, the perception of the Iraq conflict in the minds of the Muslim diaspora and the dynamic between local grievances and the global jihadist movement
The recent World Economic Outlook -International Monetary Fund (IMF) twice-yearly report focused on major economic policy issues as well as on the analysis of economic developments and prospects- highlights global imbalances as the biggest threat to what was otherwise an “unusually favourable” economic environment. Though the global growth in 2006 has exceeded 4 per cent, the WEO cautioned against becoming complacent about high oil prices
In 2005, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to Latin America and the Caribbean (not including financial centres) reached over US$61.6 billion, similar to the level recorded in 2004. ECLAC report shows that Latin America and the Caribbean have not yet fulfilled their potential for attracting FDI and also face the challenge of increasing the quantity and improving the quality of these capital inflows, to expand their impact on the development of production in the region. The countries receiving the most FDI were Mexico (US$17.805 bn), Brazil (US$15.193 bn), Chile (US$7.208 bn), Argentina (US$4.662 bn) and Colombia (US$3.921 bn)
This WHO Report contains an expert assessment of the current crisis in the global health workforce and ambitious proposals to tackle it over the next ten years, starting immediately. The report reveals an estimated shortage of almost 4.3 million doctors, midwives, nurses and support workers worldwide. The shortage is most severe in the poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where health workers are most needed
This initiative seeks to forge collective political will and to mobilize concerted action at the institutional and civil society levels to overcome the prejudice, misperceptions and polarization that militate against such a consensus. It was launched by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (http://www.unaoc.org/), co-sponsored by the Prime Ministers of Spain (José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero) and Turkey (Tayyip Erdoðan)
The first International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was observed on 4 April to alert the society as to the growing danger of land mines at the same time that is accomplished a United Nations declaration. Launched by the Mine Action Service of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, this office has also compiled the concrete steps being taken to eliminate the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war and to meet pertinent treaty obligations in the 9th Portfolio of Mine Action Projects
The number of people on HIV antiretroviral treatment (ART) in low- and middle-income countries more than tripled to 1.3 million in December 2005 from 400 000 in December 2003, according to World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) report. Sub-Saharan Africa, the region most severely impacted, led the treatment scale-up effort, with the number of people receiving HIV treatment there increasing more than eight-fold to 810 000 from 100 000 between 2003 and 2005. By the end of 2005, more than half of all people receiving HIV treatment in low- and middle-income countries resided in this continent, up from one-quarter two years earlier
The Resolution 1667 (2006) adopted by the Security Council -as its 5406th meeting on 31 March 2006- extends the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) until 30 September 2006. This reaffirms intention to authorize Secretary-General to redeploy troops between UN Mission in Liberia and Operation in the Ivory Coast as needed. The Council also prolonged the temporary increase in UNMIL’s staffing ceiling to a total of 15,250 military personnel until that same date to ensure that the support provided to the special court trying war crimes in Sierra Leone did not reduce UNMIL’s strength in Liberia during its critical transition period following a long and brutal civil war
Final statement of the Third International Conference on Early Warning which took place in Bonn, Germany from 27 to 29 March under the auspices of the United Nations. Guided by the slogan "From concept to action", the Conference strongly emphasized the role of local communities in effective early warning. The Conference and its preparations resulted in the following documents: “Compendium of Early Warning Projects” and “Developing Early Warning Systems: A Key Checklist”
According to the Inter-American Development Bank’s Multilateral Investment Fund (IDB-MIF), Latin American and Caribbean workers living abroad sent a record USD 53.6 billion in remittances to their homelands during 2005, up 17 percent from the previous year. This new estimates were presented at the seminar A Global Revolution in Banking: Remittances and Microfinance held ahead of the annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the IDB, which will take place here April 3-5
