UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

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Selected Press Releases
From Irrigation, to Fertilization, to Generating Electricity – UN Report Highlights the Value of Wastewater as a Resource
New report by UNEP and SEI highlights opportunities for recovery and reuse of resources in wastewater.
22/10/2015

Bahamas Expand Marine Protected Areas by more than 3 Million Hectares
More than 10% of the Bahamas’ marine and coastal ecosystems will be protected
21/10/2015

UNEP and Partners Join Forces to Assist Nations in Delivering on Oceans Sustainable Development Goals
Partnership for Regional Oceans Governance to Bring Together Nations on Regional Implementation Strategies
20/10/2015

UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.unisdr.org/archive

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Selected Press Releases
Philippines zero casualty policy pays off
19 Oct 2015
The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Margareta Wahlström, today praised the Philippines for its successful efforts to reduce mortality and the numbers of people affected by the latest typhoon to sweep across the country despite tidal surges, heavy rains, floods and landslides.

UNESCO [to 24 October 2015]
http://en.unesco.org/news

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Selected Press Releases
Executive Board paves the way to the implementation of the Agenda 2030
22 October 2015
The 58 Members of UNESCO’s Executive Board today ended their 197th session, which was dedicated to the Organization’s governance and preparations for the General Conference of UNESCO. The Executive Board is chaired by Mohamed Sameh Amr, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Egypt to UNESCO.

During its session the Executive Board of UNESCO committed the Organization to pursue work on education in the framework of the newly adopted United Nations sustainable development goals and implement the outcomes of the World Education Forum 2015.

The Board also discussed UNESCO’s work towards implementing the 2030 Agenda and adopted important decisions thereon related, such as on investing for more efficient delivery in the implementation of this universal agenda, on a reinforced strategy and action for countering violent extremism through education and on the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism in the event of armed conflict…

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Statement by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova
20 October 2015
On 16 October, the Director General of UNESCO expressed concern about escalating violence around and against cultural and religious heritage in the Middle East.

Today, the Director-General expresses renewed deep concerns and, in this spirit, she has started broad consultations so as to encourage UNESCO Member States to pursue constructive dialogue in accordance with UNESCO’s mandate.

She deplores the recent proposals under discussion by the UNESCO Executive Board that could be seen to alter the status of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, and that could further incite tensions.

The Director-General appeals to the UNESCO Executive Board to take decisions that do not further inflame tensions on the ground and that encourage respect for the sanctity of the Holy Sites.

The protection of cultural heritage should not be taken hostage, as this undermines UNESCO’s mandate and efforts.

“We all have responsibility to UNESCO’s mandate, to take decisions that promote dialogue, tolerance and peace,” said Irina Bokova. “This is especially important for young people, who should be nurtured and educated for peace.”

Jerusalem is a Holy Land of the three monotheistic religions, a place of dialogue for all Jewish, Christian and Muslim people. It is a mosaic of cultures and peoples, whose history has shaped the history of all humanity.

The Director-General has always appealed for dialogue and consensus so that UNESCO’s mandate of protecting World Heritage and promoting tolerance and mutual respect can be taken forward.

In this spirit, she reiterates today her calls to all parties to ensure that cultural heritage, including religious, is preserved and accessible to all and to resume dialogue in the spirit of mutual understanding.

UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/allpress.html?ref=fp

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Ozark Henry appointed UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for Belgium against human trafficking
23/10/2015
Brussels, 21 October 2015 – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has appointed Piet Goddaer (aka Ozark Henry) as its new National Goodwill Ambassador against human trafficking. The appointment of Mr. Goddaer – a well-known Belgian performing artist -is aimed at increasing visibility and assisting in mobilizing support in the country to tackle human trafficking…

UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme [to 24 October 2015]
http://unhabitat.org/media-centre/news/

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World leaders deliberate on Africa Urban Agenda
New York, 19 October 2015—On the sidelines of the United General Assembly in New York last month, a High Level Dialogue was held with the aim of offering an opportunity for leaders to articulate their common understanding of its relevance to the post 2015 Development agenda, the Africa Agenda 2063, and to agree on the key processes leading both to the Heads of State Summits in 2016 and Habitat III.
The African Urban Agenda, an initiative launched by UN-Habitat, aims at raising the profile of sustainable urbanization as an imperative for development in Africa.
Posted October 19, 2015

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United Nations report calls for urgent response to harness Asia-Pacific’s urban transformation
Jakarta, 19 October 2015 – The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) today launched their much-anticipated report, The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015 at the Sixth Asian Pacific Urban Forum (APUF-6) taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia.

According to the report, in 2018 the region will mark a historic transition as more than half of its population is expected to then be living in urban agglomerations. The region’s urbanization involves unprecedented shifts in population. By 2040 a further one billion people will be added to the region’s cities. It is expected that by 2050 the urban population in Asia and the Pacific will reach 3.2 billion.

Asia and the Pacific is now home to 17 megacities – exceeding 10 million inhabitants each – a figure that will rise to 22 by 2030. In spite of the rising significance of megacities however, the vast majority of the region’s urban population still live in its rapidly transforming small and medium-sized cities, which deserve much greater attention and resources.
Posted October 19, 2015

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2015/en/

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Improving rural livelihoods in the Mediterranean region
FAO and CIHEAM will work together to advance solutions on issues in the region related to food and nutrition security, rural development and improved management of scarce water resources for agriculture.
23-10-2015

UN calls for immediate access to conflict-affected areas to prevent catastrophe in South Sudan
Three UN agencies today warned that extreme hunger is pushing people to the brink of a catastrophe in parts of South Sudan, as a new analysis found that 3.9 million people nationwide now face severe food insecurity.
22-10-2015

U.S. backs FAO efforts to combat global animal disease threats with $87 million
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is backing FAO’s efforts to combat pandemic animal disease threats in Asia, Africa and the Middle East with an additional $87 million in funding covering the 2015-19 period.
20-10-2015

FAO and Mars join forces to strengthen food safety
FAO and Mars Incorporated, one of the largest global food manufacturers, will work together to achieve better food safety and quality along the food chains especially in developing countries.
20-10-2015

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/index.htm

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22 October 2015
Brazil: UN agency to increase support to family farming after independent evaluation highlights its key role in this area

22 October 2015:
IFAD new financing to strengthen inland fisheries and aquaculture, and to boost food and nutrition security in the Republic of the Congo

21 October 2015:
Madagascar signs new financing agreement to boost food security, nutrition and incomes of smallholder farmers

ILO International Labour Organization [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.ilo.org/global/lang–en/index.htm

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Women, work and the Sustainable Development Goals
The future of work depends on the future of women at work
21 October 2015
Shauna Olney, Chief of the ILO’s Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch, explains why achieving gender equality is crucial for the world of work.

Forced labour
ILO 50 for Freedom Campaign Kicks Off
20 October 2015
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched a new global campaign to end modern slavery, in partnership with the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The 50 for Freedom campaign aims to mobilize public support and influence in at least 50 countries to ratify the ILO’s Forced Labour Protocol by 2018.

Industrial relations
Collective bargaining coverage down as a result of the global financial crisis
19 October 2015
New research from the ILO quantifies changes to the coverage of global collective bargaining after 2008. While some countries have experienced increased coverage, most have seen declines.

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/pressrelease.aspx

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ICAO Clarifies International Conflict Zone Guidance
MONTRÉAL, 19 OCTOBER 2015 – The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) today clarified the legal framework in place governing the roles and responsibilities of States, airlines and international organizations with respect to risks to civil aviation arising in national airspace.

The UN specialized agency for international civil aviation has issued the explanations subsequent to a number of misinterpretations which surfaced after the release of the MH17 Final Report.

Summary of Clarifications
– Under the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention), States and States alone maintain sovereign authority over their airspace.
– This authority carries with it the responsibility to issue risk advisories regarding any threats to the safety of civilian aircraft operating in their airspace. Said threats may include, but are not limited to, armed conflicts, ash clouds due to volcanic eruptions, missile tests and rocket launches, etc.
– States also have authority to close their airspace where certain safety threats may warrant that action.
– Aircraft and airline operators are responsible for assessing global airspace risks communicated by States, and/or third parties, before deciding where they fly.
– Under this international framework, ICAO does not possess the authority to over-ride sovereign States in order to close their airspace or reroute airline traffic.
– With respect to conflict zone risk specifically, recommendations to assist States and airlines with a more effective means of sharing risk information were already proposed by the 2014 conflict zone risk task force which ICAO established, immediately after the loss of MH17.
– These recommendations were later agreed to at ICAO’s High-level Safety Conference (191 Member States participating) in February of this year, and then were adopted formally by the ICAO Council. A key recommendation identified the need for an online risk information repository to be established, and ICAO launched that publicly-available tool in April of this year.

WMO World Meteorological Organization [to 24 October 2015]
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WMO highlights integrated drought management
20 October 2015
At the ongoing Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), WMO has highlighted its work towards improving proactive, integrated management of droughts – the world’s most destructive natural hazard.
“We already know that the duration and intensity of extremes such as droughts may be exacerbated by climate change,” WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told a high-level segment ministerial roundtable on 20 October. “Therefore, it is essential to strengthen capacities for drought adaptation and mitigation, particularly through national drought policies,” he said…

UN DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news.html
Selected Press Releases
On World Statistics Day, UN flags importance of reliable data to achieve new development agenda
20 October 2015, New York
Emphasizing that “reliable and timely statistics and indicators are more important than ever,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged all partners and stakeholders to work together to achieve the ambitious 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

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UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.unido.org/en/news-centre/news.html
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UNIDO celebrates World Statistics Day 2015
VIENNA, 20 October 2015 – As one of the major data producing agencies of the United Nations system, UNIDO today marked World Statistics Day, designated by the UN General Assembly under the general theme, ‘Better data, better lives’.

UNIDO Director General Li Yong took the opportunity to meet with the organization’s statistics staff to express his appreciation of their work. He emphasized the importance of statistics in the formulation of development policy and the monitoring of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

UNIDO has an international mandate to collect, compile and disseminate global industrial statistics. The database maintained by UNIDO is regularly accessed by users around the world involved in research, analysis and decision-making. UNIDO presents quarterly and annual data on the growth, structure and level of global manufacturing and other industrial sectors…

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UNWTO World Tourism Organization [to 24 October 2015]
http://media.unwto.org/news
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On World Statistics Day, UNWTO calls for more and better tourism data
UNWTO called today on the occasion of World Statistics Day for improved investment and coordination in data collection in the tourism sector
(Madrid, 20 October, 2015).

CBD Convention on Biological Diversity [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.cbd.int/press-releases/

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Governments should consider the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as strategy for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction
Montreal, 21 October 2015 – Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it underpins can be the basis for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies as they can deliver benefits that will, according to the outcomes of a recent technical workshop on ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, increase the resilience of people to the impacts of climate change.

USAID [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases

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Selected Announcements
White House Announces $70 Million for Girls Education in Pakistan
October 22, 2015
First Lady Michelle Obama announced today a new commitment, in coordination with the Government of Pakistan, to advance girls’ education in Pakistan as part of the Let Girls Learn initiative. USAID’s Let Girls Learn in Pakistan program will provide $70 million to new and ongoing USAID programs that benefit more than 200,000 adolescent girls aged 10-19. The announcement was made during an event at the White House with Mrs. Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif, spouse of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and Mrs. Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the daughter of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

USAID Awards $14.1 Million for Breakthrough Innovations to Fight Poverty
October 21, 2015
Development Innovation Ventures Program Sources New Ways to End Extreme Poverty
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) U.S. Global Development Lab today announced $14.1 million in new grants to 32 organizations from around the world. The awards are funded through the Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) program, a year-round open competition that seeks breakthrough development solutions with the potential to change millions of lives at a fraction of the usual cost.

DFID [to 24 October 2015]
https://www.gov.uk/government/latest?departments%5B%5D=department-for-international-development

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Selected Announcements
Methodology to estimate maternal and newborn lives saved 2011 to 2015
Published 23 October 2015 Guidance DFID
In 2010, DFID announced their ‘Framework for results for reproductive, maternal and newborn health (RMNH)’ which included several ambitious goals including saving 250,000 newborn and 50,000 maternal lives by 2015. This technical note describes how DFID uses the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) to estimate lives saved from its bilateral health-related programs. It is aimed primarily at a specialist audience. The results will be published separately at the end of the project

Solar boost to release Africa’s untapped energy potential
Published 22 October 2015 Press release DFID

African Union [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.au.int/en/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Oct.22.2015
Statement by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on Africa Human Rights Day

The African Development Bank Group [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Feeding Africa conference adopts plan for agricultural transformation
24/10/2015 – The adoption of an action plan and wide-ranging partnerships to transform African agriculture into viable agri-business were the main outcomes of the three-day high-level conference on Africa’s agricultural transformation, which ended in Dakar, Senegal, on Friday.
“This conference has created the synergy needed for effective partnerships to enable us attain our objectives of feeding Africa,” African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina, said at the closing ceremony. “We can do it, we will do it. We will feed Africa, we will feed the world.”
Among the decisions taken by the Finance and Agriculture Ministers and Central Bank Governors who attended the conference is to scale up nutrition programs across Africa to end malnutrition and hunger.
The program, Adesina said, will involve establishing a strategic partnership with President Obama’s Feed the Future Initiative, Grow Africa of the World Economic Forum, the Big Win Philanthropy, the FAO, Scaling Up Nutrition, the World Food Program, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, as well as the private sector at large, to deploy innovative approaches to addressing malnutrition.
The conference also approved a list of organisations to lead initiatives aimed at raising agricultural productivity across the continent, in close partnership with the African Development Bank, the World Bank and development partners. These include: the Forum for African Agricultural Research, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, as well as national agricultural research systems…

AfDB’s post-Ebola reconstruction boosted by EUR 3-million Rural Water Supply and Sanitation grant
23/10/2015 – On October 21, 2015, the Rural Water and Sanitation Initiative (RWSSI) Trust Fund of the African Development Bank (AfDB) announced a EUR 3-million grant to support the implementation of the National Post Ebola Recovery Strategies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

AfDB approves a $ 33.3-million Regional Post Ebola Recovery Social Investment Fund
23/10/2015 – On October 21, 2015, the African Development Bank Group’s (AfDB) Board of Executive Directors approved a US $33.3-million grant to set up a Post Ebola Recovery Social Investment Fund (PERSIF) intended to support the implementation of the National Post Ebola Recovery strategies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

New technologies at the service of Africa’s agricultural transformation
22/10/2015 – Farmers are effectively using mobile telephone technologies to eliminate middlemen distorting the market prices of farm produce and access better seeds, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Akinwumi Adesina told delegates at the African agricultural transformation conference, which entered its second day on Thursday in Senegal.

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.asean.org/news
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Press Release of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children
MAKATI, 22 October 2015 – The Eleventh Meeting of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) was convened on 18 20 October 2015 in Makati, the Philippines.

The Meeting reviewed the Terms of Reference of ACWC, and implementation of the Work Plan 2012-2016 including the three on-going thematic studies. The Regional Study on Child Protection System under the UN CRC Implementation in ASEAN Member States led by Indonesia is currently on-going. The preliminary draft Report, which was considered by the Meeting, provides an analysis on the characteristics of the child protection systems in ASEAN Member States including the legal framework, programmes, and resources.

The regional assessment on the laws, policies and practices within ASEAN Member States relating to the identification and treatment of victims of trafficking, especially women and children, is on-going under the coordination of Lao PDR. The regional consultant, national researchers and regional project coordination had been recruited and met on 16-17 October 2015 in Makati to discuss the national research plan including national report outline, methodology, guiding questions and timeline for incountry data gathering in ASEAN Member States in November 2015.

The draft Progress Report on Women’s Rights, Empowerment and Gender Equality was reviewed by the ACWC. The draft Report was scheduled for completion and launching on 8 March 2016 in time of the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN. The study reviews the progress in advancing women’s political, economic and social rights at regional and national levels…

European Union [to 24 October 2015]
http://europa.eu/rapid/search-result.htm?query=18&locale=en&page=1
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives]

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Commission Issues Opinion on Temporary Reintroduction of Controls at Internal Borders: Germany and Austria acting in compliance with Schengen Borders Code
Brussels, 23 October 2015
The European Commission has published today its Opinion on the temporary reintroduction of controls at internal borders by Germany and Austria. The Commission has concluded that the initial reintroduction of controls at internal borders by Germany and Austria, as well as the subsequent prolongations, are in compliance with the Schengen Borders Code.

The Opinion assesses the necessity and proportionality of the measures introduced by Germany on 13 September and Austria on 16 September. The two Member States resorted to this extraordinary measure, foreseen in the Schengen Borders Code, to cope with a large influx of persons seeking international protection.
In particular, the Commission recognises that the German and Austrian decisions were “motivated by the serious threat to the internal security and public policy caused by the extraordinary influx of persons seeking international protection, crossing the borders[…] in a spontaneous manner, often without necessary documents and/or without adequate recording in Eurodac upon their first arrival in the EU” and that the reintroduction of border controls was intended “to maintain the control over the extraordinary number of arriving persons by means allowed under national and EU law”.

The Commission is of the opinion that the sudden increase in the number of persons seeking international protection at the borders of these countries did lead to a threat of public policy and internal security, which justified the application of the extraordinary measures available under the Schengen Borders Code. Therefore, according to the Commission, the decisions taken by the German and Austrian authorities were necessary and the measures were proportionate…

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President Juncker calls Leaders’ Meeting in Brussels on refugee flows along the Western Balkans route
European Commission – Announcement Brussels, 21 October 2015
President Juncker calls Leaders’ Meeting in Brussels on refugee flows along the Western Balkans route In view of the unfolding emergency in the countries along the Western Balkans migratory route, there is a need for much greater cooperation, more extensive consultation…

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New phase launched of EU programme to increase social cohesion in Latin America
Date: 19/10/2015
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 19 October 2015
The European Commission launched today EUROsociAL+, a new phase of the EU programme to increase social cohesion in Latin America, at an event in Madrid, bringing together representatives of the EU and its Latin American counterparts….

Organization of American States (OAS) [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_releases.asp

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OAS Countries Reaffirm Commitment to Sustainable Development, 2030 Agenda and Addressing Climate Change
October 20, 2015 E-316
The countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) today adopted the Declaration of Tela, Honduras to promote a sustainable development agenda for the Americas in line with the objectives for the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations, and with a full commitment to address climate change.

The Third Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities on Sustainable Development adopted by acclamation a strategic framework for updating the Inter Development Program (PIDS) with six strategic areas for action: disaster risk management; sustainable management of ecosystems; integrated water resources management; sustainable cities and communities; sustainable energy management, prioritizing the promotion of clean, renewable, environmentally sustainable energy efficiency; and strengthening and capacity building for efficient, effective, accountable and inclusive institutions for sustainable development.

The countries also highlighted the need to continue working together to achieve a climate agreement at COP-21-the UN Conference on Climate Change to be held in December in Paris, France, and to continue to address the effects of climate change in the near future…

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The OAS Deploys 125 Observers to Haiti for October 25 Elections
October 20, 2015
The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (EOM/OAS) for this Sunday’s elections in Haiti, headed by Brazil’s former Foreign Minister and Defense Minister Celso Amorim, will complete its deployment this week with the arrival of 125 international experts and observers from 27 different countries.
This team joins the specialists who have been in the country since October 1 to observe preparations for the presidential, legislative, and local elections on Sunday, October 25…

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/news/

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Selected Press Releases
OIC Secretary General Congratulates Egypt and Senegal on their Election into the UNSC
The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Mr. Iyad Ameen Madani has congratulated the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Senegal for their well-deserved election as non-permanent members of the United Nations’ Security Council for the period 2016-2017…
19/10/2015