UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

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UN report reveals “endemic impunity” in Darfur
GENEVA (21 August 2015) – Serious human rights violations and abuses that occurred in Darfur in 2014, including killings and sexual violence, have largely gone uninvestigated and unpunished, according to a new report by the UN Human Rights Office.

The report, based on information provided by the African Union-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), details cases of human rights violations and reveals widespread impunity. Of the 411 cases documented by UNAMID of alleged violations and abuses of the right to physical integrity, by all parties to the conflict, very few were investigated or resulted in arrests. Of these, 127 involved the use of sexual violence. These 411 cases are illustrative of a much broader pattern of violence, the report states.

“The report paints a very grim picture of the systemic failure, or outright refusal, by the authorities to take human rights violations seriously. Most victims have not received justice or any remedies for the wrongs that they suffered,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said…

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Video statement by Francois Crepeau, Special Rapporteur on human rights and migrants, at the 15th session of the Advisory Committee, on unaccompanied migrant children 11 August 2015

UNICEF [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html

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Selected press release and news notes
Yemen Conflict: Over a thousand child casualties so far – UNICEF
SANAA, Yemen, 19 August 2015 – An average of eight children are being killed or maimed every day in Yemen as a direct result of the conflict gripping the country, according to a report released by UNICEF.

Hygiene practices have helped keep Ebola out of the classroom
CONAKRY/FREETOWN/MONROVIA, 12 August 2015 – As students in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone begin their summer vacations, measures put in place to protect them from the Ebola virus are being credited with having helped keep classrooms free from any infections.

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases

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Selected Press Releases
IOM, Partners Work with the Americas to Protect Migrant Children
08/21/15
El Salvador – IOM, UNHCR and ICRC yesterday concluded the 3rd meeting of the Ad Hoc Group on Migrant Children and Adolescents of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) in El Salvador.

IOM Supports Launch of Afghan Migration Management Database
08/18/15
Afghanistan – Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, with the support of IOM, has launched a comprehensive Afghan migration management database.

IOM Supports Nigerian Displacement Tracking Technology
08/18/15
Nigeria – IOM this week donated information technology equipment to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as part of its project: “Strengthening Humanitarian Response Capacity in North East Nigeria through Displacement Tracking, Monitoring and Information Dissemination” – also known as the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM).

IOM Launches Report on Investing in Somali Youth
08/18/15
Somalia – IOM, with funding from the Government of Japan, has launched its first report looking at the relationship between youth, employment and migration in Puntland and Somaliland, entitled “Investing in Somali Youth”.

Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Approach 250,000
08/14/15
Italy – The number of migrants and asylum seekers who have arrived in Europe by sea so far in 2015 is now approaching a quarter of a million, according to IOM analysis.

IOM: Over 3.1 Million Iraqis Now Displaced
08/14/15
Iraq – The IOM Iraq Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) identified 3,171,606 internally displaced Iraqis (528,601 families) from January 2014 through 30 July 2015.

IOM Monitors Migrant Flows on Haiti – Dominican Republic Border
08/11/15
Haiti – IOM is continuing to monitor migrant flows on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

UN Women [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories

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Selected Press Releases
UN Women welcomes CEDAW General Recommendation on women’s access to justice
Date : August 19, 2015
UN Women welcomes the recently published General recommendation no. 33 on women’s access to justice by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in late July.

Statement by UN Women on World Humanitarian Day, 19 August 2015
Date : August 18, 2015
In a statement on World Humanitarian Day, 19 August 2015, UN Women pays tribute to those who have dedicated their lives to end the suffering of others, and who bring hope where it is most needed. Their humanitarian spirit and actions inspire us every day.

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

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Colombia’s Credifamilia to extend US$240m in mortgage loans to low-income homebuyers: New Business Call to Action member’s loans will build 20,000 homes by 2020
Aug 21, 2015
Colombia’s Credifamilia has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to expand its successful low-income loan portfolio by extending US$240 million in home mortgages to at least 20,000 households in six urban areas which will house 78,000 people by 2020.

UNDP, Red Cross to help reintegrate Ebola volunteers
Aug 14, 2015
UNDP and IFRC kick-start a project to reintegrate and train volunteer workers who have been on the front line fighting the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone.

US$ 41 million to strengthen HIV and TB response in Sudan
Aug 11, 2015
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Federal Ministry of Health in Sudan and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) have announced two new partnership agreements totaling US$ 41 million for Sudan, to give a major boost to the country’s response to HIV and Tuberculosis.

US$ 17 million to fight HIV,TB and malaria in the Pacific Region
Aug 4, 2015
Two new agreements reached in the Pacific by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) are set to provide a major boost in the fight against the three diseases in the Pacific region.

UN Statistical Commission :: UN Statistics Division [to 22 August 2015]
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/commission.htm
http://unstats.un.org/sdgs/

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Open Consultation with Civil Society, Academia and Private Sector
SDG Indicator Framework – IAEG-SDG
11 AUG – 07 SEP 2015
Background
The Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) is launching an online consultation open to civil society, academia and the private sector to seek their inputs on the development of an indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals. This online open consultation follows a consultation initiated in March 2015 that requested inputs from stakeholders on a preliminary proposed list of indicators.
:: To view a summary of the previous consultation click here.
:: To view a complete compilation of comments from the previous consultation click here.

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

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Selected Press Releases
Homegrown Experts to Tap into Africa’s 20,000 MW Geothermal Energy Thanks to New Excellence Centre
With an estimated potential of 20,000 MW, geothermal energy could provide an answer to the continent’s energy shortage.
13/08/2015

Egyptian Experimental Farm Reveals Possible Market for ‘Sewage Farming’ Agricultural Products
13/08/2015

UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.unisdr.org/archive

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Selected Press Releases
Preparedness Key to Avoiding Worst Consequences of Disasters
On World Humanitarian Day UNEP provides guidance to help communities cope with technological hazards and environmental emergencies
19/08/2015

UN DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news.html

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Selected Press Releases
On Youth Day, UN officials urge Member States to make young people ‘drivers of change’
12 August 2015, New York
Marking International Day of Youth, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that no one knows better than young people the issues at stake in today’s rapidly changing world or the best way to respond, and declared: “That is why I am calling on young people to speak out – and I am urging leaders to listen.

Sustainable development through geospatial information
10 August 2015, New York
The Fifth Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), which took place from 3-7 August at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, showcased the role of collecting geospatial information in the realization of sustainable development.

UN chief urges greater efforts to improve health and well-being of indigenous peoples
9 August 2015, New York
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the international community to commit to do more to improve the health and well-being of indigenous peoples, who face a wide range of challenges from inadequate sanitation and housing to high rates of diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse.

UNESCO [to 22 August 2015]
http://en.unesco.org/news

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International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, 23 August 2015
22 August 2015

Empowering African girls to be the next generation of STEM leaders
17 August 2015

UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme [to 22 August 2015]
http://unhabitat.org/media-centre/press-releases/

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Slum residents contribute to participatory design of community hall
Nairobi, 21 August 2015 – In a landmark project initiated by UN-Habitat and coordinated by the Global Network for Sustainable Housing, the University of Cambridge has engaged a team of researchers to design a community centre in…
Posted August 21, 2015

UN-Habitat goes live with global French website
Nairobi, 20 August 2015: As part of its advocacy, outreach and communications strategy started in 2012, UN-Habitat launched its global website in French today, alongside two new social media channels Twitter and Facebook reporting globally on UN-Habitat’s…
Posted August 20, 2015

Swiss support in Cuba to benefit one million people
Havana, 11 August 2015 – Citizens of thirteen municipalities of Cuba will benefit from an agreement signed between representatives of the Swiss Development Cooperation and UN-Habitat to improve housing infrastructure and living conditions. In addition, the cooperation…
Posted August 12, 2015

UNI portal to provide new outlook for partnerships with academia
Nairobi, 10 August 2015 – A new portal launched by UN-Habitat promotes universities becoming closer partners of cities, actively engaged in problem solving, thus closing the gap between academia and practice and encouraging collaborative learning. The portal,…
Posted August 10, 2015

UN-Habitat releases International Guidelines on Urban Territorial Planning
Nairobi, 10 August 2015– UN-Habitat has released guidelines to provide national governments, local authorities, civil society organizations and planning professionals with a global reference framework that promotes more compact, socially inclusive, better integrated and connected cities and territories…
Posted August 10, 2015

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2015/en/

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Soils are the foundation for vegetation
Healthy soils are crucial for ensuring the continued growth of natural and managed vegetation, providing feed, fibre, fuel, medicinal products and other ecosystem services such as climate regulation and oxygen production. Soils and vegetation have a reciprocal relationship.
20-08-2015

Plastic pellets everywhere, and diving robot sensors
The R/V Dr Fridtjof Nansen, a research vessel oeprated by Norway’s Institute of Marine Research with advice from FAO, is in the middle of the southern Indian Ocean, assessing the incidence of microplastics and the Gyre…An estimated 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently float in the world’s oceans, up from none in 1950 and posing a question about their potential impact on a food supply chain that stretches from plankton – which have been filmed eating plastic pellets – up through shellfish, salmon, tuna and eventually humans, not to mention whales….
11-08-2015

FAO Food Price Index hits lowest level in almost six years
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 164.6 points in July, down 1.0 per cent from June, and 19.4 percent from a year earlier. The trade-weighted index tracks prices on international markets of five major food commodity groups: cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar.
6-08-2015

ILO International Labour Organization [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.ilo.org/global/lang–en/index.htm

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Migration crisis
ILO Director-General calls for durable solution to migrant and refugee crisis
07 August 2015
“Stopgap measures to halt the flows of migrants only scratch the surface of the problem. We need to go deeper into the root causes that force people to put their lives in danger in order to find work and security in foreign lands,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

Sustainable Development Goals
2030 development agenda: Major breakthrough for world of work
04 August 2015
“The unanimous endorsement from UN member States gives the international community the impetus we need to work together to tackle the formidable challenges confronting humanity and our planet, particularly those we face in the world of work,” says ILO Director-General following the agreement of a new development agenda.

UNWTO World Tourism Organization [to 22 August 2015]
http://media.unwto.org/news

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Brand Africa – partnerships key to build brand equity for Africa
The UNWTO Regional Conference on Enhancing Brand Africa – Fostering Tourism Development concluded with a call for stronger regional cooperation and increased partnerships as means to build a stronger brand value for Africa (Accra, Ghana 17-19 August 2015).
20 August 2015

UNWTO welcomes China’s decision to make tourism a tool to fight poverty
UNWTO welcomes the recent decision of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development of China to promote rural tourism as an effective means to fight poverty.
4 August 2015

ITU International Telecommunications Union [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/index.aspx?lang=en#.VF8FYcl4WF8

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18.08.2015
International relief effort underway in aftermath of widespread floods
Geneva, 18 August 2015 – ITU has deployed emergency telecommunication equipment in Myanmar following severe floods which have claimed many lives and submerged more than 200,000 acres of farmland, damaging essential infrastructure and thousands of homes.

The emergency equipment deployed by ITU includes Iridium satellite phones, Inmarsat satellite terminals (Broadband Global Area Networks), accessories and laptops to support rescue and relief coordination efforts.

“ITU has deployed emergency telecommunication equipment this year in Malawi, Vanuatu, The Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Nepal, and now Myanmar,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “I would like to express my deepest condolences to the people and Government of Myanmar following loss of life and widespread devastation caused by recent floods across the country.”…

ECHO [to 22 August 2015]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/news

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World Humanitarian Day 2015: Let’s Honour Humanitarian Heroes
19/08/2015
Every day, brave men and women risk their lives in humanitarian service to assist victims of wars and natural disasters worldwide. On the occasion of today’s World Humanitarian Day, the European Union pays tribute to their work and dedication..

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations [to 22 August 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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ASEAN Community Vision 2025
Thursday, 13 August 2015.
The ASEAN Community Vision 2025 Process

1. What is the ASEAN Community Vision 2025? What is the background and purpose of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025?

:: ASEAN Leaders took the decision at the 23rd ASEAN Summit in November 2013 to develop a Post-2015 Vision to realise a politically cohesive, economically integrated, socially responsible, and a truly people-oriented, people-centred and rules-based ASEAN.

:: The Vision will be a bold, visionary, progressive and forward-looking document to reflect the aspirations of the next generation of ASEAN nationals. It aims to sustain the momentum of regional integration and further contribute to strengthening the ASEAN community-building efforts.

:: ASEAN community-building is a continuous and evolving process. It is therefore important to chart the future direction of the ASEAN Community into the next decade. This vision, when realised, will further consolidate and deepen the ASEAN community-building and regional integration process.

:: Through the consolidation and integration process, it is envisaged ASEAN will be able to respond proactively and effectively to the emerging threats and challenges presented by the rapidly changing regional and global landscape…

OECD [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/publicationsdocuments/bydate/
[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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Increasing tax revenues is crucial to development in emerging Asian economies
Increasing tax revenues and ensuring sustainable domestic resource mobilisation will be critical as emerging Asian economies seek to boost the provision of public goods and services and improve economic growth and living standards.
19-August-2015

The Global Forum releases new compliance ratings on tax transparency
The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes published new peer review reports today for 12 countries or jurisdictions, moving further ahead with its goal to implement global standards on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes.
3-August-2015

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/news/

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Selected Press Releases
OIC Calls for Ceasefire and Commitment to Peace Accord in Northern Mali
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed its deep concern over the degeneration of the security situation in northern Mali and condemned vigorously the aggravation of tension and the escalation of violence between the main signatory groups of the Accord for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali…
20/08/2015

OIC Secretary General Calls for Support to Victims of Flooding in Southeast Asia
The OIC is following with deep concern the consequences of torrential monsoon rains brought by tropical cyclone Komen and other severe weather conditions across Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Myanmar and parts of Southeast Asia. Heavy flooding in the region has caused the loss of hundreds of human lives, the displacement of millions of people and wide-spread destruction of properties…
17/08/2015

OIC Highly Commends Saudi Arabia’s Support for UNRWA, Stresses the Need for the International Community’s Commitment towards the Agency
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has highly commended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its announcement of a 35 million US dollar contribution for the benefit of the United Nations’ Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in reaction to the latter’s critical budgetary crisis that has reached 101 million dollars, which threatens to necessitate postponing the start of the new school year and causing a decline in the basic and humanitarian services extended by the Agency to over five million Palestinian refugees….
13/08/2015

OIC Institutions Agree to Intensify Joint Collaboration in Countering Extreme Violence, Sectarianism and Islamophobia
OIC institutions agreed to increase joint collaboration and formulate a plan to counter extreme violence, sectarianism and Islamophobia at a high level meeting held at the General Secretariat in Jeddah on Tuesday, August 11, 2015….
12/08/2015

IMF [to 22 August 2015]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx
[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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IMF and USAID Strengthen Cooperation on Capacity Development
Press Release No. 15/385
August 20, 2015
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that enables the two organizations to enhance their close cooperation in capacity development. IMF Deputy Managing Director Carla Grasso and Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment, Charles North, signed the agreement today in Washington DC

IMF Executive Board Reforms the Fund’s Policy on Poverty Reduction Strategies in Fund Engagement with Low-Income Countries
Press Release No. 15/371
August 6, 2015
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on June 22, 2015, discussed and adopted the proposed reform set out in a Board paper on “Reform of the Fund’s Policy on Poverty Reduction Strategies in Fund Engagement with Low-Income Countries—Proposals.”