• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • News

    United Nations

    By Brian Kenety // 13 August 2009

    The United Nations said Aug. 12 that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon did not congratulate Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his contested re-election, reversing a previous statement. Asked on Aug. 11 if Ban had sent a congratulatory letter to Ahmadinejad, UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said "yes." But when reporters asked her for details the next day, she said it could not be construed in any way as congratulating Ahmadinejad. "It is not accurate to refer to this as a congratulatory letter," she said, adding the UN would not release the contents of the letter.

    The Obama administration will work with the UN to fight terrorism and other major world challenges, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said Aug. 12. She said in a speech at New York University that Washington must lead by example, acknowledge its mistakes, change its policies and strategies when necessary and treat others with respect. She noted that Washington had decided to join the UN Human Rights Council, which the Bush administration spurned as an anti-Israel forum, as an example of the new approach to world issues. Last week Rice announced that Washington would hand over more than USD 2 billion in new and old contributions owed to the UN peacekeeping department.

    Adults and children who are severely ill with H1N1 flu or at high risk of complications should be treated with antivirals like Tamiflu, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week. But otherwise healthy people with mild flu-like symptoms need not be given the drugs to combat swine flu, it said. The UN agency reiterated advice first issued on May 21 on the use of antivirals for patients infected with the H1N1 virus, which applies to patients above one year old.

    The lives of at least 40 percent of southern Sudanese are at risk because of escalating tribal fighting, food shortages and a cash-starved regional government, a senior UN official said Aug. 12. "Southern Sudan is facing an almost unmanageable set of problems. We just can't keep up," Lise Grande, the UN Deputy Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Southern Sudan said. Grande called the situation in the south a "humanitarian perfect storm." Southern politicians have warned increased violence bodes badly for the 2010 elections and a referendum on southern secession in 2011.

    With not enough food to feed all 12.5 million Zimbabweans and funding requirements to provide urgently-needed aid only half met, the UN humanitarian arm warns the situation remains acute. Even with commercial imports, there will be a 180,000 ton cereal deficit for 2009-2010, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. According to an assessment by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and Zimbabwean Government, only 1.4 million tons of cereal will be available domestically, compared to the more than 2 million needed.

      Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

      About the author

      • Brian Kenety

        Brian Kenety

      Search for articles

      Related Stories

      Devex DishDevex Dish: Gaza edges toward famine, with food stuck at the border

      Devex Dish: Gaza edges toward famine, with food stuck at the border

      Food systemsUS-grown food aid is stranded in ports worldwide despite waiver

      US-grown food aid is stranded in ports worldwide despite waiver

      United NationsIs the world ready for a woman at helm of the United Nations?

      Is the world ready for a woman at helm of the United Nations?

      Devex DishDevex Dish: Has the world reached peak food aid?

      Devex Dish: Has the world reached peak food aid?

      Most Read

      • 1
        The power of diagnostics to improve mental health
      • 2
        Lasting nutrition and food security needs new funding — and new systems
      • 3
        Opinion: Urgent action is needed to close the mobile gender gap
      • 4
        Supporting community-driven solutions to address breast cancer
      • 5
        The top local employers in Europe
      • News
      • Jobs
      • Funding
      • Talent
      • Events

      Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

      A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Post a job
      • Careers at Devex
      • Contact us
      © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement