Europe

Turkey makes progress on detention procedures, but not for terror suspects – UN experts

23 October 2006
Despite strengthened safeguards against arbitrary detention in Turkey’s criminal justice system stemming from new laws enacted last year, the situation of terrorist suspects who have been detained for up to 13 years without being found guilty is “most disturbing,” according to United Nations experts.
Child begging on a street

Child poverty in South-East Europe, Central Asia clouds region’s future – UN report

18 October 2006
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, according to a United Nations report released today.

Kosovo: UN Goodwill Ambassador Kidman hears chronicles of violence against women

16 October 2006
Visiting Kosovo on her inaugural trip as a Goodwill Ambassador with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Nicole Kidman heard first-hand about the impact of gender-based violence and war, and said today that women must be central to any decisions reached during the current talks over the province’s final status.
Security Council

Security Council extends mandate of UN mission in Georgia

13 October 2006
Voicing concern about fresh tensions in the long-running dispute between Georgian authorities and Abkhaz separatists, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) by another six months.

Chechens and Azeris faced food aid cutoff, warns UN Special Rapporteur on food

12 October 2006
Roughly 250,000 Chechens face a complete cut off of international food aid and 144,000 Azerbaijanis drastic food aid reduction by the end of the month unless donors come up with more money, a United Nations food expert warned today.
UNESCO head Koïchiro Matsuura

UNESCO chiefs adds voice to condemnation of murder of Russian reporter

10 October 2006
The head of the United Nations body mandated to defend freedom of the press added his voice today to the chorus of condemnations over the killing of the well-known Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, whose recent reporting had focused primarily on Chechnya.
Queen Sofia on visit to Central America

Queen Sofia of Spain receives UN agriculture award for aid ending hunger

10 October 2006
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today awarded the Ceres Medal to Queen Sofia of Spain in recognition of her efforts to raise the living standards of rural women in developing countries.
Kofi Annan

Annan, High Commissioner for Human Rights condemn murder of Russian journalist

9 October 2006
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today strongly condemned the killing of the well-known Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was found shot dead on Saturday in an elevator at her block of flats in Moscow.
Asylum seekers near French port of Calais

UN refugee agency calls on European nations to go further in asylum standards

9 October 2006
Welcoming the entry into force across the European Union (EU) of minimum standards for granting refugee status, the United Nations refugee agency today urged countries to live up to their moral and legal obligations and maintain the highest possible asylum standards.
Vinca's shutdown research reactor

UN-backed efforts to upgrade nuclear safety move ahead with Serbian clean-up

6 October 2006
As part of its multi-national efforts to upgrade nuclear safety and security at the world´s research reactors, the United Nations atomic watchdog agency has concluded a $4.3 million contract to rid a Serbian reactor site of old ‘spent’ nuclear fuel that is posing a serious radiological hazard.