Europe

Climate change ‘greatest’ threat to global stability, British minister says at UN

27 September 2007
Climate change poses the “greatest long-term threat” to global stability and prosperity, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Minister told the General Assembly tonight, issuing a call to industrialized nations to shoulder their burden in dealing with the problem and to also meet their commitments on aid and genuinely reform the international terms of trade.
Iraqi refugees in Sweden

UN refugee agency applauds new Nordic campaign to protect asylum seekers

26 September 2007
The United Nations refugee agency is supporting a new initiative by 20 Nordic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to persuade their Governments to review their policies towards asylum seekers fleeing generalized violence and armed conflict.

New debt relief project for health programmes launched by UN-backed fund

26 September 2007
Germany and Indonesia signed a debt conversion accord today, breaking new ground in financing the war on the world’s three most dangerous infectious diseases by tying 50 million Euros of debt relief to Indonesia’s investment of half of that money into health programmes through the United Nations-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

War crimes tribunal should not close until all suspects are caught, Bosnia tells UN

26 September 2007
The United Nations war crimes tribunal set up in the aftermath of the 1990s Balkan wars should not close until the most notorious suspects still at large, the former Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, are brought to justice, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina told the General Assembly today.

Solution to the Cyprus problem is ‘within reach’, President tells UN Assembly

26 September 2007
A settlement to the Cyprus problem in the form of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation that is unified, democratic and inclusive is feasible and need not involve unfair compromises, the President of the country told the General Assembly today.

Judges at UN war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia re-elect their President

26 September 2007
Judges on the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the worst atrocities of the Balkan wars of the 1990s today re-elected their President and Vice-President to each serve another two-year term.

Norway unveils campaign to achieve UN goal on child mortality, maternal health

26 September 2007
Norway will spend $1 billion over the next decade to help in the fight in the developing world against infant mortality and deaths in childbirth, one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted at a United Nations summit in 2000, its Prime Minister announced today.

General Assembly mechanism needed to devise climate change response – Malta

26 September 2007
The General Assembly should set up a mechanism to devise a global strategy to deal with climate change that avoids the current fragmentation and pays particularly attention to the needs of small island States, Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said today.
President Halonen of Finland

Finland’s President supports creation of new UN agency on gender issues

26 September 2007
The President of Finland today backed the creation of a new United Nations agency to deal with gender issues and urged greater involvement of women in peacemaking and peacekeeping.

Georgia calls for total review of UN mission and peace process

26 September 2007
Georgia’s President called today for a complete review of the United Nations observer mission in his country and the wider peace process with the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, saying the status quo was unacceptable and served to reward the architects of ethnic cleansing and a minority of activists, militias and their foreign supporters.