As cities grow both in size and population, people are being urged to seize the opportunity to start shaping them.
That’s the message of UN Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos on the first-ever World Cities Day observed on 31 October.
Under the slogan, “Better city, Better Life”, the city of Shanghai, China is hosting the celebrations.
The role of cartoonists as watchdogs of society is being examined in a UN-backed documentary film.
“Cartoonists-Foot Soldiers of democracy” shows how cartoonists contribute to political life, but also the dangers they face when exposing wrong-doing.
The film about twelve cartoon artists from around the world premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival in France.
The idea for the documentary was developed as part of the United Nations initiative, known as “cartooning for peace”.
Over 10 million people in Africa have said “no” to female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) as a result of a worldwide effort to stop the practice.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) andUNICEF are joint sponsors of a programme to get communities to abandon FGM/C in one generation.
On Thursday the UN Secretary-General launched a global campaign against mutilation and cutting and enlisted the help of big media outlets like the Guardian newspaper.
South Sudan is moving ahead to build its information and communications infrastructure, according to the country’s Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services.
When the new nation became independent from Sudan in July 201, the minister says it had “no real infrastructure”, especially broadband.
Rebecca Joshua Okwaci, is one of the senior government officials attending a conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Busan, South Korea.
The few women who work in the technology sector are in a position to influence how information and communication technologies can be used to empower women.
That view has been expressed by the Minister of Communications and Technology of Nigeria, who is attending the International Telecommunication Union meeting in Busan, South Korea.
Omobola Johnson said more needs to be done to close the digital divide between men and women which she described as “so wide”.
Forming ties and networking with young people around the world is what a United States delegate hopes to get out of the first ever Global Youth Forum which opened in Baku, Azerbaijan on Tuesday.
Youth representatives, government ministers and experts are discussing policies to address the needs of young people many of whom face challenges such as unemployment.
Basma Bitar-Baghal asked Jackson Dougan, the United States Youth Observer to the United Nations about the forum and what he expects to come out of it.
Duration: 3'12"
Policies which focus on the needs of the world’s growing population of young people are an important part of future development efforts, according to an expert on youth issues.
A global forum has opened in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday to take stock of what has been done and what needs to be done to progress youth policies around the world.
Cristina Bacalso, is a senior analyst at youthpolicy.org, an organisation which publishes data and analysis on global youth issues.
Basma Bitar-Baghal talked to Ms Bacalso about the forum she is attending.
The aspirations and demands of young people around the world are coming under the spotlight in Baku, Azerbaijan this week at a UN-backed conference focussing on global youth policies.
The meeting will bring together policy experts from governments and parliaments, youth networks as well as research and development communities.
They’ll discuss how youth policy can be implemented in war zones, post-conflict settings, and even can tackle the issue of unemployment.
Yael Ohana is an independent expert on youth issues who is attending the conference.
An award winning a capella group from South Africa known as “The Soil” brought its harmonies to the UN recently.
The group participated in a “Music for Peace” event organized by the UN Academic Impact in early October.
After performing for the UN community in New York, the group also participated in a panel discussion which included a reflection on 20 years of freedom in their country.
Derrick Mbatha caught up with the spokesperson for the group, Ntsika Ngxanga, and first asked how he felt about singing at the United Nations.
Duration: 4’58”
Violence in schools around the world is considered as “normal” which is why it is often not documented, according to an expert on international education.
Professor Fiona Leach outlines three broad categories of violence in school-related settings namely physical, psychological and sexual.
Recent studies have also linked violence to low academic achievement.
Speaking to Alex Goldmark, Ms Leach began by detailing those categories of violence.
Duration: 4’43’’
