culture

The transformative power of science is being recognised at the United Nations on Monday as the international community gets together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Geneva-based CERN is one of the world’s leading laboratories for particle physics.

Scientists there have made major breakthroughs in understanding the building blocks of matter and the forces that hold them together.

A movie depicting the experience of young Sudanese immigrants in Kansas in the United States can be used as an “educational tool”.

That’s according to Kuoth Weil, an actress from Minnesota who landed a role in the movie, a Good Lie about the “lost boys” of Sudan.

These were orphans who walked thousands of miles during the Sudanese Civil War to seek refuge in countries like Ethiopia and Kenya.

Many were later resettled to the United States.

Young volunteers are being recruited by the United Nations in West Africa to help inform members of the community on ways to prevent contracting the Ebola virus disease.

The worst-ever outbreak of Ebola continues to ravage communities in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, with now close to 4500 reported deaths.

These community efforts are said to be crucial to raise awareness among the most vulnerable populations and stop transmissions.

Stephanie Coutrix reports.

Duration: 2’40”

Female farmers in the developed world face particular challenges in what is a male-dominated industry, according to a representative from the World Farmer’s Organisation.

Sarah Campbell, who is a livestock famer based outside Washington DC in the US, was at UN Headquarters to share her perspective on the difficulties women face to be recognized as farmers.

The future recovery of Syria is dependent on the education of its children, according to the Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

UNICEF recently marked one year since the launch of the “No Lost Generation” initiative which aims to alleviate the impact of the Syrian crisis on children’s learning and psychological well-being.

In the past three and a half years of civil war, UNICEF says Syrian children have been marked by displacement, destruction, terror, and trauma.

Tributes are being paid on Friday to two Asian activists who have won this year’s Nobel Peace prize for campaigning for children’s rights.

Indian children’s rights advocate Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai who was shot in the head by the Taliban two years ago for advocating girls' right to education are the winners of the Prize.

Heads of UN agencies and the UN Secretary-General have issued statements welcoming the announcement.

Derrick Mbatha reports.

Duration:  2'53"

Millions of children in South Asia don’t get the education that gives them the fundamental skills to read, write and count, according to a paper released by the UN cultural agency (UNESCO).

The paper was released on the occasion of World Teachers Day which is observed on 5 October each year to put a spotlight on the important role of teachers.

According to UNESCO, because of a shortage of qualified teachers, some countries won’t be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015.

In the rush to fill the chronic, global shortage of teachers, many countries are sacrificing standards, according to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

To mark World Teachers Day, which is observed on 5 October, UNESCO is on Monday publishing a new paper that shows that at least 93 countries have an acute teacher shortage.

People should not fear growing old but should realize how precious life is and “live it and love it”.

That’s what a sixty-nine year old leader of a women’s dance troupe from Lincoln in the United Kingdom said in Geneva on Wednesday.

Jacky Simpsom was in the Swiss city to perform at a United Nations event to celebrate the International Day of Older Persons which is observed on 1 October each year.

Every country in the world can achieve the goal of using clean energy, according to the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United Nations.

The use of fossil fuels is responsible for the emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming and climate change.

The UAE is a pioneer in the field of renewable energy and Masdar city is home to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).