Seven years after signing a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, delegates at the UN are poised to seal the deal.
The first-ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples opened on Monday in New York.
Member States adopted a formal document fulfilling their promise to implement the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
South Sudan has become the latest country to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
This Convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979, defines what constitutes discrimination against women, and commits Member States to setting up an agenda for action to support them.
The plight of children in armed conflict around the world was once again before the Security Council on Monday.
The Council held an open debate to discuss the UN Secretary-General’s latest report on “Children and armed conflict”.
According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), almost 30 million children are out of school in emergency or conflict affected countries.
The agency says this is approximately half of all children who are out of school worldwide.
Derrick Mbatha reports.
Duration: 3'22"
The consciousness of mankind has changed, according to Louis Gossett Jr., an internationally acclaimed actor and social justice advocate.
Mr. Gossett, who is perhaps best known for his performance in the 1977 American television mini-series “Roots”, says the digital age has helped make difficult issues such as slavery public.
On Thursday he was at UN headquarters to attend a round-table on the representation of slavery in film.
Joshua Mmali asked Louis Gossett Jr about what has changed since he starred in Roots 30 years ago.
Duration: 4'57"
People with disabilities in Arab countries are increasingly suffering due to the region’s turmoil, according to the President of the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities (AOPD).
Doctor Nawaf Kabbara says although most Arab states have ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), an international treaty to ensure the most vulnerable are protected, equal rights for all are not yet a reality.
The growth of the mobile phone sector in South Sudan is connecting women across the country and is contributing to gender equality, according to a senior government official.
Despite poor infrastructure and low internet band width, Africa’s newest country is hoping that mobile phones can also be used for so-called “e-education”…that’s learning through the electronic media.
Paul Conneally asked Rebecca Joshua Okwaci, Minister of Telecommunications & Postal Services in South Sudan about the challenges the country faces.
Duration: 2’35”
The internet should be open, free, secure and trustworthy, according to the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs.
Thomas Gass said achieving this is one of the goals of the Internet Governance Forum, taking place in Istanbul from 2 to 5 September.
This annual Forum, which has met since 2006, convenes to discuss the internet's sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development.
May Yacooub asked Mr Gass how connecting continents also contributes to enhancing internet governance.
Duration: 4’58”
Trinidad and Tobago faces a unique situation as one of the world’s more than 50 small island developing states or SIDS according to a senior economist in the country.
Although the island nation faces many of the same development challenges of other SIDS, it does have considerable natural resources, namely oil and gas.
It is now looking at ways to diversify its economy.
The two young American girls behind a widely successful social media campaign promoting education, #GirlWithABook, are helping to build a library in Pakistan.
Inspired by Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban in 2012 for wanting to go to school, Lena Shareef and Olivia Curl have partnered with the non-profit, the Citizens Foundation.
The organization, established by a group of Pakistani citizens, builds schools, trains and hires teachers.
The #GirlWithABook creators spoke to Leda Letra about this next project.
Duration: 4'25"
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is encouraging its Member States to implement projects that promote digital inclusion.
The ITU says that successful digital inclusion projects that people implement in one country can serve as practical inspiration for others to carry out similar projects in their own countries.
One such project is being implemented in Vanuatu, an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean.
