Talks on Security Council expansion to begin in earnest

Source: United Nations

On-going work on reshaping the size and membership of the Security Council and making the vital organ of the world body more democratic is finally heading for serious negotiations, the Ambassador to the United Nations for Afghanistan, Zahir Tanin, told the press on Monday.

Green growth is essential to any stimulus

Source: Financial Times | By Ban Ki-moon and Al Gore*

Economic stimulus is the order of the day. This is as it must be, as governments around the world struggle to jump-start the global economy. But even as leaders address the immediate need to stimulate the economy, so too must they act jointly to ensure that the new de facto economic model being developed is sustainable for the planet and our future on it.

Women and globalization

Source: Der Spiegel | By Barbara Supp

Women are becoming high-level managers in Europe, entrepreneurs in Asia and mechanics in Africa. The more globalization changes the world, the more it liberates women from traditional roles. But what are they doing with the opportunity?

Italy hosts super-meeting on Security Council reform

Source: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The purpose of the 5 February meeting is to involve capitals at political level with the aim of expressing the willingness of a broad number of UN Member States to seek consensus on Security Council reform, at a new stage in the reform process that will be marked by the 19 February launch in New York of intergovernmental negotiations in the context of an informal General Assembly session.