10 ou plutôt, 11 sujets qui devraient retenir votre attention…

Ten Stories the World should hear more about… Read below.
Alors que Reuters annonce que la France lève son embargo sur la mozarella campaniole, alors qu’une partie de la presse anglaise ne perd pas une seule occasion d’accoler l’adjectif minuscule au président français, voici les 10 sujets qui devraient recueillir davantage d’attention en cette année 2008 d’après le Département de l’Information Publique des Nations Unies:

Nord de l’Ouganda, les étapes vers la paix pour régler un conflit qui dure depuis des décennies ;

Les exclus : le monde caché des apatrides. Ils sont 15 millions selon le HCR. Pourtant peu connaissent les implications de leur statut.

Les phénomènes climatiques extrêmes deviennent « normaux » ;
La souffrance des filles-soldats ;

L’Afghanistan, à la croisée des chemins, doit s’associer avec la communauté internationale ;

Progrès dans la prévention et le traitement du paludisme. La malaria continue de tuer 1 million de personnes par an, pourtant de nouvelles preuves indiquent que la distribution de moustiquaires imbibés d’anti-moustique et de nouveaux médicaments vont créer une dynamique pour combattre la maladie.

Promotion et protection des droits de l’homme : le rôle des procédures spéciales du Conseil des droits de l’homme ;

La police de la paix : le rôle de maintien de l’ordre public joué par les casques bleus ;

Sud-Soudan : la route vers une « paix indivisible » ;

La menace de la grippe aviaire repoussée, mais la menace d’une pandémie humaine n’a pas disparu.

Si je devais ajouter à cette liste un sujet, ce serait celui de la République Centrafricaine. Lorsque j’ai travaillé sur le sujet l’an dernier, j’ai été impressionné par le potentiel des décideurs politiques centrafricaines rencontrés. Pourtant la République Centrafricaine a besoin de l’attention des médias internationaux qui peuvent encourager le soutien extérieur. Une couverture médiatique accrue est un pré requis quasiment incontournable afin de prendre pour de bon la route d’un développement durable et d’un développement pour tous.

En attendant, la République Centrafricaine continue de figurer parmi les pays les plus pauvres du monde.

Plus d’info sur le blog collaboratif de la communauté humanitaire en République Centrafricaine.

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As Reuters announces that France is lifting its embargo on Italian-made mozarella, as the British press doesn’t miss an occasion to remind of the diminutive stature of France’s president, here are the 10 stories the world should hear more about in 2008 according to the United Nations Department of Public Information:

Northern Uganda: Major steps towards peace in a decades-old conflict
While increased violence in other African countries grabbed the world’s attention, there has been quiet but steady progress over the past two years towards ending one of the continent’s longest and most notorious armed conflicts – the war in northern Uganda.

The Excluded: The hidden world of the stateless
Up to 15 million people – the population of a medium-sized country – may be “stateless,” according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Yet hardly anyone is aware of the scale of the problem, or even what being stateless involves.

Extreme weather events are part of a “new normal” trend
Last year was a terrible year for natural disasters. The UN issued an unprecedented 15 funding appeals for sudden natural disasters, 5 more than the previous annual record. Unfortunately – and all too tragically for millions of people – 2007 represented the ‘new normal;’ a new paradigm of extreme weather events. This clear manifestation of climate change demands a rapid transformation in how we prepare for and respond to nature’s hazards.

The suffering of the girl soldier
Although the plight of child soldiers embroiled in conflicts across the globe has come to light, the fate of girls remains overlooked. They are often the victims of sexual violence and exploitation, recruited by rebel groups to serve as combatants and “sex slaves”. And even when they are freed, the stigma of rape and their association with militias remains.

At a fragile crossroads: Afghanistan and the international community must pull together
Struggling to overcome years of civil war, destruction and massive under-development, Afghanistan’s humanitarian and human rights predicament puts it at a fragile crossroads. The international community must redouble efforts to support the Afghan Government and people in this transition period.

A deadly disease no more – advances in malaria prevention and treatment
Although malaria continues to kill over 1 million people a year and is a leading cause of death among young African children, global awareness of this deadly scourge – as well as efforts to curb the spread of this preventable and treatable disease – remains low. In 2007, new evidence emerged that distribution of treated mosquito nets and new medicines will give momentum to the fight against malaria.

Promotion and protection of human rights: the role of special procedures of the Human Rights Council
Year in and year out, special rapporteurs and other independent human rights experts monitor, examine, advise and publicly report on certain types of human rights violations or violations in a specific country. Acting in their personal capacity, much of their work is conducted behind the scenes, and does not always receive wide attention. Some would say they are the unsung heroes of the UN human rights monitoring system.

Policing for peace: The law-and-order role played by blue berets
When the words ‘UN peacekeeping’ are mentioned, for many they tend to conjure up an image of a blue-helmeted military force dispatched to a conflict-torn area to help bring about peace and stability. Unknown to some, a vital part in such peace operations is played by growing numbers of UN policemen and women who help to establish law and order – not temporarily, but for the long haul.

Southern Sudan: a path to ‘indivisible peace’ in the country
With much of the world’s attention riveted on the tragedy of Darfur, Sudan’s western region, the other crucial dimension of the situation in the country – implementation of a landmark peace accord that ended the long-running north-south war — often does not get the close scrutiny it deserves.

Bird flu pushed back – but threat of a human pandemic remains
The avian flu virus spread rapidly after first appearing in 2003, but a prompt international response has led to the disease being contained. However, since outbreaks continue to be reported in a wide range of countries and the threat of a virus mutation affecting humans could still sweep across the world, urgent preparations to plan for this remain critical.

If I was offered to add an eleventh story to the list, that would be the Central African Republic. Having worked on the issue late last year, I have been very much impressed with the potential of the Central African policy makers I met on the occasion. Yet the Central African Republic needs international media attention in order to reach external support and take for good the road of sustainable and widespread development. In the meantime, the Central African Republic remains among the poorest countries in the world.

More info on the blog of the humanitarian community in the Central African Republic.