Tag archives for United Nations
NG Explorer Aziz Abu Sarah responds to having his peace efforts highlighted by Ban Ki Moon at the UN Alliance of Civilizations Conference.
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As the 40th anniversary year of the World Heritage Convention draws to a close, many Americans remain oddly estranged from the program that could be proudly labelled “Made in the U.S.A.” That costs jobs.
Posted by Deforestation, especially of tropical forests, makes up 18 percent of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — more emissions than the entire global transportation sector. The 2007 Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized that reducing deforestation would be the most significant and immediate way to begin reducing global levels of…
How the Search for Genghis Khan Helped the United Nations Map Refugees in Somalia
Posted by Patrick Meier of National Geographic Emerging Explorers in Explorers Journal on July 23, 2012 
National Geographic has been exploring new worlds for well over a hundred years. In the present century, these new worlds include digital worlds—the next frontier of exploration. Take National Geographic’s recent digital expedition in Mongolia. The “Valley of the Khans Project” represents a new approach to archeology that gives us each the opportunity to be a digital Indiana Jones by searching for the tomb of Genghis Khan using the World Wide Web. The very same technologies can also turn us into digital humanitarians in support of the United Nations (UN). Here’s a story about how National Geographic’s digital expedition in Mongolia inspired the UN during their humanitarian response operations in Somalia.
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“The environment does not exist as a sphere separate from human actions, ambitions, and needs, and attempts to defend it in isolation from human concerns have given the very word ‘environment’ a connotation of naivety in some political circles.” These words come from the foreword of “Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on…
Jane Goodall Celebrates International Day of Peace
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on September 21, 2011 
Jane Goodall realized early on that we won’t be able to take care of animals and the environment until we’re able to take care of each other. In that spirit, the Jane Goodall Institute is asking us all to make a pledge to cultivate peace in our daily lives throughout the year.
Posted by The United Nations appealed to Egypt today to protect its cultural heritage, the news agency Reuters reported. “The appeal by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) came as protesters demanding the departure of President Hosni Mubarak mounted the biggest street demonstration since the uprising began a week ago,” Reuters said. “I solemnly…
Forest set-asides are at the heart of the United Nations’ climate negotiations, but a Native American restoration specialist says it will get the wrong people out of the woods. As nearly 200 delegates gather at the Conference of the Parties in Cancun, Mexico, writer Dennis Martinez points out that Indigenous peoples and their advocates have no official…
Shark attack survivors from five countries will ask the United Nations today to adopt measures to protect sharks, according to a statement released by The Pew Environment Group. The Washington-based conservation organization brought the survivors-turned-advocates to UN headquarters in New York to endorse the call for countries to end the fishing of sharks threatened or near-threatened with…
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The United Nation’s General Assembly voted Wednesday to make water a basic human right. But 41 countries, including the United States, opted out, saying they were waiting for more data. What isn’t in question is the lack of clean water and sanitation for millions around the globe. According to the U.N., 884 million people lack…
Adventurers, Youth Unite for Climate Action
Posted by Ford Cochran on December 10, 2009 James Balog presents time-lapse photography from his Extreme Ice Survey at the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is day three of the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen. I’m here leading Expedition Copenhagen with a team of young people from across the American midwest. What strikes me the most about this…
From Copenhagen, Youth Voices on Climate
Posted by Ford Cochran on December 3, 2009 I was recently in Poland reconnecting with my Trans-Antarctica Expedition—a historic, 20-year reunion and the first time we had all gathered together in one place since 1990. It seems a lot has changed for the planet, and more specifically for Antarctica, as a result of global warming since we last traversed the continent. According to…
