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Occupied Arab Territories in Political Turmoil;
 UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenges world leaders to scale up efforts in the fight against AIDS; The International Labour Organization says more than 36 million workers have HIV; The Decolonization Committee is told there's a need for more support for political education in the dependent territories; The UN Resident Coordinator in the Eastern Caribbean says the Millennium Development Goals are an excellent tool for translating policies into practice; The International organization for Migration says trafficking may be contributing to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean
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Secretary-General Tells Cote d'Ivoire Parties to Reconcile Differences
"I look to you to put aside partisan and personal interests, and work together in a spirit of commitment and compromise." The meeting is co-chaired by Mr. Annan and Ghanaian President John Kufuor as chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It aims to help the Government of Côte d'Ivoire and the opposition to faithfully implement the peace plan signed in 2003 in Linas-Marcoussis, France. The peace process in Côte d'Ivoire has largely been deadlocked over differences of interpretation by President Laurent Gbagbo and the opposition Force Nouvelles. The meeting in the Ghanaian capital of Accra follows on the "mini-summit" hosted by the Secretary-General earlier this month at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The summit agenda has been expanded to include the Darfur crisis in western Sudan and the lingering tensions in Liberia's transitional government.
Annan Calls on Government of Sudan to Ensure Protection of Internally Displaced in Darfur The Secretary-General has expressed grave concern about reports of continuing intimidation, threats and attacks against internally displaced persons in Darfur. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Annan says he is particularly disturbed by reports of rape by Janjaweed militias in West Darfur and severe harassment of displaced persons by Government security personnel in several camps in North Darfur, including Zam Zam camp, which the Secretary-General himself visited in June. The statement says government security personnel have been threatening internally displaced persons who have spoken to foreign visitors and have arrested and beaten several community leaders. Mr. Annan is appealing to the Government to abide immediately by its commitments to ensure the protection and security of all internally displaced persons in Darfur.
Cosponsors of Sudan Resolution Remove 'Sanctions' from Text - Council Ready for Vote on Friday
"And so the draft in blue instead says that in 30 days the Security Council expresses its intention to consider further actions including measures as provided for in article 41 of the Charter of the UN on the Government of Sudan. Article 41 speaks of measures and it says these include complete or partial interruption of economic relations or severance of diplomatic relations." The Council is set to vote on the resolution Friday morning.
Iraq Postpones National Conference to Ensure Widest Participation At the request of the United Nations, Iraq's government has postponed a national conference, which was supposed to start on Saturday, until mid-August. The conference, considered a key step for a peaceful political transition, is expected to be attended by 1,000 delegates who would select members of a 100-member interim assembly to lead the nation to its first elections scheduled for January. The UN Representative in Iraq, Jamal Benomar, says more time is needed to make the Iraqi national conference a success. "Because
we believe the national conference would be as inclusive as possible,
we felt some extra time was needed to ensure the participation of
the widest possible groups and constituencies, who have been so far
outside the political process."
UNICEF Helps Fight Waterborne Diseases Caused by Bangladesh Floods
"The waterborne diseases then hit the children and women in a very fast way. UNICEF focuses to ensure that the water and sanitation systems in these affected areas are kept functional. UNICEF is procuring water purification tablets, bleaching powder, … gerry cans to carry safe drinking water and iv (intravenous) fluid for the diarrheal disease control."
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Secretary-General
Kofi Annan, in Ghana for a summit on the peace process in Côte
d'Ivoire, has appealed to the parties in the conflict to make use
of the opportunity. 
The
two sponsors of the draft resolution on UN action on Sudan have presented
a revised version to members of the UN Security Council. The United
States and the United Kingdom have now removed the term 'sanctions'
in the resolution due to the objection of other members of the Council.
But as we hear from the United States Ambassador to the United Nations,
John Danforth, the resolution still clearly indicates that sanctions
will be imposed on Sudan if it does not comply with its agreement
to halt the catastrophe in Sudan and disarm the Janjaweed militias.
The
UN children's agency, UNICEF, says overflowing sewers mixing with
floodwaters are putting at risk the health of millions of children
in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. UNICEF's Bangladesh Chief of Communications
Naseem-Ur Rehman says the contaminated water supply is causing diseases
like diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid in the city of 10 million people.