28 October 2008: The Second Committee on Economic and Financial issues, of the 63rd UN General Assembly (UNGA), considered the report of the Secretary-General on the Implementation of the Outcome of the UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) (document A/63/291).
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26 October 2008: The UN kicked off its “UNite to Combat
Climate Change” campaign on 23 October 2008, with the “Paint for the Planet”
art exhibition. The exhibition was followed on 25 October 2008 by an auction
that raised US$21,000, which will be donated to children affected by
climate-related disasters.
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21 October 2008: The UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have submitted
reports on progress in the implementation of Article 4, paragraphs 8 and 9, of
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and of decision 1/CP.10
to the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Implementation, which will hold its 29th
session in Poznan, Poland, from 1-10 December 2008.
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23 October 2008: At a press conference at UN Headquarters in
New York, US, representatives of the Association of Caribbean States said
countries of the Caribbean region were headed for “hard and difficult times”
unless they took action on climate change, with the cooperation and support of
the international community.
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23 October 2008: The Third Congress on Women in Politics and
Governance: Focus on Gender, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
took place from 19-22 October 2008, in Manila, Philippines. The event was
organized by the Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics in partnership with
the UN/International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), the UN
Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), among
other organizations.
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20 October 2008: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Fourth International Workshop on Monsoons is taking place from 20–25 October
2008, in Beijing, China. The workshop is part of the WMO major quadrennial
symposia and workshops series under the World Weather Research Programme
(WWRP).
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20 October 2008: In a message to the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' seventh Pan African
Conference, taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 19-22 October
2008, Cheick Sidi Diarra, the Secretary-General's High Representative for the
Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island
Developing States, on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, called for
strengthening the relationship between the UN and the International Federation.
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15 October 2008: The UN Fourth Committee (Special Political
and Decolonization) concluded its general debate on international cooperation
in the peaceful uses of outer space with a broad agreement on the value of
shared space technologies as a tool for sustainable development and disaster
management.
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15 October 2008: The newly released Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook investigates the situation of women in the rural workforce and how some of the challenges they face can be overcome. Developed in cooperation between the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank, the sourcebook is intended to be used both as a reference and as a tool book for agricultural development. It also addresses cross-cutting issues, including gender dimensions of climate change and bioenergy.
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14 October 2008: During the debate on international
cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space by the Fourth Committee (Special
Political and Decolonization) of the 63rd General Assembly, Ciro Arévalo Yepes,
Chairman of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, underscored the
role space technology could play in addressing climate change, food security
and health.
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