Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein had an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, as part of a one-day official visit to Rome. She was visiting as the UN Messenger of Peace and Chairperson of International Humanitarian City (IHC). The Princess and the Pope discussed world hunger. Both seek to end hunger for the millions Read more
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private global development organisation in the world. In a SPIEGEL interview, Melinda Gates explains the couple’s start in philanthropy, the challenges of combatting disease in conflict zones and the unique responsibility of the wealthy. SPIEGEL: Mrs. Gates, how does it feel to be so rich that Read more
First impressions aren’t always accurate. But in my first days here I have been struck by the extent of trauma people have experienced – and real worries that the violence that has rocked South Sudan since mid-December may not be over. The capital of Juba is calm, but it is only “outwardly” so, one of Read more
While pro-Russian and pro-Western media have been spinning the Crimea crisis as either a heroic exercise in righting a past wrong or a land grab by a new Hitler, the legal position is far from straightforward. Crimea was once an independent Tatar khanate, captured by Russia in the 18th century. The Tatars were deported by Read more
The Vatican has reaffirmed its support for the UN in general, and for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The comments from Vatican Spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, come as part of a response to the UN Committee’s report into the rights of children. However in a statement he also accused the Committee of going beyond its competencies Read more
Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley has added his surprise to the content of the UN’s report into the Vatican’s response to sexual abuse. Cardinal O’Malley, in a blog post, said he would have thought that the competency of UN commission was to examine the policies and practices of their member nations, and had they focused on that Read more
A Jesuit priest trapped in the Syrian city of Homs is warning mental health problems might lead to a breakdown of social order. With the failure of United Nations-brokered peace talks in Geneva, Fr Frans Van der Lugt, told ‘The Telegraph’ that food has run out and starvation is beginning to cause people to lose their Read more
A statistic based on a United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence led many to believe that one in four men admitted to sexual assault in Asia and the Pacific. But is this founded on evidence or merely a misreading of the research? Numbers, we’ve learned time and time again, can be deceiving. After Read more
In an address to a United Nations committee, the Vatican’s representative has called for a total ban on chemical and nuclear weapons. “It is sadly ironic that states vociferous in their condemnation of chemical weapons are silent on the continued possession of nuclear weapons,” said Archbishop Francis Chullikatt. “The international community must appeal and act Read more
A United Nations body charged with child protection has posed a list of tough questions to the Holy See about child abuse by Catholic priests. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has for “detailed information on all cases of child sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy, brothers, or nuns” as Read more