In a few weeks from now I will be heading to Geneva to spend a week studying at the UN - basically geeking-out over foreign affairs issues with other people who consider this a good use of vacation time (its a small group). I can't wait. In advance of going I have a ton of prep work and reading to do and as part of that I came across an article (well 10 articles) that I though was worth sharing......
http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/07/
Top 10 Stories the World Should Hear More About
The idea behind this list - developed by the Department of Public Information - is that right now we're in the midst of an information boom that is both helpful and harmful when it comes to getting the word out about key global issues. Specifically - we're living in a time when we have more access to information that ever before - which makes the sharing of key global issues easier than ever before. The down side to this is that we're living in a time when we have more access to information that ever before - so the likelihood of "information burnout" is high, with people seeing stories of crisis and finding it too easy to tune them out.
The propose of this list is to bring attention to stories of key importance that may have been overlooked by the media or by the public. These are "smaller" stories with significant potential impact on the lives of millions - abroad and right here at home.
I recommend checking it out - each story is brief but thorough enough to give you some insight into an issue you may have known little about before:
THE STORIES: 2007
•Northern Uganda: Major steps towards peace in a decades-old conflict
•The Excluded: The hidden world of the stateless
•Extreme weather events are part of a “new normal” trend
•The suffering of the girl soldier
• At a fragile crossroads: Afghanistan and the international community must pull together
•A deadly disease no more – advances in malaria prevention and treatment
•Promotion and protection of human rights: The role of special procedures of the Human Rights Council
•Policing for peace: The law-and-order role played by blue berets
•Southern Sudan: A path to ‘indivisible peace’ in the country
•Bird flu pushed back – but threat of a human pandemic remains
