UN Seeks to Fill Leadership Vacuum on Climate Change
January 17, 2007 -- Today, Yvo de Boer, Head of the UN Climate Secretariat, is calling for a summit of world leaders to break the gridlock plaguing efforts to stop global warming. 
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The Case for a Comprehensive, Globally-Focused Energy Policy
January 11, 2007 -- Fossil fuel dependence is one of the greatest challenges facing the United States and the world today. Growing recognition of the negative consequences of fossil fuel dependence has led to increased support for policy solutions that will reduce domestic consumption of these fuels.
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International Donors Respond to the Rising Cost of Avian Flu Prevention
December 13, 2006 -- Last week, international donors met in Bamako, Mali to address funding for global avian flu efforts. The H5N1 strain of avian flu that is currently circulating the globe is raising concerns among the international community. To counteract a potential pandemic, a recent World Bank report estimated that avian flu programs will cost up to $1.5 billion over the next three years.
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International Institutions Take Action to Address Avian Influenza Concerns
November 9, 2006 -- Margaret Chan has been elected as the director-general of the World Health Organization, one of many recent actions that international institutions and the United States have taken as preventing the global spread of avian influenza, a disease caused by a strain of the virus H5N1, has become a major global health concern.
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Nobel for Ending Poverty, Creating Peace 
October 16, 2006 -- On Friday, October 13, the Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, and its founder, Muhammad Yunus, for their efforts to end poverty by providing small loans to the world’s poorest people. Citizens for Global Solutions congratulates Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank for their work and we applaud the Nobel Committee for recognizing that lasting peace cannot be achieved in a world where hundreds of millions of people live in poverty. 
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Securing Energy Resources among Top Foreign Policy Concerns for China and India 
October 12, 2006 -- Information released on October 11 presenting the results of a July 2006 study by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) found that securing energy resources is among the top foreign policy concerns for China and India.
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White House Plan on Climate Change Not up to the Challenge
October 4, 2006 -- The Bush administration’s new strategic plan for addressing climate change, released last Wednesday, disappointed those hoping for a dramatic turnaround on climate policy from the White House. At a time when the human, environmental and security costs of a carbon-dependent global economy are becoming increasingly apparent, the report fails to provide meaningful goals or effective policy solutions to guide the transition away from carbon-dependence.
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U.S. Public Opinion and Climate Change
July 19, 2006 -- A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center explores American attitudes on one of the world's most pressing concerns: climate change. The study shows that the general public recognizes that the world's temperature is increasing, but Americans disagree on what is causing these temperature changes.
programs/glob_engage/news/pew_poll_july_06.html"> +READ MORE

U.S. Not Ruling Out Joining Future Climate Agreements
July 10, 2006 -- Harlan Watson, the chief climate negotiator for the United States, recently stated that he would not “rule out” the possibility of the U.S joining future climate change agreements negotiated through the U.N.
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United Kingdom Appoints Climate Ambassador
July 7, 2006 -- The recently appointed climate ambassador’s role will be to develop partnerships in the profit and nonprofit worlds, as well as government agencies, in order to ensure a solid working relationship and balanced approached to tackling a fundamental global issue.
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White House Releases Pandemic Implementation Plan
May 31, 2006 -- Earlier this month, the White House released the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza. This plan outlines the respective roles of the federal, state and local government agencies, as well as private organizations, in the event of an avian flu pandemic.
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World Public Recognizes Climate Change as a Pressing Problem
May 12, 2006 -- A new poll conducted in 30 countries by GlobeScan reveals that an overwhelming majority of people recognize that climate change is a serious problem.  The results also reveal a shift in the attitudes of Americans concerning changes in weather patterns.
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Innovative Steps Toward a Low Emissions World
March 2, 2006 -- The world celebrated the first anniversary of the Kyoto treaty’s entry into force last month in best way possible – by taking action.  Sweden, for example, has decided to aim high by proposing to eliminate fossil fuels by 2020. Brazil, which aims to substantially reduce its dependence on foreign oil, is taking the lead in developing economically feasible alternatives.
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Bipartisan Group of Former EPA Administrators Call for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Caps
January 20, 2006 -- In an unprecedented show of bipartisan agreement, six former Administrators of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - including five who were appointed by Republican presidents - called on President Bush to adopt mandatory limits on carbon dioxide and other gases that cause global climate change.
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$2 billion Pledged at International Donor's Conference on Bird Flu
January 18, 2006 -- The first ever International Pledging Conference on Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza surpassed its organizers' expectations when it concluded today in Beijing with over $2 billion pledged to fight a disease that respects no national borders.
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World Moves Forward on Climate Change
December 15, 2005 -- A landmark UN conference on global climate change concluded in Montreal on December 9 with a series of agreements that will serve as the foundation for future international progress. The agreements were reached despite efforts by the United States delegation to block progress at every opportunity.
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Nabarro Briefing on Avian Influenza Urges Global Cooperation
November 23, 2005 -- Last week, Dr. David Nabarro, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, warned about the possibilities of a human pandemic and offered advice on how to make appropriate preparations.  Global cooperation, he suggested, is a crucial part of preparedness and prevention.  In an interconnected and fragile world, human pandemics can have drastic impacts.  But because of this global interdependency, we also have the tools to prevent and respond to crises like this.
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Blair Sends Mixed Signals on Climate Change
November 16, 2005 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair issued two contradictory statements this month about the value of mandatory caps on greenhouse gases to address the problem of climate change. Blair is struggling to balance pressure from the Bush Administration on one hand and powerful environmental organizations in the UK on the other.
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Vital African Lakes Diminishing, UN Says
November 14, 2005 -- The launch of the Atlas of African Lakes, published by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), exposes the rapid diminishment of African lakes vital to the sustainability of millions of Africans.
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WHO to Convene International Conference on Bird Flu Response; Bush Announces Comprehensive National Plan
November 1, 2005 -- President Bush today urged Congress to pass a $7.1 billion emergency supplemental to aid the nation’s preparedness for a bird flu pandemic. The President’s announcement comes just days before the start of the World Health Organization’s global bird flu summit, where countries will be urged to move beyond their national plans and focus on the global strategy necessary to fight a virus that respects no national borders.
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Health Ministers Call for Enhanced Global Cooperation in Response to Bird Flu
October 27, 2005 -- Health ministers and delegates from 30 countries and nine international organizations from all parts of the world met October 24-25th in Ottawa, Canada to discuss global readiness for a potential bird flu pandemic. This is the latest, and most inclusive to date, in a series of high-level global meetings calling for enhanced international cooperation to confront a disease that respects no national boundaries.
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NASA Says Ice Caps Melting Faster Than Ever; Climate Change Responsible
October 14, 2005 -- A report from NASA scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center reveals that the Arctic ice cap has melted to a record low. Experts affirmed that human pollution bears a great deal of responsibility for the melting of the ice caps. If the ice continues to shrink at the current rate, there will be no summertime Arctic ice in less than a century.
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World Bank and IMF Reach $55 Billion Debt Deal, Discuss Trade
October 14, 2005 -- In a landmark deal, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund agreed to relieve $55 billion of poor countries' debts. The deal, which will allow 38 countries to invest more in their own people, was recommended by the Group of Eight industrialized countries last July.
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Letter to Frist Urges Senate Approval of UNCLOS
August 31, 2005 -- A letter, sent to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist from members of government, non-governmental organizations, media and academia, is imploring United States ratification of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).  Various organizations and coalitions are all in concurrence that the accession of UNCLOS is in US economic, strategic, and national interest.
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G8 Summit Concludes With New Commitments, Some Progress
August 4, 2005 -- The G8 Summit in Edinburgh, Scotland wrapped up last month with a flurry of new commitments, promises and declarations. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair made Africa and global climate change the main themes of the summit and kept the spotlight on them in spite of horrific terrorist attacks in London, his nation’s capital. His courage and resolve is admirable; the degree to which he was able to succeed will become clear only with time, when leaders either keep their promises or push responsibility off to their successors.
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U.S. to Join Pacific Countries in Non-Binding Climate Change Partnership
August 3, 2005 -- On July 28, five major Pacific powers and the United States announced that they have agreed to work together to tackle the challenge of climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – without mandatory limits. 
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Fifty Mayors Sign Urban Environmental Accords
June 16, 2005 -- On June 6, fifty mayors signed the Urban Environmental Accords, a set of twenty-one non-binding commitments to maintain vibrant and livable urban centers for current and future generations. The signing of the Accords marked the culmination of the five-day 2005 UN World Environment Day conference in San Francisco, California.
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Poll Reveals American Support for Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions
July 5, 2005 -- Just one day prior to the convention of the 2005 G8 Summit, the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA)  released polling results that reveal overwhelming bipartisan support for the U.S. to join other G8 countries in limiting emissions of greenhouse gases.  PIPA also found strong American support for the McCain-Lieberman version of the Climate Stewardship Act and U.S. participation in the Kyoto Treaty, two pieces of legislation whose goal is to limit emissions.
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Development to be Major Focus of G8 Summit
June 26, 2005 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has made poverty in Africa a central focus of the G8 Summit. President Bush should signal U.S. commitment to this worthy effort.
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G8 to Discuss International Finance Facility
June 25, 2005 -- The institution, first proposed in 2003, would manipulate international financial markets to "frontload" aid.
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U.S. and Britain Lead G8 To Historic Debt Relief Agreement
June 17, 2005 -- The agreement will erase over $40 billion in debt for 18 of the world’s poorest countries immediately, most of which are in Africa, and contains an option to erase the debts of up to 20 additional countries. Industrialized countries agreed to pay back the debts to the international lending institutions to which they are owed, which include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the African Development Bank.
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U.S. On Verge of Ratifying Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
June 9, 2005 -- Recent comments by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment Claudia McMurray indicate that the Bush Administration supports immediate ratification. The treaty aims to phase out twelve toxic substances whose use and sale poses significant risks to the environment and human health.
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Climate Change: World, Americans Make Progress; Bush Administration Stays on Sidelines
May 27, 2005 -- The month of May brought a series of developments and progressions toward meaningful action on global climate change, but the Bush Administration insists on denying the urgency of the problem and ducking responsibility.
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13th Commission on Sustainable Development Exposes Differences on Water, Sanitation, and Human Settlements
May 2, 2005 -- From April 11-22, ministers of Environment, Development, Economy, Finance, and Housing joined non-governmental groups at the United Nations in New York for the 13th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). The CSD has responsibility for following up on the implementation of international agreements on environment and development.
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Frist Introduces Global Health Corps Legislation
May 1, 2005 -- The Corps, which would be modeled on the Peace Corps created in 1960 by President John F. Kennedy, would strongly serve U.S. interests.
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Climate Stewardship Act Reintroduced
February 27, 2005 --  The bill, sponsored by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), would establish mandatory caps on carbon dioxide emissions and promote research on global climate change.
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Landmark Treaty on Climate Change Enters Into Force
February 18, 2005 --  On February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol entered into force to control global climate change while the United States stood on the sidelines.
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Foreign Aid, HIV/AIDS, Water, and Sanitation on Agenda for 109th Congress
February 18, 2005 -- In his most recent budget, President Bush proposed modest increases in funding for global poverty, health, and development. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) hinted at a new initiative to improve access to clean water and sanitation.
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Rice Says Administration Supports Early Action on UN Law of Sea Treaty
January 20, 2005 -- During her nomination hearings on January 18-19, 2005, Dr. Condoleezza Rice asserted Administration support for "early Senate action" on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and urged the Foreign Relations Committee to report it to the floor again in the 109th Congress. It is reported that the Committee may send the treaty to the floor for consideration as early as the first week of February.
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Global Tobacco Treaty Makes History
January 12, 2005 -- On February 28, the  Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will become the first legally binding international public health treaty. The treaty gained a guaranteed place in the body of international law when Peru became the 40th state to ratify the treaty on November 20, 2004.
programs/health_environment/latest_news/tobacco_treaty_law.html">+ READ MORE

U.S. Ratifies Anti-Smog and Acid Rain Treaty
January 10, 2005 -- Treaty will cut four major pollutants and is only two ratifications away from entering into force.
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UN Report Identifies Poverty, Disease and Environmental Degradation as Growing Threats to Security, Calls for Effective Preventive Action
December 2, 2004 -- "A More Secure World: our shared responsibility," the report released by a high-level UN panel today calls for a broadening of traditional definitions of security threats to include poverty, infectious disease and environmental degradation.  The report lists economic and social threats as one of six threat "clusters" and calls for preventive action to meet them. The United Nations can (and must) play a critical role in addressing these threats, the report claims, pointing out that its "unparalleled convening power... allows it to formulate a consensus for achieving" solutions to these global problems.
programs/health_environment/latest_news/hlp_health_analysis.html"> + READ MORE

Appropriations Bill Underfunds Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS
December 1, 2004 -- Congress approved $2.29 billion to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, a number which exceeds the administration’s request by nearly $100 million. However, $1.4 billion, over half of the appropriated funds, is designated for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has been widely criticized. In contrast, the multilateral Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria receives only $250 million of new appropriations, half the amount it received in 2004.
+ READ MORE ABOUT OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

World AIDS Day Focuses on Women
December 1, 2004 -- The theme of World AIDS Day 2004 was "Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS."  Women all over the world asked, "Have you heard me today?"  Unfortunately, the latest statistics on the pandemic show that the answer to that question is still no."    Women now make up nearly half of the adults infected with HIV and approximately 57 percent of those infected in sub-Saharan Africa, where seven out of 10 people with HIV live.  "Today the face of AIDS is increasingly young and female," said Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
+ READ PIOT'S FULL STATEMENT
programs/health_environment/latest_news/hlp_aids.html">+ READ WHAT THE UN PANEL REPORT SAYS ABOUT HIV/AIDS

Global Fund Announces New Round of Funding Despite U.S. Opposition
November 18, 2004 -- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria announced that it would begin accepting proposals for a fifth round of funding in March. Approval of the new round of funding came despite opposition from several donor countries, including the United States.
programs/health_environment/latest_news/global_fund_new_round.html"> + READ MORE

PEPFAR, Bush's Plan to Combat Global AIDS, Does More Harm than Good
October 27, 2004 -- In 2003, the Bush administration abandoned its commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in favor of its own unilateral initiative, PEPFAR.  The plan, which has been widely criticized for its unilateralism, its emphasis on abstinence-only prevention, and its insistence on brand-name drugs, is undermining the work of the Global Fund.
programs/health_environment/latest_news/PEPFAR.html">+ READ MORE

Russia’s Parliament Ratifies Kyoto Protocol
October 22, 2004 -- The Russian Duma ratified the Kyoto Protocol. Russia’s participation brings the amount of greenhouse gas emissions for the developed world over the 55% threshold needed to make the treaty internationally binding, despite the lack of cooperation from the U.S. The treaty will enter into full force 90 days after the final ratification procedure in Russia, which is expected to proceed smoothly and quickly.
programs/glob_engage/Treaties/kyoto.html">+ FACT SHEET ON KYOTO

Darfur, Sudan: Effects of the Current Crisis on Health of the People and their Local Environment
September 27, 2004 -- The ongoing atrocities in Darfur, Sudan are impacting the local environment and affecting the health of the local people as well as causing death and destruction. 
programs/health_environment/latest_news/darfur_crisis_environment.html">+ READ MORE

Bush Administration Withholds UNFPA Funding
July 16, 2004 -- For the third year in a row, the Bush Administration has withheld funding for the United Nations Population Fund.
 programs/health_environment/latest_news/UNFPA%20funding%20withheld.html">+ READ MORE

Earth Legacy Campaign Launched
June 4, 2004 -- Citizens for Global Solutions joined with leading environmental and foreign policy organizations to launch the new Earth Legacy Campaign, a new initiative working for a U.S. recommitment to global environmental leadership.
programs/health_environment/earth_legacy.html">+ READ MORE

U.S. Signs Anti-Tobacco Treaty
May 10, 2004 -- The Administration signs, but ratification looks unlikely. Response to the signature ranges from strong support to allegations that it is a "PR maneuver."
programs/health_environment/latest_news/tobacco_treaty.html"> + READ MORE

Women's March Highlights Global Reproductive Health
April 26, 2004 -- Marchers call for restored funding for UN Population Fund withheld by Bush Administration.
programs/health_environment/latest_news/unfpa.html">+ READ MORE

UN Warns of Ocean "Dead Zone" Threat for 21st Century
March 30, 2004 -- The United Nations Environmental Programme warns that millions of people rely on our increasingly stressed oceans.
programs/health_environment/latest_news/ocean_dead_zones.html"> + READ MORE

Law of Sea Treaty Alive in Senate, Attacked by Right
March 29, 2004 -- Momentum toward ratification may be slowing because of increasing attacks from the radical right, despite the fact that everyone from  environmentalists to the oil industry supports it.
programs/health_environment/latest_news/lawofsea_under_attack.html"> + READ MORE

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria, TB Faces Crunch
March 19, 2003 -- The Bush administration slashes U.S. contribution as fund faces budget crisis.
programs/health_environment/latest_news/global_fund_crunch.html"> + READ MORE