Podgorica, Montenegro, 24 November 2009-More than a decade after armed conflicts, six countries/territories in the Western Balkans are now working together to tackle regional environmental hotspots. Representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and the UN-administered territory under SCR 1244 Kosovo, recently met in Budva to assess their progress in the Western Balkans Environmental Hotspots Programme. The six countries/territories are partnering with the United Nations Development Programme, with funding

BELGRADE, Oct 21, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Serbia and Russia agreed here on Wednesday to establish a joint humanitarian center in the southern Serbian city of Nis for immediate response to emergencies such as fire, floods and earthquakes.

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic and Russian Minister for Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu signed a plan on the center's initial stage of development.

Later, the two leaders told a joint press conference that the center should serve the entire region and offer quick

GA/10863

Sixty-fourth General Assembly GA/10863
Plenary
7th & 8th Meetings (AM & PM)

In Recorded Vote, Member States Block Address by President of Madagascar

Championing their struggle to rebuild strife-torn nations and secure peace and long-term development, several leaders of the global South today appealed to the General Assembly for broad support to help them staunch terrorism, further entrench democracy and ensure that hard-won electoral gains would not be lost.

This report covers the period 01/01/2009 to 30/06/2009.

In brief

Programme purpose: The main programme areas in the first half of 2009 were disaster management, health and care, organizational development and participatory community development. Focus areas are aligned with the core areas of Strategy 2010, and the Istanbul Commitments made at the VII European Red Cross Red Crescent conference.

Programme summary: The regional representation for Central Europe and Southern Caucasus works with and supports a total of 11 National Societies; Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan,

Seven countries in the Western Balkans this week take a new, ambitious step towards closer cooperation. Just twelve years after the region was riven by conflict, 70 representatives from the countries are coming together at the European Training Foundation (ETF) in Turin on 5 and 6 May to develop the quality of education in the region.

"It is the first time that all these countries have worked together with the ETF on such an ambitious project, and their active participation is really important for improving the education systems", says Jean-Raymond Masson, lead expert at the ETF.

This report covers the period 01/01/2008 to 31/12/2008.

In brief

Programme purpose: The overall goal for the Red Cross in Serbia and Montenegro was to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. To this end all Federation supported programmes in Serbia and Montenegro were aligned with and contributed to the Global Agenda goals as well as the priorities of the National Societies. The International Federation's support focused on development through long-term programmes within disaster management;

Following is the full text of remarks by Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro to the High-Level Meeting on the United Nations and the European Union: Building an Effective Multilateralism, 14 April, in Barcelona, Spain:

It is wonderful and an honour to be with you tonight and join together with Commissioner [Benita Ferrero-] Waldner and others. In today's turbulent world, multilateralism is more important than ever. So I want to thank the United Nations Association of Spain, the Foreign Ministry, and all the other organizers who have brought us together for this important meeting.