News…

African leaders assemble to write IDP covenant
Members assembling for a summit of African heads of state in Uganda seek to pass an African Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, a protocol that will serve as the first legally binding instrument regarding internally displaced people. Though the draft document has won praise from humanitarian groups such as Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights, it has come up for criticism for language that is vague and inconsistent with other human-rights documents.

Global hunger crisis worsens
A record-breaking 1 billion people are going hungry thanks to increasing food prices, and 30 countries are in need of immediate emergency aid, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization says. Families in many African countries have cut expenditures on clothes, schooling and medical care but still are unable to provide their children one healthy meal a day.

Mobile computer labs to launch in Rwanda
A project of the Rwanda Development Board, the ICT Bus Project employs large buses equipped with computers and other infrastructure to serve as mobile Internet cafes. Both buses will come with a server and 20 networked laptops and will be deployed throughout rural areas to advance the government’s mission to transform the economy from a rural to a knowledge-based economy.

Rights groups warn UN over DRC civilian casualties
A United Nations-backed offensive in the Democratic Republic of Congo against Rwandan Hutu rebels is exacting a heavy toll on civilians and the UN should end its involvement if local populations cannot be protected, several dozen humanitarian and rights groups say. More than 800,000 people have been displaced and 1,000 civilians killed since the offensive began in January.

Vietnam’s AIDS orphans face hard road

Despite increased prevention and treatment programs in Vietnam for people infected with HIV/AIDS, prejudice and misinformation still hampers the ability of many with the disease to function in society — for children in particular. Though the law stipulates equal treatment, the 5,100 children living with HIV/AIDS are refused entry into Vietnamese schools by the parents of other schoolchildren. The New York Times (10/13)

Abortions decline worldwide; unsafe procedures still common
The number of abortions performed annually is dropping around the world, but about 70,000 women a year still die as a result of unsafe procedures, according to a report from the Guttmacher Institute. More than half the deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the lowest rate of contraception use, highest rate of unintended pregnancies and patchy health care access.

UN, Council of Europe call to regulate organ transfers
An international convention is needed to regulate the transfer and prevent trafficking of human organs, tissues and cells, according to a joint report released by the United Nations and Council of Europe. Financial gain from the sale of organs should be banned, the report says, as the practice exploits poor donors.

Invest now to avoid mass famine by 2050
Global food production needs to increase by 70% during the next 40 years to keep pace with the world’s growing population, the Food and Agriculture Organization warns. Failure to expand agriculture in developing countries through investments in infrastructure improvements and increased access to irrigation systems could leave as many as 370 million people facing famine by 2050, FAO says.

Indonesian quake survivors face risk of disease
The United Nations has launched a $38 million appeal to pay for shelter, restoration of water facilities, the fight against disease and other urgent humanitarian needs in earthquake-ravaged Indonesia. But health workers who’ve been working around the clock since the quake hit the island nation Sept. 30 say that without specialized medical equipment, they soon could be overwhelmed by outbreaks of dengue fever and other life-threatening diseases.