Argentina will have the opportunity to represent Latin America at the UN Security Council, said Foreign Minister Hector Timerman in reference to the presidency his country will play in that organ this month. Timerman made these statements after two meetings President Cristina Fernandez held last night with Brazil's Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota, and the president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno, Telam news agency reported here.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday launched Free & Equal, an unprecedented global public education campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. At a press conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay was joined by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Justice Edwin Cameron of the South African Constitutional Court to announce the year-long project.

The U.N. Charter advises that “the Security Council shall, where appropriate, utilize such regional arrangements or agencies for enforcement action under its authority.” The degree to which regional cooperation represents a sine qua non for international action was made abundantly clear in the recent uprising against Muammar al-Qaddafi, as the Arab League sanctioned a no-fly zone over Libya, followed promptly by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973. But are regional organizations the future of humanitarian intervention?

The percentage of women in charge of agricultural-and-livestock productions in recent years in Latin America increased, although in smaller areas of land, soil of lesser quality and less access to credits and other facilities, the FAO reported today. In a communique released here, the UN Regional Office for Food and Agriculture said women also have less access to technical assistance and training.

MTV Latin America and the United Nations Secretary General´s UNITE to end Violence against Women presented the initiative “Be Brave not Violent”. The initiative is aimed at young people in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the objective inspiring young people in the region to become part of the solution to end violence against women.

Over the last eight months, a series of surprise rulings at the international war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has sparked extraordinary controversy in the staid world of international law. Critics say the decisions weakened World War II-era precedents that hold commanders responsible for war crimes. Supporters say their impact is being exaggerated and the judge associated with them is being unfairly maligned.

Besides keeping the department of national defense from falling asleep at their desks, there's the chance that Canadian forces might be being used to advance diplomatic relations with Brazil, enhancing the two countries' trading relationship by lessening Brazil's load in Haiti...It’s also indicative of the post-Afghanistan landscape, where Western militaries are having their budgets tightened as they withdraw from the final frontier of the original war on terror.

This Friday, 500 young leaders from nearly 90 countries will convene at the United Nations headquarters for a UN Youth Assembly on global education with a very special guest speaker -- Malala Yousufzai. Their mission is simple and profound: to accelerate the goal of getting all children, especially girls, in school and learning by 2015.