Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

The UN Secretary-General is in Geneva to attend a working dinner on the crisis in Georgia. Technical meetings will be held tomorrow. The SG will also meet with representatives from UNCTAD , the European Union, Security and Cooperation for Europe and UNHCR. Later today, he will meet with the French Foreign Minister, EU High Representative, Javier Solana, and with the Joint African Union and Chief Mediator for Darfur.

In response to the global financial crisis, the Secretary-General has called for concerted action and more coordinated approaches by governments and indicated the severe impact on the poor. He hopes the DOHA Conference on Financing for Development next month will provide an opportunity for more clarity on the crisis. The President of the General Assembly will hold a meeting at the end of this month to discuss the crisis with member countries and to how it may drastically affect reaching the Millennium Development Goal targets by 2015.

The UN Mission Representative on Afghanistan reported to the Security Council on the deteriorating situation as civilian casualties continue to increase. However, the strengthening of the Afghan police force was cited as a success.

The World Health Organization launched World Health Report 2008 outlining health imbalances in life expectancy which now exceed 40 years. The report shows that many health systems have lost their focus on fair access to care and the erosion of trust has increased social instability in especially developing countries. The report recommends a return to a primary health care approach.