30 July 2008 – In a bid to have the United Nations lead by example, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today unveiled “Cool UN,” a three-pronged initiative which seeks to limit the use of air conditioning, slash greenhouse gas emissions and save money.

The new programme – which will begin this Friday – will raise the thermostats at the Secretariat building in New York by five degrees from 72 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit in most parts of the landmark building, and will shut down the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems over the weekend.

“We have succeeded in moving climate change to the top of the international agenda for action, and this means that the UN must take action itself,” said Mr. Ban. 

Ha Noi, 26 June 2008 – Rapid social and economic development is significantly affecting family roles and responsibilities in Viet Nam, bringing new challenges and opportunities, according to the results of the first-ever national representative survey on the family released today in Ha Noi.  Based on interviews with adults, adolescents and elderly people in 9,300 households in all 64 provinces, the research indicates that the head of the modern Vietnamese family can now be the wife, husband or both, indicating growing gender equality within the family. However, divorce is on the rise, mainly due to economic pressures, lifestyle differences and adultery, and domestic violence occurs in about 20 per cent of marriages. 

The survey was carried out in 2006 by the former Family Department of the Commission for Population, Family and Children (VCPFC), now a part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST), in collaboration with the General Statistics Office (GSO), the Australia Institute of Family Research, and the Institute for Family and Gender Studies, with support from UNICEF.