10 stories the world should hear more about.

On 3 May, the United Nations, concerned that the war in Iraq has sidelined other important international stories, released its first list of issues that it believes the world should hear more about. The United Nations launched these ten stories on World Press Freedom Day in order to bring attention to critical issues facing the world today. Although they have been reported, the stories concern important issues that need more thorough, balanced and regular attention. The list includes humanitarian emergencies and conflict or post-conflict situations.

Ugandan Child Soldiers: The 18-year-old rebellion of the Lord's Resistance Army against the Ugandan Government has forced children, some as young as eight, to serve their movement as trained killers. The most disturbing aspect of this humanitarian crisis is that this is a war fought by children, 90 per cent of them minors, who brutalized and are even forced to commit atrocities on other children and fellow siblings.

Central African Republic: In the heart of Central Africa lies one of the world's poorest countries, which has become a cauldron of turbulence that threatens to undermine peace efforts in the region. In spite of its economic potential, the Central African Republic ranks 154th among the world's 174 poorest countries, with 95 per cent of its population living on less than $2 a day, and 15 per cent suffering from HIV/AIDS.

AIDS Orphans in sub-Saharan Africa: Often featured less is the alarming and ever-growing number of AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. Eight out of ten children worldwide whose parents have died of AIDS live in that region. Averaging over 55 per cent of all people living with HIV/AIDS, girls and women are disproportionately affected. The ripple effect the epidemic will have on governance, social structures and growth of the worst-hit countries in sub-Saharan Africa is often overlooked.

The Peacekeeping Paradox: Today, fewer people are being killed by war than at almost any time in the past century. Some 25,000 were killed in armed conflict in 2002, barely one tenth the number killed each year during the 1990s. Even the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have not reversed the decline in recent years. Two basic reasons are that fewer wars are starting and many old ones are ending. However, this development is imposing a strain on resources, with new demands on UN peacekeeping in danger of not being met amid the mounting challenge.

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