UN Information Centre DC

The top United Nations envoy to Iraq has praised millions of Iraqis who voted in Sunday's parliamentary elections in a call for political candidates and groups to respect the democratic process as counting got under way around the country.

The route to recovery and stability "appears to be genuinely routed in the wish of the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people that reason prevails over confrontation and violence," Ad Melkert, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, told reporters in New York via video link.

Voters' index fingers are marked in ink. (UN Photo) "I congratulate the more than 12 million Iraqis who went to the polls, which is a turnout percentage of 62.3 higher than many had expected," added Mr. Melkert, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Mr. Melkert urged all candidates and parties to unite in accepting the results, setting an example for a culture of democracy which he said would require the commitment of all concerned beyond the election.

"We also have called on all those newly elected ... [to] form the new government, so political, economic and social progress is not delayed," he said. "At the same time, we must understand that in a system with minority parties some time will be needed to form a majority coalition."

Election workers in 50,000 polling stations across the country have begun tallying the vote to elect Iraq's Council of Representatives, the country's parliament.

Obama cabinet official headlines International Women's Day celebration in Washington

Nearly 300 members of official Washington came together to celebrate International Women's Day at a luncheon at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington on March 8, which featured U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis as the keynote speaker.

"I'm honored to be here to celebrate this wonderful occasion for women across the world and for those future young leaders out there listening and hoping to find a voice and someone to lift their hearts," Secretary Solis said in her "Advancing the Role of Women Around the Globe"-themed remarks.

Secretary Hilda L. Solis (Photo by Shawn Moore, Dept. of Labor) The event was hosted by the UN Information Center Washington (UNIC), the UN Foundation (UNF) and the Women's Foreign Policy Group (WFPG).

The event was one of many held around the world that called for greater support to women, particularly in developing countries, so that they can be empowered and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In his message for the Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that "the third Millennium Development Goal - to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment - is central to all the rest. When women are denied the opportunity to better themselves and their societies, we all lose."

"Until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all our goals - peace, security, sustainable development - stand in jeopardy," he added.

UN and aid partners calls for $60 million to help 110,000 Congolese refugees

The United Nations and its partners have launched an appeal for just under $60 million to help more than 100,000 refugees from the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who have fled ethnic violence and are seeking refuge in neighboring Republic of Congo.

The funds will help some 110,000 refugees, the vast majority of whom are women and children, as well as 58,000 people in the Republic of Congo's host areas for a six-month period.

MONUC Peacekeepers Clashes broke out last October when Enyele militiamen launched deadly assaults on ethnic Munzayas over fishing and farming rights in the Dongo area of Equateur province.

The tensions have enveloped most of Equateur, sending some 114,000 to the Republic of Congo, driving some 60,000 to other parts of the province, and forcing an additional 17,000 people to seek refuge in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The refugees are scattered across more than 100 sites - living with host families, sheltering in abandoned huts or building makeshift settlements - along a 500-kilometre stretch of the Oubangui River between Liranga district and the ROC's border with the CAR. In most areas, they vastly outnumber the local population buy a ratio of five to one.

In December, the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) allocated nearly $8 million to the crisis, with bilateral funding also having been put forward.

Week in Pictures

UNMIT Portuguese Police Unit SWAT Team Exercise

Exercise by UNMIT Portuguese Police Unit SWAT Team

March 4, 2010 - Portuguese Police Unit SWAT Team doing an exercise at a Dili beach as part of special training at the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). UN Photo/Martine Perret

Secretary-General Meets Actor Orlando Bloom at Los Angeles Reception

March 1, 2010 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon poses for a photo with actor Orlando Bloom at a reception for the Global Creative Forum in Los Angeles, California. UN Photo/Mark Garten

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