New UN-backed guidelines aim to protect rights to land, fisheries and forests
11 May 2012
A United Nations-backed committee today endorsed a set of far-reaching global guidelines to help governments protect the rights of people, especially the poor, to own or access land, forests and fisheries.
Bird-watching can help boost ecotourism industry, says UN environment agency
10 May 2012
Bird-watching, a popular hobby around the world, can present significant economic opportunities for countries through sustainable tourism, the United Nations environment agency said today, stressing that States should increase efforts to support this growing industry.
The transition to a green economy must include better safety standards for workers – UN
28 April 2012
Protecting the safety and health of workers across the world must be part of transitioning into a green economy, the United Nations stressed today, warning that while sustainable jobs may protect the environment and create new employment opportunities, they may also present a number of unforeseen risks for individuals.
Message of the Secretary-General for 2012 International Mother Earth Day
22 April 2012
The annual observance of International Mother Earth Day honours our one and only planet and the place of human beings in it. It is also meant as a call to action against human disregard for nature’s life-supporting resources and ecosystems.
UN trade meeting to focus on ‘development-centred globalization’
20 April 2012
On the eve of a major United Nations ministerial conference on international trade and development, a senior UN official today said the event is taking place at a turning point during which leaders of the global community must step forward to lead the world out of “round after round of financial crisis.”
UN disaster reduction office launches initiative to help cities manage risk
18 April 2012
The United Nations office for disaster risk reduction today launched a new initiative to help cities across the world manage risk following the worst year on record for economic losses caused by disasters.
Human rights must be integrated into sustainable development, UN official stresses
18 April 2012
Countries must integrate human rights into the upcoming sustainable development conference taking place in Rio de Janeiro, as well as its outcome, a top United Nations official stressed today, warning that not doing so will undercut efforts to advance socio-economic development and protect the environment.
Assembly chief urges scientific approaches to sustainable development
18 April 2012
The President of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, warned today that economic growth that relies on unsustainable patterns of consumption and production is undermining humankind’s quest for harmony with nature and called for science-based sustainable development solutions.
Urgent action needed to address ‘cascading crisis’ in Africa’s Sahel region – Ban
17 April 2012
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the global community to act quickly to address what he described as a “cascading crisis” sweeping the Sahel region of West Africa, where 15 million people have been affected by the drought and conflict-related crisis in the area.
Ban welcomes European Union’s energy access initiative for developing countries
16 April 2012
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed a new European Union (EU) initiative designed to assist developing countries in providing access to sustainable energy to their populations.
Africa and Asia to lead urban population growth in next 40 years – UN report
05 April 2012
Africa and Asia together will account for 86 per cent of all growth in the world’s urban population over the next four decades, the United Nations said today, adding that this unprecedented increase will pose new challenges in terms of jobs, housing and infrastructure.
UN official: ‘race against time’ to avert disaster in Africa’s drought-stricken Sahel
28 March 2012
The food and nutrition crisis facing countries in West Africa’s drought-prone Sahel region has continued to deteriorate at an alarming rate despite commendable early response efforts by governments and international aid agencies, a senior United Nations official said today.
UN Drylands Ambassador calls for greater efforts to fight desertification
26 March 2012
With land degradation and desertification affecting 1.5 billion people across the globe, 75 per cent of them among the world’s poorest, the United Nations’ most recently-appointed Drylands Ambassador today called for greater efforts to combat the problem.
UN Launches Initiative to Promote Role of Law in Advancing Sustainable Development
26 March 2012
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners have launched a new international initiative to promote the role of law towards achieving environmental sustainability and the transition to a low carbon, resource-efficient green economy.
Sustainable development efforts of 25 grassroots groups win UN-backed prize
23 March 2012
Twenty-five local community projects – ranging from a wildlife sanctuary in Bangladesh to a medicinal plants farm in Brazil, a land and water conservation group in Morocco to a reforestation and farming initiative in Ethiopia – are the winners of a United Nations-backed partnership prize for promoting local sustainable development solutions.
Looking to Rio+20, world must act on sustainable development, says UN forum
23 March 2012
The international community must “reset the global development agenda” and strengthen its commitment to sustainable development, a United Nations-backed conference in Istanbul heard today.
UN experts call for including human rights standards in development goals
19 March 2012
A group of independent United Nations experts today urged States to include universally agreed international human rights norms and standards, as well as accountability mechanisms, in the goals that will emerge from a UN sustainable development forum in June.
Disaster stalking children in Africa’s drought-prone Sahel region, warns UNICEF
16 March 2012
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is warning that more than a million children below the age of five in the Sahel are facing a disaster amid the ongoing food crisis in the drought-prone region of Africa.
Asia-Pacific nations review progress on sustainable transport at UN-backed forum
15 March 2012
Senior officials from over 30 Asia-Pacific nations are meeting at a United Nations-backed forum in Bangkok to review progress towards a sustainable and efficient regional transport network.
E-waste guide launched to help Pacific media
15 March 2012
E-waste is electrical and electronic equipment that is at the end of its useful life. This covers home or business items that use power, some examples of which are televisions, radios, computers, phones and digital cameras. Pacific Island communities now face growing challenges from the impacts of e-waste.