General News

The setting of new UN goals for sustainable development has been described as a “wonderful challenge” and a unique opportunity to benefit the whole of humanity.

The goals are set to replace existing poverty targets, the Millennium Development Goals or MGDs, the deadline for which is 2015.

Member States of the UN are meeting in New York at the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development, the main United Nations platform dealing with the Post-2015 Agenda.

The Forum meets once a year under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The sustainable revolution is here and forests will play a key role in supplying sustainable material.

That is the view of Alicja Kacprzak, the Forestry Officer at the joint UNECE and FAO Forestry and Timber Section.

Not only can wood be used as a sustainable fuel, plastics, clothes and even chemicals can be created from its by-products in the future.

Sophie Outhwaite spoke to Alicja Kacprzak about why forests are so important.

Duration: 3'00"

People in Haiti are being trained to build earthquake-resistant houses following the disaster that hit the country in 2010 leaving over a million homeless.

A joint project by the government and the International Labour Organization (ILO) has set out to rebuild 16 neighborhoods and re-house displaced people living in six camps,

This project in the municipalities of Port-au-Prince, Delmas and Petion-Ville will facilitate the return of more than 5000 displaced households living in tents.

One point three billion tonnes of food are wasted worldwide each year according to a report being launched at the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

The Food Losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems, report reveals that globally around one-third of food produced is lost or wasted along the food chain, from production to consumption.

FAO says that food loss and waste not only impacts food security and nutrition but also the sustainability of food systems.

Record number of women serve on the UN Security Council.

A total of five female ambassadors are serving throughout the year, four as rotating members of the Council and one, the US ambassador, as a permanent member.

Sylvie Lucas is the Ambassador of Luxembourg.

Elizabeth Philip asked her about her first one-month stint as President of the Security Council.

Duration: 2’55”

The families of victims of the Ebola virus in West Africa are being urged by the World Health Organization (WHO) to avoid traditional mourning practices.

More than 450 people have died from the disease since March this year in three West African countries, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Ebola which kills 90 per cent of those who catch it, is spread by direct contact with the blood and body fluids of infected animals or people.

Indigenous people in Thailand are fighting for access to ancestral lands in an attempt to preserve their culture and ensure a future for their children.

There are over one million indigenous people who live in the hills of northern and western Thailand.

Much of the land in those regions is now off-limits following a decision by the government to create protected areas.

This report by Pat Duffy begins with the story of Noeri an indigenous leader who’s fighting for her land and the very survival of her people.

Duration: 3’40”

Two United Nations aid agencies have appealed for US $225 million to provide adequate food aid to refugees in Africa.

Up to a million refugees supported by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and the UN World food programme are living on less than half of their daily food needs.

Lack of adequate funding, growing insecurity and logistical challenges especially in some of the conflict affected countries are some of the reasons behind this situation.

Patrick Maigua reports from Geneva

Duration:  3'05"

Efforts made by the United Nations and many others to prevent a political crisis within South Sudan’s leadership from taking “a violent turn” have failed.

That’s what Hilde Johnson, the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said as her three-year term in office comes to an end.

Government forces have been battling rebels loyal to the former Vice-President Riek Machar since December last year.

The special envoy said she felt the country’s leaders needed to take collective responsibility for what happened and “stop pointing fingers” at each other.

A list of “top ten” food-borne parasites has been released by the United Nations on Tuesday in order to reduce the risk of global infections.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) are focusing on the parasites with the greatest global impact.

Pork tapeworm made the top of the list, followed by dog tapeworm found in fresh produce.

New guidelines are being developed for the control of these parasites which in turn will help develop new standards for the global food trade.