The use of fertilizers to boost agricultural production around the world is expected to reach record levels above 200 million tonnes by 2018, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In a new report, FAO says that is an increase of 25 per cent over 2008 levels.
As the world strives to feed more people, there are concerns that the overuse of fertilizers will lead to pollution and soil degradation.
Children in the Kapuri community in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State are celebrating the opening of a school built by UN peacekeepers from Rwanda (UNMISS)
The project was born following a routine patrol last year in which the soldiers found pupils in the town studying under trees in make-shift classrooms with no sanitation facilities.
The newly constructed building has eight classrooms, two staff offices and washrooms.
Veterinary services in Africa are not equipped to detect or respond quickly to an outbreak of the Ebola virus in animals, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned.
Chimpanzees, gorillas and apes continue to be infected and harmed by the Ebola virus.
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in a village near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in a remote area of Sudan, the UN says.
The origin of the virus is unknown but fruit bats are considered the likely host of the virus.
The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa has shown how difficult it is to prevent an infectious disease from spreading into other countries.
This is even more so when it starts in a poor country with weak public health infrastructure.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that in addition to causing catastrophic loss of life, a crisis on this scale has the capacity to cripple economies.
Women in Kosovo are being encouraged by the United Nations to exercise their legal right to claim property.
Men and women in the territory have equal inheritance rights, but when the issue comes up in courts, women frequently decide to give their share of family property to their male relatives.
The UN in Kosovo is backing programmes which make it easier for women to claim what is theirs, as David Meadows reports.
Japan has said it will stand alongside the international community as it faces up to battling terrorism in the Middle East.
It follows the execution in Syria in January of two Japanese nationals by the militant terrorist group Islamic State, also known as ISIL.
Daniel Dickinson has more details.
Duration: 2'23"
Brave, empowered and smart describes the lead character in a six-part television mini-series detailing the journey of a female slave in the 18th Century.
A pre-screening of the “Book of Negroes” was held at the UN in Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Aunjanue Ellis plays Aminata Diallo from Mali who is captured at the age of eleven and shipped to the United States.
Progress made in addressing malnutrition and preventable disease in Yemen could be undone if the political crisis continues there, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF has warned.
The agency’s humanitarian work continues despite a precarious security situation, amid a funding shortfall and fears that government funding could dry up.
Daniel Johnson reports.
Duration: 1'58"
Young people living in rural Africa are actively engaging in their own development because of radio, says the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
A communication project supported by FAO called Dimitra is being used as a platform to disseminate information and share experiences on farming and food security.
Working with local and community stations, the project allows rural populations to enter into partnerships to find solutions to their problems.
Sandra Ferrari has more.
Duration: 5’13’’
Radio remains a powerful tool for communication in Kenya and is helping young people get ahead in life.
That’s the message from the International Labour Organization (ILO) on World Radio Day, celebrated annually on 13th February.
The ILO has been supporting radio programmes for young people in the East African country.
Carla Drysdale reports about one initiative which is benefiting musicians.
Duration: 3’10”
