General News

The creation of economic "agrocorridors" can be a strategic tool to draw investments to projects that benefit smallholder farmers, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The UN agency describes these corridors as development programmes that can help promote agriculture in developing countries.

To find out more, Sandra Ferrari spoke with Eva Gálvez Nogales, an agribusiness economist at FAO, who began by explaining the meaning of an “agrocorridor”.

Duration: 4’57”

A political declaration for gender equality recently adopted at the United Nations is not as strong as it should have been to promote the human rights of women and girls, as feminist groups were largely excluded from negotiations.

That’s according to the International Women’s Health Coalition, an NGO that works on advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights.

It is attending the current two-week annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York.

A bid to keep hospitals and health clinics open amid natural disasters and epidemics is key to saving lives, the UN health agency said Friday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) initiative is called the safe hospital framework and more than 70 countries have already adopted it.

It’s to be presented at the Disaster Risk Reduction world conference taking place in Sendai, Japan, where WHO’s Dr Rick Brennan wants countries to put such healthcare issues at the heart of their emergency response policy.

The global community needs a plan on how it will build resilience against natural hazards, according to the director of Kenya’s National Disaster Operation Centre.

Nathan Kigotho, who is in Sendai, Japan for the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, says Kenya is mostly affected by drought.

In 2005, a 10-year plan called the Hyogo Framework for Action was adopted to help protect the world from natural disasters.

A new plan is now needed to replace it.

The disturbing spectacle of Syrian youngsters gathering to watch video footage of people being executed are just one of UN children’s agency UNICEF’s concerns as the conflict enters its fifth year, it said Friday.

That’s the personal testimony of UNICEF worker Hanaa Singer, who has spent the last year coordinating humanitarian aid in some of the country’s most dangerous zones, including the northern town of Raqqah, where the public screenings happen.

Experts from around the world are gathering in Japan to discuss how countries can better prevent and prepare for natural and man-made disasters.

In recent decades Japan has faced a number of disasters resulting from tsunamis and earthquakes, and is expected to be showcased as an example of how to tackle these catastrophes.

Ahead of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Nan Zheng spoke with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström.

An appeal for US$ 400 million is aiming to strengthen Haiti’s resilience, according to the UN Mission in the Caribbean island, MINUSTAH.

The funds will be put towards fighting food insecurity and combatting cholera as well as other urgent needs.

They will also help to build resilience to natural disasters.

Haiti is still recovering from an earthquake that hit five years ago, killing 200,000 people.

Cultural barriers in the Asia-Pacific region are obstructing the right kind of help reaching victims of violence, according to the director of the Women and Children’s Crisis Centre in Tonga.

Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki was at UN Headquarters to attend the 59^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

She called on Pacific island states to create safe spaces for women to share their stories, which she said is the only way to find concrete solutions to improve their lives.

The European Union faces a call by the UN to take action to help migrants as increasing numbers of people die crossing the Mediterranean sea, often in a bid to escape conflict.

Among the measures proposed, UN refugee agency chief Antonio Guterres wants a stronger naval rescue mission, more support for the few countries which host refugees, and a fairer distribution of migrants in EU countries.

UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler explained to Daniel Johnson why it’s so important that the EU acts.

Duration: 4’05”

The real cost of  war on human beings can be seen in a camp for Palestinians in Syria; that’s according to the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Pierre Krähenbühl recently visited the Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of Damascus where he said thousands of people are living in “extreme deprivation”.

The war in Syria is now entering its fifth year.

The camp was established before that time to support over 160,000 refugees.