General News

Soil is too often taken for granted, particularly in Africa according to a soil expert based at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s regional office in Accra, Ghana.

Thiombiano Lamourdia says that due to an increasing population, more agro-processing is needed to reduce the pressure on the land for the next generations.

He says Ethiopia is an example of how a 10-year plan focusing on land management can help support healthier soil.

As the international community marks Global Soil Week, Sandra Ferrari asked Mr Lamourdia about the state of African soils.

The people of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific are looking at ways of preserving their traditional way of life in the face of increased interest from logging companies.

With the support of the United Nations the islanders have found a way to protect their pristine virgin forests and provide much-needed sources of income through new eco-tourism ventures.

Pat Duffy reports.

Duration: 2’56”

The presence of an Arab state in the Security Council is very important to defend issues facing countries in the region, according to the Permanent Representative of Jordan to the UN.

Dina Kawar is President of the 15-member Council for April, a position that rotates on a monthly basis.

The Jordanian diplomat said many of the current major international issues concern her region, including Syria, Yemen, Libya, Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon.

The prospect of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine continues to recede with potentially explosive consequences, according to the UN Secretary-General.

Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday was speaking to members of the Security Council at a briefing on the situation in the Middle East.

Tension between Israel and Palestine continues following the latest war last summer which lasted seven weeks and resulted in thousands of deaths and widespread destruction in Gaza.

Stephanie Coutrix reports.

Duration: 2'58"

A popular saying holds that “In Russia, everyone is indigenous.”

Russia is home to more than 70 minority groups, but only 45 of them are recognized by the state.

The groups inhabit territories belonging to Siberia, the Russian North or the Russian Far East and are comprised of approximately 316,000 people.

Sustainable development of indigenous peoples is at the forefront at the UN headquarters in New York this week, where among other countries, Russia is sharing its experiences.

Cathrine Hasselberg reports.

Duration: 2'11"

Violent extremists who are caught and sent to prison in Nigeria should be helped to mend their ways and put on the path towards rehabilitation, according to a senior representative of a justice organization in the country.

Nigeria is continuing to face the challenge posed by Boko Haram terrorists who are regularly committing crimes against civilians in the country.

Some of the terrorists have been arrested by Nigerian security forces after retaking a town in the north-eastern part of the country.

Issues related to soil are not getting enough attention in Asia and the Pacific, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The agency says the most critical concerns the region faces are land scarcity particularly in East Asia, and contamination by chemical fertilizers.

This week, the international community is marking Global Soil Week in Berlin, Germany, to exchange ideas on soil management.

Yuji Niino is a soils officer for FAO based at the regional office in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok.

Four people working for the UN Children’s Fund in Somalia have been killed and five others injured after their mini-bus was struck, by what appears to have been a suicide bomber.

The attack happened on Monday in Garowe in the north of the Horn of Africa country.

The agency has been operating in Somalia since 1972 providing support to vulnerable children.

The UN mission in the country said the Al-Shabaab terrorist group had claimed responsibility.

Reaction has been swift from the UN’s human rights chief following the deaths of 700 migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean at the weekend.

In a statement on Monday UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said he was “horrified but not surprised” after learning that “yet more” men, women and children had died in search of “better and safer lives abroad”.

One billion people in the world still need access to improved water and two billion need access to improved sanitation, according to the World Bank.

Only three percent of the planet’s water can reportedly be used for human consumption, while only a fraction gets used.

Pabsy Pabalan met with Junaid Kamal Ahmad, who leads the World Bank’s Water Global Practice (GP).

She began by asking him about the challenges of water scarcity around the world.

Duration: 2’50”