Americas

Ballots being counted for the 28 November 2010 elections at a polling station in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti

Haiti: UN calls on candidates in disputed poll to use legal means and avoid violence

13 December 2010
With a three-day window opening today for candidates to formally lodge complaints in Haiti’s disputed elections, the United Nations and its partners have called on all concerned to use these legal means and to urge their supporters to avoid further violence.
Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC Executive Secretary

Latin American and Caribbean nations expected to see growth in 2010 – UN report

13 December 2010
The economies of Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to grow by six per cent in 2010 as a result of the recovery posted by many countries in the region, according to an annual United Nations report released today.

UN officials hail climate change deal reached at Cancún conference

11 December 2010
The United Nations climate change talks in Cancún have concluded with a package of decisions to help countries advance towards a low-emissions future, delivering what the world body's top officials have hailed as a victory in the battle against one of today's biggest challenges.
A young woman in Honduras harvests coffee beans from a home garden

New UN project aims to boost food security in four Central American nations

10 December 2010
The United Nations today announced a new regional project that will enable food producers in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to boost food security by increasing production and getting produce to markets more rapidly.
Tabulating the votes from the 28 November 2010 presidential and legislative elections in Haiti

Haiti: Security Council calls on all sides to end post-electoral violence

10 December 2010
The Security Council today called on all sides in Haiti to refrain from further violence in the dispute over preliminary results from last month’s first round of presidential and legislative elections.

UN agencies in Colombia allocate funds for flood emergency response

10 December 2010
United Nations agencies have mobilised nearly $6 million to support efforts by the Colombian Government to respond to the humanitarian needs of those affected by the heavy rainfall that has caused floods and landslides in the South American country.
Ballots from Haiti's presidential election on 28 November 2010 being sorted in Port-au-Prince

Haiti: Ban appeals for end to violence after election results announced

8 December 2010
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed for an end to violence in Haiti following the announcement of preliminary election results in a country that has already been ravaged this year by a devastating earthquake and a raging cholera epidemic.

Climate change effects on South America depicted graphically in UN report

6 December 2010
The number of people in Latin America and the Caribbean affected by extreme weather events, including high temperatures, forest fires, droughts, storms and floods grew from 5 million in the 1970s to more than 40 million between 2000 and 2009, the United Nations said today in a report that graphically details the effects of climate change in those regions.
Children in Port-au-Prince participate in cholera prevention activities

Haiti: Ban appeals for immediate massive aid to fight deadly cholera epidemic

3 December 2010
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the international community to provide immediate massive aid to Haiti to fight a deadly cholera epidemic raging through the impoverished country, warning that hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk.

New UN report urges better protection of biodiversity in Latin America and Caribbean

3 December 2010
Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean must act to protect the extraordinary wealth of plant and wildlife in the region and harness their potential as “biodiversity superpowers,” according to a new United Nations report.