While praising Latin American and Caribbean countries for integrating population issues into national policies, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is calling for more investment in universal access to health and education in the region.

Calling on the world's rich countries to revitalize stalled international trade and development talks, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette today urged them to eliminate or at least reduce "the crippling effect" of agricultural subsidies on the world's poorest and least developed nations.

Noting serious alarm in the international community about certain detention conditions, nearly three dozen United Nations human rights experts today called for UN access to those people who have been "arrested, detained or tried on grounds of alleged terrorism or other violations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Guantánamo military base and elsewhere."

Environmental and social issues need to be integrated into business practices or companies across the globe risk a long-term threat to shareholder value, says a new report released today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).