The international community mobilized over $1.3 billion in pledges and more than $1 billion in loans and debt relief to help Caribbean nations recover from the strong hurricanes that pummelled the region a few months ago, during a meeting at United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday.

At the end of his first visit to El Salvador, the United Nations human rights chief on Friday highlighted the Government's stated commitment to human rights, as well as several issues facing the Central American country, including the highest rate of femicide in the region and the abortion ban that punishes women “for apparent miscarriages and obstetric emergencies.”

The United Nations agriculture agency and the Government of Ecuador launched Wednesday a practical guide for workers in the banana sector – the most exported fresh fruit in the world, both by volume and by economic value – to promote healthier and safer work conditions.

Deeply saddened to learn of the horrific shooting in a Baptist church in the small town of Sutherland Springs, Texas, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday extended his condolences to the bereaved families and to the Government and people of the United States.