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More than 3 million people around the world are unable to work because of illnesses caused by HIV/AIDS, according to a new report by the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) which argues that better treatment for sufferers would bring significant benefits for the global economy.

The United Nations-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and its United States partner announced today that the number of people they are providing with life-extending antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) has reached 1.2 million people – twice the volume of only a year ago.

A moderate El Niño across the tropical Pacific is expected to persist until at least March, according to the latest United Nations forecast issued today on the periodic weather pattern that can have repercussions around the world, from torrential rains and floods in the Americas and Africa to droughts and brush fires in Australia and Asia.

Former United States President Bill Clinton starts his last visit to Asia today as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, making stops in India, Thailand and Indonesia to review rebuilding progress after the ravages of the 2004 disaster that killed over 230,000 people and affected more than 12 countries in the region.

From the sex trade to underpaid maids to sweatshops, the chief United Nations crime fighter is calling for concrete steps to reduce the lures and increase the risks of human trafficking.

The United Nations refugee agency today announced a $10-million emergency relief grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for health, education, water and sanitation projects to reintegrate hundreds of thousands of Sudanese uprooted by 21 years of civil war in the south of the vast country.

The United Nations today offered full support to the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Durian, in which 198 people are so far confirmed dead and 260 missing, with more than 25,000 others affected by floodwaters that have reportedly reached 10 feet in some areas.

Sierra Leone “continues to make progress in its peacebuilding efforts” but still faces major challenges in rebuilding, particularly ahead of next year’s elections, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today, as he called for the mandate of the UN integrated office to be extended until December 2007.

Nuclear power is not the only answer but looks to be an important part of the future energy mix in Asia and other parts of the world, according to the head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who is an official visit to Japan, Viet Nam, China, and Indonesia.

More than 80 youth representatives from 10 West African countries attending a United Nations-backed conference pledged today to help their peers throughout the region by taking steps to improve sexual and reproductive health, encourage education, work towards poverty alleviation and promote peace.