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The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog agency called on Iran today to enhance its cooperation and provide a complete, accurate declaration of all its nuclear activities to clear up questions arising from its failure, as a signatory to the treaty foreswearing nuclear weapons, to disclose certain material and activities.

Though protected areas now cover 12 per cent of the earth's surface, a happy ending is by no means guaranteed, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in a message to delegates gathered to discuss places set aside for their natural beauty or status as refuges for the world's most valuable plants and animals.

At this "crucial period" in human affairs, when shocking violence and bitter divisions have challenged the fundamental values of freedom and tolerance, the United Nations and its civil society partners have perhaps never been more sorely needed, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette said today.

Civil society organizations have committed themselves to pressure their governments to condemn Israel's "separation wall" in the occupied West Bank as part of its pattern of illegal settlement activity, according to a plan of action adopted by the United Nations International Conference of Civil Society in Support of the Palestinian People.

Camps for internally displaced persons (IDP) have become the new battlefields in Liberia - where warring parties now compete with desperate families for the meagre resources provided by relief agencies - and thousands of people fleeing the country's tense north-eastern region are pleading for improved security and emergency aid, the United Nations said today.

Noting that more than 600 million people - roughly one in every 10 people - suffer some mental, physical or sensory impairment, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today pledged dedication by the United Nations to making societies truly accessible, caring and inclusive for all people, regardless of disability.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for expanding the membership of the Security Council to make the 15-member body more democratic and more representative and thus give it greater legitimacy, especially in view of recent divisions over Iraq.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he hoped to meet this weekend with the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council as part of the effort to bridge differences on the way forward in Iraq.

Declaring that upcoming world trade talks can make the difference between life and death for millions of people, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging that poor countries be given access to cheap generic drugs as “a moral imperative” and that rich countries end agricultural trade subsidies “for humanity’s sake.”

A United Nations-administered body protecting endangered species today praised efforts by the nations of the Caspian Sea region to conserve its sturgeon, source of the world’s most prized caviar, from over-fishing and poaching.