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United Nations agencies are continuing to send relief aid to parts of Central America torn by the devastating effects of Hurricane Stan and other disasters, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

Despite increases in official direct assistance (ODA) to developing countries, much of the funds have been used to pay off debt, rebuild after conflicts and natural disasters, and assist people affected by humanitarian crises, according to a new United Nations report which calls on international donors to pay closer attention to the composition and quality of aid in order to correct the problem.

United Nations agencies are working round the clock to bring relief to survivors of Saturday’s devastating earthquake in Pakistan, readying an airlift of vitamin-fortified life-saving food for 240,000 victims and sending in convoys of trucks with emergency supplies ranging from blankets to water purification equipment.

With some 60 per cent of the planet's ecosystem currently being degraded by human activities, the global community must take speedy action or else face a future of 6 billion people “scratching around trying to survive,” the head of the United Nations environmental agency said today.

With the innovation of micro-financing, there is a now a powerful way to help many millions around the world finance their small business ventures, improve their homes, and come back after a natural disaster, but institutions will need to do their part in order reach the people in need, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told a symposium of experts in Geneva today.

Proposed anti-terror laws in the United Kingdom might undermine human rights, United States military commissions on terror suspects violate the right to a fair trial, and Iraq’s special tribunal breaks international standards and should be replaced by a United Nations-backed independent court, a new report by an independent UN legal expert says.

Global resources for people suffering from mental and neurological disorders are grossly insufficient to address the growing burden of mental health needs, according to a new report by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) released today.

One day ahead of Liberia's presidential and parliamentary elections, Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging a massive and peaceful turnout.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today condemned the killing and abduction of staff of the African Union Mission (AMIS) in the strife-torn Darfur region of Sudan and said those responsible must be held accountable.

Arriving in New York from Yokohama, Japan, a group of students designated as peace messengers today presented a donation of over $120,000 to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).