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As countries around the world prepare for a potentially deadly human pandemic of bird flu, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned against general and pre-emptive bans on poultry imports that do not distinguish between infected and non-infected countries.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is facing a serious shortfall in funding in its efforts to feed 360,000 hungry Central Americans stricken by this month’s floods, mudslides and volcanic eruption in Guatemala and El Salvador.

A day after the United Nations launched an increased Flash Appeal for $550 million to save the lives of tens of thousands of earthquake survivors in Pakistan, one of the world body's main relief agencies expressed alarm today that too little money was being committed directly to its emergency efforts.

Voicing dismay at remarks attributed to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly calling for Israel to be wiped off the map, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said the right of all States in the Middle East to live in peace will now top the agenda of his upcoming visit to Iran.

With the earlier date of the now postponed elections in Côte d'Ivoire falling on Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged Ivorians to refrain from creating tensions, but instead to work on quickly choosing a new prime minister and moving towards free and fair elections next year.

The United Nations General Assembly should be more innovative in its approaches to the question of Palestine, Israel should distinguish between military objectives and civilians and the Palestinian Authority should control Palestinian armed groups so as to stop violence against civilians, a Special Committee says in a new report.

Continuing his efforts to ensure an inclusive national dialogue following Iraq’s constitutional referendum, the top United Nations envoy in the country today discussed the upcoming December elections with Deputy Prime Minster Rowsh Shaways.

With tropical storm Beta forecast to strengthen into a hurricane and drench Central America with potentially-flooding rains, the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system was today put on alert, ready to pre-position a team in Nicaragua should it become necessary.

Receiving the final report of the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) into maladministration and corruption in the United Nations-run Iraqi Oil-for-Food Programme, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on Member States to take action against illegal practises by companies under their jurisdiction and to prevent recurrences.

Even as the number of hungry people has been rising, mainly, in Africa by about 6 million a year, food aid is in sharp decline, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) James T. Morris said today.