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Terming recent natural disasters in which hundreds of thousands of people died and hundreds of millions of livelihoods were lost "a wakeup call like no other," the top United Nations relief coordinator today called for more effective prevention and preparedness systems, especially for developing countries.

Responding to a new report on the continued spread of HIV, the head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said that the epidemic will not be stopped unless leaders at all levels act now to boost comprehensive prevention efforts targeting groups such as women, injecting drug users and sex workers.

Deploring "in the strongest terms" the exchange of fire across the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon yesterday, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed for a return to calm and called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy today began the process of deciding the future status of Kosovo as the United Nations administrator of the Serbian province, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and others by 9 to 1, voiced caution over possible provocations from "crazies" on all sides.

The head of the United Nations mission in Sudan said today that he would go to western Darfur for talks with some leaders of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) in preparation for peace talks with the Government of Sudan, which are expected to start next Monday in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.

With the estimated number of elephants in West Africa dropping to between 5,000 and 13,000, a dozen countries are scheduled to sign a treaty on the animals' protection at a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) meeting in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

Fresh from a fact-finding mission across Central Africa, the United Nations Security Council has recommended dozens of actions it must take in and around the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to put in place measures for sustained peace and to make the most expensive elections the world body has ever helped to organize both free and fair.

The military situation along the Ethiopian-Eritrean border, remained tense and potentially volatile during the past week and the Eritrean ban on United Nations helicopter flights has again complicated the evacuation of injured personnel, according to the latest update from the UN peacekeeping mission.

With over 852 million hungry people in the world, the newly re-elected director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today called on the agency’s 189 members to adopt reforms making it more responsive to members’ needs, and to provide the funds necessary to meet its daunting challenges.

The independent United Nations human rights expert on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment began a 12-day visit to China today, during which he will meet with Government officials and representatives of civil society and visit detention facilities.