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Ahead of a key meeting to review the World Bank’s social policies, a group of United Nations independent experts called on the organization to adopt human rights standards to ensure its measures do not unintentionally harm the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Humanitarian organizations are facing enormous and dramatically growing constraints in aiding millions of Syrians overwhelmed by the “human catastrophe” that the war-torn country has become, top United Nations officials warned today, calling on the Security Council to at last do something to end the horror.

Growth in Asia-Pacific remains subdued due to the impact of persistent weaknesses and uncertainties in the developed economies, the United Nations reported today, urging Governments to implement macroeconomic policies that focus more on inclusivity and sustainable development.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Envoy for Education Gordon Brown are in Washington DC to meet with international government and development partners on how to accelerate progress towards the United Nations Global Education First Initiative to put every child in school, improve the quality of learning, and foster global citizenship by the end of 2015.

The United Nations envoy for West Africa met today with a range of Guinean stakeholders to explore ways to resume inclusive political dialogue in the interest of the peaceful preparation and conduct of upcoming legislative elections.

The Somali Government and international community must continue their efforts to strengthen the East African country’s justice sector in spite of a series attacks on Sunday which killed dozens of civilians including judges and lawyers and injured many more, an independent United Nations human rights expert said today.

Investing in healthy forests is not only vital for human and environmental well-being but also crucial in the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient green economy, says the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Conflict-related sexual violence, horrific in itself, is also an impediment to national reconciliation and development, top United Nations officials told the Security Council at the start of a day-long debate, urging increased political and financial pressure on those who commit, command or condone sexual violence in war zones.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed correspondents in New York today on a range of issues before beginning two days of top-level meetings in Washington tomorrow aimed at stepping up cooperation between the United Nations and the World Bank, the institution dedicated to providing financial and technical aid to developing countries around the world.

Global merchandise exports grew by only 0.2 percent in value in 2012 after two years of significant expansion, with a decline among developed countries offset by 3.6 percent growth among developing countries fuelled by petroleum and gas, according to United Nations figures released today.