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Large-scale government stimulus packages are closed off to many nations across Asia and the Pacific, the top United Nations official for the region told a gathering of senior finance and central bank representatives, promoting a cooperative approach to jump-starting economies out of the global recession.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is launching a project in six African countries to replace ageing refrigeration systems with more energy-efficient versions and cut down on the consumption of ozone-depleting chemical compounds.

The situation in the north-eastern corner of the Central African Republic (CAR) remains precarious after recent attacks by armed rebels and bandits against civilians, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, warning that aid operations are suffering because of the insecurity.

Just one month before the start of the academic year in Gaza, the education of thousands of school students is being jeopardized by the ongoing blockade of crossings into the area, a chorus of United Nations voices warned today in an urgent call for Israel to open the borders.

Asia’s first centre for dealing with disputes related to intellectual property including trademarks, copyright and patent issues will open in Singapore, the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reported today.

The focus of the United Nations health agency’s efforts in easing the impact of influenza A(H1N1) has shifted to identifying age groups most at risk from contracting the virus, a World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson said today.

Civil society groups operating in Sudan’s Darfur region will be allowed to carry out unhindered voter education activities ahead of national elections scheduled for next year, the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission to Darfur (UNAMID) reported today.

Thirty-six child soldiers who once served with an armed rebel movement in Sudan’s Darfur region have been voluntarily demobilized and given assistance so they can return to school and their communities, the United Nations reported today.

The illegal building of new homes and communities continue to occur across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, threatening fragile hopes of a two-state solution to the long-running conflict, top United Nations officials warned today, urging both Israel and the Palestinians to meet their obligations under the Road Map for peace in the Middle East.

United Nations humanitarian workers have taken part in a joint assessment mission in a border area of southern Sudan where hundreds of people have fled recent attacks by the notorious rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).