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The deaths of more than 74,000 children from tuberculosis (TB) could be prevented each year through measures outlined in the first action plan developed specifically on TB and children, which was launched today by the United Nations health agency in Washington, DC.

Participants at a United Nations meeting in Geneva today agreed on urgent action to mitigate the economic and social impacts of the humanitarian crisis spawned by the Syrian conflict on neighbouring countries struggling under the weight of more than two million Syrian refugees.

The Deputy Secretary-General today stressed that the international community must address chronic humanitarian needs and crises in Africa if the continent is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before their 2015 deadline.

The dignity and transcendence of every single person should be the ultimate consideration as Member States lay the groundwork for new development goals for the period after 2015, the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See said at the United Nations today.

The time for words and promises is over; the time for action is now, a Dominican Republic minister told the United Nations General Assembly on the final day of its high-level debate, calling for inclusive development and social justice in a post-2015 sustainability agenda.

Delegates from across the globe used the final day of this year’s General Assembly General Debate today to keep up the drumbeat for the United Nations to fully play its vital role in ensuring world peace and setting the stage for a bold new programme to eliminate poverty and under-development.

Recapping a week of debate by senior Government officials on crafting a new global development agenda integrating economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection, General Assembly President John Ashe said today it is now up to United Nations Member States to “find the common ground as a basis for moving forward with decisive action.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his sadness after a police advisor serving with the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur region succumbed to injuries sustained in a July attack.

Addressing the United Nations today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the only way diplomacy will stop Iran’s “feverish efforts” to acquire nuclear weapons is to keep up international pressure through “tough” sanctions to ensure that the country fully dismantles its weapons programme and is prevented from having one in the future.

Visa facilitation could create up to 2.6 million jobs in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies by 2016, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).