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Concern is growing over widespread plastic waste that is threatening marine life – with conservative yearly estimates of $13 billion in financial damage to marine ecosystems, according to two reports issued at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly.

Following a reported ceasefire in the besieged Yarmouk camp in Syria, the United Nations agency that administers aid to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East said it is ready to resume and expand its humanitarian activities as soon as it has access to the site.

Marking United Nations Public Service Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed today the invaluable contributions of public servants and administrators in the international community’s efforts to build a better world for all.

The United Nations Security Council today called on all parties in Libya to ensure the free and fair holding of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 June, stressing that the polls are an important step in the country’s democratic transition.

Across the world, forests provide employment, energy, nutritious foods and a wide range of other goods and ecosystem services with tremendous potential to contribute to sustainable development and a greener economy, according to the United Nations agency report The State of the World’s Forests (SOFO).

Preparations are well underway for a United Nations conference on the challenges and opportunities of partnering with small island developing States, a top UN organizing official today said as representatives are gathering in New York to agree on what will be the outcome of the conference.

While international aid is necessary to help countries emerging from conflict to consolidate peace and embark on much-needed development, it is vital to help them generate their own resources and capacities, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson stated today, as he addressed the first annual session of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed deep concern over a string of recent court decisions in Egypt, including the verdicts and heavy jail sentences handed down today to three Al Jazeera journalists, as well as 11 other defendants who were tried in absentia.

Amid a “critical” security situation on the ground, the United Nations political chief today called on Israelis and Palestinians to exercise maximum restraint and find a way to return to negotiations.

A United Nations body that focuses on the environment and has representatives from all 193 UN Member States is meeting for the first time today in Nairobi, to discuss issues such as illegal wildlife trade, chemical waste and air pollution, and new universal development goals.