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As the United Nations climate change conference (COP21) marked 'Action Day' with dozens of events happening throughout its sprawling venue in the north-east of Paris, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the purpose of the occasion was to highlight solutions the world “so urgently” needs.

For those who have never tried ‘rejected’ veggie curry made with ‘saved’ coconut milk served with ‘broken rice’ and washed down with corn cob tea, two United Nations agencies have joined up with an Australian food charity for an event with a menu that also included ‘fish scrap cake’ and ‘rescued’ mango relish, accompanied by ‘leftover’ nine-grain followed by ‘rescued’ bread pudding for dessert.

A new report by Yale University finds that the combined greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments recorded in two United Nations-backed platforms by cities, regions and companies alone surpasses the global emissions of the iron and steel sector.

Southeast Asian countries today affirmed that the only way to reduce loss of life at sea is by working together on comprehensive and sustainable approaches to mixed migration movements, the United Nations refugee agency said as the resumption of dangerous sea journeys in the region loomed.

With Ethiopia battling its worst drought in 30 years due to the El Niño weather pattern, with 8.2 million people already in urgent need of food aid, the United Nations has sent an emergency health team to help support the Government’s response to a crisis that is expected to become even worse over the next eight months.

Voicing concerns over deteriorating restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and assembly in Venezuela, United Nations human rights experts today called on the Government to guarantee the safety of all individuals and their peaceful participation in the parliamentary elections, set for this Sunday.

More than 4,000 people have fled to a remote region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to recent fighting between local groups, known as the ‘Arrow Boys’ and the South Sudanese Army in the Western Equatoria region of South Sudan, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today a new checklist for healthcare workers that will help reduce maternal and newborn deaths with “a single and practical bedside tool” designed to make a difference for women and infants in various settings around the world.

Reports of human rights abuses against Sunni Arabs by Iraqi and Kurdish security forces in parts of Iraq reclaimed from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are increasing, ranging from looting to extra-judicial killings, senior United Nations officials said today.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is marking the second World Soil Day and the end of the International Year of Soils with an appeal to reverse the current rate of soil degradation because of expanding cities, deforestation, unsustainable land use and management practices, pollution, overgrazing and climate change.