Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today lamented the tragedy of needless deaths and injuries from road accidents and exhorted the world to intensify efforts to minimize the crashes by coming up with innovative plans to reduce the risks associated with them.

At a time when tens of millions of patients worldwide endure disabling injuries or die each year from unsafe medical practices, the United Nations health agency and its partners today called for increased research into patient safety, including the risks posed by care- and surgery-related infections, adverse drug effects and unsafe injections.

A proliferation of standards and codes relating to the growing and supply of foods has generated increasing challenges for developing countries to penetrate markets in richer States but good agricultural practices can also help the developing world cope with globalization, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which wants to help create a “win-win” solution for all parties.

Genetically modified (GM) foods can contribute to enhancing human health and development, but continued safety assessments are needed before they are marketed to prevent risks to both human health and the environment, according to a new United Nations report released today.