APOPA, El Salvador, Jun 06 (IPS) - Alex Leiva woke up at 4:00 a.m. to perform a key task for his family’s survival in the Salvadoran village where he lives: filling several barrels with the water that falls from the tap only at that early hour every other day.

Allegations of sexual violence by Russian troops in Ukraine are mounting, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Monday, expressing regret over a stark discrepancy between that painful reality, and the global community’s ambition to end the use of rape as a weapon of war.

The UN chief has called for military authorities in Sudan and civilian representatives and political leaders, to enter direct talks over the future of the country in “good faith”, following continued unrest.

Young people are “disproportionately viewed as the primary perpetrators of crime”, despite often being the most vulnerable, the UN General Assembly President told a high-level meeting on Monday, highlighting crime fighting solutions.

MADRID, Jun 06 (IPS) - Now it comes to another ‘crime’ being stealthy committed as a consequence of the unrelenting business obsession for making more and more money.

NEW YORK, Jun 06 (IPS) - Any fair analysis of the United Nations strongly suggests that the UN of today is not the same UN that was established in 1945. The United Nations Security Council in particular, which was intended to maintain international peace and security, has sadly outlived its usefulness in its current makeup.

The annual UN Climate Change Conference in the German city of Bonn began on Monday, designed to lay the groundwork for a successful COP27, due to take place in the Egyptian coastal resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh, in November.

A fire and explosion in southeastern Bangladesh over the weekend which left more than 40 dead, has prompted the UN’s labour agency, ILO, to urge workplaces throughout the country to address safety shortcomings.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 06 (IPS) - The United Nations, which has failed to help resolve some of the world’s ongoing and longstanding civil wars and military conflicts—including Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Western Sahara, Myanmar, Syria, and most recently, Ukraine—was rightfully challenged by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his riveting address to the Security Council last April.

On average, 90 per cent of those killed and injured by the use of explosive weapons used in populated areas are civilians. A political commitment to address the humanitarian harm arising from the use of these weapons in cities, towns and villages could be a major step towards protecting those caught up in conflict.