UNITED NATIONS, Dec 02 (IPS) - On November 27, a ceasefire agreement was agreed upon by officials for Israel, Lebanon, and a host of other mediating parties, including the United States. Yet even with this step towards peace, conflict and suffering continue in Gaza, raising questions of when – or how – a similar outcome can be achieved.

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Dec 02 (IPS) - The Ocean is our life source, but for decades it has been repeatedly marred by humankind. With the disposal of pollutants into the Ocean, overexploitation of Ocean resources and the human-driven increase of global temperatures, the Ocean is changing and not for the better.

Our Oceans are warming, corals are dying, fish stocks are declining, toxic chemicals are being released into the Ocean – these eAects are clearly visible today, but there is hope. There are organisations from all around the world that are fighting to save our Ocean.

RIYADH Saudi Arabia, Dec 02 (IPS) - A major new scientific report was launched December 1, a day ahead of the opening of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16).

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 02 (IPS) - If and when the devastating military conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza come to an end, the ultimate winners will not be the Russians, the Americans or the Israelis but the world’s arms manufacturers—contemptuously described as “merchants of death”.

And so will be the winners in a rash of conflicts and civil wars in Syria, Myanmar, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan and Afghanistan.

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 02 (IPS) - Youth and climate activists believe that the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion will send a powerful legal signal that UN member states cannot ignore their legal duties to act and protect the environment against climate change.The intersection of law, diplomacy, and science will come under the spotlight at the International Court of Justice hearings starting today (Monday, December 2, 2024) in The Hague as the court starts its deliberations into the obligations under international law of UN member states to protect people and ecosystems from climate change.

Marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Tuesday, UN Secretary General António Guterres emphasised the crucial need to increase the leadership of persons with disabilities in addressing global challenges, as essential to shaping technological advances and policy decisions.

As Haiti grapples with escalating violence and systemic collapse, its children are bearing the brunt of a multipronged crisis that threatens their lives, safety, and future.

The UN human rights chief on Monday urged Georgian authorities to respect and protect rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, following four nights of protests marred by violence.

The UN Secretary-General has expressed alarm over the sharp escalation of violence across northwest Syria, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to the UN-facilitated political process.

A record number of oral statements are expected to be presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as highly awaited public hearings on States’ legal obligations with respect to climate change got underway on Monday.