Most of the hidden costs of agrifood systems worldwide stem from health impacts linked to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a new report published on Friday.

Record-breaking floods in Spain, violent storms in Florida and wildfires in South America – these are just a few examples of the extreme weather events accelerating and intensifying across the world. With the cost of inaction clearer than ever, financing for clean alternatives to the fossil fuels which are driving climate change will be top of the agenda at this year’s UN climate conference, COP29.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 07 (IPS) - Cities are in a unique position, simultaneously the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses and the most affected areas of the greenhouse effect. As a new UN report shows that rapid urbanization and industrialization have adverse effects on the environment, causing a rise in sea levels, prolonged rainfalls and flooding, and an increase in overall temperature. The coastal areas that cities most often inhabit face the brunt of these effects, with marginalized populations being the most vulnerable.

NAIROBI, Nov 07 (IPS) - The United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) 2024 Adaptation Gap Report has warned that adaptation actions are not keeping pace with the surging demands of a warming planet. Released ahead of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, the report—titled Come Hell and High Water—projected a bleak future where vulnerable communities bear the brunt of climate-induced hardships. 

BANGKOK, Thailand, Nov 07 (IPS) - The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995 during the Fourth World Conference on Women, remains a cornerstone in the global pursuit of gender equality and women's empowerment. With the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review fast approaching, now is the time to reflect on the progress made and the challenges that remain in Asia and the Pacific.

The month-long Israeli siege in northern Gaza has left civilians on the brink of disaster, preventing them from accessing the essentials for their survival, including water, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday.

Delegates discussed a complicated urban development issue at the World Urban Forum on Tuesday: What is needed to safeguard residents and guarantee they have access to housing and basic services when war breaks out in a city crowded with people and critical infrastructure?

Up to two million people in Myanmar’s Rakhine state face the dire prospect of famine, amid a broader economic collapse and worsening humanitarian crisis triggered by the military’s 2021 overthrow of the democratically elected government.

More than 100 governments made historic commitments to end childhood violence on Thursday at a landmark event in Bogotá, Colombia.

The decision to extend the transition period in South Sudan once again and postpone long-awaited elections cannot be “business as usual”, the UN Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Thursday.