SAN FRANCISCO, California / APEX, North Carolina, US, August 22 (IPS) - In June this year, UNDP bade farewell to Achim Steiner. The ninth Administrator in UNDP’s history had completed a second four-year term in office.

UNITED NATIONS, August 22 (IPS) - World Humanitarian Day (August 19) honors humanitarian aid workers, raises public awareness for humanitarian crises, and advocate for strengthened international cooperation. Through this year’s theme, A Call to #ActForHumanity, the United Nations underscored the need for increased funding for lifesaving humanitarian missions, stronger protections for aid personnel, and accountability for violations of international law.

GEBZE, Türkiye, August 22 (IPS) - Artificial intelligence and the use of frontier technologies are already transforming trade and boosting prosperity, particularly for developed and some developing countries. This ranges from the digital exchange of documents, the digitalisation of trade processes and leveraging online platforms to fast-track cross-border trade.

UNITED NATIONS, August 22 (IPS) - A system-wide UN survey of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), described as “grave violations of human rights”, has revealed that in 2024, there were 675 allegations reported.A UN message to staffers last week says this is “widely believed” to be “significant underreporting” because the real numbers may be much higher.

As the Israeli military offensive in Gaza City intensifies, the UN and partners continue to warn against the catastrophic consequences for civilians.

US and Qatari diplomatic efforts to bring a lasting peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have not yet led to improved conditions on the ground, where the security situation remains dire, the UN Security Council heard on Friday.

Delegates from around the world met at UN Headquarters in New York this week to advance the long-awaited high seas biodiversity treaty, with discussions ranging from rules of procedure, to the creation of a clearing-house mechanism and the location of the treaty’s secretariat.

Extreme heat is fast becoming one of the biggest threats to workers’ health and livelihoods, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Friday.

World Expos are not just feel-good exhibitions, “they are invitations to tell our stories,” The UN chief told festival goers in Osaka, Japan, which is hosting Expo 2025.

More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new UN-backed food security report released on Friday.