BELÉM, Brazil, November 23 (IPS) - Following tense, nightlong negotiations and bitter rows between more than 190 country delegations, a “politically charged Belém package” was finally forged at COP30—so named because of the highly contentious and difficult-to-negotiate issues within the climate talks.

Vaccine alliance Gavi and children’s agency UNICEF have struck a new pricing deal that will sharply cut the cost of a key malaria vaccine and make it possible to protect nearly seven million additional children by 2030, the agencies announced on Sunday.

In the rolling hills of Indonesia’s West Java province, thousands of farmers are reaping tangible benefits from the digitization of their businesses and improved access to finance, thanks in part to a United Nations‑supported project.

Leaders from across the world are debating how industry can help tackle some of the world’s most urgent challenges – from climate change and food insecurity to the need for fairer supply chains – at the Global Industry Summit, which opened on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In a pivotal outcome at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, countries agreed on a sweeping package to scale up climate finance and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement – but without a clear commitment to move away from fossil fuels.

Scolded for wanting to go to school as a girl and dismissed or ignored as an adult, Awrelia from Wau in South Sudan has learnt to advocate for herself, her children and for the women in her community.

The UN Deputy Secretary-General voiced deep alarm on Saturday over the latest mass abduction from a school in Nigeria, calling for the immediate release of those taken.

Ministers and leaders from across the world’s 44 least developed countries have pledged to accelerate industrialisation that benefits all, and strengthen resilience in the face of global challenges, at an international UN conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BELÉM, Brazil, November 21 (IPS) - Belém, at the mouth of the Amazon River, was always going to be a symbolic host for the UN COP30 climate summit, but the mood here has gone far beyond symbolism.

SAN LUIS JILOTEPEQUE, Guatemala, November 21 (IPS) - Plagued by drought, farming families living within the boundaries of the Dry Corridor in eastern Guatemala have resorted to rainwater harvesting, an effective technique that has allowed them to cope.