News stories by IPS Correspondents, page 12

, Jul 03 (IPS) - by Waruna Dhanapala & Ambassador Dr Palitha Kohona Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations

UNITED NATIONS, July 3 -- After months of arduous negotiations, sometimes mired in hopeless and acrimonious debate mainly between the North and the South, the Outcome Document of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development/Rio+20 was adopted by acclamation by over 130 states represented at the highest levels on the evening of 22nd June 2012.

, Jul 03 (IPS) - Stockholm, 2 July 2012 – The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) has been named the 2012 'Prince Albert II of Monaco Water Award' laureate in recognition of its “high contributions on water issues”.

, Jul 03 (IPS) - DOHA, Qatar, Jul 3 2012 (Al Jazeera) - Kosovo will finally gain full soverignty in September, almost four years after breaking away from Serbia, the International Steering Group (ISG) overseeing its independence has announced.

, Jul 02 (IPS) - In the NW region of Cameroon, mushrooms are a cherished delicacy, eaten by almost every household. Yet in the markets mushroom is scarce and farmer say successful cultivation is highly profitable.

, Jul 02 (IPS) - LIMA, Jun 29 2012 (IPS) - Peru was certified as compliant with the global standard of the Extractive Industries Transparencies Initiative (EITI) earlier this year. However, its achievements have not satisfied the demands of the local population in mining and oil extraction zones.

, Jul 02 (IPS) - SANTO DOMINGO, Jun 29 2012 (IPS) - Incorporating a gender focus in public policies for confronting and adapting to the impacts of climate change is still a pending task in the Caribbean, despite women’s proven skills in risk and disaster management.

WASHINGTON, Jul 02 (IPS) - Following what many regard as a disappointment at the recent Rio+20 Earth Summit, the World Bank and several groups have begun implementing new initiatives to “personalise” climate change, in hopes of revitalising the issue among the younger generation.