UN Staff Celebrates Holi, Hindu Festival of Colours

March 27 officially declared the arrival of spring to the Hindu community, celebrated with the Holi festival. Known as the festival of colours, Holi has a broad appeal in and outside India, particularly among youth. Hindus send their greetings and welcome good luck by throwing coloured powder to others and smearing people's clothes with paint. The celebration of Holi will usually last for several weeks and will also take place in different areas across America. At the UN, the United Nations Staff Recreations Council initiates the celebration to embody the festival's spirit of bridging social barriers of language and status. United Nations Staff Celebrates Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors from IPS Inter Press Service on Vimeo. This year also marks the fifth annual Holi Festival in New York City, which, with the theme "Green Holi", stressed the use of new herbal and non-toxic colours.

VIDEO: African Communities Strengthen Women’s Access to Justice

On the sidelines of the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Huairou Commission (HC), on March 4th, organised a panel discussion on women's access to justice. 

New York Farmers Aid the City’s Hungry

At a time when big grocery stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are attracting scores of hungry customers, many local family-run farms are fighting to keep afloat.

“We Tripantu”, the Mapuche people’s new year celebration

"We Tripantu" means "rising of the new sun," and is the new year celebration of the Mapuche people, held over the shortest days of the year in the southern hemisphere, coinciding with the winter solstice.

Q&A: To Be a Child and HIV-Positive in Ethiopia

U.N. correspondent Stephanie Parker sits down with filmmaker Lieven Corthouts as he opens up about the children in "Little Heaven" orphanage, located in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

A Sustainability Paradise : Ecovillage at Ithaca

Why can't we live a different way? That’s the question asked by a pioneer community of 160 trying to achieve greater sustainability and a higher quality of life.

After Rio+ 20, the Path Ahead

Two weeks after the United Nations conference on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro has left many lukewarm, activists, government representatives and U.N. officials are looking forward to setting new goals for the future.

New Initiative to Combat Toxic Threats

Reducing the risks associated with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats is the goal of a new multi-country initiative known as the Centres of Excellence (CoE).

SLIDESHOW: Pride Parade Draws Hundreds of Thousands in Support of LGBT in Washington DC

On Saturday, Jun. 9 2012, the annual Capital Pride Parade brought together hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people marching with their allies in the sunny streets of Washington DC.

Q&A: Film “Invisible War” Reveals Epidemic of Rape in U.S. Military

The US military is facing one of its biggest scandals, depicted in "Invisible War", Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering's latest documentary.

Women and gender recognised by UNFCCC

Days before the start of COP17 in Durban, the UNFCCC has formally recognised the Women and Gender Constituency, giving them full constituency status when the talks start in Durban at the end of November. Tinus de Jager reports that there will be a strong push for a gender-specific focus at the climate-change talks in South Africa

Climate Change – A silent killer in coastal Bangladesh

Bangladesh, a deltaic country that drains major Asian rivers like the Ganges and the Brahamputra, is highly vulnerable to climate change and the effects are already being felt in the coastal regions in the shape of salinity, frequent floods and land erosion. Farmers and fisherman are already turning into climate refugees and, in a buiness as usual scenario, the next decades could see millions of people displaced according to projections by the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change.

Young Entrepreneurs Gather in Benin

Young people from across the globe gathered in Benin’s economic capital city of Cotonou to share their success and experiences in the agricultural sector with each other.

Rabbit Farmer Inspires Youth

Young Beninese rabbit breeder, Samuel Agossou, inspired youth from across the globe when he shared his success story during the Global Youth Innovation Workshop held in Benin late last year.

The Green Climate Fund

The Green Climate Fund is meant to help developing countries with 100 billion dollars a year by 2020 to adapt to the effects of climate change. The creation of the GCF was approved during the COP16 in Cancun. Civil society and some developing nations noted that governments have made trillions of dollars available for the bank and financial sector and that the world's military budget is more than 10 times what is needed for the GFC. Up until now, countries have not been able to agree on a single mechanism to draw public funds.