DEVELOPMENT: Possible for Poorest to Escape ‘Poverty Trap’ – UN

A United Nations specialised agency criticisea the existing strategies for alleviating poverty in what are known as the least developed countries (LDCs) and issues a call for changes in national and international policies in a new report.

ENVIRONMENT: Gov’ts Seek to Ease Protection for Endangered Species

The secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has five months to decide on 54 proposals submitted by member governments aimed at easing prohibitions and controls on trade in threatened plant and animal species.

TRADE: European-U.S. Dispute Bodes Poorly for Agricultural Talks

The negotiations for eliminating international trade barriers affecting farm products recommence next week at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) amidst a climate of distrust created by the protectionist policies of the economic superpowers.

LABOUR: Globalisation – Neither Cure Nor Cause of All Social Ills

Globalisation, and its consequences for the world's labour panorama in particular, came off badly in the debates begun this week at the conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

TECHNOLOGY: UN Must Incorporate Science or Risk Losing Authority

The United Nations runs the risk of losing control over the major decisions of the future if it does not incorporate a scientific and technological focus into its diplomatic operations, warn academics and experts.

POPULATION-COLOMBIA: Cities Unable to Handle War’s Displaced

Colombia's big cities lack the resources necessary to help the thousands of people who have been displaced from rural areas by the civil war, as municipal governments are unable to meet the basic needs of the poor already living in the urban centres, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

POPULATION: Europe Alarmist on Refugee Question, Says UN

The United Nations refugee agency issued a statement Friday expressing concern about the current "over- heated" debate in Europe on asylum-seekers, and suggests that it could have dangerous consequences for foreigners seeking help in the region.

ECONOMY-MIDEAST: ILO Urges Action to Halt Palestinian ‘Meltdown’

International Labour Organisation (ILO) director-general Juan Somavía has issued an appeal to the world community to take steps aimed at staving off the "socio-economic meltdown" of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

DISARMAMENT: Conflict in Kashmir Defies Only Successful Treaty

The Mine Ban Treaty is being successfully applied throughout much of the world, although activists are concerned about the mining of the India-Pakistan border.

RIGHTS-LATAM: Descendants of Africans Make Appeal to UN

Representatives of African descendants in the Americas are seeking United Nations action to encourage recognition of the multi-ethnic reality of the Western Hemisphere and the inclusion of the population's ethnic and racial origins in national censuses in order to give their communities greater visibility.

RIGHTS-NIGERIA: Trafficking of Girls Centre of UN Group Debate

Official representatives from Nigeria responded Monday to human rights groups that charge the African country's government lacks the political will to confront the problems of trafficking sexual exploitation of girls.

LABOUR: 5,000 Deaths Daily from Work-Related Causes – ILO Report

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) warns that there is too little awareness in the world about the tragic fact that two million people die each year as a consequence of occupational accidents or illnesses.

HEALTH-SPORTS: WHO Gives Breath of Fresh Air to Ailing FIFA

The Tobacco Free World Award, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) will present next week to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), is a salve for the divided football authority and for its president, Joseph Blatter, who faces corruption charges.

TRADE: EU Leads Charge at WTO against U.S. Wall of Steel

The United States has fuelled the steel trade debate by blocking the European Union's legal moves at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that challenge the tariff hikes Washington imposed on steel imports in March.

HEALTH: WHO Secretariat to Gain Diversity

Developing countries will have greater representation on a more gender-balanced World Health Organisation (WHO) secretariat, according to a resolution passed by the World Health Assembly.

HEALTH: Research Benefits the Few, Overlooks Prevailing Diseases

A sharp imbalance continues between the resources earmarked for researching diseases predominant in the industrialised world and for those prevalent in poor countries, but experts and activists are confident that the disparity can be reduced.

HEALTH: NGOs Warn of Economic Policy Impacts on Medical Services

Civil society organisations are calling on the World Health Organisation (WHO) and health ministers around the globe to recognise and take action to prevent the disastrous impacts that certain economic policies have on public health.

AGRICULTURE: Cairns Group Tones Down Criticism of US Farm Bill

The nations that will feel the greatest impact from the latest protectionist barriers in agriculture adopted by the United States chose to keep their criticism mild and to express optimism regarding the multilateral talks in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

POLITICS-INDONESIA: Accord with Aceh Rebels Marks Step to Peace

Delegates from the government of Indonesia and from the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have agreed to negotiate an and to hostilities and a process for electing democratic authorities for the northern Indonesian province of Aceh, an effort to be undertaken "with all speed".

RIGHTS: War Crimes Court to Become Reality Despite US Withdrawal

The International Criminal Court for trying cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide will begin to operate within a year, in spite of the opposition of the United States, say human rights groups.

TRADE: Pressure at WTO to Eliminate Fishing Subsidies

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is debating the subsidies industrialised countries grant to their fishing industries, a practice that developing nations and environmentalists complain are distorting international markets and pushing some species towards extinction.