Myanmar’s Armed Forces Sign Agreement for Child-free Military

Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, travelled to Myanmar for the signing of a Security Council-mandated action plan for the release of children from the country's armed forces, known as Tatmadaw Kyi.

Biofuels and Hunger, Two Sides of the Same Coin

BRUSSELS, 25 Jun - Despite growing evidence that biofuel production is causing food insecurity around the world, the new European Union policy blueprint on renewable energy ignores the social effects of biofuels. Last week, Guatemalan victims of the food crisis came to Brussels to make European policy makers aware of the problem.

Israelis Grapple with an Unfinished War

RAMAT GAN, Israel, 26 Jun - As the threat of war against Iran and its allies in Lebanon and Gaza lingers, questions arise over a war launched 30 years ago. Israel’s far-reaching invasion of Lebanon launched in June 1982 wasn’t an easy choice. Veterans still grapple with this controversial episode of Israel’s history whose name, objectives and legacy were never officially sanctioned.

IPS Wire Service Set to Launch WebTV Next Year

RIO DE JANEIRO, 24 Jun (Terra Viva) – After nearly 50 years as an international wire service, the Rome-based Inter Press Service (IPS) is branching out into WebTV keeping pace with advances in digital technology.

Activists Working to Reinvigorate Campaign Against LRA

WASHINGTON, 23 Jun (IPS) - Activists are aiming to renew the fight against the Lord’s Resistance Army, the Ugandan rebel group made infamous by its ruthless leader Joseph Kony, despite noticeably diminished concern for the issue just months after the release of a controversial yet viral video about the leader.

Mauritius fisherman do not want EU trawlers

Mauritian fishermen are angry about  fishing vessels from the European Union in their territorial waters. And environmentalists are concerned that over-fishing may deplete the Indian Ocean of its stocks of fish.   Audio Slide Show

World Leaders Cement Central Role of Reproductive Health in Sustainability

UNITED NATIONS, June 22 — The World’s heads of state and government Friday adopted, ‘The Future We Want’, a common global vision that reaffirmed commitments their nations made in the Programme of Action of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The leaders also called for its full implementation as key strategies for reaching effective sustainable development.

Victims of Terrorism Demand Collective Protection of their Rights

UNITED NATIONS, June 22 – In his annual report to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, Ben Emmerson, exposed a system, which fails dramatically to protect the rights of victims of terrorism. 

Commanders Seek “The Multiplying Effect” to Boost Peacekeeping Missions

UNITED NATIONS, June 21 - Accomplishing U.N. Stabilization Missions in South Sudan, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) requires a "multiplying effect". There is a need to employ the 120,000 deployed peacekeepers in a more efficient way to multiply the effects of grassroots operations commanders underscored during a press briefing at the U. N. Headquarters in New York.

Rio+20 Reaching Virtual Millions in U.N. Campaign

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 20 - The United Nations has been running a social media campaign for Rio+20 with the entire U.N. system reaching an amazing number of people – and hundreds of millions of impressions.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Bio-Detergent Cleans Up Oil Spills

Researchers at the Microbiology Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro have developed a bio-detergent that eliminates oil residue resulting from spills.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: External Aid for Disasters and Security

The World Bank has announced the approval of 80 million dollars in new loans for Honduras, which will be primarily invested in natural disaster prevention and public security.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Community Demands Halt to Construction of Thermoelectric Plant

On behalf of a group of residents of the northern Chilean municipality of Huasco, the non-governmental organization Oceana has called on the Environmental Assessment Commission of the region of Atacama to deny authorization for the Punta Alcalde thermoelectric power plant to be built by Endesa-Enel.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Promoting the Use of Solar Water Heaters

The production of solar water heaters will be stepped up in Cuba as part of efforts to promote the use of renewable energy sources.

Why Inclusive Green Growth Can Sustain Recent Gains in Latin America

Latin America could become a victim of its own economic success, which is intimately tied to the generosity of nature, due to an increase in consumerism, says the World Bank vice president for the region, Hasan Tuluy.

Rio+20 and Beyond: Together for a Sustainable Future

We cannot call development sustainable while nearly one out of every seven men, women and children in the world are victims of undernourishment, says FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

The Story of the Afghan Refugee

UNITED NATIONS, June 20 — On World Refugee Day, the United Nations Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) Goodwill Envoy and best-selling author Khaled Hosseini assessed global efforts to tackle the plight of Afghan refugees and the lack of progress at the local level.

RIO+20: Reforestation Pledges Reach Only 12 Percent of Target

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 20 – The world’s countries have committed themselves so far to restoring just 18 million hectares of forests by 2020, barely 12 percent of the goal of 150 million hectares agreed by the Bonn Challenge in 2011.

Cities Strive to Tackle Bad Environmental Habits

UNITED NATIONS, June 20 — Cities have large stakes in the environmental degradation and resource exhaustion stretching the planet to breaking point, but inspiring new initiatives point the way towards escaping the downward spiral.  

Environment in Trouble in Most Biodiverse African Country

BUKAVU, DR Congo, Jun 19 - Ranked fifth in the world in terms of animal and plant diversity, the Democratic Republic of Congo is considered to be a treasure chest of biodiversity and a vital regulator of global warming.

Europe and Former Colonies Urge Action at Rio+20

Jun 16 2012 (IPS) - Europe and 79 of its former colonies have sent a strong message to the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development inBrazil next week that it should use the opportunity to both fulfill past promises and deal with “new and emerging challenges”.