IPS Interviews FAO DG on appointment of David Beasley as WFP head

As widely known, the key objective of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is to eradicate hunger and malnutrition by 2030, as established with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals two years ago.

Secret Companies Allow Corrupt Cash to Flood Key Real Estate Markets

The governments of Australia, Canada, the UK and the US need to close glaring legal loopholes to prevent the corrupt elite from laundering the proceeds of grand corruption in their local real estate markets, a major anti-corruption watchdog urges.

VIDEO: Raising Autism Consciousness

On the 2nd of April, to observe World Autism Awareness Day, IPS will be highlighting the issues and plight surrounding the rising global phenomenon of this often misunderstood affliction that is consuming many of the world's children.

Food Security in the Middle East Sharply Deteriorated

Food security and nutrition levels in the Near East and North Africa have sharply deteriorated over the last five years, undermining the steady improvement achieved before 2010 when the prevalence of undernourishment, stunting, anaemia and poverty were decreasing, a new UN report warns.

1 in 4 Children Worldwide Facing Extremely Scarce Water by 2040

Warning that as many as 600 million children – one in four worldwide – will be living in areas with extremely scarce water by 2040, the United Nations children's agency has called on governments to take immediate measures to curb the impact on the lives of children.

Climate Breaks All Records: Hottest Year, Lowest Ice, Highest Sea Level

Climate has, once more, broken all records, with the year 2016 making history-highest-ever global temperature, exceptionally low sea ice, unabated sea level rise and ocean heat. And what is even worse-- extreme and unusual trends continue in 2017.

Sanitation ‘Revolution’: A New Pay-Monthly Poop Removal System

Developing countries struggling to cope with huge volumes of human waste may finally get some relief, and a new business opportunity.

FEATURED VIDEO: World Water Day

World Water Day on March 22nd gives us an opportunity to reflect on the one simple truth: water is life.

‘Words of Fear and Loathing Can -and Do- Have Real Consequences’

“Politics of division and the rhetoric of intolerance are targeting racial, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, and migrants and refugees. Words of fear and loathing can, and do, have real consequences,” warns the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

‘Religious Discrimination, Fanaticism and Xenophobia Worsened’

Religious discrimination, fanaticism and xenophobia have worsened in several countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North America, thus there is a need for alternatives to identify a common strategy to address these challenges, a Geneva-based think tank promoting global dialogue stated.

Suffering of Children in War-Torn Syria ‘Hits Rock Bottom’

The suffering of children in war-torn Syria "hit rock bottom" in 2016 with the highest number of grave violations against them since verification began in 2014, underscored the United Nations children's agency.

Violence, Power Vacuum in Mideast, Fertile Ground for Terrorism

Long decades of violence in the Middle East and Northern Africa, resulting from the proliferation of international and local conflicts, have strained the social fabric that once held peaceful Arab societies together, says a Geneva-based think tank promoting global dialogue.

370 Million Children Eat Healthy Food at School, Every Day

Every day some 370 million children around the world are fed at school, while learning about healthy food and nutrition through school meals programmes that also help boost attendance, the United Nations reports.

Women’s Progress Uneven, Facing Backlash – UN Rights Chief

“The women’s movement has brought about tremendous change but we must also recognise that progress has been slow and extremely uneven and that it also brought its own challenges,” warned the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

Women and Girls, One Third of World’s Drug Users

Women and girls comprise one-third of global drug users yet are only one-fifth of those receiving treatment, a UN-Backed independent expert body warned.

In Asia Pacific, 900 Million People Pay Bribes for Public Services

Around 900 million – or just over one in four – people living in 16 countries in Asia Pacific, including some of its biggest economies, are estimated to have paid a bribe to access public services, with governments failing to stop corruption, according to a new public opinion poll from a major anti-corruption watchdog.

Global Harvests Robust, Yet 37 Countries Need Food Aid

Global food supply conditions are robust, but access to food has been dramatically reduced in areas suffering from civil conflicts, while drought conditions are worsening food security across swathes of East Africa, according to the United Nations.

Seven Scary Facts About Widening Gender Gap

Women across the globe are facing new threats, which risk dismantling decades of hard-won rights and derailing the effort to end extreme poverty, an international confederation of civil society organisations has revealed ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.

New Antibiotics Urgently Needed to Combat Resistant Bacteria

The United Nations health organisation has just published its first ever list of antibiotic-resistant "priority pathogens" – a catalogue of 12 families of bacteria that pose the greatest threat to human health.

Corruption: Promises, But Not Enough Progress from G20 Countries

Open data is a pretty simple concept: governments should publish information about what they do to fight corruption– data that can be freely used, modified and shared by anyone for any purpose, according to two major international anti-corruption watchdogs. This is particularly important in the fight against corruption.

Huge Health Needs for World’s One Billion Migrants

With an estimated 1 billion migrants today --or one in every seven people-- their health needs are huge. Nevertheless, health systems are struggling to adapt and consequently access to health services among migrant populations varies widely and is often inadequate.