U.S. Supreme Court Deals Blow to Obama’s Emissions Cuts

In a setback to the Barack Obama administration's clean energy plans just five months ahead of a critical climate change summit in Paris this December, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday blocked an initiative to limit emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants.

Charleston Church Shooting Sparks Debate on Race in South Africa

South Africa’s old guard of separatist whites who supported the racist policy of apartheid have been reading with interest about Dylann Roof, accused assassin in the deaths of nine churchgoers at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Women’s Groups Say Gender Equality is a Must for Sustainable Development

On the eve of negotiations on the political declaration for the United Nations Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Women’s Major Group (WMG) calls on governments to define a transformative agenda to ensure just, sustainable and rights-based development.

Conservation Successes Eclipsed by Species Declines

Although strong gains have been made in some areas of conservation, many species are facing increasing threats to their survival.

U.N. Names Winners of First Nelson Mandela Prize

The winners of the first-ever United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize were announced Monday by General Assembly President Sam Kutesa, 25 years to the day that Mandela addressed the U.N. General Assembly to denounce apartheid in his home country of South Africa.

International Cooperation is Key to Effective Public Services

“Civil service excellence can only be achieved if countries have access to an international forum where they can exchange innovative approaches and initiatives,” Patrick Keuleers, Director of the Governance and Peacebuilding Team of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said Friday.

Worldwide Displacement at the Highest Level Ever Recorded

A horrific year of war, humanitarian crises, human rights violations and persecution has caused a sharp rise in global forced displacement.

Remittances from Europe Top 100 Billion Dollars

One in five migrant workers – about 50 million people - lives and works in Europe, making the region home to a quarter of global remittance flows, according to a new report by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Small Victories at Bonn Climate Talks

As climate talks wind down in Bonn, Germany, observers of the negotiations say that despite some progress on a draft text, key issues remain unresolved and will carry over at least until the next round in August.

Compensation Fund for Victims of Bangladesh Factory Collapse Reaches 30-Million-Dollar Target

Two years after a massive garments factory collapsed in a suburb of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, killing over 1,100 people and leaving more than 2,500 injured, a major international fund has met its target of raising 30 million dollars to be paid out in compensation to the victims and their families.

Chinese Public Most Worried About Climate Change

A new survey finds that China leads the world in public support for government action on climate change.

Call for Disability Rights to Be Mainstreamed in Post-2015 Development Agenda

“We should remove the ‘dis’ and focus on ‘abilities,’” Daniela Bas, director of the Division for Social Policy and Development at the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said at a media event on the rights of persons with disabilities on Friday.

Exodus in the Bay of Bengal

For a while it went unnoticed: a boatload of migrants here, a vessel full of refugees there. But since 2012, the complex and unregulated movement of human beings through South and Southeast Asia– and the fate of those who put their lives in the hands of smugglers and at the mercy of the high seas – is becoming bleaker with each passing day.

8.2 Million Iraqis In Need of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance

As fighting drags on between Iraqi armed forces and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), millions of refugees caught between the warring groups are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

Civil Society, Journalists “Risk Death” as Burundi Crackdown Intensifies

As the U.N. Security Council met to discuss the ongoing political crisis in Burundi Thursday, a rights group says violence has intensified in the capital Bujumbura, with individuals and groups close to the presidency and the ruling party targeting civil society activists, journalists and opposition members.

Newly-Recovered Ship Contains Rare Remnants of Slave Trade

A Portuguese slave ship that left Mozambique in 1794 bound for Brazil had hardly rounded the treacherous Cape of Good Hope when it broke apart violently on two reefs only 100 yards from shore.

Countries Commit to Protecting Education During Conflict

With thousands worldwide being denied education due to attacks on schools and universities, and the use of school buildings by armed groups, 37 countries have committed to protecting students and their education during armed conflict.

Nigeria’s New President Sworn in Amidst ‘Catastrophic Expectations’

Muhammadu Buhari, his hand on the Holy Book, was sworn in as Nigeria's president at an open-air ceremony this past Friday in the capital city of Abuja. His speech acknowledged many of the challenges facing the largest democracy in Africa but offered hope that these challenges could be met.

Despite Ukraine Cease-Fire, Civilians Still Living in Fear

The civilian population in Ukraine continues to suffer serious human rights abuses, intimidation and harassment by armed groups, including summary executions, as well as torture and ill-treatment by authorities in detention, according to the latest report from the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine released Monday.

Leaked Internal Documents Show U.N. Ignored Child Abuse

Leaked United Nations documents show high-level staff knew of abuses by soldiers in the Central African Republic and failed to act, all while planning the removal of U.N. whistleblower Anders Kompass.

Novelists, Directors Respond as ‘Water Wars’ Loom

Item: In a recent blog post at the New Yorker magazine, staff writer Dana Goodyear surveys the current drought impacting California and writes: "It’s hard to escape the feeling we are living a cli-fi novel’s Chapter One."