The global climate crisis is “exacerbating and intensifying” water-related disasters, jeopardizing lives and livelihoods, the UN chief said on Friday at a major sustainable development symposium
When the Himalayas Warn Us: Balancing Ecology, Development and Human Security
The disasters at Kedarnath and Nepal should therefore be read not simply as tragedies of the past or isolated episodes of extreme weather. They are warnings from a changing mountain system. The question before South Asia is whether we will continue to respond to each disaster after it occurs, or whether we will listen to what the mountains are telling us beforehand.
Months Ahead of the Monsoon: Can AI Give Us an Earlier Warning About El Niño?
AI may genuinely extend the horizon over which seasonal climate risk can be estimated. For communities across South Asia living under the influence of the monsoon, a longer view could mean the difference between a farmer adjusting her planting in time and a family receiving a flood warning too late to act.
Livelihoods, Employment and Environmental Management in South Asia’s Hilly Regions: Lessons from ADB’s New Investment in Bangladesh
The broader lesson for South Asia is equally important. Hilly regions cannot be developed simply by transferring lowland infrastructure models into mountainous terrain. Investment has to respond to local economic systems, geography and environmental risks.
Ethanol, AI and Agriculture: India's Triangular Chokehold Centred on a Depleting Resource
The UN's 2026 report warns that “long-term water use has exceeded renewable inflows and safe depletion limits,” leaving some water supplies beyond recovery. As the world’s largest groundwater extractor, India sits at the centre of this reckoning
More on Climate, Sustainability and Energy
Governments must protect those who help torture victims, say UN rights experts
Top UN rights experts appealed on Thursday for all governments to ensure that victims of torture receive the rehabilitation services they need, along with guarantees that those who help them do not suffer reprisals
COVID pandemic fuelling major increase in drug use worldwide: UN report
Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year of unprecedented upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, up by 22 per cent from 2010
UN chief urges European Parliament to support COVID vaccines for all
The European Union (EU) must use its leverage to ensure people everywhere have access to COVID-19 vaccines, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday
UNHRO criticizes Sri Lankan presidential pardon to former MP
The United Nations Human Rights Office has dubbed as “selective” and “arbitrary” the presidential pardon granted to a former Sri Lankan MP convicted to life imprisonment for the murder of a fellow politician
Sri Lanka asked to address 'harmful legacies' of war: UNHRC Core Group
The UNHRC Core Group on Sri Lanka has called upon the island nation’s government to address the harmful legacies of war and protect human rights, including those from religious minorities
UN envoy to Afghanistan criticizes Taliban’s intense military campaign
Deborah Lyons, the United Nations envoy in Afghanistan, has criticized the Taliban’s recent “intensive military campaign”, warning that it would lead to continued violence in the country
India, G4 allies force amendment to UNGA decision on SC reforms, despite Pakistan, China opposition
India and its G4 allies have forced General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir to accept an amendment to the decision on rolling Security Council reform negotiations to the next Assembly session during a meeting at which he and Germany's Permanent Representative Christoph Heusgen clashed openly, dropping the genteel style of diplomacy
Peace in Afghanistan requires zero tolerance for terrorism: India
As Afghanistan prepares for the pullout of the US troops, peace there requires zero tolerance for terrorism and those supporting terrorists must be held accountable, according to India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
Grave violations against children in conflict ‘alarmingly high’, UN report reveals
More than 19,300 boys and girls affected by war last year were victims of grave violations such as recruitment or rape, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for experts to reach them, the UN said in its annual report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), published on Monday
Pandemic ‘rolled back’ sustainable development funding for weak economies: UNCTAD
Financial assistance to the world’s 83 weakest economies fell by 15 per cent in 2020, to $35 billion as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, UN trade and development experts UNCTAD said on Monday
Human Rights Council urged to support UN chief’s call for a 'new social contract' after COVID-19
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Monday urged UN Member States to promote a more inclusive post-pandemic recovery to help the world’s most vulnerable recover from the impact of COVID
International forces' withdrawal from Afghanistan is creating fear for the future, says UN human rights chief
Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations human rights chief, has expressed concern over the “sharp increase in violence” and harm to civilians in Afghanistan
Sri Lanka’s counter-terrorism laws perceived as anti-minority, says UN rights chief
Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations human rights chief, has expressed concern over the Sri Lankan government’s new measure which she says are “perceived” as targeting the country’s minority Muslim and Tamil population
'Misplaced, exaggerated': India rebuts UNHRC criticism on new IT rules
India has described the concerns raised by a special branch of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as "misplaced, exaggerated and disingenuous"
