“Prevention is the best and only cure” to stem the multiple, devastating and enduring consequences faced by survivors of sexual violence in conflict, especially as a brutal tactic of war, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday
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
Museums must not be overlooked in pandemic recovery, UNESCO chief warns
Faced with alarming and extended closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s museums are of “fundamental importance” to reviving cultural life and preserving our shared heritage “in all its diversity”, said the UN cultural agency chief on Tuesday
As Biden sets new 9/11 withdrawal deadline, India invited to Afghan peace meet in Istanbul
India has been invited to an Afghanistan peace conference in Turkey to back up the slowed down negotiations in Qatar between the Taliban and the Kabul government ahead of a delayed US withdrawal from that country, according to diplomatic sources
COVID complicates efforts to shut down drug traffickers: UNODC
The growing complexities of the world drug problem are hampering efforts to achieve sustainable development by the end of the decade: a situation which the COVID-19 pandemic has only compounded, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said on Monday
Guterres calls for ‘paradigm shift’ to recover from COVID setbacks
A “paradigm shift” aligning the private sector with the global goals is needed to address the challenges of the future, including those triggered by COVID-19, the UN chief said on Monday, addressing the Financing for Development (FfD) Forum
Pakistan highlights socio-economic fallout of pandemic at ECOSOC session
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged creditors to provide debt suspension, relief and liquidity to help developing nations cope with the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Project to help 30 developing countries tackle marine litter scourge
An UN-backed initiative aims to turn the tide on marine litter, in line with the global development goal on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources
Why we should support refugee athletes at Tokyo Olympics: UNHCR
Ahead of Tokyo 2021, it’s never been more important to support the refugee athletes who have escaped conflict and persecution and who continue to train, despite the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic
UNICEF head for simplifying COVID vaccine intellectual property rights for universal availability
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore has called for simplifying intellectual property rights governing COVID-19 vaccines in order to make them universally available but expressed reservations about completely suspending the patents during the pandemic as demanded by India and South Africa
COVID-19 lays bare social inequality in the world, says UN chief
The COVID crisis "has revealed how unequal our societies are” said the UN chief in his message for World Health Day released on Monday
Use COVID-19 recovery to make inclusion ‘a reality’, UN chief on World Day
Building a more inclusive and accessible world that recognizes the contributions of all people, including persons with disabilities must be a “key goal” as countries work to recover from COVID-19 pandemic, United Nations Secretary-General said on Friday, commemorating World Autism Awareness Day.
‘Complete the work’, rid the world of deadly landmines, UN chief urges
United Nations Secretary-General has called on the international community to recommit to the target of a mine-free world, urging efforts to “make this the last decade when we need to devote ourselves to this task”.
UN rights body raises concern over appointments to Nepal Human Right Commission
A UN rights body raised "serious concern" on the manner in which the office-bearers of the Nepal National Human Rights Commissioner have been appointed by the Nepali government, reported the Kathmandu Post
Countries spending more on debt than education, health and social protection
Around one in eight nations spends more on debt than on social services, according to a new report from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched on Thursday, calling for debt service relief and restructuring to enable countries to bounce back from the pandemic
UN to provide $107 million to Sri Lanka to support agriculture
Sri Lanka will receive $107 million from a UN agency to support its agriculture sector
