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New York: As preparations kicked off today in New York for a global summit to review progress since the historic United Nations environment conference held in Rio de Janeiro nearly 20 years ago, a senior official stressed the need for greater efforts to achieve sustainable development.

New York: More than 27 million people were uprooted by violence within their countries in 2009, the highest number since the mid-1990s, according to a new United Nations-backed study.

New York: The absence of a significant process of reconciliation between the communities in Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, together with economic difficulties, continues to present the risk of social unrest, a senior United Nations envoy has warned.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged leaders in Asia and the Pacific to cooperate and take bold action to seek 'green' solutions to their long-term economic recovery, as they gather in the Republic of Korea to review regional development policies.

New York: Global health challenges facing the world can only be overcome through collective efforts similar to the international campaign that resulted in the eradication of smallpox three decades ago, the head of the United Nations health agency has said.

New York: More than 90 per cent of men having sex with men in the Asia-Pacific region, a group in which HIV prevalence has reached alarming levels, do not have access to prevention and care services due to an adverse legal and social environment, a United Nations-backed forum was told.

New York: As organized crime increasingly transcends national borders, the best way to combat these networks is to strike at the heart of their markets, not just intercept criminal groups, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.

New York: An $8 billion investment annually in rebuilding and 'greening' the world's fisheries could both increase fish catches and generate $1.7 trillion in long-term economic returns over the next four decades, according to a new United Nations report.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Mr. Jean Le Dem visited Victoria during May 4-17, 2010 to conduct discussions for the first program review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement with Seychelles. The mission met with His Excellency President James Michel, Minister of Finance Danny Faure, Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles Pierre Laporte and other senior government officials as well as representatives of the private sector, parliamentarians, and civil society.

Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have noted that, in the wake of the global crisis, the Palauan economy had been hit by sizable domestic and external shocks, which contributed to a large contraction. Directors commended the authorities for steering Palau through these turbulent times. While near-term prospects have improved, many challenges remain however to be tackled to consolidate the recovery and sustain growth.