The process of urbanization has "huge potential and also huge risks" according to the senior UN official leading the biggest conference on world cities in 20 years. "Habitat III", as it's known, begins this weekend in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, and thousands will be attending from around the globe, to adopt The New Urban Agenda. [...]

A "surge in diplomacy for peace" is needed to limit human suffering across the world, according to the UN Secretary-General-Designate, António Guterres. Mr Guterres was officially selected as the organization's 9th Secretary-General on Thursday. He will begin his five year term on January 1st next year, and will succeed Ban Ki-moon. Madiha Sultan asked him about [...]

A seed distribution campaign has helped Ethiopian farmers "bounce back" following a severe drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said. According to the agency, more than 32,000 tonnes of seed have been doled out to 1.7 million households who do not have access to enough nutritious [...]

Disparity in household chores shows need for more investment in girls: UNICEF Girls worldwide collectively spend more than 550 million hours each day cooking, cleaning, taking care of younger siblings and performing other unpaid household chores. The finding comes in a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) report, which shows how gender disparity in domestic work starts [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from United Nations Radio, with Matthew Wells and Jocelyne Sambira. In today's programme: the new Secretary-General-elect promises to put human dignity at the core of his and the UN's work… António Guterres said he was accepting the top job with "gratitude and humility." And; earthquakes and tsunamis may be [...]

"Human dignity" to be the "core of our common work" says Guterres The former Portuguese Prime Minister  António Guterres has been officially appointed Secretary-General-Designate of the United Nations and has promised to put "human dignity" at the core of his work. He told the General Assembly that he accepted the job with "gratitude and humility" [...]

Midwives "face cultural isolation, unsafe accommodation, low salaries" Midwives around the world face cultural isolation, unsafe accommodation, and low salaries, according to the first global survey of midwifery personnel carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO). The UN health agency called for an end to the "discrimination and lack of respect" that hinder midwives' [...]

Of all the natural disasters that can befall nations, earthquakes and tsunamis are the biggest killers, the UN has said. In a new report, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) also warns that climate-related deaths linked to events such as storms and heatwaves are the next most dangerous threat. The findings coincide with [...]

Hordes of visitors and the ease of arranging home rentals via the Internet are turning one of the world's most famous cities into a "tourist village," according to a senior official with the UN cultural agency. Francesco Bandarin is urging authorities in Venice, Italy, and in other cities, to think about the long-term impacts of [...]

The former Portuguese Prime Minister,António  Guterres, was officially appointed Secretary-General-Designate of the United Nations on Thursday and promised to put "human dignity" at the core of his work. He told the General Assembly that he accepted the job with "gratitude and humility" and promised to put gender-equality at the centre of his five-year term in [...]