Relief for the weary Shore Fellowships allow young researchers to focus on key needs For Sunil Chauhan, an eye researcher at Harvard-affiliated Schepens Eye Research Institute and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, the Shore Fellowship means being able to hire an additional postdoctoral fellow to help in the lab. “This is a fantastic […]

UN issues first report on human rights of gay and lesbian people An activist waves a rainbow flag, an international symbol for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Photo: Flickr/See-ming Lee The first ever United Nations report on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people details how around […]

UN officials urge eradication of sexual violence in Africa’s Great Lakes region Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today stressed that efforts to restore peace and stability in Africa’s Great Lakes region will not come to fruition unless the scourge of sexual violence is completely eradicated and justice systems are […]

African entrepreneurs win UN-backed award for eco-friendly initiatives 2011 SEED Winner. Solar bread oven in Burkina Faso. Photo: UNEP A company that transforms groundnut shells into fuel briquettes in Gambia and a business in Kenya where women produce aloe-based skin care products are among this year’s winners of a United Nations-backed award recognizing projects that […]

Match Against Poverty 2011 Zidane – Drogba – Ronaldo Highlights of Match Against Poverty Match Against Poverty – Hamburg – Germany 13/12/2011 … … 24,400 football fans join UNDP Ambassadors Zidane, Ronaldo and Drogba to support of the Horn of Africa at the Ninth Annual Match Against Poverty in Hamburg Match Against Poverty – Hamburg […]

Overall Hospital Admission Rates in U.S. Linked with High Rates of Readmission Boston, MA — High hospital readmission rates in different regions of the U.S. may have more to do with the overall high use of hospital services in those regions than with the severity of patients’ particular conditions or problems in the quality of […]

Efficiency of livestock systems must be improved – UN report Zebu cattle on a breeding farm in Kenya As demand for livestock increases, efficient methods to increase production will be crucial to meet global needs, a new United Nations report stresses, warning current production practices lack the necessary capabilities to provide sustainable solutions over the next few […]

Millions of rural poor to receive banking services under UN-backed initiative A village bank in Takeo province, Cambodia. Photo: Brett Matthews Two companies from India and South Africa announced today their commitment to provide banking services to 30 million low-income people living in rural areas by 2015, as part of their support for a United […]

UN seeks $7.7 billion to provide humanitarian aid to millions of people in 2012 Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos launches appeal for $7.7 billion to assist 51 million people in 16 countries The United Nations and its partners today called for $7.7 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to 51 million people in 16 countries over the course […]

Ban stresses need to address social inequity while promoting sustainable development Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed today that sustainable development cannot be achieved without addressing social inequalities and called for fresh ideas and international commitment to fairly sharing global resources. “One billion hungry people – one in five people without access to electricity – nearly 80 million […]