IPS U.N. Bureau Chief Thalif Deen Interviews FLAVIA PANSIERI, Executive Coordinator of UN Volunteers

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 13 (IPS/TerraViva) – When the Rio+20 summit gets underway in Brazil next week, the estimated 50,000 to 60,000 participants will not only include world leaders, government delegates and U.N. staffers but also a staggering array of activists from the far corners of the world. Continue Reading

Isabelle de Grave interviews MICHELE BACHELET, Executive Director of UN Women

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 13 (IPS/TerraViva) Unlocking women’s energies and allowing them to become drivers of change could fuel the motor of sustainable development. Continue Reading

Sabina Zaccaro interviews CARLOS SERÉ of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 13 (TerraViva) Over the centuries, smallholders have learned to adjust to environmental changes and climate variability. But the climate is now changing too fast and intensely for farmers’ capacity to adapt. Continue Reading

Por Fabiana Frayssinet

RÍO DE JANEIRO, 12 jun (IPS/TerraViva) El rol de América Latina como proveedor mundial de materias primas, en expansión por la creciente demanda de alimentos y minerales, conlleva un alto costo ambiental. Activistas y expertos entienden que el dilema es buscar nuevas formas de producción o sustituir el actual modelo exportador. Continue Reading

By Coralie Tripier

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 12 (IPS/TerraViva) The high seas, crucial regions of the world’s oceans that are beyond national jurisdiction, account for 45 percent of the planet, but are today under severe threat from overfishing and pollution. Continue Reading

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 12 (IPS/TerraViva) – The thematic battle at the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in Brazil next week will be primarily around the new concept of a “green economy” – and how best to define it. Continue Reading

Rousbeh Legatis interviews JOAN CLOS, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 12, 2012 (IPS/TerraViva) – Building the cities of the future requires not only smarter planning but a profound shift toward greater equity and social justice, says Joan Clos, executive director of the U.N. Human Settlements Programme, or UN-HABITAT. Continue Reading

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 12 (IPS/TerraViva) – When world leaders endorse the final plan of action, titled “The Future We Want, at the Rio+20 summit in Brazil next week, a lingering question may remain unanswered: how best can the United Nations transform political platitudes into economic realities? Continue Reading

TerraViva interviews KANAYO F. NWANZE, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 11 (TerraViva) With heads of state from more than 120 nations and tens of thousands of civil society and international development experts gathering for the U.N. Summit on Sustainable Development next week, it is accepted wisdom that rethinking agriculture is one of most critical issues facing this and future generations. Continue Reading

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, June 11 (IPS/TerraViva) – The headline in a New York newspaper last March captured the essence of a future potential threat to political stability the world over: “U.S. Report Sees Tensions Over Water.” Continue Reading