Haiti: UN mission launches projects to provide jobs and cut violence

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Haiti has unveiled three drainage and canal rehabilitation projects that it hopes will boost employment and reduce violence in troubled neighbourhoods of a major city.

Latin American, Caribbean exports to jump 21 per cent this year, finds UN study

A new United Nations study says that exports from Latin America and the Caribbean will grow by 21.4 per cent this year, owing mainly to purchases from Asia - particularly China - and the normalization of United States demand.

UN agency helps stave off hunger and save farms in southern Bolivia

The United Nations food aid agency has stepped in to help in southern Bolivia’s El Chaco region, where a long dry spell has decimated maize harvests, threatening an entire culture of indigenous corn growers with destitution.

Ban voices support for Chilean miners trapped underground

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his support for the 33 miners in northern Chile who have been trapped underground for more than three weeks.

UN agency helps Mexico City better prepare for disasters

About 10,000 civil servants in the Mexican capital will receive specialist training in disaster risk reduction under a United Nations-backed initiative to better protect the city, which is vulnerable to devastating earthquakes.

Senior UN official urges action amid rise in violence against Honduran press

The recent murder of a radio journalist in Honduras brings to nine the number of media professionals killed there so far this year, and prompted a senior United Nations official to call for urgent action to stem the rise in violence against members of the press.

Condemning migrant killings in Mexico, UN rights chief calls for urgent action

The United Nations human rights chief today strongly condemned the killing of 72 migrants in northern Mexico and called on the authorities to take urgent steps to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

UN-backed talks focus on bolstering biodiversity in Latin America and Caribbean

Ways to address challenges to biodiversity conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean - which is home to up to 70 per cent of all forms of life on Earth - were the focus of a gathering organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) this week.

Venezuela: UN agency provides training to help combat sexual violence

A United Nations-backed project in Venezuela has trained dozens of government officials and security force members on how to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and provide better care and protection for victims.

UN agency helps Jamaicans rebuild lives after deadly outbreak of violence

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is helping the residents of a district of the Jamaican capital rebuild their livelihoods in the wake of violent unrest earlier this year during a security operation aimed at arresting a man accused of running a drug cartel.