More progress still needed on child rights in Pakistan
There is a long way to go before Pakistan can proudly say that it is a society that respects the rights of all people and does not discriminate based on race, gender and religion. In their recommendations, states present at the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva focused on a few key topics, including minority rights, ratification of the UN Human Rights instruments, women and children's rights, education for girls and support for the establishment of the National Commission on Human Rights.
?The honeymoon for REDD+ is over": consensus not yet reached in Doha on MRV, finance
Negotiators at the UN climate talks in Doha this past week did not reach consensus to move the REDD+ mechanism forward: the first time there has been no progress on the climate-forestry mitigation scheme.
?We need leaders to understand the science: Bianca Jagger at Forest Day
Speaking at Forest Day 6 on the sidelines of COP 18 in Doha, social and human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger urged negotiators to extend the Kyoto Protocol.
Is the sharing economy a hippy pipedream?
With 1.6 trillion worth of unused items in homes and good food going to landfill, sharing can provide a solution to the global crisis
Politicians ignore climate change at their peril
Hurricane Sandy and UK floods ? like growing climate disasters around the world ? should play into the political horse trading at Doha
The thorn and the leaf: women's lot in Myanmar
In Myanmar's conservative society, forced marriage remains common and the family's need for money can lead to daughters being tricked into prostitution by traffickers, as conversations in this blog show
Does the president's penis matter?
Does it matter how many wives the South African president has and whether he is faithful to them? Should we care whether he enjoys dancing semi-naked in a kilt made of animal tails?
UN says forests to play a prominent role in global sustainable development agenda
Forests are going to feature in the future international sustainable development agenda, said the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo.
UN approves annual International Day of Forests
The UN General Assembly Second Committee has passed a draft resolution to designate 21 March each year as the International Day of Forests.
Landscapes in the Earth System: How policymakers should consider forests at COP19
Will Steffen, Executive Director of the Australian National University's Climate Change Institute, calls for a focus on the broader role of forests in landscapes at COP19 next year.