News and announcements

The largest UN summit ever organized closes today with an urgent worldwide call for accelerated implementation of the international blueprint for disaster risk reduction agreed by all UN member States seven years ago.

HelpAge says failure to acknowledge the implications and opportunities of demographic ageing in the outcomes of Rio+20 and in the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals process will undermine its success, highlighting vulnerability to climate change and environmental degradation...

'The international community must show a firmer resolve to tackle climate change now. The earth is one but the world is not. The Forum is committed to ensuring that climate vulnerability discourse is brought into the mainstream of sustainable development. We also wish to lead by example as low-carbon pioneers. Are you all listening? Would you like to join us?' asks the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh...

UK Shadow Minster for International Development urges Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, UK's representative at the Rio+20 UN Conference, to illustrate leadership and commitment on the issue of sustainable development, including Disaster Risk Reduction...

Trocaire launched the results of a two-year research project into the impact of climate change on communities in four countries: Kenya, Malawi, Honduras and Bolivia. The findings of their research reaffirms the fact that poverty and hunger are being intensified by rises in temperature and increases in drought and storms...

'The interaction of urbanization with other trends, such as population growth, water scarcity, food insecurity and climate change, is the 'defining feature of our time,' UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres said...

The UK's Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir John Beddington, used yesterday's UNISDR "Resilient Cities" event at Rio+20 to make an urgent appeal for scientists to use plain language if they are to play a larger role in policymaking on climate change.

Long-term improvement in the lives of millions of people depends on supporting their resilience through climate-smart agriculture and safety net programmes that strengthen their ability to withstand and recover from shocks like extreme weather, market downturns and food price spikes...