Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows declined by 18 per cent in 2012, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In its latest Global Investment Trends and Prospects report, UNCTAD says these flows are close to the lowest level reported in 2009. James Zhan, Director of the Division on Investment and [...]
There is good news and bad news about the global economy, according to the World Investment and Political Risk survey released by UNCTAD, the UN Conference on Trade and Development. The survey says foreign investors remain relatively optimistic about the economy and while mindful of risks, they are attracted by stronger economic growth in [...]
Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been warned that inaction in negotiations to resolve their dispute could be dire for everyone. The warning came from Robert Serry, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process during his briefing to the Security Council on Wednesday. He said that continued confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians during the [...]
The humanitarian situation in Syria is already catastrophic and is clearly getting worse, UN humanitarian coordinator Valerie Amos said in a press statement on Wednesday. She says what we are seeing now are the consequences of the failure of the international community to unite and to resolve the political crisis after nearly two years. According [...]
Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly implementing social safety nets to protect their most vulnerable citizens, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, the IMF says these programmes are still works-in-progress. For example, the organization has been working with the government of Burkina Faso to design a cash transfer system to target those [...]
The World Health Organization (WHO) has established an emergency support team in Jordan to provide technical and operational support to its offices in Syria and the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and Turkey. According to the United Nations health agency, six out of 13 public hospitals or 46 per cent in the Syrian [...]
Boiled rice, steamed rice, fried rice – rice is a staple food for over half of the world's population, but nowhere is it more central to diet and culture than in South East Asia. In the Lao People's Democratic Republic, rice provides 80% of the calories and even the word “eat” actually means “eat rice.” [...]
The conviction and harsh sentencing of an editor in Thailand on Wednesday undermines freedom of expression in the country, says the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, a prominent activist and editor of Voice of Takshin magazine, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for publishing two articles considered critical [...]
The number of middle-class workers in the developing world has risen sharply over the past decade, potentially creating a much-needed boost to future growth and consumption in these economies. New figures in the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Global Employment Trends 2013 show that 42 per cent of workers in developing countries –nearly 1.1 billion workers–are [...]
Twenty-two months of conflict have left Syria’s agricultural sector in tatters with cereal, fruit and vegetable production dropping for some by half and massive destruction of irrigation and other infrastructure, a UN mission has found. Among other things, the mission found that wheat and barley production dropped to less than 2 million tonnes last year from 4 [...]
