Trade : Kenya's Karau to chair agriculture negotiations (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
An informal meeting of the General Council on Friday (7 April) is expected to formally adopt the appointment of Ambassador Stephen Ndung'u Karau of Kenya as the new chair of the Doha agriculture negotiating body.

Rights : "Devastating consequences" for women, girls as US de-funds UNFPA (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
The US has withdrawn all of its funding to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), an agency that works on family planning and reproductive health in over 150 countries.

Opinion : Responding to US budget cuts for United Nations (PRIV)
(IPS, Kathmandu)
It is in the UN's long-term interest to gradually reduce its dependence on US funding and undue influence, as proposed by former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme.

Environment : Climate change solutions can't wait for US leadership (PRIV)
(IPS, Bridgetown)
From tourism-dependent nations like Barbados to those rich with natural resources like Guyana, climate change poses one of the biggest challenges for the countries of the Caribbean.

United Nations : David Beasley as WFP head - interview with FAO DG (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome)
As widely known, the key objective of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is to eradicate hunger and malnutrition by 2030, as established with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals two years ago.