Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday called for the rapid delivery of assistance for millions of people in flood-stricken Pakistan, as he saw for himself the devastation wrought by the recent disaster.

In the parallel world of UN climate talks, where time is measured in endless debates about commas and full stops, negotiations have been going on for three years. But with only six days' formal talk now possible before a crunch political meeting in Cancún, Mexico, in November, the only progress being made is backwards.

Posing the question, "If you had the opportunity to speak to world leaders, what would you say?" the United Nations is holding a video contest to encourage world citizens to voice their opinions to world leaders and weigh in on decisions made by members of the United Nations and become a 2010 Citizen Ambassador.

The United Nations agency mandated to conserve the world's heritage today inscribed new cultural sites in Viet Nam, China, Tajikistan, France, the Netherlands, Mexico and Brazil on the World Heritage List in Bulgaria.

Visiting Swaziland King Mswati III says his country will continue supporting Taiwan's bid to join UN-affiliated international organizations.

The resolution urges states and international organizations to provide financial and technological assistance to help developing countries "scale up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable water and sanitation for all."

Preventive diplomacy and mediation are an effective means of resolving crises across the world, the top United Nations political official said today, adding that the Organization is increasingly resorting to the use of diplomacy to defuse tensions before they escalate into conflict.

Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon and Pakistani Peace Builders (PPB) will host the 1st Annual New York Sufi Music Festival on Tuesday at Union Square, New York City, with an objective to present "soft image" of Pakistan through cultural diplomacy.