Last month was the 333rd consecutive month that global temperatures were above the 20th century average, and 2012 will almost certainly be the hottest ever recorded in the US. Hurricanes, heatwaves, wildfires and droughts blistered farmlands and ruined crops from Kansas to Assam, and Britain has had its wettest summer and driest spring to date.

Students improved their knowledge of the UN values, as well as their negotiation and communication skills at the Model UN Conference simulating a debate at the UN Security Council on issue of Palestine membership to the UN. The conference was held today at the Yerevan State University (YSU).

In the wake of the U.S. reelection to the UN Human Rights Council, Ryan Kaminski, the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) Leo Nevas Human Rights Fellow, offers his analysis of how the Obama administration can take advantage of this election.

On the occasion of the commemoration of the "United Nations Day", Mr. Mariano Fernández Amunátegui, the Head of the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minustah) deeclared "UN is the only forum where we can learn from each other by working together, dreaming together the same dream, and to carry out these same hopes for the future generations."

Australia spent some $24 million directly and diverted hundreds of millions in foreign aid to gain the right to play in the same room with the five permanent members of the Security Council as a backward African nation with about half our population and a reputation for supporting a rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The community of nations at the United Nations has said ‘we like Australia’. Australia’s first round win of the temporary United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seat is testament to a strong and effective campaign. Labelled a ‘victory for Australian diplomacy and values’ the UNSC outcome signals a comeback for Australia’s global standing – which has spent a little too many years in the doldrums.

As the countdown to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) election intensifies, diplomacy takes a silly turn. Australia, Finland and Luxembourg – competitors in the race - continue to outdo each other in pursuit of the diplomatic prize: a temporary seat on the UNSC.

As the countdown to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) election intensifies, diplomacy takes a silly turn. Australia, Finland and Luxembourg – competitors in the race - continue to outdo each other in pursuit of the diplomatic prize: a temporary seat on the UNSC.