The United Nations hasn't seen so much fun in ages.

Ex-Prime Minister Helen Clark says going for a seat on the UN Security Council is part of the responsibility of membership of the UN for countries like NZ.

Prime Minister John Key says he would support Helen Clark making a bid for United Nations Secretary-General if she put up her hand for the job.

Let's call them what they are: junkets, writes Toby Manhire. They might be effective, they might bring in crucial votes, but the whole approach leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Eleven UN ambassadors are being schmoozed in Queenstown in an attempt to win support for a New Zealand seat on the UN Security Council.

Two teenage cousins found hanging from a mango tree may in fact have been murdered in an honour killing by members of their own family.

Stephen Hawking explains why he believes Artificial-intelligence could be the worst thing the human race does to itself - and the last thing it does too.

Governments must switch from fossil fuels to nuclear, wind and solar energy to avoid a global warming catastrophe in a move costing about 300 billion ($578 billion) a year.

Twenty years ago this month, I arrived in Rwanda just days after about 800,000 people were slaughtered in a genocide.

A disease damaging banana crops in Southeast Asia has spread to the Middle East and Africa, posing risks to world supply and trade totalling $8.9b.

Businesses across Syria have been devastated by the destruction inflicted by the three-year civil war, and the economy could take 30 years to recover to its pre-conflict level, a United Nations survey warns.

Are we doing enough? As another report lays out the benefits of a green economy science reporter Jamie Morton looks at what we're doing to achieve it.

As the world prepares to celebrate the International Day of Happiness today, Nasa bursts our bubble with a study which suggests we are on the brink of global collapse, writes Dana Wensley.

The European Union has imposed its first sanctions against Ukraine, joining the United States in a two-pronged campaign of public pressure and backroom diplomacy.

New Zealand has agreed to take 100 refugees from Syria after the United Nations called on the international community for help.

Kiwis, regardless of political leanings, can applaud the fact that Helen Clark has been touted internationally as the next Secretary-General of the UN.

John Key says the Govt would throw its weight behind any bid by Helen Clark for the top job at the UN in 2016, but said it would be a tough ask for her to secure the post.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has been tipped as a possible candidate for the United Nations' top job, the UK's Guardian reports.

A young New Zealander is about to get a taste of her dream of working for the United Nations in a whirlwind multi-nation experience.

The United Nations has launched the biggest aid appeal in its history, calling for more than $7.9 billion to be dedicated to the crisis in Syria.

The UN Handbook - which the Govt calls a "valuable reference guide that helps all states to navigate the UN system" - has been turned from a 400-page tome into a mobile app by a Wellington tech firm.