FAO Report Considers the Sustainability of Biofuel Crops [viewed]
February 2013: A new report of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO), titled "Biofuels and the Sustainability Challenge," addresses the issue of biofuel sustainability based on a global assessment of major commodities and feedstocks. The report is guided by the need to understand the economic, environmental and social sustainability dimensions of biofuels, and how these elements can be used to address the challenges of land-use change, food security and climate change.
21 February 2013: At the annual meeting of the Commonwealth Consultative Group on Environment (CCGE), ministers discussed progress on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7, on ensuring environmental sustainability, and considered options for prioritizing environmental protection and sustainability in the post-2015 development agenda.
20 February 2013: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the launch of an online Course for Secondary Teachers on Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development (CCESD). The training kit, which features a series of six-day programmes, is designed to support secondary teachers in helping young people understand the causes and consequences of climate change.
20 February 2013: The UN General Assembly launched the International Year of Quinoa with a High-Level Panel discussion during its plenary at UN Headquarters in New York. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Bolivian President Evo Morales and First Lady of Peru Nadine Heredia participated in the launch, which will be celebrated under the theme "A future sown thousands of years ago." 
15 February 2013: The UN Global Compact has appointed Brice Lalonde (France) as Special Advisor on Sustainable Development. He will work with the Global Compact Office to develop close relationships and opportunities for collaboration with governments and other stakeholders on sustainable development and follow-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
14 February 2013: The 36th Session of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Governing Council convened from 13-14 February 2013, in Rome, Italy, and focused on building partnerships to reduce poverty and ensure food security in rural communities worldwide. 
11 February 2013: A new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), titled "Inventory of Estimated Budgetary Support and Tax Expenditures for Fossil Fuels 2013," provides examples from over 550 measures that support fossil-fuel production or use in the 34 OECD member countries. The report indicates that, between 2005 and 2011, these measures cost taxpayers between US$55-90 billion annually.
