FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)

The Third Report on The State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2025; 374 p. ISBN 978-92-5-139675-9. The third report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) presents a comprehensive assessment of the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, as well as the human and institutional capacities to support these efforts. Covering the period 2011–2022, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the global status and trends in PGRFA conservation and use. The report is based on information from 128 countries and four regional and 13 international research centres and the contribution from over 1 600 experts. The report provides a sound basis for recalibrating relevant policies and strategies, including the rolling Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The Second Report on the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2025; 260 p. ISBN 978-92-5-139699-5. Drawing on data and information from 77 countries representing more than three-quarters of the world’s forests, this report provides a global assessment of forest genetic resources. It highlights the crucial role of these resources in addressing food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty, climate crisis, and biodiversity loss, and examines progress in implementing the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of Forest Genetic Resources. The report reviews scientific advances and concludes with recommendations for continued action at the national, regional, and global levels to ensure that forest genetic resources are sustainably managed for the benefit of current and future generations.

Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2025; 68 p. ISBN 978-92-5-139497-7. The Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) are designed to support Members and other stakeholders in the implementation of the 1995 Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The GSA were created in response to the rapid expansion of aquaculture, the fastest-growing food production sector in the world, driven by scientific progress, technological innovations and investment, amid a consistently increasing global demand for aquatic foods. They provide a comprehensive framework with technical advice for policymakers and stakeholders at all levels — international, regional, national and local — on how to expand and intensify aquaculture responsibly. They highlight the need to balance social, economic and ecological well-being; while increasing productivity and profitability in the sector. This rapid growth has exposed challenges to the sustainability of aquaculture and raised concerns about potential negative impacts. The GSA provide a comprehensive framework for addressing these challenges.

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE COUNCIL (ISC)

Preparing national research ecosystems for AI: strategies and progress. Second edition. Paris: International Science Council 2025; 118 p. The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the integration of artificial intelligence in science and research across various countries and is an expansion of the previous edition published in March 2024. It addresses both the advancements made and the challenges faced in this field, making it a valuable read for science leaders, policymakers, AI professionals, and academics. This edition of the paper presents a total of 18 case studies from countries of different sizes and regions, authored by people directly engaged in these discussions in their respective countries. The countries were selected using ISC’s networks and connections to identify willing contributors from diverse global regions.

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP)

The Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come hell and high water. As fires and floods hit the poor hardest, it is time for the world to step up adaptation actions. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme 2024; 124 p. ISBN 978-92-807-4187-2. The UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2024 provides an overview of key findings related to climate change adaptation efforts. It details progress in national adaptation planning instruments worldwide, highlighting the challenges in achieving global coverage and the need for increased support, particularly in vulnerable countries. The document also examines the adaptation finance gap, emphasizing the significant shortfall in funding required to meet developing countries’ needs and the necessity of shifting towards more anticipatory and strategic investments, especially in areas harder to finance. Furthermore, it addresses the crucial role of capacity-building and technology transfer, outlining common needs identified by developing countries and the challenges in securing adequate finance and effective implementation for these essential components of adaptation.

Emissions Gap Report 2024: No more hot air … please! With a massive gap between rhetoric and reality, countries draft new climate commitments. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme 2024; 100 p. ISBN 978-92-807-4185-8. This report is the 15th edition in a series that brings together many of the world’s top climate scientists to look at future trends in greenhouse gas emissions and provide potential solutions to the challenge of global warming. The report looks at how much nations must promise to cut off greenhouse gases, and deliver, in the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), due for submission in early 2025 ahead of COP30. This fifteenth Emissions Gap Report has a special focus on what is required from these NDCs to maintain the possibility of achieving the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to well below 2 °C, while pursuing 1.5 °C relative to pre-industrial levels. Its core message is that ambition means nothing without action – unless global emissions in 2030 are brought below the levels implied by existing policies and current NDCs.

EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY (EFSA)

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Review of the methodology used for the assessment of the short-term (acute) dietary exposure to pesticide residues in food (IESTI methodology). EFSA Journal 2025, 23(2), e 9233. This report from EFSA outlines a review of the methodology used for the assessment of the short-term dietary exposure to pesticide residues currently used in the EU (also known as international estimated short-term intake (IESTI) methodology) and proposes three alternative calculation methods to address some of the weak points of this current methodology.

Through comparative calculations, the report indicates that these alternatives would affect exposure estimates for different food commodities variably. Furthermore, probabilistic exposure calculations for a selection of pesticides suggest that while legal limits (MRLs) generally provide good protection, there are a few instances where the possibility of exceeding acute reference doses cannot be entirely excluded. These findings are intended to inform future discussions on refining the revised methodology’s conservatism level.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Salvatore S, Vericat Ferrer M. Report for 2023 on the results from the monitoring of residues of veterinary medicinal products in live animals and animal products. EFSA Journal 2025, 22(2), 9297E. This report summarises the monitoring data collected in 2023 on the presence of residues of veterinary medicinal products and certain substances in live animals and animal products in the EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. A total of 548,194 samples were reported to the European Commission. A total of 284,850 samples were reported in accordance with the specifications of the national risk-based control plan for production in the Member States; 13,709 were samples collected in conformity with the specifications of the national randomised surveillance plan for production in the Member States; and 5162 samples were collected in conformity with the specifications of the national risk-based control plan for third-country import. Additionally, 8741 suspect samples were reported in 2023 as follow-up of non-compliant results and 235,732 samples were collected in the framework of other programmes developed under the national legislation. Most countries fulfilled the requirements for sampling frequency laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation 2022/1646.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)

Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for health: Guidance on large multi-modal models. Geneva: World Health Organization 2025; 98 p. ISBN 978-92-4-008475-9 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-008476-6 (print version). This guidance addresses one type of generative AI, large multi-modal models (LMMs), which can accept one or more type of data input and generate diverse outputs that are not limited to the type of data fed into the algorithm. It has been predicted that LMMs will have wide use and application in health care, scientific research, public health and drug development. LMMs are also known as “general-purpose foundation models”, although it is not yet proven whether LMMs can accomplish a wide range of tasks and purposes. WHO is issuing this guidance to assist Member States in mapping the benefits and challenges associated with the use of LMMs for health and in developing policies and practices for appropriate development, provision, and use. The guidance includes recommendations for governance, within companies, by governments, and through international collaboration, aligned with the guiding principles.

WHO guideline on contact tracing. Geneva: World Health Organization 2025; 92 p. ISBN 978-92-4-010296-5 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-010297-2 (print version). This guideline presents a “disease agnostic” guideline with recommendations and definitions that will be available in circumstances where disease-specific guidelines are not applicable. This practical guideline establishes definitions for “contact”, “contact person”, “contact tracing” and other associated concepts. It allows for improvement of contact tracing strategies, and provides recommendations attempting to answer some, though not all, questions that arose during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and other outbreaks. The employment of this guideline begins once people have been diagnosed and the potential for transmission exists. It is not, however, intended to assist with case investigation.

WHO recommendations on maternal health: guidelines approved by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee. Second edition. Geneva: World Health Organization 2025; 198 p. ISBN 978-92-4-008059-1 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-008060-7 (print version). This document provides a summary of all WHO recommendations on maternal health based on guidelines approved by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee. The summary includes promotion, prevention, and prevention of maternal complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal periods as well as management of maternal complications. Each summary includes the recommendations as well as what is not recommended. The summary is a useful resource for policymakers and program managers.