FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)

World food and agriculture – Statistical yearbook 2025. Rome: FAO; 2025. 418 p. ISBN 978-92-5-140174-3. The Statistical Yearbook 2025 offers a synthesis of the major factors at play in the global food and agricultural landscape. Statistics are presented in four thematic chapters, covering the economic importance of agricultural activities, inputs, outputs and factors of production, their implications for food security and nutrition and their impacts on the environment. The digital version of the yearbook presents the data in an interactive way, which facilitates the visualization of figures and tables and their reuse. The Yearbook is meant to constitute a primary tool for policymakers, researchers and analysts, as well as the public interested in the past, present and future path of food and agriculture.

Callan A, Sabirovic M, Caceres H, Abreu D, Tenenbaum N. Progressive pathway for emergency preparedness self-assessment user guide 2025. Rome: FAO; 2025. 52 p. ISBN 978-92-5-140377-8. The Progressive Pathway for Emergency Preparedness (PPEP) self-assessment user guide is a comprehensive guide that helps national authorities evaluate and improve their emergency preparedness for agrifood emergencies. The guide introduces the PPEP, a voluntary, multistage process that incorporates self-assessment as a key component. The handbook outlines seven core elements of emergency preparedness (governance, communication, planning, resourcing, training, exercising and continuous improvement), each with specific indicators to assess a country’s emergency preparedness status. The guide also introduces the tools for structured evaluation and visual reporting. These tools enable countries to identify improvement opportunities, prioritize them, and collaborate with FAO and regional partners to build resilient emergency management systems.

Digital agriculture and AI innovation roadmap. For the global agrifood systems transformation. Rome: FAO; 2025. 48 p. ISBN 978-92-5-139932-3. This document delivers two core concepts. The first is an inclusive platform whose architecture delivers value through its four elements, namely, missions and use cases, an innovation methodology, the community of people and partners, and a streamlined set of services. The second core concept guiding the roadmap’s implementation are the principles which ensure that impact is not single-sided but rather a holistic practice that brightens the community and the planet. These concepts are meant to truly improve the success rate of these initiatives and maximize the value of creation and reusability of digital assets whilst adopting common technical standards. The AI roadmap is a hands-on guide for moving from centralized agrifood systems to local needs-based, safe, interoperable, scalable and inclusive innovation initiatives and approaches.

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

The ethics of climate engineering. Paris: UNESCO Publishing; 2025. 76 p. ISBN 978-92-3-100829-0. For the first time, a Report by the UNESCO’s COMEST (World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology) presents a comprehensive global ethical perspective on climate engineering, with a thorough assessment of the ethical, social, and cultural implications of these technologies. Based on the identified ethical challenges, COMEST also puts forth concrete recommendations for Member States and all relevant stakeholders – including scientists, policymakers, affected communities, and the public – to address the research and potential development of climate engineering technologies in a transparent and inclusive manner.

Revisiting the relations between science and society in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Paris: UNESCO Publishing; 2025. 76 p. ISBN 978-92-3-100828-3. The pandemic of COVID-19 showed how deeply our world is shaped by science and innovation
– and how science, in turn, is shaped by society. This Report by UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology of UNESCO (COMEST) explores this dynamic, presenting ethics as essential for credible and sustainable science. It emphasizes the importance of dialogue among diverse voices, addressing the hopes, fears, and needs of civil society, while ensuring that people understand the decision-making processes. This is the core of ethics as a key enabler in strengthening trust and collaboration. To address these challenges, the Report calls upon policymakers, scientists, educators, and the public to foster a resilient and ethically sound scientific ecosystem. It presents recommendations to build a more inclusive, trustworthy, and impactful relationship between science and society, benefiting present and future generations.

JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

2025 global AIDS update – AIDS, crisis and the power to transform. Geneva: United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; 2025. 120 p. This report shows that at the end of 2024, just before a collapse in funding triggered a crisis in the global AIDS response, the remarkable efforts of communities and governments had brought down the numbers of new HIV infections by 40% and of AIDS-related deaths by 56% since 2010. But it also shows that huge gaps in HIV prevention remained, with 1.3 million new infections in 2024 – almost unchanged from the year before. HIV programmes across the world are struggling from the sudden, drastic reductions in funding for the global HIV response announced by the United States Government in early 2025. Those services were stopped overnight when the United States Government shifted its foreign assistance strategies. Disruptions are being felt across the HIV response and pose a huge risk of increased mortality, a surge of new HIV infections, and the development of resistance to the most used treatment regimens. Urgent action and revived solidarity are needed to sustain the progress made and prevent a resurgence of HIV.

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)

The state of cardiovascular health in the European Union. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2025. 470 p. ISBN 978-92-64-41479-2 (print) ISBN 978-92-64-86505-1 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-64-42646-7 (HTML). This report provides a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) across EU Member States, combining the latest evidence on health outcomes, risk factors, and system performance with policy analysis and actionable recommendations. It examines trends in mortality, morbidity, and quality of life, highlighting persistent inequalities and the growing impact of demographic change and multimorbidity. Beyond describing the burden of CVD, the report explores the current landscape of prevention strategies, care integration, and digital health innovations. By aligning national efforts with EU priorities and promoting people-centered, data-driven approaches, this publication aims to support policymakers in reducing disparities, strengthening resilience, and ensure that cardiovascular health is embedded as a core priority within sustainable health systems.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO)

Berg J, Johnston H. AI in human resource management: the limits of empiricism, ILO Working Paper 154. Geneva: International Labour Organization; 2025. 40 p. ISBN 978-92-2-042861-0 (print) ISBN 978-92-2-042862-7 (web PDF). This paper presents a framework for understanding and evaluating the potential benefits and possible risks or harms presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in workforce management. Following a section of the paper documenting the historical context of the Human Resources (HR) field that has given rise, first to people analytics and then to AI, the paper presents a framework based on three inter-related parameters that can help assess the quality, legality, and suitability of AI systems used in the field. These are: the system objective, the data it is built on and relies on, and how the AI system is programmed. Drawing on existing literature about how AI is being used for workforce management, the paper applies the three-parameter framework to map the contours of AI use relative to four key HR management functions where adoption of AI technologies has been prominent: recruitment, compensation, scheduling, and performance management.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)

World malaria report 2025. Addressing the threat of antimalarial drug resistance. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. 213 p. ISBN 978-92-4-011782-2 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-011783-9 (print version). Each year, the World malaria report serves as a vital tool to assess global progress and identify gaps in the fight against malaria. This year’s report provides a critical and up-to-date snapshot of efforts to control and eliminate malaria across 80 countries, including the epidemiological situation, progress toward the global technical strategy, the funding landscape, the status of malaria interventions and of emerging biological threats. The report also presents the threat posed by antimalarial resistance and its impact in a dedicated chapter, emphasizing the need for a more coordinated and effective response that is locally tailored and supported by regulation, strong quality-assurance systems, active provider engagement, and the timely generation and sharing of high-quality drug-resistance data.

Developing national meningitis plans: an operational manual. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. 61 p. ISBN 978-92-4-009428-4 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-009429-1 (print version). This operational manual aims to support countries in developing their meningitis plans, along the five pillars of the Defeating meningitis by 2030 global road map. It suggests an approach for the development of national meningitis plans through involvement of various stakeholders to ensure political buy-in. It also suggests activities to be included in the plan, with considerations to help fine-tuning the activities to make them context appropriate.

WHO updated recommendations on HIV clinical management: recommendations for a public health approach. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. 108 p. ISBN 978-92-4-011946-8 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-011947-5 (print version). This document provides an overview of the updated World Health Organization recommendations for HIV clinical management, which focus on optimizing antiretroviral therapy, preventing vertical transmission, and enhancing tuberculosis prevention among individuals with HIV. These updates are intended to support global initiatives aimed at ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Key changes include the introduction of new antiretroviral drugs and regimens, revised postnatal prophylaxis and breastfeeding guidelines for managing infants at risk of vertical transmission, and the endorsement of shorter tuberculosis preventive treatments to improve efficacy and adherence. The recommendations are designed to simplify and advance HIV care, promote equity, and contribute to improved health outcomes and quality of life for individuals living with HIV. The updated guidance will be incorporated into the forthcoming revision of the antiretroviral therapy chapter within the Consolidated Guidelines on HIV Prevention, Testing, Treatment, Service Delivery, and Monitoring: Recommendations for a Public Health Approach.