NEW YORK, USA, 11 July 2008 -- The triple punch of rising food and energy prices, climate change and lagging investment in agriculture is posing fresh challenges for international development programmes and requires the United Nations to enhance cooperation worldwide, UN agency heads agreed at a panel in New York today. The panel opened the 2008 operational activities session of the UN Social and Economic Council, also known as ECOSOC. It featured the expertise of UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, along with the heads of the World Food Programme, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Collaboration among UN agencies, local governments and the public and private sectors has helped bring mortality rates for children under five to record lows. It has also made inroads against polio, measles and malaria, Ms. Veneman noted in her opening remarks. But the current crisis in food stability means "we must approach our work with a collective sense of urgency," she added. To read the full story, visit: http://www.unicef.org/policyanalysis/...