Many Indian fertility clinics and banks advertise surrogacy services online, providing information for overseas clients from countries such as Britain, the United States and Australia.

Despite official ban of age-old practice of "trokosi" - sending girls to shrines as slaves to serve priests and protect their family from the gods' anger - Ghanaian authorities prefer to end it by persuasion rather than compulsion

It is time to stop talking and start accelerating efforts to ensure universal access to safe water, sanitation. Health, education, safety, dignity, and basic survival are on the line

Perhaps the biggest challenge the government faces is not persuading rebels to desert but convincing more Colombians to forgive ex-fighters and accept them back into society

Peacekeeping is about protecting citizens and bringing stability, but when corruption gets in the way, it does nothing but the opposite, perpetuating conflict and increasing corruption.

Social and family pressures make it difficult for lesbians and gays to come out in China, but the Internet has enabled them to meet online, and cafes like ROOMS mean they can get together in person

A study compares tenure security across different forest projects, and finds there is no one-size-fits-all solution

The International Day for Disaster Reduction on Oct. 13 will highlight the needs of disabled people in emergencies, and their contribution to DRR

The Soviet dictator is both an object of pride and a nagging reminder of Moscow’s lingering influence in Georgia after its disastrous war with Russia

UN negotiators are in race against time to finalise deal – children’s lives depend on it

'When I make 35,000 francs a week, it is important for me. It is with this money that we pay our children’s school fees, take care of our health, and buy clothing.'

'There’s much we can learn from indigenous, traditional and community-based approaches to natural disaster preparedness'

From special reports about stoning and India's rent-a-womb industry to violent protests in Dakar over water shortages and Stalin's revival in Georgia - find out what our correspondents are covering this week

Rights groups have urged donors repeatedly to withhold funds due to a crackdown on protests and activists and escalating land grabs and forced evictions.

More advanced science in new IPCC report suggests leaders must act boldly to ensure a safe and stable climate

Although we have made great strides in many areas of public health—for example, in access to prevention, treatment and care for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and the control of malaria—we have dropped the ball on maternal and reproductive health.

There are two major questions being asked in New York this week: what will come next in the new development framework and how can this crucial work be paid for

An El Savadorian teenager speaks out about her fears after she decided to have a secret and illegal abortion following her rape

We should have governance of climate change’s ‘Plan B’ in place before it becomes a reality