In the wake of the end of the Cold War and amidst widespread talk of a “peace dividend” coming from a new global understanding, in 1992 the United Nations organised its first world summit devoted to “Environment and Development”, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The Earth Summit. In that context the IPS conference newspaper TerraViva was born.

The name itself, TerraViva – Latin for “Living Earth” – reflected new hope.

Since 1992, IPS has produced TerraViva as an independent and professional journalistic record of every major U.N. summit and many international conferences, including those of civil society such as the World Social Forum. TerraViva is usually published in partnership with other organisations.

Capitalising on this experience, the IPS Bureau at the U.N. in New York launched in 1995 a daily TerraViva fax newsletter, focusing on international issues in which the U.N. is involved.

TerraViva newsletters are now produced daily from the U.N. and the European Union, weekly in Latin America and Africa. The newsletters are distributed by electronic mail and fax, as well as being available on the Internet. This “independent family of IPS publications” has its own web site: http://www.ipsterraviva.net.

United Nations
The TerraViva U.N. Journal is made for policy-makers and decision-makers in the U.N., development agencies and foundations in North America and Europe. It is sent to more than 1,000 institutional subscribers – with an estimated readership of at least 5,000 – in New York and in other cities hosting U.N. organisations: Geneva, Paris, Rome, Vienna and Nairobi. The Journal is available by subscription at: http://www.ipsterraviva.net/UN/ and http://www.ipsdailyjournal.org/.

Europe
TerraViva Europe serves European Union (EU) policy and decision-makers and their counterparts in the South. The journal reaches nearly 3,000 subscribers in the EU Commission, the European Parliament, diplomatic missions in Brussels and ACP countries and institutions, as well as a wide range of NGOs. It is available free of charge by e-mail and at: http://www.ipsterraviva.net/Europe/.

Africa
The fortnightly newsletter is produced by IPS Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa. It deals with African and global issues affecting the continent and reaches some 3,000 readers, mainly in the media, civil society and political sectors throughout the region. The newsletter is available free of charge by e-mail and at: http://www.ipsterraviva.net/Africa/

Latin America (Spanish)
Produced weekly by IPS Latin America in Montevideo, it is read on a weekly basis by some 9,000 subscribers in Latin America, the United States and Europe. Subscribers range from decision-makers to civil society activists, university students and faculty to the media. It is available free of charge by e-mail and at: http://www.ipsterraviva.net/LA/.