The economic situation in Gaza has improved after the Israeli government eased the blockade of the territory, according to John Ging, the Director of Operations for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The United Nations on Tuesday appealed to donors for 7.4 billion dollars, the largest amount ever requested, for the millions suffering from conflicts and natural disasters around the world. "In 2011, tens of millions of people will need help to survive," said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos. UN Radio’s Patrick Maigua speaks to Elizabeth Byrs [...]
The Northern African country of Morocco is set to build one of the largest solar power plants across the continent which will provide a new source of renewable power and perhaps boost the nation’s economy as well as providing power for a greener environment. The power plant which was partly funded by the World Bank is [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Women in Central Asia are being urged to participate fully in efforts to build peace in the region.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is the first African head of State to set foot in war torn Somalia in the last 20 years. He recently visited the capital of Mogadishu, less than 24 hours after a new government was elected. The visit comes on the eve of a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the [...]
Young people around the world are joining the global campaign to get world leaders to make ending hunger their top priority.
The government of Switzerland has been urged by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, not to forcibly deport asylum seekers and respect the principle of “non-refoulement” or no forced return.
Haiti requires an additional 350 doctors and 2,000 nurses to deal with the cholera outbreak, according to the World Health Organization.
Kenyan pastoralists living on the shores of lake Turkana are turning to deep lake fishing as climate change decimates their traditional way of life, according to the International Organisation for Migration or IOM.
The United Nations is appealing for 7.4 billion dollars, its largest ever appeal for funds, to meet the cost of humanitarian operations during 2011.
Another round of climate talks has opened in Cancun, Mexico with more moderate expectations compared to last year’s much hyped Copenhagen Summit. An agreement to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions fell through in Copenhagen, but the meeting ended with developing countries asking industrialized nations, seen as the biggest polluters, to foot the bill. Peter [...]
The United Nation’s Security Council has renewed sanctions against the Democratic Republic of the Congo by one year.
A major climate change and global warming conference is underway in Cancun, Mexico, which is expected to adopt decisions to reduce emissions of harmful gases.
The second round of presidential elections held in Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday has been welcomed by the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, despite some violent incidents in various areas of the country.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has called on the Haitian people to remain calm following presidential elections on Sunday.
The authorities in Myanmar have been urged to build on recent developments to promote reconciliation and democratization.
Scientists believe that climate change is already causing more frequent occurrences of drought, flooding and rises in malaria. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, taking place in Cancun, Mexico for the next two weeks, seeks to adopt a set of decisions to reduce emissions. UN Radio’s Jerome Longue will be attending the event: Longue: [...]
SFX: Haiti election audio 2 (woman speaking in Creole) That’s Noel Norelyse, a saleswoman in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince expressing her happiness at getting to vote in Sunday’s presidential elections. The UN has estimated that the turnout in elections in Haiti on Sunday was around 30%…the elections took place amidst a cholera epidemic and as Haiti [...]
Thousands of Somalis continue to pour out of the capital of the Horn of Africa state, Mogadishu, as fighting continues between government forces and militia groups. Somalia has not had a fully functioning government for over twenty years and millions of people have had to flee to save their lives. Many are temporarily residing in [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
The United Nations says it will not comment on documents leaked by the whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks, regarding United Nations officials.
Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been urged by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “to show statesmanship and courage in reaching a historic peace.”
Albania is leading international efforts to implement the 1997 international convention that bans anti-personnel landmines.
The number of international migrants is expected to double to reach over 405 million by the year 2050, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
A development expo in Geneva helped developing countries share solutions to shared problems. Gerry Adams reports:
Each year, 35 million people in all age groups die from non-communicable diseases, or those that are not contagious.
A human rights expert is stressing the importance of North Korea and South Korea to resume dialogue.
A UNICEF mission to flood-affected Shadatkot, Sindh, Pakistan in late November revealed near total destruction in rural areas with returning internally displaced persons, IDPs, finding no homes, no food, no schools and no livelihoods.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
The week-long Global South-South Development Expo 2010 concluded on Friday in Geneva with participants showcasing and sharing over 100 proven solutions that could help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. UN Radio’s Ben Malor has been covering the event and spoke to François Ekoko, the Regional Chief for South-South Cooperation for Africa at the UN Development [...]
In 2009, for the first time ever, Africa’s total population grew to more than one billion people. Forty percent now live in urban areas and by 2050, 60 percent of all Africans will live in cities. A new report focuses on this issue. Gerry Adams spoke to Alioune Badiane of UN Habitat about the report’s findings: [...]
Presidential elections are due to take place in Haiti on Sunday against a backdrop of political violence and the fall-out from two natural disasters. The Caribbean island is still recovering from the earthquake in January which caused massive devastation across the island and is fighting a cholera epidemic. Despite these challenges the vote is expected [...]
This Sunday’s elections in Haiti are not expected to increase the spread of cholera in the country, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has welcomed an agreement between Serbia and Croatia to resolve mutual refugee and return issues stemming from the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is helping nearly 2,000 Ethiopian migrants stranded in the north of Yemen to return home.
New measures have been put in place to enhance the transparency and credibility of the upcoming elections in Cote d’Ivoire.
The population of African cities is set to triple over the next 40 years, warns a new report, The State of African Cities 2010: Governance, Inequalities and Urban Land Markets.
Developing countries are being asked to take charge of their own development. According to UNCTAD, the UN organization that focuses on trade and development, the development community is looking for a change, a new way of doing things – money spent in the developing world has failed to accelerate development and produce the desired results. [...]
“Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstance” said UN Under-Secretary-General Kiyo Akasaka in an exclusive interview with UN Radio on the occasion of the launch of 16 days of activism to end sexual violence against women. Every year at this time, people all over the world take [...]
In recent days, the UN peacekeeping force in Cote d’Ivoire known as UNOCI has deplored acts of violence in the main commercial city, Abijan, and has appealed to the candidates and their parties to abstain from anything that could jeopardize the upcoming elections. Gerry Adams has more:
The amount of water available per person in Africa is declining. That’s according to research carried out for the Africa Water Atlas, a new publication compiled by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Gerry Adams reports:
An increasing number of young Eritrean children are leaving their country without their parents and ending up in refugee camps in Ethiopia. They’re leaving for a variety of reasons and although many discover that life is actually better at home, they’re unable to cross back into Eritrea, because they don’t have the right papers. Duration: [...]
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of violence against women.
The world’s poorest countries have weathered the global economic downturn better than was anticipated, but their economic future looks bleak, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
Violence causes more death and disability among women between the ages of 15 and 44 worldwide than war, cancer, malaria and traffic accidents. That’s according to a study from the World Bank. Each November, the United Nations observes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to applaud international efforts being taken to [...]
A new partnership between the UN and academic institutions, known as the United Nations Academic Impact, has been launched in New York. A concert to celebrate the occasion was held and once again the General Assembly hall echoed with music. The concert was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to [...]
NARRATOR: The issue of global public health is of fundamental importance to the Caribbean region. Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, Trinidad and Tobago’s Charge d’Affaires Cherry Ann Millard-White told the General Assembly during discussion on the “Follow-up to the Outcome of the Millennium Summit that the region continues to strive at the [...]
NARRATOR: Caribbean Community -CARICOM countries face peculiar challenges in respect of their external debt burden. So says Jamaica’s representative Ambassador Raymond Wolfe. He told the General Assembly’s committee that deals with economic and social affairs that several countries in the region rank among the most highly indebted in the world, a fact which he said, [...]
NARRATOR: Cuba has underlined the responsibility of the Security Council to account to the General Assembly. Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador Benitez Verson told the General Assembly in conformity with the Charter, the Assembly has trusted the Security Council, with its very limited membership with the prime responsibility to act on behalf of Member States, in [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
IMF opens a regional training hub in Kuwait The UN Humanitarian Affairs’ efforts to help the survivors/victims of natural disasters in Indonesia Duration: 9’12″
The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has reached its highest level ever, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
The number of people newly infected with HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, is declining, according to the United Nations programme for HIV/AIDS or UNAIDS.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
The war crimes trial of a former rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has got under way in The Hague.
A worldwide decline in travel and tourism industry caused by the global economic crisis is expected to be reversed in the coming decades.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Brazil faces challenges in implementing laws and policies to promote the cultural rights of all communities in the country.
A three-day campaign to immunize two million children against polio is set to start in Uganda after a two year-old girl was diagnosed with the disease last month.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the government of the Dominican Republic are working together to prepare for a possible cholera outbreak in the country.
Women: a weekly 14-minute news magazine that looks at issues affecting women around the world.
Calm has returned to Haiti after a spate of violent clashes broke out in several parts of the country. Anger over the cholera outbreak has lead to demonstrations against Nepalese peacekeepers accused of bringing cholera into the country. More than a thousand people so far have died from the epidemic. Jocelyne Sambira has more. NARRATOR: [...]
The importance attached to protecting people’s right to cultural life and cultural development has been underlined with the first ever trip by the United Nations new expert on cultural rights. Fardia Shaheed has just finished a ten-day visit to Brazil where she was looking at how the South American country is using laws to protect [...]
Cancun, Mexico is the site for the 16th Climate Change Conference of the parties, opening 29 November. In a recent interview with National Public Radio, the prime minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg was asked whether it was politically feasible to put a price on carbon to help the developing countries cope with climate change. (duration: [...]
Targeted and specific dissemination of correct information can contribute significantly to bringing about positive changes to the global audience that the UN Department of Public Information serves. So says Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior International relations Specialist Ms. Claire de Bourg-Exeter. Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community-CARICOM, she told the General Assembly’s committee that deals [...]
Millions of children around the world continue to face violence and abuse despite existing international standards.
South Africa has been urged by the United Nations to control the activities of private military and security companies.
New guidelines have been launched by three United Nations agencies to protect an estimated 60 million health workers throughout the world who treat and care for people living with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
For years, tourists have been travelling to Tunisia for its miles of golden beaches kissed by the gentle Mediterranean breeze. But the government hopes travellers will also visit more of the heritage sites in this North African country. To entice tourists off the sand and into Tunisia’s 3,000-year-old history, the World Bank is supporting a [...]
Every year on December 1, countries observe World AIDS Day. It is a chance to show solidarity with those who have HIV and AIDS, and also to remember those who have died from the disease. But World AIDS Day is also an opportunity to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS to prevent more infections. This [...]
Violent clashes, which have taken place in parts of Haiti, are jeopardizing efforts to contain the spread of cholera, according to the United Nations.
Security forces in Guinea's capital Conakry have killed at least four people and injured more than 300, following demonstrations linked to the presidential election run-off.
UN Calling Asia – a weekly magazine programme, in English, that keeps you in touch with UN developments covering Asia and the Pacific.
Serious differences remain between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders in their talks to reunify Cyprus which has been split since 1974 when Turkey sent its troops following a coup by Greek army officers.
A top UN official is warning that denying the Holocaust happened is hurtful to Jews across the world.
Israel and Lebanon have been urged to take concrete steps to implement a Security Council resolution that ended the conflict between the two countries in 2006.
• People of Southern Sudan this week started to register for the referendum to decide on the future of their region. The referendum is part of the 2005 agreement which ended over two decades of war between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. A victim of that conflict recalls his ordeal. Efforts [...]
Two thousand years ago, trees covered of Tigray, Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa. Tigray, the lush region that in the first millennium hosted a wealth of international trading is now a dustbowl, circled by jagged crystal and rocks swept bare of topsoil. Now, the unreliable rains of climate change have left the area deforested. [...]
A large number of people are lining up in Wau, the capital of Southern Sudan to register for next year's referendum on independence for the region, according to the United Nations Secretary-General's Panel on the Referenda in Sudan.
The Marlboro man, the smoking cowboy on a horse used to advertise Marlboro cigarettes since 1954, is an image that has travelled around the world. Now, the once famous and trendy Marlboro man is being replaced by images of diseased lungs, a bleeding brain and other grisly shocking images. Governments are adopting a tougher stance: [...]
A new partnership between the United Nations and academic institutions, known as the United Nations Academic Impact, has been launched in New York.
As we heard in the news, the UN Secretary-General today spoke to Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy leader in Myanmar who was released on Saturday after spending 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest. In the conversation, they both stressed the need for the country’s authorities to release all remaining political prisoners. [...]
The authorities in Myanmar have been urged to release all political prisoners to boost national reconciliation and help the transition to democracy.
People all over the world have been urged by United Nations Secretary-General to use philosophy to build true peace and understanding.
The fight to end female genital mutilation or FGM in Africa is succeeding, despite deep-rooted cultural and social pressures, according to a new study by the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF.
Global efforts to control malaria could suffer a major set back if resistance to front-line medicines is not checked, according to the World Health Organization.
Israel's decision to withdraw its troops from the village of Ghajar at the border between Lebanon and Israeli-occupied Syria has been welcomed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Five million people in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK are expected to face food shortages over the coming year.
Young people are not just the future but the present, according to actress Monique Coleman, who has been designated the United Nations Youth Champion for the International Year of the Youth.
The Security Council has called on the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to take urgent action to ensure peaceful and credible referenda on 9 January next year.
In less than two months, the people of Southern Sudan are scheduled to vote on independence from the north of the country. Sudan’s recent history has been troubled but a 2005 peace agreement ended decades of north-south conflict responsible for the deaths of some two million people. Today, the UN Security Council is meeting on [...]
People around the world are being urged to recommit to dialogue and understanding among all peoples and communities.
There is no reason for any country not to have basic social security systems such as pensions and benefits for children, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
In two weeks’ time, governments will meet in the Mexican coastal city of Cancún to finalize the long-term global response to climate change. This will include adapting to its effects, reducing the levels of greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change, and financing to help countries with this fight. Christina Figueres, head of the UN [...]
Nepalese peacekeepers serving with the United Nations mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) are being stigmatized by politicians who accuse them of bringing cholera to the country.
An American actress has been given the considerable challenge of linking youth from the developed and developing world in the hope that the lives of the poorest young people will be improved. Monique Coleman, the star of the film, High School Musical has been appointed a United Nations Youth Champion. The 30 year old actress [...]
A demonstrator in Haiti has been killed following an attack on United Nations peacekeepers in the Caribbean island’s second city, Cap-Haitien. The demonstration reportedly started after Nepalese peacekeepers were accused of bringing cholera into the country. Almost one thousand people have died following the outbreak of Cholera in Haiti. Daniel Dickinson asked Vincenzo Pugliese from [...]
With the start of the registration of voters in Sudan, the referendum on the independence of Southern Sudan scheduled to be held on 9 January is on track.
Approximately five million people in North Korea will continue to face food shortages despite a relatively good harvest and a slight increase in food supply, according to a report issued on Tuesday.
Rebel movements in the Darfur region of Sudan have been urged by the Security Council to join the peace process to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
3,500 Sudanese refugees in the Central African Republic are being airlifted by the United Nations refugee agency from a camp in a remote north-eastern part of the country to the south central Bambari region.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all Guineans, in the national interest, to accept the result of the 7 November presidential run-off elections in Guinea.
The cholera outbreak in Haiti, which has killed 900 people, is no longer just a health issue but is now becoming a matter of national security.
Participants in the forthcoming global conference to be held in Cancun, Mexico in two weeks time are being urged to compromise in international efforts to find a solution to climate change.
In recent months, the activities of terrorists continue unabated. That is why countering terrorism must remain a priority of the international community, says Ertugul Atagan, Chairman of the Security Council Committee on resolution 1373. 1373 combats terrorism and was adopted after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The resolution also established the [...]
Many jobs are being lost around the world because of the global recessions and unemployment rates have soared. In response, entrepreneurial activities in developing countries like the United States are on the rise. People are taking risks, starting their own companies and creating jobs. Meanwhile in Africa, this trend has not quite caught on. The [...]
Sudanese government forces and armed movements in Darfur have been urged by the top United Nations envoy in the region, Ibrahim Gambari, to stop fighting.
People in Sudan have started to register for next year's referendum on independence for Southern Sudan.
Despite progress that Syria has made in providing health care to its citizens, more still needs to be done.
There are more than 400 individuals and entities linked to the Al-Qaida and Taliban terrorist groups, according to the Chairman of a Security Council Committee dealing with sanctions against these groups.
In addition to our piece on tigers, there’s an interview on a call from WHO, UNICEF and other civil societies to end formula milk and baby food promotion in hospitals and other health institutions. (duration: 8’32″)
Years of fighting, corrupt governance and deadly disease have taken their toll on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the DRC. While the country is rich with natural resources, the UN says the DRC remains one of the world’s greatest development challenges. Dianne Penn reports. SFX 1_Wife washing clothes It’s another day of household chores [...]
Improving life in urban areas is being discussed at a meeting of Ministers and mayors which opened in Kobe, Japan, on Monday.
The number of people dying from diabetes is expected to double in the next 10 years according to the World Health Organization or WHO.
The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the release in Myanmar of the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ban Ki-moon said her dignity and courage had been an inspiration to people around the world.
The results of the first round of presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire held on 31 October have been certified by the top United Nations envoy in the country, YJ Choi.
An agreement by Iraqi political parties to form a government has been welcomed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Developed countries are being urged to contribute funds to help developing countries tackle climate change.
Middle East economies are quickly recovering from the global downturn thanks to higher oil prices and government policies designed to mitigate the negative effects. The International Monetary Fund predicts these oil-producing states are likely to grow twice as fast over the next two years, but more must be done to diversify their economies and create [...]
Azerbaijan’s rural residents are working hard to improve the country’s modest infrastructure. In recent years, the Central Asian country has benefited from increased oil revenues and good economic growth; that growth is now translating into improved roads, renovated schools and upgraded clinics. Gerry Adams reports. Duration: 2’51″ SFX: children playing Narrator: Doctors, health care workers [...]
It’s thought an estimated 36,000 women die annually from unsafe abortions in Africa. Many of them are young girls who have unwanted pregnancies and who are forced to have operations illegally….so-called back-street abortions. Abortion is, in most cases, against the law in Africa, but there are moves to legalise it. Thoko Ruzvidzo is from the [...]
Haiti has been battling a cholera epidemic since last month. Humanitarians fears that cholera will continue to spread throughout the country, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince where people are living in tents since the January earthquake. So far, the UN response has been swift and effective, but more money is needed. Jocelyne Sambira reports. Duration: [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
A declaration adopted by 18 countries in the Americas to protect refugees and stateless people has been welcomed by United Nations High Commissioner for refugees, Antonio Gueterres.
The authorities in Myanmar have been urged to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and over 2, 200 prisoners of conscience as a step towards national reconciliation.
Pneumonia claims the lives of 1.6 million children under five years of age each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Authorities in Thailand are being urged by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) not to encourage refugees from Myanmar to return home following the resumption of fighting in some parts of Myanmar.
Over 200,000 people could contract cholera in Haiti over the next 6 months, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been urged to realize that partition or secession is not a solution and to implement reforms that will enable their country to join the European Union and NATO.
A group of UN member countries has insisted that, what it calls the “historic injustices against Africa” are put right.
Protecting over two million civilians in the camps for internally displaced people in Darfur remains a huge challenge for the joint United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). That’s the assessment of the head of UN peacekeeping operations, Alain Le Roy, who visited Darfur this week for the third time in two years. Stella Vuzo [...]
Five thousand southern Sudanese have claimed refugee status in northern Kenya in 2010, many of whom were reportedly fleeing due to the fear of violence ahead of a planned referendum on independence in January next year. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says it expects the number of refugees to increase in the run up to the [...]
Somalia is one of the worst places in the world to be a child. That’s the assessment of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and armed conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy, who has just returned from a visit to the conflict ridden Horn of Africa country. Somalia has not had a functioning government for over [...]
The head of UN peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy, is visiting the Darfur region where millions of people have been displaced since 2003. He met with women who are now living in camps run by humanitarian groups. They told him about their dire living conditions and how they need better protection from sexual violence and beatings. [...]
Years of fighting, government corruption and deadly disease have taken their toll on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the DRC. While the country is rich with natural resources, the UN says the DRC remains one of the world’s greatest development challenges. Dianne Penn reports. SFX 1_Wife washing clothes It’s another day of household chores [...]
Promises made must be promises kept – that’s according to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon — who addressed the National Assembly in Seoul, Korea ahead of the G-20 Summit. Mr. Ban was referring to the promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the poverty-reducing targets agreed by the world community in 2000. Jocelyne Sambira reports: Duration: [...]
The recent floods in Pakistan brought death, disease and destruction as well as leaving millions of people homeless. The floods have led to another unexpected and deadly consequence. Landmimes and other unexploded ordinances which have been dislodged by the receding floodwaters now threaten the lives of local people. Dianne Penn reports. Dur: 2’37 Mohammad Aslam [...]
Despite progress made in combating tuberculosis, nearly two million still die of the disease every year, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) issued on Thursday.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
A mass polio vaccination campaign targeting three million people across three countries is due to begin following a deadly outbreak of the virus in the Republic of Congo. There have been almost one hundred deaths, mostly people under 30 years of age. The World Health Organization or WHO is spear-heading the campaign. Patrick Maigua asked [...]
The recent public execution by firing squad of two teenage girls in central Somalia has been condemned by six United Nations independent experts.
A web-based reference calendar to advise African farmers on which crops to plant where and when has been launched by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The United States supports a modest expansion of permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council that would include India, according to the country’s Ambassador to the United Nations.
Angola is investigating allegations that some of the 7,000 people expelled from Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last two months suffered abuse, including sexual violence.
Up to 5,000 people from Southern Sudan have crossed into Kenya to flee violence and drought.
Strong political support is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals set by world leaders in 2000 to eradicate poverty, achieve universal primary education and fight disease by 2015.
An outbreak of polio in the Republic of Congo has killed nearly 100 people, according to the World Health Organization or WHO.
Morocco and the Polisario Front have agreed to meet again in December to continue their talks to resolve their dispute over Western Sahara which Morocco annexed in 1976.
Members of the Executive Board of the newly established United Nations Entity, UN Women, have been elected at a meeting in New York.
A recent increase in terrorist attacks in Iraq in which hundreds of people have been killed and wounded, have been strongly condemned by the UN Security Council.
Thousands of illegal immigrants are being expelled from Angola amidst claims of human rights abuses, including sexual violence. The majority come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or DRC, but there are also citizens from other African states. A humanitarian mission is on the ground in the Western Kasai province of DRC to verify [...]
Organizers of major sports events are stepping up efforts to become more environmentally friendly. The Global Forum for Sport and Environment – held at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, saw new 'green’ projects unveiled from the worlds of football, powerboating, golf and many more. Bryan Coll reports. Duration: 2’17″ They may play [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
The group of the world’s 20 leading industrialised economies, the so-called G20, is gathering in the South Korean capital, Seoul, for a summit to discuss ways of improving the global economy with a focus on creating jobs. South Africa is the only African country at the Summit. It’s struggling to create new jobs. UN Radio’s [...]
Employment across the world has recovered unevenly in various sectors of the economy in the first half of 2010, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Government of Haiti has confirmed that 643 people have died and almost 10,000 more hospitalised as a result of the cholera epidemic in Haiti.
Rwanda has donated $1 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Some of the 7,000 people expelled from Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last two months have suffered abuse, including sexual violence, according to the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA).
A meeting of the Group of 20 leading economies in Seoul, South Korea should focus on the needs of vulnerable people.
Environmental experts have been looking at ways of reducing the impact of major sporting events on the environment.
The second round of presidential elections took place in Guinea this past Sunday. UN Radio’s Gerry Adams asked Said Djinnit, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, how the elections went, and about future prospects for a stable, prosperous Guinea: Duration: 2:35 (without intro) Djinnit: Well, I think everybody has recognized that the elections [...]
There is a sense of relief among the people of Guinea following elections in the West African country, according to the top United Nations envoy for the region, Said Djinnit.
The global economic crisis has slowed down migration in European Union countries but there is still need for skilled migrant labour according to a new report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
15,000 refugees have crossed back into Myanmar from Thailand on Tuesday evening following a lull in the fighting between government forces and ethnic Karen rebels. Jocelyne Sambira reports. Duration: 1’42″ NARR: Violence broke out in Mawaddy, eastern Myanmar after Sunday’s general elections, causing 18,000 people to flee the country. Aid agencies had just started distributing [...]
Developing nations have recorded tremendous progress in health and education over the past four decades, according to the latest Human Development Report released this month by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). South America’s giant, Brazil, is one country that has experienced a profound transformation over this period with rising literacy and school attendance rates since [...]
The work of the joint United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has been praised by the United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Israel to break the current diplomatic stalemate in the Middle East peace process.
The international community is unable to keep pace with the increase of piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia, according to the head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe.
Cholera has killed 544 people and left more than 8,000 others hospitalized in Haiti, according to the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA.
Fresh fighting has broken out in Myanmar between government forces and ethnic Karen rebels, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
A military operation by Moroccan forces to close a protesters’ camp in Western Sahara could impact on talks between Morocco and the Polisario Front being held in New York.
Seventy-two million children are due to be immunized against polio in fifteen African countries over the coming days and weeks. It’s part of a massive programme which will involve 300,000 health workers going from door to door to provide the simple treatment. Angola in south-west Africa had been polio free for six years before a [...]
An assessment of the damage caused by a hurricane which swept across Haiti is underway.
General elections held in Myanmar on Sunday were neither transparent nor were they participatory according to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The Federal Transitional Government of Somalia or TFG has made a commitment to stop recruiting child-soldiers, according to the United Nations official responsible for children and armed conflict.
Unemployment across the world is remain persistently high following the global economic downturn according to the International Labour Organisation or ILO. The Geneva-based United Nations body says the growth in jobs has been slack and that wages are going down. Later in the week, the ILO will be urging participants of the Group of 20 [...]
UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos is in Darfur today where she will visit one of the largest camps for people displaced by conflict in the troubled region of Sudan. Dianne Penn reports. Duration: 2’28″ Darfur is becoming ever more dangerous and aid workers are a target. It’s an issue which has been high on the [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
The group of 20 industrialized and developing countries have been urged to focus on creating jobs as they formulate policies to recover from the global economic crisis.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is more than simply the world’s “nuclear watchdog”, according to its Director-General Yukiya Amano.
The United States has donated $90 million to help feed more than 5 million people affected by floods in Pakistan.
Authorities in Darfur have been urged to make every effort to ensure the release a staff member of the joint United Nations- African Union mission in Darfur, UNAMID, kidnapped in North Darfur 30 days ago.
A grim picture has been portrayed for children in Somalia who continue to be used as child soldiers, by the top United Nations official responsible for children and armed conflict.
The power the military holds in Guinea-Bissau will make international partners reluctant to engage with the country's authorities, according to the top United Nations envoy in the country.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Haiti is bracing itself for another national emergency as Hurricane Tomas approaches the Caribbean country.
It is not unusual for someone in an industrialized country to sponsor a child in the so-called developing world. A new film shows how such 'A Small Act’ can be inspiring. It tells the story of Chris Mburu who grew up poor in rural Kenya. Thanks to his sponsor Hilde Back, he was able to [...]
The United States has been defending its human rights record saying it does not support the use of torture and remains committed to the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
The situation of over 8,000 Somali refugees who were ordered by Kenyan authorities out of the Mandera area in north-east Kenya remains precarious according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
NARRATOR: The General Assembly’s Committee that deals with Decolonization matters, guided by the fundamental and universal principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, would have the General Assembly declare the period 2011-2020 as the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, by one of 12 draft texts approved today, capping its general debate on [...]
NARRATOR: The achievement of gender equality is central to the development efforts of CARICOM States, which individually and collectively, are working towards the achievement of the internationally agreed objectives and goals regarding the empowerment of women, such as those contained in the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Millennium Declaration. That’s what [...]
Indonesia has launched its largest census ever. In a diverse nation of 17,000 islands, it’s a huge undertaking. Current estimates project the total population at more than 230 million people. But the challenge of running a census here is about more than sheer numbers. Uzbekistan boosts child survival with simple changes Doctors and parents in [...]
UN and Africa – a weekly 15-minute radio programme on political, social, economic and other developments related to Africa.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
Poor countries have made great gains in health, education and other indicators, according to the latest edition of the Human Development Report launched.
A range of counter-terrorism strategies are being discussed by officials and experts from South East Asia in Bali, Indonesia, today.
The meeting has been organized by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and the government of Indonesia.
Charles Appel reports.
The recent spate of terrorist attacks in Iraq in which scores of civilians lost their lives and hundreds more were wounded have been strongly condemned by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
News and features from United Nations Radio.
A $39 million appeal to help 120,000 people affected by ongoing drought that in Djibouti has been launched by the United Nations.
In cue: Well, I think in common with other African economies… Out cue: …much more marked in the months and years to come. A regular assessment of the economic outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa is predicting that the region could expect to return to levels of economic growth it was experiencing before the global economic crisis [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
In this edition, an interview on UNFPA’s efforts in protecting women and girls in conflict and post conflict areas. Also, an interview on the Indonesian Ministry’s of women’s empowerment on the enactment of National Action Plan to tackle violence against women in conflict areas. We also hear about the fight against neglected tropical diseases in [...]
News and features from United Nations Radio.
