The Security Council is threatening sanctions against those who are trying to obstruct the democratic process in Yemen. The Council is calling on the people of Yemen to reject the use of violence to achieve political goals. In a resolution unanimously adopted on Tuesday, the Council demanded the cessation of all actions aimed at undermining [...]
UN observers trying to reach the town of al-Haffeh on Tuesday were confronted by angry crowds that surrounded their vehicles and stopped them from proceeding any further. According to the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) the crowd appeared to be residents of the area where Syrian forces have been battling with rebel fighters. Julie [...]
About 215 million children around the world work to survive, according to the latest report from the International Labour Organization (ILO). More than half of these children, the agency adds, are exposed to the worst forms of child labour including slavery and armed conflict. World Day Against Child Labour is observed on 12 June to [...]
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) works to apply nuclear technology in four of the seven areas identified as priorities for the UN conference on Sustainable Development or Rio+20: energy, food, water and oceans. Nuclear technologies are used daily to find and protect sustainable sources of fresh water, produce energy and food, while providing researchers [...]
A concert by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra quavered the UN General Assembly Hall recently. This cultural event celebrated the 66th presidency of the United Nations General Assembly and it honored the work of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. In this feature prepared by Florence “Beng” Poblete-Enriquez, you will hear a fusion [...]
There has been an increased level of armed confrontation between the Government and opposition forces in Syria. Ahmad Fawzi, Spokesman for the Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, told a press conference in Geneva that the six-point plan to resolve the crisis in Syria remains valid. He stresses that what is lacking is its [...]
There are 215 million children around the world who are forced to work, with more than half of them exposed to the worst forms of child labour including slavery and armed conflict. That's according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) which estimates that at least 5 million of these children are [...]
The Secretary-General's annual report on children and armed conflict shows a mixed picture, with the crisis in Syria taking a toll on children, while violations have come to an end in other countries. The report includes a list of parties which recruit and use children, kill and maim, commit sexual violence or attack schools and [...]
Hundreds of people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to cross the border into Rwanda and Uganda to flee violence, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Fighting continues between Congolese troops and rebels in the eastern part of the DR Congo, where thousands of people are already displaced. UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards [...]
The annual report of the United Nations Secretary-General on children and armed conflict has been submitted to the Security Council. The report gives an overview of the situation of girls and boys in conflict zones and what is being done to protect them. It includes what is called a "list of shame" of armed groups [...]
More than 150,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed the border into South Sudan, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. The refugees are fleeing fighting between Sudan government forces and rebel groups in Blue Nile State. Last week humanitarian agencies operating in the region reported seven deaths among a group on new arrivals at a transit [...]
Children as young as eight years are being used as human shields by the Syrian army, according to a United Nations report. The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, says the children are being forcibly taken from their homes and placed in front of windows of buses carrying military personnel going [...]
UN Observers in Syria Violence in Syria has once again escalated to levels seen before the cease-fire plan was put in place in April, according to the UN and Arab League special Envoy Kofi Annan. In his view, the Syrian government has the upper hand to stop the violence, killings and human rights abuses. Mr [...]
