Liberian authorities have been warned against passing laws that discriminate against homosexuals. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern about a proposed amendment to the Penal Code to broadly criminalize homosexuality. Under the proposed law, which has already been passed by the Senate, a person engaging in homosexual activities can be [...]
Health experts continue their efforts to contain the outbreak of deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever which has killed 16 people in Uganda, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency says it has dispatched an epidemiologist and a logistician as well as 800 sets of personal protective equipment for health workers and those potentially in [...]
The increasing use by Syrian authorities of heavy weapons including tanks and helicopters in population centres has been condemned by the General Assembly. By a vote of 133 in favour, 12 against and 31 abstentions, on Friday, the Assembly also strongly condemned what it says are widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights in [...]
The General Assembly passed a resolution on Friday denouncing the violence in Syria. Ambassadors voted 133 in favour, with 12 against and 31 abstentions. The Assembly also strongly condemned what it says are widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights in Syria. Dianne Penn reports. Duration: 2’41″
Supermodel Alek Wek is famous for gracing international magazine covers and sashaying down the catwalk for Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and other top designers. But as a former refugee, she is also a strong supporter of the work of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Alek Wek returned home to South Sudan in July to mark [...]
The international community has been urged by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to take action to end the ongoing conflict in Syria. Mr. Ban spoke in the General Assembly as it met on Friday to adopt a resolution condemning the ongoing violence in the country. He said the conflict in Syria is a test of [...]
Flooding caused by storms in North Korea has killed over 100 people and left 63,000 others homeless, according to the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA). United Nations agencies and their partners in the country have provided food, non-food relief items, medicines and other health items to the people in need. OCHA spokesperson Jena Laerke, says [...]
Health workers are intensifying their efforts to stop what has been described as "the alarming" rates of malnutrition, disease and death in two camps hosting Sudanese refugees in South Sudan. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says there are 60,000 refugees in Yida camp in Unity State and 35,000 in Batil camp in Upper Nile [...]
The government of Sudan has been urged by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate the killing of demonstrators in Darfur earlier this week. The UN human rights chief is also calling on the government to immediately and unconditionally release the people who have been detained for reportedly protesting over rising [...]
Two young people from Timor-Leste are carrying the hopes of their island nation at the 2012 Olympics in London. Augusto Ramos Soares and Juventina Napoleao both will compete in the marathon. As their country's only representatives at the world's most prestigious sporting event, they are already stars in the eyes of the Timorese people. Dianne [...]
The Sahel region in Africa is facing a dramatic humanitarian situation where in the last six months thousands of people in Mali fled fighting between government forces, Tuareg rebels and various armed groups. This warning has come from the head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) António Guterres who recently visited Burkina Faso. Mr. [...]
Girls comprise more than half of the estimated 67 million children worldwide who remain out of school, according to the UN Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI). Frederick Rendina and Oren Rudavsky explore what it takes to ensure girls receive an education in their film 'To Educate a Girl' which tells about girls in Nepal and Uganda [...]
The positioning of Haiti as a democratic, stable and economically viable country continued to be a matter of utmost importance. That's what Ambassador Paulette Bethel of The Bahamas told the Economic and Social Council as it heard a report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti. She was speaking on behalf of the Caribbean [...]
The Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti has provided the latest overview of the country's reconstruction following the devastating 2010 earthquake. Chairman of the Advisory Group Guillermo Rishchynski of Canada told the Economic and Social Council that the report made a number of recommendations to the United Nations, Haiti's development partners and the Haitian [...]
Despite high unemployment, rising crime and socio-economic woes arising from the global financial crisis and natural disasters, The Bahamas had steadily improved the lot of its women through a range of legal reforms, awareness-raising campaigns and action plans. That's what Minister of Social Services Melanie Griffin said as she presented her country's combined first through [...]
Two young people from Timor-Leste are carrying the hopes of their island nation at the 2012 Olympics in London. Augusto Ramos Soares and Juventina Napoleao both will compete in the marathon. As their country's only representatives at the world's most prestigious sporting event, they are already stars in the eyes of the Timorese people. Expert [...]
