The goodwill at the start of this year's session of the General Assembly should not be just a "fleeting moment" but should result in progress for the world's people. That's what United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said as the General Assembly opened its 67th session in New York on Tuesday. He said the Organization is [...]
Resolving international disputes by peaceful means is the overarching theme of the 67th session of the General Assembly. That's what the President of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremić, the top Serbian diplomat, said at the start of the session in New York on Tuesday. He said the maintenance of international peace and security was enshrined [...]
1. WHO : Efforts continue to curb Ebola virus in DR Congo 2. UNHCR : Hepatitis E kills 16 Sudanese refugees in South Sudan 3. President of UN General Assembly says culture of peace is “most critical” to today's society 4. Conference on Disarmament failed to advance global disarmament goals, says Angela Kane 5. UNICEF, [...]
There is an African proverb which says "When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets hurt." In Afghanistan, when two families fight, young girls are often the victims. To settle debts or disputes, or just to have a bit of peace, warring families will trade a daughter in a traditional practice known as "Baad." [...]
Authorities in the United States are being urged to do more to address the concerns of indigenous peoples. The call has come from the UN independent expert on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, who spoke in the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday. Mr. Anaya said that American Indian, Alaska Native and [...]
Authorities in Yemen need support in restructuring the security forces, says Jamal Benomar, the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Yemen. On 6 August, Yemen's President adopted decrees for the restructuring of the Yemeni security sector. Mr. Benomar, who has returned from a ten-day mission to the country, briefed the Security Council behind closed doors [...]
An appeal for almost $40 million has been launched by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to help displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNHCR says that violence in the eastern part of the country has displaced about half a million Congolese civilians and forced others to cross into Uganda and Rwanda. [...]
More than half of Sudanese children living in Yusuf Batil refugee camp in Maban County in South Sudan are severely malnourished, according to Doctors without Borders. The non-governmental organization of medical professionals, which is known by its French acronym MSF, says that between four and five children die every day in the camp. MSF is [...]
The situation in Syria is not improving but further deteriorating, said the joint Special Representative of United Nations and the Arab League on Tuesday. Lakhdar Brahimi spoke during his visit to Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan where he had gone to see first hand the living conditions of the refugees and the work done [...]
The end of the transition in Somalia is only the beginning, says the ambassador of the United Kingdom, the lead country on the issue in the Security Council. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant spoke to reporters on Tuesday after the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution welcoming the transition in the Horn of Africa country. [...]
A former Somali refugee is the winner of the United Nations refugee agency's (UNHCR) annual prize. UNHCR announced on Tuesday that the 2012 Nansen Refugee Award is being given to Hawa Aden Mohamed. She is the founder and director of the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development (GECPD) in Puntland, north-eastern Somalia. Ms. Mohamed [...]
