Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker is concerned that some 60 percent of people in conflict areas of the world are under the age of 25. Whitaker, as a Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation with UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, participated in the International Day of Peace observance at the United [...]
Heads of state will once again converge on New York for the annual general debate of the United Nations General Assembly which begins on Tuesday. For UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in his second term at the head of the global organization, the two weeks of speeches, meetings and other high-level events is an [...]
As the United Nations prepares to draw down its massive peacekeeping operations in Haiti, the chief of that mission, Mariano Fernández Amunategui, says his top priority is to help the country rebuild its earthquake-ravaged security institutions. UN Radio’s Maha Fayek sat down with Mr. Amunategui to discuss these and other issues, including Haiti's [...]
Even as the number of States signing on to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities continued to grow at an "exhilarating" pace, there remained a critical need for the United Nations to act as a "real, practical and daily advocate" for those who had once been all but invisible on the world [...]
Rising global food prices are threatening to worsen food insecurity in Yemen, according to humanitarian agencies. The country in the Arabian Peninsula is recovering from the political upheavals that have affected North Africa and the Middle East. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people in Yemen have been displaced by conflict between government [...]
Burundi's civil war may have ended more than a decade ago, but violence in the country continues, and many of its victims are women whose rights under the law are often ignored. Now a unique legal aid programme is helping women like Maura Ntukamazina understand the law and reclaim their rights. We hear more [...]
The United Nations is calling for an end to conflict, if only for one day. The International Day of Peace, observed on 21 September, is an opportunity to strengthen the ideals of non-violence, both within and among all nations and peoples. It has been celebrated each year since 1982. Gerry Adams reports on this year's [...]
India and China have enjoyed some of the world's fastest economic growth with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reporting that average income in China has grown nearly ten-fold since 1995 while in India it has nearly quadrupled. Lika Gueye spoke with James Walsh, an economist with the IMF's Asian and Pacific Department, who has [...]
A prominent campaigner for democracy in Myanmar has welcomed the lifting of sanctions against her country by the United States Congress this week. Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairperson and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy of Myanmar spoke to reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Friday. On Wednesday the U.S. Congress [...]
Acts of torture and ill-treatment of inmates at a prison in Georgia have been condemned by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. This follows shocking videos which appeared on television in Georgia this week showing prisoners being physically and sexually assaulted, humiliated and verbally abused by prison officers. Spokesperson Rupert Colville [...]
People all over the world have been asked by the United Nations to observe a moment of silence on Friday to mark the International Day of Peace. The theme of this year's observance is "Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future". Speaking at a ceremony at UN Headquarters to mark the day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [...]
PART I General Assembly starts its 67th session. PART II Viability of two-state solution in Middle East at risk: UN official. PART III UN celebrates progress on child survival. PART IV To be young and profitable in Peru. Narrated and Produced by Ambalika Misra Duration: 14’45″
Chemicals are posing a serious risk to people's lives, particularly children in Africa. To tackle this problem, more than 500 participants from 124 countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya this week for a five-day meeting on global chemicals management. The International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM3) has been organized under the auspices of the UN Environment [...]
People crossing international borders seeking asylum should not be treated as criminals and detained, says the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR). The agency says that indefinite and mandatory detention of asylum seekers and individuals seeking international protection are prohibited under international law. In a set of new guidelines issued Friday, UNHCR says detention of asylum seekers [...]
New media and technology are changing the way people communicate, but they can also help change the world for the better. That is the premise of the Social Good Summit (www.socialgoodsummit.org) to be held from 22-24 September on the margins of the annual UN General Assembly. While the 92nd Street Y, a cultural institution in [...]
Over 10,000 Somalis have fled from the port city of Kismayo in anticipation of military activities and new clashes, according to the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR). Reports from Somalia indicate that African Union troops in the country are preparing to liberate Kismayo which has been a stronghold of the Al Shabaab insurgents. UNHCR says up [...]
