The international community is coming together on a unified approach to the crisis in Mali, the head of the UN Department of Political Affairs told reporters in New York on Friday. Jeffrey Feltman said although the security situation in the north of the country remains precarious, a new phase in its stabilization is taking place. [...]
The ongoing conflict in Syria has severely disrupted water, hygiene and sanitation in the country, according to the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF). UNICEF says it's particularly concerned about the health risks this disruption is creating for Syrian children. At the same time, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says that 5,000 people are now crossing [...]
There is no evidence good governance is necessary for development, says Jomo Sundaram, an economist who is now Assistant Director-General for Social and Economic Development with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Mr. Sundaram was among the speakers at a UN panel discussion on the topic, "Is good governance good for development?" He, along with [...]
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday expressed her shock and deep sadness at the atrocious rape, mutilation and murder of Anene Booysen, a 17-year-old South African woman. And Navi Pillay has called for a more comprehensive approach to tackling the "pandemic of sexual violence" affecting tens of thousands of women every year [...]
More than 7,000 families who are still living in camps three years after the devastating earthquake in Haiti will be moved to safer housing, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports. The agency has received a six million Euro contribution from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) to support a relocation programme that provides [...]
Three years after Haiti's catastrophic 2010 earthquake, some 87,750 families are still living in 450 makeshift, insanitary and often dangerous camps scattered throughout the country. The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) has now stepped in with a new EUR 6 million contribution to an IOM programme which supports the relocation of camp residents to [...]
Governments must promote policies aimed at providing decent jobs as protection against poverty — which a delegate described as "the source of all ills", including poor health and stalled economic growth — the Commission for Social Development heard as it explored linkages between empowerment and poverty eradication. The representative of Cuba Vilma Thomas-Ramirez said [...]
With the world at a critical juncture in the lead-up to the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda, poverty eradication, social integration and employment must play a pivotal role in defining that agenda, the Commission for Social Development heard this week as it resumed its fifty-first session. During a high-level panel discussion on the session's [...]
A 20-year-old woman accused of sorcery in Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea, was reportedly tortured and killed on 6 February, says the spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva. Cécille Pouilly says Kepari Leniata was burnt alive in front of a crowd by relatives of a six-year-old boy whom she was accused of [...]
Nine people died and 3,500 others were displaced after an earthquake and tsunami hit the Solomon Islands this week, the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) reports. Initial reports say Wednesday's disaster damaged or destroyed 431 homes in remote Temotu Province in the far east of the country. Water supply in the provincial capital was [...]
The number of Syrian's who are seeking a safe haven outside their country is so high that the situation is now a full on crisis, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The number of Syrian refugees currently stands at 787,000. Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for UNHCR, says that in the past month there's been [...]
The UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees – UNRWA has deplored the suffering inflicted on civilians, including Palestinians in Syria. And it has called on all sides to do everything possible to ease it, including refraining from conducting the conflict in residential areas. UNRWA says that over recent weeks, a particularly grave humanitarian crisis has emerged [...]
Humanitarian assistance is still vital in Somalia because the gains made in food security and nutrition are still fragile. The World Food Programme-WFP says it continues to shift from emergency assistance toward programmes that help the most vulnerable Somalis strengthen their ability to cope with droughts and floods. Spokesperson Elizabeth Byers says the number [...]
The United Nations human rights office is urging authorities in Papua New Guinea to take urgent action to stop vigilante attacks on people accused of sorcery. This follows reports that a 20 year old woman was tortured and killed in Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea on 6th February. The woman was apparently burned alive [...]
Female genital mutilation or cutting, also known as FGM/C, refers to several different harmful practices involving the cutting of the female genitals. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that at least 120 million girls and women have experienced FGM in 29 countries. UN Member States on December 20, 2012 approved a draft resolution aimed [...]
Four months ago, Lemusa Village, Sulawesi, Indonesia was buried under six metres of mud. In one night, most people lost their homes and their farms – their only source of income. Rita Rondunuwu can no longer farm, but she is one of the lucky ones. With support from the Indonesian Government and the UN [...]
