Malnourishment is becoming so severe in war-torn Yemen that children and parents are laying side-by-side in hospital beds, "too sick to move". That's according to Muhannad Hadi, the World Food Programme's Regional Director for the Middle East, speaking at UN Headquarters about his latest visit to Yemen. He described the scenes he had witnessed of [...]
UN mission to verify Colombia ceasefire The "green light" has been given to the UN political mission in Colombia to verify a ceasefire in the country, a senior UN official there has reported. UN Special Representative Jean Arnault has welcomed what he called the "unanimous support" shown by the Security Council, which has written to [...]
Listen to a bulletin of news and features from United Nations Radio, with Matthew Wells and Dianne Penn. In today's programme: the UN chief says he's “deeply distressed” by the findings of an official investigation into how the UN responded to major fighting across South Sudan's capital last July. We’ll hear from the man who [...]
An outbreak of violence in South Sudan in July in which some 300 people died and many women were raped was characterised by a "lack of leadership" and clarity over the UN's mandate, the head of an independent special investigation team has said. Acts of violence were committed against civilians and peacekeepers in the capital [...]
Aleppo violence claims new victims in rebel and government areas In Syria's Aleppo, deadly fighting between armed rebel groups and pro-government forces has escalated in recent days and may constitute war crimes by both sides, the UN said Tuesday. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), more than 30 civilians [...]
The UN Secretary-General has said he is "deeply distressed" by the findings of a report by a special investigation team on the violence in South Sudan's capital, Juba, in July, and the actions of the UN mission in the country, UNMISS. More than 70 people were killed in the three days of fighting, including more [...]
ISIL militants in Iraq are continuing to forcibly move tens of thousands of civilians closer to the city of Mosul to act as human shields, the UN said Tuesday. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), some 25,000 people were loaded into trucks and minibuses south of Mosul in the [...]
Volunteerism is a basic form of "social expression" and should be open to anyone who wants to contribute to the social good. That's according to Geoffrey Prewitt, the Chief of Development Programming at UN Volunteers (UNV). Globally, there are around 7000 UNVs, as they are known, working in approximately 130 countries. Pierre Marc Rene spoke to [...]
Four years ago, there were only 10 qualified midwives in South Sudan, which has a population of more than 12 million. Today, more than 300 of these skilled workers are deployed across the country, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA Deputy Country Representative Dr Wilfred Ochan described the rise in midwives as one of [...]
