In the first decision of its kind, the International Criminal Court (ICC) today (7 August) announced that victims of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, convicted earlier this year for recruiting child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, will receive reparations. ICC / FILE
On the last day of month-long negotiations at the United Nations on an international arms trade treaty, arms control activists today (27 July) said that whatever the outcome on the treaty itself, “tremendous” progress had been achieved.
A United Nations official spoke out on the importance of sustained international efforts to bring the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to justice. He said that this is “a simple conflict” and that once “you remove Joseph Kony” and a couple of his lieutenants, “the problem is done.” UNTV / FILE
UNICEF said that today’s verdict by the International Criminal Court in the Thomas Lubanga case was a major victory for children and a crucial step forward in their protection. UNICEF / FILE
At the end of the month, the world population is expected to reach 7 billion charting a new path full of opportunities, challenges and an urgent need for a more equitable, healthy, and sustainable world. Head of the UN Population Fund Babatunde Osotimehin added that within the 7 billion “1.8 billion are young people” and [...]
Thursday (7 April) marks the 17th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a video message honoured the memory of the more than 800,000 people murdered in the 1994 genocide. “Our thoughts are also with the survivors, left to rebuild shattered communities and an entire nation.” UNTV / FILE
Desertification, defined as land degradation in the drylands, threatens the livelihoods of more than 1 billion people in some 100 countries and could lead to disruption of up to 44 percent of all the world’s cultivated systems. The UN will launch the Decade for Deserts and the Fight Against Desertification on 16 August 2010 in [...]
Maxwell Fuona confronts the challenges of having lost his leg when rebels attacked his village in Sierra Leone by playing football with other amputees. IRIN
On the occasion of this year’s Human Rights Day (10 December), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls on people around the world to rally in defense of those targeted by ethnic strife, hate speech, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination. UNTV / FILE
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says drug traffickers undermine the rule of law and in some countries the huge profits generated through drug trafficking can rival their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). UNTV / FILE