The acclaimed actress Mia Farrow leaves for Guinea tomorrow in her real-life role as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador to boost funding for maternal and child health in a country where youngsters are among those most seriously hurt by recent political and economic turmoil.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tonight opened an exhibition showcasing the history of the global pact aimed at banning all nuclear tests with a call for countries to take immediate action on disarmament to secure a safer world.
The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today concluded a visit to the West African nation of Mali, lauding the efforts the country was making as its strives to alleviate poverty and provide basic social services to the people.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon laid out his proposals for a revised mandate for the United Nations mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad in a new report released today, including a significant reduction of troops in response to the latter country’s request to assume full responsibility for protecting civilians in its territory.
The joint African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur today urged the Government and one of the leading insurgent groups in the western Sudanese region to stop fighting as it confirmed that fresh clashes had erupted between the two sides despite a peace process intended to end the conflict.
Indonesia has announced that it intends to ratify the United Nations-backed treaty banning nuclear testing, pushing the pact one step closer to fruition.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed today Desmond Parker of Trinidad and Tobago as the top official for protocol at the United Nations.
The review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entered its second day today at United Nations Headquarters with speakers taking up issues ranging from the Middle East, Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to practical measures towards disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
The United Nations food aid agency today appealed to donors to make up for a massive shortfall in funding for Yemen, where it has already been forced to halve rations for hundreds of thousands of hungry people and faces the prospect of a virtually complete depletion of stocks by August.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo will travel to Kenya next weekend to start investigations into the violence that broke out in the east African country following the 2007 general elections, and to meet with some of those directly affected by the unrest.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised the inauguration of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Honduras as “an important first step” toward binding the wounds in the Central American country opened by last year’s ouster of President José Manuel Zelaya.
After five weeks of Government operations against ethnic militias, the United Nations refugee agency today said that it is once again able to reach some 35,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who have fled to neighbouring Republic of Congo (ROC).
The United Nations agency focusing on HIV/AIDS has welcomed a decision by the global fund which manages resources to combat the disease to start receiving proposals for grants this month, saying the decision will enable countries to maintain the momentum of efforts to stem the spread of the pandemic.
Warning of climate change’s potential to threaten food security in Africa, a new United Nations paper is urging the continent’s countries to take action to develop agriculture and manage natural resources in a sustainable manner.
The United Nations health agency is publishing new guidelines on treatment for venomous snake bites, which kill at least 100,000 people a year, while highlighting the critical need for appropriate, safe and effective antivenoms.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today personally urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to restore international trust in the peaceful nature of his country's nuclear programme by adhering to the resolutions of the Security Council and the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency.
The top United Nations humanitarian official today ended a five-day to areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that have witnessed some of the worst atrocities against civilians, stressing the vital need that UN peacekeepers remain beyond the August 2011 deadline set by the Government.
Senior United Nations officials on a joint mission to Mali have lauded the country for its progress in expanding HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, stating it can serve as an example to the rest of the continent in tackling the epidemic.
Remembering the terrible toll of the nuclear attacks during World War II on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a senior United Nations official today appealed for an end to the use of the weapons, which remain an “apocalyptic” threat.
Haiti announced today that it was partially resuming international mail services for the first time since the January earthquake ravaged much of the country’s national institutions, including the post office, with support from the United Nations postal union.
