Failing to breastfeed in the first hour after birth, puts newborns at higher risk of death and disease, and makes mothers less likely to persevere with breastfeeding, says UNICEF, together with the World Health Organization (WHO) in a new report to mark the start of World Breastfeeding Week.  UNICEF Nutrition Specialist for infants and young children, Maaike Arts, spoke to UN News.

Just over a quarter of people trafficked worldwide are children, according to latest figures from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Marking the 2018 World Day against Trafficking in Persons this Monday, UNODC is highlighting the urgency of acting “as soon as possible” to prevent the crime. Fabrizio Sarrica, a UNODC research expert on human trafficking, has been speaking to Michelle Kusuma, who asked him how this year’s campaign addresses current challenges in child trafficking prevention.

Despite a diminishing budget and rising casualties among ‘blue helmets’, peacekeeping remains “a very important tool” in the promotion of peace and stability, according to Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. In an interview with UN News, Mr. Lacroix stressed the need to prepare peacekeepers for “more dangerous environments”, while cautioning against over-reduction of resources.

In Lao People’s Democratic Republic, commonly known as Laos, the UN is involved in an emergency relief operation after a huge dam breach on Monday released floodwater that destroyed entire villages.  Speaking from Bangkok, IOM’s Chris Lom, told UN News’s how the agency aims to help in the worst-affected areas.

Algeria’s reluctance to address its violent past has meant that it has “stepped back” on basic human rights, the UN Human Rights Committee said on Thursday, in Geneva.   José Manuel Santos Pais, member of the Human Rights Committee, spoke to UN News on the committee's report on Algeria.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) by six months.  Elizabeth Spehar, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cyprus and Head of UNFICYP – told UN News why UNFICYP is still needed today.

Major advances are being made to better safeguard natural environments across the world, but more action is needed if the planet’s long-term survival is to be ensured, according to the UN’s top environment official. The pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, is moving Governments in the right direction, but more must be done, he told Liz Scaffidi.

The people of Gaza “can’t understand the silence of the international community” over the “suffering” they are enduring; that’s according to Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  Mr. McGoldrick, who visited the Gaza Strip last week, spoke with UN News.

As the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared the end of its most recent deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus on Tuesday, Dr Renée van de Weerdt, Deputy Head of Operations at the World Health Organization’s (WHO), has been recounting how even just reaching the first victims, was a major logistical challenge.  She spoke to UN News’s Daniel Johnson.

Promoting the rights of women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory “is not going to be easy” but the political will is there to bring about change, a leading UN-appointed expert said on Monday. It marks the first time that the Palestinian Authority, which administers much of the occupied West Bank, has worked directly with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). CEDAW member Nahla Haidar talked to UN News.