General News

On February 14th, a billion people - men and women, across the globe are being urged to rise and dance together to end violence against women.

The Security Council has made progress in the area of protection of civilians in armed conflict since it began dealing with the issue in 1999.

Still, civilians continue to account for the vast majority of casualties in armed conflict, according to the Republic of Korea.

The country, which holds the presidency of the Security Council for the month of February, addressed the issue in the Council on Tuesday as it reacted to the North Korea nuclear test. 

Gerry Adams reports.

Duration: 4'23"

North Korea’s decision to conduct an underground nuclear test has drawn international condemnation.

The Security Council in New York, the Conference on Disarmament meeting in Geneva, and the head of the organization which monitors a global nuclear test ban treaty, have all denounced the explosion, which took place on Tuesday.

In her first-ever official visit abroad as Miss Universe, Olivia Culpo took part in an open discussion with Indonesian youth on raising HIV/AIDS awareness.

Ms. Culpo says she is committed to working with young people globally, on behalf of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNAIDS, as she believes that spreading international awareness about this deadly disease will help fight the pandemic.

Beng Poblete-Enriquez reports:

Duration:  1'42"

Several opposition figures in Sudan who are currently being held in jail are in urgent need of medical attention, according to a UN independent expert on the situation of human rights in the country.

Mashood Baderin, who is a Law Professor at the University of London, has just concluded an eight-day mission to Sudan which took him to the capital, Khartoum, and to Darfur state.

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?”

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 the borders of Syria into neighbouring countries every single day.

Derrick Mbatha reports.

Duration: 3'27"

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 using sorcery to kill, despite attempts by law enforcement officials to intervene.

With the military intervention in Mali, the situation on the ground has changed dramatically, according to a top official of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Although security is still a concern, David Gressly says aid agencies can now resume distribution of humanitarian supplies to central Mali. The humanitarian agencies are also working to reach the food insecure population in the north such as Gao and Timbuktu.

The deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping mission for Mali is in the works.

The country is facing a political crisis following a military coup in March last year and the occupation of the northern part of the country by armed rebels.

This has in turn created a humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands of people displaced and others becoming refugees in neighbouring countries.

Derrick Mbatha reports.

Duration: 3'58"