The world’s poorest countries need to create decent jobs to break the cycle of poverty and avoid social instability, according to the latest report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Forty-nine countries are currently designated by the United Nations as “Least Developed Countries” or LDCs ranging from Afghanistan to Zambia.
There is progress in the efforts against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) which continues to terrorize civilians in Central Africa.
That’s what Ambassador Abou Moussa, the head of the UN Office in Central Africa (UNOCA) told the Security Council during a briefing on Wednesday.
The LRA, which operated in Uganda and South Sudan in the 1990’s, has extended its deadly activities to the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
An estimated 13 million people have been affected by super typhoon Haiyan and four million displaced, according to the latest figures published by the Philippines government.
The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, shared those figures as it presented a “humanitarian snapshot” of the Philippines on a map.
The agency said the vast majority of people affected were in the Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas, a collection of large and small islands located in Central Philippines.
Jocelyne Sambira has more.
Duration: 2'30"
As the international community rallies to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan’s fury, 13 million people in other parts of the Philippines are still trying to rebuild their lives shattered by earlier disasters in this densely populated Southeast Asian nation.
Before the typhoon, the country was still recovering from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that happened in Bohol on 15 October.
In December 2011, Tropical Storm Washi hit the island of Mindanao and killed hundreds of people.
More than 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate sanitation, something which directly affects their health, hygiene and human dignity.
On World Toilet Day, observed 19 November, the United Nations is reminding the world how this affects more than individuals.
Dianne Penn reports.
Duration: 3'04"
South Sudan is at a crossroads with the fledgling government struggling to expand and extend its authority, the head of the UN mission in the country (UNMISS) told the Security Council on Monday.
Hilde Johnson detailed pressing issues facing the world's youngest nation, including insecurity and human rights abuses by ill-disciplined security forces.
Dianne Penn reports.
Duration: 3'03"
Foreign medical teams have arrived in typhoon-affected areas in the Philippines to assist national health authorities dispense basic health services for the survivors, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
There are 12 medical teams on the ground already and another 19 teams are expected to arrive on Monday, said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic.
Speaking to UN Radio’s Patrick Maigua, Jasarevic said efforts were focused on restoring basic health services, assisting the injured and avoiding disease outbreaks.
Young girls in northern Ethiopia can now fetch water without fear of getting raped or abducted.
The construction and rehabilitation of water points by UNICEF, the European Union (EU) and other partners, is making their lives easier.
Five years ago, it would take three full hours to collect unclean water from a river after walking through dangerous fields. The project has brought more than 100 water points to the area.
Jocelyne Sambira has more.
Duration: 3'49"
Airports have been reopened, transport has resumed and countries are coming forward with aid a little over a week after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed parts of the central Philippines.
That’s what representatives of United Nations agencies in Geneva told reporters on Friday as they shared details of the ongoing rescue operations.
The number of people affected now stands at 11.8 million, with some 921,200 displaced people, according to the latest government figures.
Jocelyne Sambira has more.
Duration: 3'41"
Mia Farrow, world renowned American actress and Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) visited the Central African Republic recently.
She travelled to one of the villages in the north-western region of the country where more than 40,000 people have been displaced by recent violence.
Although there is a transitional government entrusted with restoring law and order and paving the way for democratic elections, armed clashes have increased in that part of the country.
