As the number of people fleeing the Syrian crisis continues to rise, neighbouring countries are doing their best to cope with the influx.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is preparing to open a new camp in Jordan which will house up to 30,000 people.
UNHCR says a record number of Syrians have already crossed into the country since the beginning of this year.
Dianne Penn has the story.
Duration: 3'01"
The United Nations aims to achieve an increase of at least 20 per cent more women police officers in peacekeeping by 2014.
That’s according to Anne-Marie Orler, the UN Police Adviser. She says women police officers play a critical role in combating the scourge of sexual and gender based violence.
She tells UN Radio’s Donn Bobb that women are not only victims. They can also be protectors of security.
Duration: 4'59"
The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution which extends the mandate of the UN mission in the Central African Republic known by its French acronym, BINUCA.
The resolution also calls for the full implementation of a ceasefire between the Government and the Seleka Coalition of armed groups.
Gerry Adams reports.
Duration: 1'58"
Haiti is facing two main challenges: creating economic progress and conducting legislative and local elections.
That assessment comes from Mariano Fernández, the head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), who is in New York this week.
MINUSTAH has been on the ground since 2004, following on from previous peacekeeping operations and other UN involvement in the Caribbean country which began more than two decades ago.
Efforts to combat HIV and AIDS in South Africa got a boost recently with the visit by German soccer star Michael Ballack.
The country is believed to have the highest number of people affected by HIV and AIDS.
UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador and football star, Michael Ballack spent a weekend in South Africa learning how HIV impacts lives there.
Dianne Penn reports.
Duration: 2'18"
There is good news and bad news about the global economy, according to the World Investment and Political Risk survey released by UNCTAD, the UN Conference on Trade and Development.
The survey says foreign investors remain relatively optimistic about the economy and while mindful of risks, they are attracted by stronger economic growth in developing countries.
Gerry Adams has the story.
Duration: 2'16"
Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly implementing social safety nets to protect their most vulnerable citizens, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
However, the IMF says these programmes are still works-in-progress. For example, the organization has been working with the government of Burkina Faso to design a cash transfer system to target those who need it most.
Boiled rice, steamed rice, fried rice - rice is a staple food for over half of the world’s population, but nowhere is it more central to diet and culture than in South East Asia.
In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, rice provides 80% of the calories and even the word "eat" actually means "eat rice."
But rice alone is not sufficient to meet the dietary needs of children.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has started a project in Laos where overconsumption of rice led to malnutrition in children.
As fighting continues in Mali where rebels control the northern part of the country, people continue to flee their homes, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
The agency says that some people are fleeing into Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso while others are moving to the southern part of the country under government control.
Some of the people who are leaving the north fear the strict application of Sharia law by Islamist extremists there.
Consumers and food retailers have a big part to play in dramatically reducing the 1.3 billion tonnes of food that goes to waste each year. Worldwide, that’s about one-third of all food that’s produced. Speaking at the launch of the ‘Think, Eat, Save. Reduce your Foodprint’ campaign in Geneva today, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said that wasting food makes no sense – economically, environmentally and ethically.
