General News

UNICEF says that it is concerned by a growing number of refugee children with severe acute malnutrition from the Central African Republic (CAR) in neighbouring countries, such as Cameroun.

The two-year conflict in the CAR, between the mainly Christian anti-Balaka and Muslim Séléka movements, has led to high numbers of displaced people seeking refuge in neighbouring countries such as Chad or Cameroun.

Many people have been on the run for months on end, which has in turn led to high incidences of severe acute malnutrition.

Discrepancies in the levels of well-being for people across the world persist 20 years after a landmark conference on population issues, according to a senior United Nations population expert.

Those measures of well-being include issues that affect women like fertility and child mortality.

The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was held in Cairo in September 1994 and broke new ground in putting the rights of the individual first.

Farmers in Viet Nam's Mekong Delta say they may not be able to grow rice in the future because of rising sea levels caused by climate change.

The South-East Asian country is the world’s second largest exporter of rice with 80 per cent of the production coming from the Mekong. Many farmers fear losing their livelihood, but now the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is working with farmers to help them adapt to the new climatic and growing conditions.

James Heer reports.

Duration: 3'21"

Water is a central concern year round in Somaliland, a self-declared autonomous state in northern Somalia.

Over a third of households in Somaliland’s urban areas do not have access to clean drinking water and the proportion is far higher in rural areas, the UN says.

Beerato is a major watering hole for surrounding villages, when drought isn’t severe.

A project financed by the UN Democracy Fund, UNDEF, is helping rural women there change their odds for survival.

Daljit Dhaliwal reports.

Duration: 3'26"

Villagers in northern Tanzania have found the answer to a lack of water literally under their feet.

The Maasai villagers used to have to walk for hours each day in search of water, but after drilling a borehole, they found a clean, fresh supply right below their homes.

As Joanne Levitan reports, the water has brought a wide range of benefits.

Duration: 3'20"

Men and women serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti, have to abide by the same rules, according to the commander of a battalion from the Philippines.

Commander Luzviminda Camacho, a navy captain, is leading a contingent of 156 men and women in Haiti.

She has over 25 years of service in her country and was the first female captain in the Philippines. Monica Grayley asked Luzviminda Camacho about her role in the mission.

Duration: 2'27"

The conflict in Syria has reached a tipping point, threatening the entire region, according to the latest report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (COI).

With warring parties in unrelenting pursuit of a military victory, the report says, violence has escalated to an unprecedented level.

The criminalisation of at-risk populations can slow down efforts to eradicate the epidemic of HIV and AIDS.

Madeep Dahliwal, Director of the UN Development Programme’s HIV, Health and Development Practice, made the observation from Melbourne Australia.

The 20th International AIDS Conference wrapped up on Friday.

Billions of dollars may be spent on HIV and prevention services but most “at risk groups” do not have access because of bad laws that force them underground.

The Security Council has been described as an “international sisterhood” by one of the five women ambassadors currently serving on the United Nations body.

For the first time in the history of the Council, women occupy five of the 15 seats.

Ambassador Joy Ugwu of Nigeria is one of them. She hopes that one day women will make up the majority.

In the latest of our interviews with the women ambassadors Elisabeth Philip began by asking Ms Ogwu what it is like to serve on the Council.

Duration: 4’19’’

Europe has been called to action to stop the rise of people dying at sea seeking refuge from countries torn by conflict like Syria, Mali, Libya or insecurity like Somalia.

The UN refugee agency issued a statement in Geneva after more than 260 people died crossing or went missing in the Mediterranean in the last ten days alone.

The refugees and migrants travel in unseaworthy and overcrowded dinghies, packed into a few metres of space without food, water or life jackets.