General News

A record 5,000 migrants lost their lives in 2014 as they attempted to reach other countries according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The majority, died crossing the Mediterranean Sea after paying smugglers to transport them on unseaworthy boats.

On International Migrants Day marked on 18 December, the IOM is calling for urgent action to save the lives of migrants and stop smugglers from exploiting their desperation.

The crises in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and the Central African Republic dominated humanitarian relief efforts this year, a meeting of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) was told on Wednesday.

CERF was established by the UN General Assembly in 2006 for more timely and reliable aid to people affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts.

It is replenished annually through contributions from governments, the private sector, foundations and individuals.

The deadly Ebola disease outbreak in West Africa could leave up to one million people without enough food in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

This warning has come from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

According to the agencies, approximately 500,000 people are already severely food insecure in the three worst-hit countries as a result of the disruption of agricultural activities caused by Ebola.

Afghanistan needs to become a nation with a “unity of purpose and a common vision” if it is to develop peacefully according to the UN’s senior representative in the country.

The central Asian country has suffered from decades of instability and continues to fight extremist organizations like the Taliban which continue to operate on its territory.

Appearing on state television, Nicholas Haysom, the head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stressed the world body’s commitment to continue supporting the country.

Women are being jailed in South Sudan while their husbands are being tracked down for alleged crimes, according to UN experts.

They say this is just one of the challenges facing the country’s criminal justice system.

A human rights team from the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) has launched an investigation to determine how to improve justice for the South Sudanese people.

Daniel Dickinson reports.

Duration:  2'42"

The authorities in Pakistan are to get the full support of the United Nations following what has been described as a “most barbaric attack” on a military school in Peshawar.

More than 130 people, mainly children, were killed by the extremist Taliban group on Tuesday.

Timo Pakkala, is the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Pakistan.

Reem Abaza asked him what the UN could do to help the country.

Duration: 2'34"

Broadband, or jigh-speed Internet access has been described by a senior Kenyan government official as “the highway to inclusivity” and economic development.

Fred Matiang'i, the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology is a senior government official who attended a recent meeting of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Doha, Qatar.

He said all aspects of people’s lives are going to be driven by data and the way it is managed.

Community mobilization is essential to combat the deadly Ebola virus.

However in Guinea it is very difficult to ask people to change their behaviour

That’s the view of a spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) who has just returned from a mission to the country where Ebola was first identified a year ago.

In September a mob of villagers in the West African country attacked a community action team and killed nine people after reportedly believing that Ebola was a government conspiracy.

Investment in agriculture and rural development is going to be crucial in fighting poverty and feeding a global population that is expected to reach nine billion in 2050.

That’s according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The agency is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the FAO’s Investment Centre this year which is devoted to improving public and private investment in developing and transition countries.

The regular interruptions to electricity supplies in South Africa known as load-shedding are symptomatic of the economic challenges the country faces, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The agency says that as South Africa celebrates significant progress in its 20 years of democracy it is facing the task of reviving a weak economy.

The IMF has just released a report on the most developed economy in Africa in which it warns that the country needs to address the structural problems that are stifling the economy.