General News

Women in South Sudan are turning the challenges they face on a daily basis into “opportunities.”

That’s according to UN Women which has been supporting peace efforts through women groups in the African country.

The organization has worked with a number of groups to develop a document known as the Women’s Agenda for Peace and Sustainable Development in South Sudan.

Susan Dokolo has been speaking to the UN Women Country Representative Izeduwa Derex-Briggs.

Duration: 1’54”

Mine clearance takes time and money and the UN agency that’s leading global efforts against the deadly ordnance says it needs nearly $300 million to carry on with its work.

UNMAS has identified 23 countries and territories which require its help urgently with 175 ongoing projects.

UNMAS director Agnès Marcaillou tells Daniel Johnson that countries such as Afghanistan are close to becoming mine-free, but this can only happen with continued international support.

Duration 3'31"

A package of measures recently agreed upon to end the conflict in Ukraine needs to be fully implemented, the UN Security Council was told on Friday.

The 15-member Council was briefed on the situation in the East European country where conflict has raged between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

The report came from senior officials of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Derrick Mbatha has the story.

Duration: 2'47"

A plan to improve the quality of life in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is being supported by the World Bank.

The city has grown quickly following an oil boom in the country, and now efforts are being made to bring some order to that development.

The Bank is helping the city to develop a detailed land management plan which will provide more public places such as parks and improve road safety for the 3. 5 million inhabitants.

Alison Schafer reports.

Duration: 2’41”

At least 1.1 billion young people are at risk of irreversible hearing loss from the unsafe use of personal audio devices and an increasing noisy environment, the UN said Friday.

Raising the alarm, World Health Organization experts said many people don’t realise that once they lose their hearing, it won’t come back.

Ahead of International Ear Care Day on Tuesday 3 March, WHO’s Dr Etienne Krug told Daniel Johnson that while it’s a growing problem, “it’s not a question of cutting the fun, it’s a question of limiting the risk”.

A new fish-drying technology pioneered in West African fishing villages by the Food and Agriculture Agency, (FAO) is helping to improve health and boost livelihoods.

Smoked fish is a vital source of food and income for many African coastal communities.

In the small the fishing village of Abobodoumé, in Côte d’Ivoire, most of the locally caught fish is consumed in the smoked form, but traditional smoking methods have needed updating.

Yvette Diei Ouadi is a fishery industry officer with FAO.

Most of the 1.8 million residents of Gaza have no hope for the future according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

Children have been left deeply affected by the violence of a 50-day conflict that started last July between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups.

The fighting killed 539 children and injured almost 3000, leaving many struggling with life-long disabilities and psychological trauma.

Stephanie Coutrix reports.

Duration: 2'19"

Palestinians have suffered inordinately and the global community has failed Gaza, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

In a joint statement, 30 international aid organizations including UNRWA say they are alarmed at the limited progress in rebuilding the lives of those affected by conflict in the coastal enclave.

Six months have passed since a ceasefire on 26 August 2014 ended over seven weeks of fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.

Vulnerable communities across Africa are to be supported by a new programme on land governance aimed at promoting sustainable development and protecting legitimate tenure rights.

The launch is taking place this week in Niamey, Niger, organized by The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the African-led Land Policy Initiative.

Ten countries will implement new guidelines regarding land—Angola, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan and Swaziland.

The importance of forests in supporting life is being highlighted in 2015 which the UN has designated as the year for global action for sustainable development.

Forests are connected to water, energy, food security and climate, contain 80 per cent of the land’s biodiversity and about 20 per cent of the world’s population depend on them for the livelihoods.