General News

The immense contributions of the late Kenyan intellectual, Professor Ali Mazrui, made to the UN cultural agency (UNESCO) were recognized at an event held at UN headquarters on Tuesday.

The event was organized by the permanent mission of Kenya to the United Nations in collaboration with UNESCO’s on 24^th February, the birthday of the Pan Africanist scholar.

UNESCO says Professor Mazrui  was one of the leading figures for the drafting and elaboration of its General Histories of Africa Collection.

Authorities in Afghanistan need to do more to end torture and ill-treatment of conflict-related detainees, says a UN report released on Wednesday.

The report, by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is based on interviews with 790 detainees.

It says that there has been some progress in ending torture in detention facilities and the new administration is committed to accelerate its efforts to fully eliminate it.

The future of up to 750,000 people in West Africa who are stateless is coming under the spotlight at a meeting organised by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Côte d’Ivoire.

It’s part of the agency’s bid to end statelessness across the world within 10 years.

A stateless person is somebody who has does not have an official nationality.

It means that they are unable to access the rights and services that countries normally offer their citizens.

Economic growth can be encouraged around the world if more women were to run small and medium sized enterprises.

That’s according to the International Monetary Fund.

The Fund says that small loans to women who want to start businesses are particularly effective in emerging economies.

Jocelyn Frank has been talking to Melanne Vervee, the Executive Director of the Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University in Washington DC in the United States.

Iraq is one of four countries that urgently needs money to help millions of people suffering from illness and disease, the World Health Organization has said.

Dr Jaffer Hussain, WHO’s representative for Iraq, says that almost all of the country’s health facilities have been damaged following years of instability and intensifying conflict.

Many health professionals have also left areas of conflict.

Dr Hussain tells Daniel Johnson that those with chronic illnesses should not be forgotten.

Duration: 2'32"

The ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic is worsening an already poor healthcare system in the country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The country has been mired in sectarian violence between the Muslim and Christian militias for the past two years.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict.

Daniel Johnson discussed the Central African Republic crisis with Dr Michel Yao, WHO representative for the country.

Duration: 2'59"

Peacekeeping missions need to have improved technology if they are to respond adequately to their mandates.

A new UN report makes 120 recommendations to help UN peacekeeping close the so-called “technology gap”.

This includes the increased use of drones.

Assistant Secretary-General Jane Holl Lute is Chair of a panel of experts looking at how to improve the performance of UN peacekeeping operations.

Stephanie Coutrix began by asking her what prompted the need for such a report.

Duration: 4’51”

One of the casualties of the Ebola in Liberia has been its health care infrastructure, including its second largest referral hospital.

Liberia is one of the three West African countries that have been hardest hit by Ebola which has claimed over 9,300 lives in the region.

Redemption Hospital, located in a town just outside the capital Monrovia, has survived the Ebola crisis, despite the loss of some of its staff to the disease, as Lisa White  reports.

Duration: 2’34”

The use of the same syringe or needle on more than one person can cause the spread of deadly infectious diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The UN agency says both patients and health workers and are at risk of being accidentally infected during procedures with injections.

The agency on Monday launched a new policy recommending a switch to what are called “smart” syringes which are disabled after being used once.

Derrick Mbatha reports.

Duration: 2'46"

Civilians in at least one-third of Iraq have become victims of systematic and gross human rights abuses by Islamic State (IS) fighters, according to a new UN report.

It highlights the abduction, rape and trafficking of women and the use of children to shield jihadi fighters on the front line, among many other violations.

Francesco Motta, director of human rights at the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) explained to Daniel Johnson how IS targets minorities.

Duration: 4”24"