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Korotoumou Troaré weeds groundnut field in Foro-Foro village, then sell to the local market which helps feed her family

UN agency helps Côte d’Ivoire resuscitate war-hit agricultural sector

31 December 2009
The United Nations agency responsible for financing agricultural development in poor countries has given $10 million to Côte d’Ivoire to help some 86,000 families revive a farming sector affected by the civil war that in 2002 split the West African nation into a rebel-held north and Government-controlled south.
French troops assigned to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: top UN envoy voices concern over mounting civilian toll

31 December 2009
As the United Nations investigates a joint raid by Afghan and international forces in which 10 people – mostly students – were killed, the world body’s top envoy to Afghanistan today appealed to all groups, both government and insurgent, to step up efforts to distinguish between civilians and combatants.

UN maritime agency dedicates 2010 to the world’s 1.5 million seafarers

31 December 2009
As merchant sailors around the world face the perils of pirate-infested waters off Somalia, the risks of accidents at sea or abandonment in port, the United Nations agency entrusted with setting comprehensive regulations for shipping is dedicating next year to the 1.5 million seafarers who serving the daily needs of more than 6.5 billion citizens of Planet Earth.

UN food chief calls for bolstered support to feed world’s hungry billion

31 December 2009
With the number of chronically hungry people topping one billion for the first time in history, a coordinated effort to feed the world is crucial for the coming year, the head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today.
Darfurian refugees in a camp near the northeastern Central African Republic town of Sam Ouandja

UN receives pledge to respect refugee rights from Central African rebel leader

31 December 2009
The force commander of United Nations peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been assured by the leader of a major armed group that it will respect the rights of refugees amid heightening tensions in the country’s northeast, it was announced today.
Camp which previously housed Lao Hmong in Thailand (file photo).
UNHCR/J. Pagonis

UN rights experts call for end to Thai expulsion of Lao Hmong

31 December 2009
Reports of ongoing forcible return of a large number of ethnic Lao Hmong, despite a chorus of international protests, including from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have sparked the concern of independent United Nations human rights experts.
A view of Rimac’s historic colonial architecture

Colonial jewel in Peru’s capital to be restored with UN help

31 December 2009
As part of a United Nations-backed plan to restore historical architectural gems that have deteriorated into slums, residents of Rimac, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Peru’s capital, Lima, will start registering property titles as of 2010 in an effort to restore the priceless landmarks.
Afghan returnees from the Jalozai refugee camp in Pakistan at the UNHCR transit centre in Jalalabad

UN welcomes Pakistan’s protection of registered Afghans refugees

31 December 2009
The United Nations refugee agency today welcomed Pakistan’s decision to continue extending hospitality for the next three years to some 1.7 million registered Afghan refugees living within its borders.
A displaced man from South Waziristan collects a package of aid from UNHCR

UN agency distributes 35,000 tents to Pakistanis displaced by military offensive

31 December 2009
The United Nations refugee agency has rushed assistance to hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis driven from their homes by an intense military assault against militants in South Waziristan since October, including around 35,000 tents and 54,000 aid kits.

UN agency sets out priority steps to realize Green Economy for 21st century

31 December 2009
The United Nations environmental agency has identified three priority areas in the race to mitigate climate change based on harnessing the benefits of ecosystems, from coral reefs to forests, coupled with non-fossil fuel technology that exploits solar, geo-thermal and wind energy.