Europe

Courtroom 1 of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
ICTY

UN tribunal sentences former Serb official to prison term for refusal to testify

24 February 2012
The United Nations war crimes tribunal set up in the wake of the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s today sentenced a former municipal officer to two months in prison for refusing to testify in the trial of the former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžic.
General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

General Assembly President discusses Syrian crisis with Turkish leader

24 February 2012
General Assembly chief Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser reaffirmed the necessity of finding a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria as he discussed the latest developments there with Turkish President Abdullah Gül.
A boat carrying sub-Saharan African migrant workers arrives in Lampedusa from Tripoli, Libya.

UN human rights office welcomes ruling on treatment of migrants at sea

24 February 2012
The United Nations human rights office today added its voice in support of a European court ruling that found it is wrong for a country to collectively expel migrants intercepted on the high seas without first determining whether this would place their lives at risk.
Independent Expert on Minority Issues Rita Izsak.
OHCHR

UN expert urges dialogue after Latvia votes against Russian as official language

22 February 2012
The United Nations independent expert on minority issues today encouraged the Government of Latvia to ensure protection of the rights of the country’s Russian-speaking minority and engage in dialogue with them after a proposal to recognize the language as an official tongue was rejected in a referendum.
A view of one of many bridges over the Danube River connecting the two sides, Buda and Pest, of Hungarian capital, Budapest.
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

Warning of destructive floods as Danube thaw sets in, UN urges better response

21 February 2012
Destructive floods caused by the rapid thawing of the Danube River could add to the fatalities from an already harsh European winter, the head of the United Nations agency dealing with disaster risk reduction warned today.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) and Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev of Kyrgyzstan.
UN Photo/Mark Garten

Ban discusses reconciliation and regional issues with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister

16 February 2012
The reconciliation process in Kyrgyzstan, regional cooperation on combating drug trafficking and peace efforts in Afghanistan were the focus of discussions between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev when they met today in Vienna.
Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Magdalena Sepúlveda

UN experts speak out against Hungarian law criminalizing homelessness

15 February 2012
Two independent United Nations human rights experts today issued a joint call on Hungary to revise recent laws that criminalize homelessness and potentially imprison those living on the streets.
Courtroom 1 of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
ICTY

UN tribunal sets mid-May date for start of genocide trial of Ratko Mladic

15 February 2012
The United Nations tribunal set up in the wake of the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s announced today that the trial of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military chief who is facing charges of genocide and other war crimes, will begin on 14 May.
A park on the banks of Lake Geneva, Switzerland, covered entirely in ice.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

UN warns of unequal exposure to environmental health risks within Europe

14 February 2012
One out of every five Europeans dies from environmentally-related diseases, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) warned today, noting that poorer citizens are more exposed to such risks than their wealthier peers.
UNESCO Headquarters in Paris: the <i>Symbolic Globe</i> by Erik Reitzel and the Eiffel Tower.
UNESCO/M. Ravassard

UNESCO mourns passing of celebrated Danish artist Erik Reitzel

14 February 2012
The head of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today paid tribute to the Danish artist and civil engineer Erik Reitzel, who has died at the age of 71, saying his art reinforced the Organization’s “commitment to serve the common good.”