Europe

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon inspects Military Honour Guard of San Marino after receiving the Honour of the Knight of Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Top UN official visits San Marino at start of five-nation European tour

31 March 2013
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today kicked off a five-nation tour of Europe with a visit to San Marino which he praised for its commitment to peace, democracy and the rule of law around the world.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

UN chief to travel to San Marino, Andorra, Monaco, Spain, and the Netherlands

27 March 2013
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will depart New York on Saturday for a five-nation European tour during which he will focus on issues such as the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), chemical weapons and United Nations tribunals.
Mico Stanišic (right) and Stojan Zupljanin appearing before the ICTY in the Hague.
ICTY

Former high-ranking Bosnian Serbs receive sentences for war crimes from UN tribunal

27 March 2013
Two former high-level Bosnian Serb officials were sentenced today to 22 years imprisonment by a United Nations tribunal, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992.
Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Yury Fedotov.
UN Information Service, Vienna

Returning from Balkans, UN official urges greater efforts in countering illicit drugs

22 March 2013
The head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today underscored the need to ramp up efforts in combating drug demand, supply and trafficking, while urging Member States to intensify prevention strategies, particularly in the Balkans, where the main European trafficking routes for illicit drugs continue to operate.
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Farid Zarif briefs the Security Council.
UN Photo/Mark Garten

Ongoing tensions must not be allowed to derail Serbia-Kosovo talks, says UN envoy

22 March 2013
A senior United Nations envoy warned today that ongoing tensions and incidents on the ground must not be allowed to jeopardize the political talks between Serbia and Kosovo which have resulted in important positive developments and must be permitted to achieve their potential.
Photo: IRIN
IRIN

UN agency asks Ukraine to free detained former prime minister of Tajikistan

20 March 2013
The United Nations refugee agency said today it is deeply concerned about the continued detention and possible extradition of the former prime minister of Tajikistan, Abdoumalik Abdoulladjanov, a recognized refugee who was arrested in Ukraine.
Serbians demonstrate against the decision of the Kosovo Parliament in February 2008 to declare independence from Serbia.
UN Photo/Olivier Salgado

Ban stresses importance of successful outcome to Serbia-Kosovo dialogue

18 March 2013
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the importance of a successful outcome to the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, and called on both parties to remain committed to reaching agreements through mutually acceptable solutions.
Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
UN Photo

UN human rights office voices concern over changes to Hungarian constitution

15 March 2013
The United Nations today expressed concern over Hungary’s adoption of an amendment to the constitution that threatens the independence of its judiciary, and stressed this could have a profound effect on the human rights of its citizens.
Photo: CITES
CITES

Mediterranean and Black Sea sharks critically endangered, UN agency warns

14 March 2013
The dramatic drop in the populations of Mediterranean and Black Sea sharks will have serious implications for the region’s marine ecosystem and food chains, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in a study released today.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

In meeting with Foreign Minister, Ban welcomes Italy’s support to UN efforts

4 March 2013
Meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy today on a range of issues, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the country’s support for United Nations efforts in Mali and the entire Sahel region, as well as in Libya and Somalia.