A recap of Wednesday's top stories: Kyrgyz lawyer honoured by UN refugee agency; Positive but realistic outlook in runup to Syria talks; Security Council debates how African youth can bolster peace; refugees in Mexico pursue innovative labor initiatives; UN laments violent clashes in Iraq; Roadblocks in humanitarian aid for Haiti.

There is a “sign of hope for the long-suffering Syrian people” as a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned, credible and inclusive Constitutional Committee is set to start deliberations next month, the United Nations Special Envoy for the country told the Security Council on Monday.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Yemen on Saturday called on the United Nations and the wider international community to stand by his crisis-torn country as it struggled to cope with daily assaults and “terrorist aggression” at the hands of vicious, Iran-backed Houthi militias.

The United Nations, and the world, have a moral responsibility “to apply utmost pressure with every tool available ... to end the terrorist and aggressive conduct of the Iranian regime,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister told the General Assembly on Thursday evening.