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United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien said that more than 21,000 people are in need of immediate shelter following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Ecuador on Saturday night, while the Government has stepped up recovery efforts in conjunction with several UN agencies.

Marking two months since Tropical Cyclone Winston hit Fiji, the United Nations senior humanitarian official in the South Pacific has said that “work is far from over” and that there are significant needs for continued relief efforts.

The United Nations and African countries are working as one to support the continent’s people in realizing their hopes and aspirations for peace and development, which will require “bold and decisive” action, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said today at a special event on the continent’s future.

The United Nations refugee agency said today that as many as 500 people may have lost their lives this past week when an overcrowded boat carrying refugees and migrants sank in the Mediterranean Sea at an unknown location between Libya and Italy.

The collective jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has made an “enormous contribution” to international law, benefiting both nations and citizens around the world, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today marking the 70th anniversary of the main judicial organ of the United Nations.

The United Nations health agency today launched a new global strategy for a world free of leprosy, calling for stronger commitments and accelerated efforts to stop disease transmission and end associated discrimination and stigma.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced he is closely following the judicial proceedings in Egypt against a number of civil society organizations and human rights defenders.

Having ruled on such diverse issues as plunder of natural resources in Africa to border disputes in South America and whale hunting in the Pacific, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the main judicial organ of the United Nations – turns 70 today and UN Radio has talked with long-time registrar Philippe Couvreur about the evolution of the tribunal's vital work.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the violent demonstrations that took place on Monday 18 April, in Kidal, in the north of Mali, which, according to preliminary information, left two protesters dead and several others injured.

With a cessation of hostilities largely holding in Syria, the situation is “encouraging,” but areas under siege remain particularly vulnerable, according to a senior United Nations humanitarian official.