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The humanitarian situation in the conflict-wracked Central African Republic (CAR) is deteriorating, with 450 people killed in the capital Bangui and 159,000 others driven from their homes in Bangui, in the last week alone, United Nations agencies reported today, as the largest airlift of emergency supplies since the violence erupted arrived in the capital.

Syrians continue to fall victim to a callous indifference towards human life and disregard for safety, exemplified by the increasing trend of abductions and enforced disappearances, the United Nations human rights chief warned today.

With journalists facing frequent and often fatal violence both in conflict zones and stable countries, a United Nations expert today called on international bodies, including the Security Council, to take action against the scourge, warning that impunity is spawning a rising incidence in such attacks.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is taking to the airwaves today to make a personal appeal to the citizens of the strife-torn Central African Republic (CAR) to end the bloodshed that is tearing their country apart with increasing inter-communal violence between Christians and Muslims, warning perpetrators that they will be held to account.

Describing an “active year”, the United Nations peacekeeping chief today highlighted the progress made in key hotspots around the world, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali, Sudan and South Sudan, and noted the importance of technology and partnerships for doing more with resources impacted by the global economic crisis.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the international community to hold accountable those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, following the findings of a United Nations team that such weapons were used on several occasions at multiple sites against both civilians and military targets.

Humanitarian and early recovery needs remain great in typhoon-hit Philippines, a senior United Nations official said following a joint international mission to the areas of Guiuan, Ormoc and Tacloban.

The United Nations human rights chief today voiced her disappointment at the re-criminalization of consensual same-sex relationships in India, calling it “a significant step backwards” for the country.

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the killing of Juan Carlos Argeñal Medina, who was shot dead in his home in southeastern Honduras.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are ramping up efforts to assist more than 800,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon who are facing the onslaught of cold weather, rains and snowfall as a massive winter storm named “Alexa” moves across the region.