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A United Nations human rights report released today says that a Uganda-based rebel group has committed grave violations of international humanitarian law in crisis-riven north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The United Nations refugee agency and the world body’s top envoy on international migration have applauded European Union (EU) authorities’ proposals for dealing with refugees and migrants arriving in Europe via the Mediterranean, calling for swift implementation of the reforms “for the urgent purpose of saving lives.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned in the “strongest possible terms” today’s terrorist attack in Pakistan which left dozens dead and many others injured, a United Nations spokesperson has confirmed.

A new international agreement on forests should aim at advancing implementation of sustainable forest management and bring about a reversal of deforestation, the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) said this morning.

The United Nations refugee agency has said it is “extremely alarmed” at reports suggesting that Indonesian and Malaysian authorities have pushed back boats carrying numerous migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The United Nations health agency today reported that by the end of 2015, the world will have met the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for turning around the epidemics of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, and boosting access to drinking water, but will likely fall short of reaching other health-related goals in areas such as child and maternal deaths and basic sanitation.

Amid reports of political upheaval in Burundi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called urgently today on all parties in the country to exercise calm and restraint, and reminded the country's leaders of the need to preserve peace and stability.

The widespread availability of small arms and light weapons, and their ammunition, is the common factor in over 250 conflicts witnessed across the globe in the last decade, the United Nations Secretary-General told the Security Council today, pointing to 50,000 deaths along with displacement levels unseen since the Second World War as direct consequences of such violence.

The emergency preparedness efforts implemented by the Government of Nepal over the past 15 years have ensured that key elements of the health sector remained ready and able to function during the recent earthquake that devastated large swathes of the mountainous country, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

The top United Nations humanitarian official has welcomed the commencement of a ceasefire in Yemen aimed at allowing the delivery of “lifesaving” relief and aid to the country's civilian populations.