Latest News

Condemning today's suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province that killed 11 civilians and injured more than 30 others, the United Nations Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMA) reiterated that indiscriminate use of explosives in areas crowded by civilians is a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The issue of refugees and migration has risen to the top of the international community’s agenda with the massive flow of people seeking safety and new lives in Europe of late.

As part of a joint effort to increase protection for the growing numbers of children and others with specific needs arriving in Europe, two United Nations agencies have agreed to set up special support centres for children and families along the most frequently used migration routes across the continent.

A United Nations rights expert today urged the Government of the Russian Federation not to implement an extradition treaty signed with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) earlier this month.

As the full picture of the worst cyclone ever to hit Fiji becomes more apparent, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that up to 120,000 children across the county may be badly affected.

Concerned with the increasing number of border restrictions along the Balkan land route, including in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the countries to keep their borders open “in a spirit of responsibility sharing and solidarity.”

The United Nations deputy humanitarian chief today called on all parties to the conflict in South Sudan to protect civilians and grant safe and unhindered humanitarian access as she wrapped up a two-day visit to the African country.

As the process to select the next United Nations Secretary-General gets under way, the President of the General Assembly announced today that he will hold a series of informal dialogues and meetings with all potential candidates from 12 to 14 April.

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously endorsed the agreement negotiated by Russia and the United States on a cessation of hostilities in Syria – set to take effect at midnight Damascus time – which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed as “our best chance to end the brutal violence” in the country after five years of war.

The principle of “responsibility to protect,” a call for putting into action legal commitments to protect populations from atrocity crimes, has seen mixed results since its inception in 2005, the United Nations deputy chief said today, urging the international community to make the protection of populations from such heinous acts “a living reality.”