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The introduction of free meal programmes not only ensures children are fed, but are crucial to keeping the poorest and most vulnerable in school while providing a boost to learning and health, according to a United Nations report released today.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on all parties in Côte d’Ivoire to fix a new date as soon as possible for their much-delayed elections, now postponed yet again from their latest deadline of this month.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is concerned by the growing tension between the parties to the Western Sahara negotiations, which have increased following the recent detention of several groups of Saharawi activists.

Although the number of researchers working in developing countries over the last five years has increased by 50 per cent, women only occupy a very small percentage of these positions in some regions, according to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report released today.

Over 150 ex-combatants who once fought for armed militia in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region participated today in a United Nations-backed demobilization and reintegration programme which aims to ease the return of former soldiers to their communities.

The trial against two former Congolese rebel leaders for crimes allegedly committed by their militias in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2003 is set to begin tomorrow in The Hague at the International Criminal Court.

United Nations agencies and their partners are continuing to assist civilians uprooted by fighting in northern Yemen, but warned today that access to internally displaced persons (IDPs) that are not staying in camps is still a concern.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his sympathies to the family of Alec Collett, a staff member of the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees who disappeared 24 years ago and whose remains have now been found in Lebanon.

Increased threats to international staff in Darfur, including “extremely alarming” kidnappings, ongoing military action by Chad, Sudan and rebels, and Government limits on peacekeepers’ movements continue to hamper efforts to stabilize the Sudanese area torn apart by nearly seven years of war, says a new report by the United Nations chief.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Republic of Korea signed plans today for a new policy centre and trust fund, marking a shift in their 40-year partnership to reflect the country’s status as an emerging donor to development.