Latest News

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today congratulated Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel and his Kadima Party on winning the highest number of seats in yesterday’s general election, encouraging him to actively pursue Middle East peace.

Expressing serious concern that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is unable to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran, the United Nations Security Council today called upon that country to re-establish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, in a manner that is verified by the Agency.

Describing the current low numbers of women in United Nations peacekeeping operations as “disheartening,” a United Nations-backed conference called today for their number to be doubled every year for the next few years, saying this would not only improve the efficiency of peacekeeping but also its credibility.

The United Nations Security Council today decided to extend until 29 September 2006 the mandate of an expert panel monitoring an arms embargo against belligerents in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region and helping sanction those who fail to comply.

Facing a difficult new lean season which could mean death for more than 300,000 children in four West African sub-Saharan countries unless steps are taken now, the United Nations today launched an appeal for nearly $92 million to feed one of the world’s poorest regions.

In a wide-ranging review of the “many formidable challenges” facing the Arab world, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today reaffirmed the United Nations commitment to help resolve issues ranging from sectarian violence in Iraq to the Israeli-Palestinian impasse to the continued killings, rape and displacement in Sudan.

The rapid recovery programme carried out in Mexico’s leading Caribbean resorts after the devastation caused by Hurricane Wilma last year can serve as a blueprint for other tourist regions facing similar catastrophes, the head of the United Nations tourism body said today.

With urban populations in Asia, Africa and Latin America slated to double to nearly 4 billion, efforts must be stepped up to meet the far-reaching challenges this trend poses to providing safe water and sanitation, according to a report by the United Nations agency in charge of promoting socially and environmentally sustainable cities.

A new international treaty on trademarks that its proponents say creates a dynamic regulatory framework for the rights of brand labels was adopted today in Singapore by member States of the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which is feeding more than 9 million people in southern Africa this month, said today that was forced to borrow $113 million to ensure that the region’s needy did not starve during the critical lean season from January to April.