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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his shock and sadness after a bomb attack at a bus station near the Nigerian capital of Abuja claimed dozens of lives, and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

A United Nations independent expert has issued a strong call on the Government of Iran to halt tomorrow’s scheduled execution of an Iranian woman said to be the victim of physical and sexual assault, seriously concerned that she did not receive a fair trial.

Even with a slow recovery from the economic and financial crisis under way, severe effects of the upheaval linger and serious risks remain, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson warned a high-level gathering of global finance institutions today, urging measures to channel financial investment into vital areas that can help secure sustainable development for all.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has applauded the people of Guinea-Bissau for their orderly and peaceful participation in yesterday’s presidential and legislative elections, and called on all candidates to respect the upcoming results.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly encouraged Israel and Palestine to remain “constructively engaged” in ongoing efforts towards achieving a two-State solution during separate phone calls over the weekend with the leaders of both sides.

Concerned that Syria has missed the 13 April deadline to remove most of its chemical agents, the Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations (OPCW-UN) says that it expects “an intensification of efforts” towards meeting the goal of removing all the country’s chemical weapons by the end of the month.

More than 70,000 people are now living in horrendous conditions crammed into the Central African Republic (CAR) Bangui airport – the lucky ones under weather-beaten tarps just yards from the runway. Others are in the open.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today voiced grave concern at a bill presented to the Nepalese Parliament which could lead to amnesties for serious human rights violations, saying it would weaken the foundation for a genuine peace in the country.

The United Nations human rights chief today condemned the rampant use of torture, including allegedly of children, in detention facilities across Syria by Government forces and some armed opposition groups.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is warning countries to step up monitoring, reporting and prevention to tackle one of the world’s most destructive banana diseases, Fusarium wilt, which recently spread from Asia to Africa and the Middle-East, and is now menacing Latin American countries.