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Liberians have made steady progress in preparing for the October national elections, but the re-integration of ex-combatants, vital to heading off the re-recruitment of fighters and an increase in crime, is facing a funding shortfall, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on civil society and the corporate sector to mobilize the political will towards achieving the interconnected goals of human development, security and human rights.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has applauded Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza’s pledge to provide free primary education for every child as the country emerges from years of civil war.

Following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the head of the main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees said today that her main focus was on creating jobs, micro-financing and housing reconstruction so that the inhabitants themselves would benefit from the pullback.

A top United Nations official met today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the latest progress in promoting free elections in Lebanon and ridding the country of foreign influence and militias.

United Nations officials today hailed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as essential partners in the effort to promote a culture of peace, create change in world societies and hold governments accountable for achieving their commitments.

From whistle-blower protection to greater financial disclosure, the United Nations has already begun implementing the recommendations of Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) into the Iraq Oil-for-Food Programme, which in its final report delivered yesterday found both misadministration and evidence of corruption.

The top United Nations official for Somalia today appealed for restraint from all parties in that country and the opening of dialogue between them, as tension built in Jowhar, the temporary seat of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, as a result of military movements in and around the town.

A week before meeting at United Nations Headquarters in the largest-ever summit of heads of State and government, world leaders today received a stark warning of the human costs of missing agreed global targets for lifting people out of extreme poverty, and an urgent plea for swift and dramatic changes in global aid, trade and security policies.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will be helping the government of Benin set up health posts and psychosocial counselling to assist some of the 40,000 Togolese who have fled their country into the West African country since clashes broke out around the April presidential polls.