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The United Nations Climate Change Conference today voted to finalize the 'rule book' of the Kyoto Protocol, putting into concrete form the 1997 landmark treaty designed to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that have been determined to cause global warming.

The Security Council today expressed deep concern "at the persistent disagreements among Ivorian parties" over the appointment of an interim prime minister to lead the divided West African country into the next phase of its political transition after years of political unrest and a failed 2001 coup.

Proposals to partially fund the United Nations to postpone battles over reform of the organization might leave it in serious financial straights in early 2006, the UN comptroller said, as he provided an update on budget negotiations in the General Assembly committee charged with the task.

Noting that "factors of instability" remain in post-election Burundi, the United Nations Security Council today extended the mandate of the peacekeeping UN mission there for two months until mid-January.

The Security Council today welcomed the successful opening of the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt last Friday as an important step forward, following the mid-November agreement on movement and access between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Noting that more than 12,000 foreign militia members have been repatriated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and about the same number remain, the head of the United Nations mission said the programme has reached its limits and the mission is increasingly joining with the DRC army to put pressure on those staying behind.

A United Nations human rights expert today joined the chorus of those expressing strong disapproval of the extended detention under house arrest of Myanmar democracy activist Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for another six months, after over 10 years of being held without charge.

The United Nations General Assembly today called on countries that have not yet done so to become a party to the Law of the Sea regarding jurisdiction over national and international waters, as well as the seabed, and to maintain sustainable fisheries.

Dream Team members who ran in the first sponsored 2005 Toyota Great Ethiopian Run to raise funds for orphans and vulnerable children pulled in more than $18,000 in Sunday’s “Run for Their Dreams” campaign, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today.

The year 2005 has been an unprecedented year of emergencies for children, with an extraordinary series of natural disasters, food crises, and conflicts tearing at the fabric of life for tens of millions of people, according to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund released today.