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Leaders in Somalia have agreed to set up a Constituent Assembly that will adopt the East African nation’s new constitution in line with an existing roadmap to end the current transitional governing arrangement by an upcoming deadline, the United Nations envoy for the country said today.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today commended the Egyptian authorities for their organization of the country's presidential elections and the people of Egypt for their participation.

The United Nations refugee agency said today it is expanding relief operations for refugees in the Yida camp in South Sudan, where the number of people fleeing conflict in neighbouring Sudan has risen to more than 35,000.

The top United Nations human rights official said today she remains concerned over continuing instability in Guinea Bissau, following the coup there last month and reports of human rights violations, including the violent repression of a peaceful demonstration, looting and arbitrary detention of civilians.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today said that fighting malnutrition in Yemen should be a top priority in the Middle Eastern country, where more than half the children under the age of five are stunted due to hunger and poor nutrition.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the recently concluded talks between Iran and the E3+3 grouping – made up of the United Kingdom, the United States, China, France, Germany and Russia – his spokesperson said today.

Twenty additional countries have ratified the optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and pornography, while 15 States have became parties to the optional protocol on children in armed conflict since the launch of the campaign two years to encourage universal ratification.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will next week travel to Turkey and Saudi Arabia for a number of engagements in the two countries, including attending a meeting related to the Alliance of Civilizations, a conference on the future of Somalia and a meeting of the advisory board of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre.

A United Nations independent human rights expert has urged Gabon to adopt measures to tackle trafficking in children from West and Central African States, and address traditional and cultural factors that exacerbate the problem.

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today spoke out against the killing of two journalists, one in Honduras and the other in Uganda.