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Violence and threats have forced more than 10,000 Iraqi refugees in Syria to flee the country over the past week, the United Nations refugee agency said today, with the majority returning to their home country in spite of security concerns.

The United Nations human rights agency has condemned the attack that took place on a relocation camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Côte d’Ivoire last week, stressing that the ethnically-motivated incident underscores the need to combat impunity for past abuses.

The United Nations envoy for Somalia has welcomed the progress made in the selection of the 825 members of the national body that will convene this week to discuss, vote on and adopt a new provisional constitution for the Horn of Africa nation.

Continuing his visit to South-East Europe, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the importance of dialogue and engagement across the region, highlighting the importance of the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

In a meeting with Lebanon’s Prime Minister, a United Nations senior official today expressed concern over the over recent incidents along the country’s borders with Syria, and emphasized that the Security Council and the international community are committed to preserving security and stability in the area.

The United Nations mission in Iraq today presented a roadmap to the Government suggesting a series of steps to complete the peaceful relocation of Iranian exiles from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya.

A sustainable peace for the people of Darfur is in sight but the challenges still facing the Sudanese region are many, the joint African Union-United Nations envoy there said today, stressing the need for all parties to remain focused and committed to making further progress.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he is saddened by the death of the President of Ghana, John Atta Mills, and offered his heartfelt condolences to the late leader’s family and the Government and the people of the country.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will head later this week to London, where he will take part in the torch run for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games on Thursday and attend the opening ceremony on Friday, his spokesperson announced today.

The massive smuggling of elephant ivory and rhino horn, tiger conservation and the illegal trade in great apes are among the issues on the agenda of a United Nations-backed meeting taking place in Geneva this week.