Latest News

With the release of a landmark report on breaches of international law committed in the ten years before the 2006 peace deal between the Nepali Government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the United Nations human rights chief today highlighted her concern over the failure to create promised transitional justice mechanisms to address past human rights violations.

The critical role of cooperation at local, regional and international levels in addressing the numerous peace and security problems in West Africa was highlighted today at a meeting of the heads of United Nations peace missions in the region.

Welcoming the announcement of a peace agreement to end decades of fighting between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the island of Mindanao in the country’s south, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged full United Nations assistance in helping the parties implement the accord, according to his spokesperson.

Italy must prioritize a human rights approach when dealing with migration, a United Nations independent expert said today, urging the Government to not let security concerns overshadow its border management policy.

The United Nations envoy for Somalia on Saturday congratulated the country's Prime Minister-designate, Abdi Farah Shirdon, and encouraged him to set up a transparent and accountable government.

Some 1.7 million more teachers are needed to achieve universal primary education by 2015, the second of the eight anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the heads of various United Nations agencies said today in a joint statement marking World Teachers' Day.

A new draft law criminalizing any reference to homosexuality in the media or public domain violates Ukraine’s commitment to freedom of expression and information, the United Nations said today, urging the country’s authorities to strengthen anti-discrimination laws for all citizens.

United Nations human rights officers have been dispatched to western Guatemala, where clashes between indigenous communities, police and the military have resulted in several deaths and injuries.

Four months after inter-communal violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) continues to rise, the United Nations refugee agency said today, adding that some 75,000 people are currently living in camps and many more are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Economic reforms in the European Union (EU) must be crafted in line with the human rights obligations of States, a group of United Nations independent experts on extreme poverty, external debt and equitable order urged EU governments today, following the release of a European-wide flagship study on the structure of the EU banking sector.