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A United Nations committee tasked with protecting the world’s oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, craftsmanship and knowledge of nature today added 20 new items to the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The United Nations war crimes tribunals set up in the wake of the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda are making progress in completing their work, but still face a myriad of challenges that will require support from the international community, their officials told the Security Council today.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is “seriously concerned” about the announcement of a planned rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and “strongly urges” it to reconsider its decision, according to his spokesperson.

A senior United Nations official today urged the Iranian Government to release a lawyer and human rights activist, Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been on a hunger strike for more than 10 weeks, following reports that her health is deteriorating.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged countries to act decisively to tackle the “growing crisis” of climate change, as United Nations negotiations kicked into high gear in Doha, Qatar.

Botswanan pottery-making, Indonesian handicrafts, traditional Kyrgyz carpet-threading, and the music and dance of Uganda’s Busoga people are the new elements added today to the United Nations-endorsed list of the world’s intangible cultural heritage – part of the world body’s ongoing efforts to preserve endangered practices from fading into extinction.

Amid reports of volatility in the area, the United Nations refugee agency today said it is concerned about the security of displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after an attack on a camp outside of the provincial city of Goma over the weekend.

The United Nations today launched a $1.3 billion humanitarian appeal to address the immediate needs of the Somali people over the next year and enhance resilience in the country, which has for decades been mired by conflict, drought, floods and food insecurity.

Addressing the largest global forum to date on the impact of global business on human rights, the United Nations human rights chief today called on delegates to focus on a potential need for heightened legal standards when it comes to deterring “business involvement in gross human rights abuse.”

In a visit to Iraq which ended today, the United Nations development chief met with a range of senior Government officials to discuss the country’s progress and future plans to improve access to basic services, strengthen the economy and protect human rights and the environment.