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The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for another year, urging the Government to develop effective security agencies in a country where 150,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed in a civil war that ended a decade ago.

The United Nations refugee agency today welcomed assurances from the Bulgarian Government of quick action to fix dire conditions for those seeking asylum within its borders, as the country strains to cope with the increasing number of new arrivals.

The head of the United Nations-appointed inquiry into human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) reported today that testimony heard so far by his team pointed to widespread and serious abuses, including abductions and torture, as well as “unspeakable atrocities” in detention camps.

The United Nations General Assembly opened its annual session today with its gaze firmly fixed on the decades ahead as its new President outlined the need to lay the groundwork for global sustainable development in the years following the end of the current development cycle in 2015.

A United Nations senior official today called on Afghan authorities to boost efforts to strengthen human rights in the country, noting that despite progress in recent years, they remain fragile as the nation continues its transition period.

A Congolese nun known as ‘mother’ by women and girls displaced and abused by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is being honoured with a top prize from the United Nations refugee agency, it was announced today.

The two and a half-year conflict in Syria has made persons with disabilities extremely vulnerable to gross rights violations on a daily basis, a United Nations committee said today, stressing the need for greater protection of their rights.

Efforts for renewed peace prospects in the Middle East should not be neglected amid the turmoil elsewhere in the neighbourhood, the top United Nations envoy in the region told the Security Council today, while also urging both Israelis and Palestinians to act responsibly and avoid actions that risk undermining the prospects for resumed negotiations.

Briefing the press ahead of the opening of the 68th General Assembly later today, the body’s new President said that the United Nations is about to embark on a process with the potential to guide the course of humankind for decades to come: defining parameters for the world’s post-2015 development agenda.

As the General Assembly prepares to kick-off its 68th session later today , Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need for global cooperation to tackle the world’s most pressing issues including the crises in Syria and elsewhere, beyond conflict, accelerating achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).