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The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today there is no evidence that human patients infected with influenza A(H7N9), a low pathogenic virus in poultry, can transmit the virus to animals, including birds.

As Libyans prepare elect tomorrow the national body that will draft the new Constitution, the United Nations office in the country urged calm and called on voters to contribute positively and “provide the suitable atmosphere” for this important event.

The United Nations human rights office today strongly condemned the attack on several villages in north-eastern Nigeria on Sunday that led to the death of more than 150 people.

Libya’s new law could place undue restrictions on freedom of expression and opinion, the United Nations human rights office today warned while also expressing concern about an increasing number of attacks against journalists in recent months.

The United Nations refugee agency today highlighted the need to address “significant shortcomings” in the process by which Australia moves asylum-seekers to Papua New Guinea and called for a probe into recent incidents that reportedly led to the death of an asylum-seeker on Manus Island.

The water, sanitation and sustainable energy crises are the among the world’s pre-eminent development challenges, senior United Nations officials warned today, urging Member States to adopt coherent integrated policies and innovative strategies to tackle these issues, which take a tragic toll on the lives of millions of poor people, especially women and young girls.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, today urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to engage with the international community improve its human rights record after a UN-mandated report catalogued crimes against humanity of an “unimaginable scale” being committed in the country.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has reported that heavy fighting broke out earlier today between pro-Government and opposition forces near its compound in the Upper Nile state town of Malakal, while condemning those who instigated the inter-communal violence that flared up inside its base.

Despite some stabilization, the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains fragile and it is vital that the international community stays the course to ensure that millions of people in the Horn of Africa nation receive the assistance they need, a top United Nations relief official said today.

The United Nations agency leading the global HIV/AIDS response warned today that the signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda would have “serious human rights implications” and urged protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the world.