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The United Nations relief agency charged with the well-being of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East has been able to deliver urgently needed humanitarian supplies to the civilian residents of the besieged refugee camp of Yarmouk, on the outskirts Damascus, for the first time in nine months.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all Central Africans, including the candidates, to ensure that the presidential run-off and the new round of legislative elections, set to take place Sunday, are conducted in a peaceful and credible manner.

Fully understanding those who might be susceptible to poisonous ideologies – addressing root causes of radicalization and helping individuals and communities before problems escalate – will assist the international community in developing effective, dignified and rights-based responses to “one of the gravest threats our world faces,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

Since 2007, there have been nine rotations of all-female police units from India, whose primary responsibilities have been to provide 24-hour guard duty and public order management and to conduct night patrols in and around the capital, Monrovia, while assisting to build the capacity of local security institutions.

Top United Nations officials have condemned the attack this morning against a UN camp in Kidal, in the north-eastern region of the country, which killed at least five peacekeepers and wounded 30 others.

With the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe showing no signs of easing in 2016, the United Nations refugee agency today reiterated its concern over increasing restrictive measures on the part of European Member States, stressing that greater support mechanisms must be urgently implemented to protect the fundamental human rights of the more than 2,000 people who continue risking their lives every day to reach Europe.

An upsurge in global conflicts and brutal war tactics continues to make children extremely vulnerable to recruitment and use by armed groups, the United Nations warned today, appealing to the international community to take greater responsibility for the boys and girls used as child soldiers or risk failing to protect them.

Following agreement late yesterday by diplomats meeting in Munich as part of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to work with Syrian parties to implement a nationwide cessation of hostilities, a United Nations-backed task force met today on quickly delivering aid to besieged towns and war-weary civilians in hard to reach areas across the country.

The international community should strive to find ways for radio to do even more to help people during responses to the increasing number of emergencies and disasters facing the world, top United Nations officials said today, ahead of World Radio Day, celebrated each year on 13 February.

Over the coming year, humanitarian partners should prepare for food insecurity levels and food insecure population numbers in southern Africa to be at their highest levels since the 2002-2003 food crisis, the United Nations agriculture agency warned today, citing an 'intense' drought as the main cause.