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Four children were reportedly killed and three were injured on 7 August in the Nihm District, east of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement today.

As the United Nations relief wing warned today that soaring temperatures and dwindling medical supplies are deepening the woes of some two million people trapped by fighting in and around Aleppo, the world body kept up its call for an immediate halt to the hostilities and, at a minimum, a two-day weekly humanitarian pause so the city’s heavily damaged water and electrical systems can be repaired.

Following five months of negotiations, United Nations Member States agreed on 2 August by consensus upon a political declaration that will serve as the basis for discussions and the outcome of the first-ever UN Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants which will be held, on 19 September, at UN Headquarters in New York.

Voicing concern over a number of worrying developments regarding capital punishment in the Maldives, the United Nations human rights chief today called on the Government to refrain from carrying out planned executions and to uphold the de facto moratorium that has been in place in the country for over six decades.

As more areas previously controlled by Boko Haram become accessible to humanitarian assistance, a critical opportunity has arisen to tackle “alarming levels” of food insecurity in north-east Nigeria, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said today.

To mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, senior United Nations officials are calling on Governments to improve access to education and ensure that the most vulnerable are not left behind as the journey to achieve the new UN Sustainable Development Goals gets under way.

With more than two million people impacted by the fighting in and around war-ravaged Aleppo, where wide swaths of the area are now without power and water supplies are dwindling, the United Nations today urgently called for a humanitarian pause in the hostilities to enable immediate access to repair the electricity and water networks, and provide assistance to people in need.

On a visit to Argentina, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon applauded the South American today country for its strong partnership with the UN and its cooperation with and support to other countries.

Vowing to “fight” to the end to see that all perpetrators of rape and violence against women and girls in crisis-torn South Sudan are held to account, the United Nations envoy on sexual violence in conflict today said it is extremely important for the Government to take all necessary action to put an end to such crimes.

“In the talk about peacebuilding and reconciliation, we sometimes forget that it’s about how local communities come back together,” said the United Nations Assistant-Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, discussing the UN’s Peacebuilding Fund – which supports millions of people in 27 countries.