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Three Balkan countries agreed today to bring a genuine and successful close to the refugee chapter in southeastern Europe by the end of 2006, through either voluntary return or local integration in a process that the United Nations refugee agency will actively assist.

The United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia today sentenced retired Lt. Gen. Pavle Strugar to eight years in jail in connection with the bombardment of historic and religious sites in the Old Town of Dubrovnik in Croatia in 1991.

Reports of violence continue to come out of Sudan's western Darfur region and several routes in South Darfur state are currently closed for United Nations movement because of ongoing insecurity, the UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) said today.

After agreeing on various draft articles of a convention on the rights of people with disabilities, the United Nations panel negotiating the treaty turned their attention this week to freedom of expression and opinion, access to information, safeguarding privacy and living independently without being excluded from community affairs.

Congratulating the people of Iraq on Sunday's election, Security Council members today offered their continued support for the country's political transition.

Although many peacekeeping missions have achieved much more than expected, the United Nations should be careful not to field too many missions over the next decade, the chief of peacekeeping told the special committee that oversees the operations.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on Africa's leaders to work for the twin goals of renewing the world body and providing hope to the continent.

Reacting to early indications following today's polling in Iraq, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed the election's success, urged national reconciliation and pledged the world body's help in facilitating the country's ongoing political transition.

The senior United Nations counter-narcotics official has completed a visit to Afghanistan with a call for international arrest warrants against drug traffickers there.

Meeting African leaders at a summit today in Abuja, Nigeria, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan sounded the alarm about peacekeepers who abuse civilians and reiterated his call for swift punishment of such egregious behaviour.