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Virtually every country in the world is affected by the crime of human trafficking in millions of people for sexual exploitation or forced labour, and governments must take serious steps to eliminate a scourge whose main victims are women and children, according to a new United Nations report released today.

An improved tool to fight hunger and rural poverty by using satellite imagery, spatial databases and interactive maps to help developing countries isolate the causes of food shortages was launched today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

United Nations agencies are helping the Government of Angola fight a cholera outbreak that is showing signs of soaring after already infecting nearly 14,000 people, killing almost 650 of them, since February.

Cleaning up contaminated sites once at the heart of Iraq's nuclear programme could take years, according to a senior United Nations official invited by the Iraqi Government to help it with the task.

After benefiting from a surge in funding following the fall of the Taliban at the end of 2001 and consequently clearing over half the minefields in Afghanistan, the United Nations Mine Action Programme for the country (MAPA) is currently projecting a funding shortfall in 2006, one of its officials said today.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the people of the Solomon Islands to refrain from violence and re-commit themselves to a peaceful and constitutional resolution of their differences after post-election disturbances in the South Pacific country.

In their latest expression of concern over strife in Nepal, United Nations human rights officials today urged both the Government and opposition protesters to refrain from violence in demonstrations planned for tomorrow to impel King Gyanendra to restore suspended parliamentary rule and democratic rights.

Addressing senior economic officials from across the world gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today spoke out in favour of “genuine market access opportunities” for developing countries and a rapid termination of trade-distorting subsidies for agriculture in the developed States.

With the situation of 8 million poverty-stricken and conflict-affected people in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia giving rise to serious concern this year, the top United Nations relief official for the region begins a week-long mission tomorrow to confer with the authorities, donor representatives and partner agencies.

Citing the need for diplomatic efforts to break the impasse over Western Sahara Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for a six-month extension of the United Nations mission (MINURSO) deployed in the disputed territory which is claimed by Morocco.