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Lauding the non-violent and democratic process that gained Montenegro its independence from Serbia only five weeks ago, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the United Nations’ 192nd Member, as its flag, a golden double eagle on a red field, was raised at the world organization’s Headquarters in New York.

Expressing concern that civilians in Nepal continue to be abducted and held by the Maoist Communist Party (CPN-M), the United Nations human rights agency has called for the group to prevent and investigate all allegations of such abuses, warning that abductions of non-combatants for any reason violates international human rights standards.

Eighteen months after the Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 200,000 people in a dozen countries, a United Nations-backed early warning system, which experts say could have saved scores of thousands of lives had it existed at the time, is on schedule to become operational for the entire region by the end of July.

With 60 per cent of new HIV infections in Thailand and Vietnam among young people, a report released today by the United Nations commission for regional development in the Asia-Pacific region calls on governments in the area to target youth in the fight against the pandemic.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the people of Timor-Leste to show calm and unity after renewed violence erupted even as his special envoy conferred with key leaders over an increased United Nations presence in the small South-East Asian nation that the UN shepherded to independence from Indonesia just four years ago.

Calling the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights “a landmark achievement in the region for the region,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour commemorated the 25th anniversary of its adoption, as other UN and African officials honoured the text on the continent itself.

The top United Nations political officer will travel to Cyprus, Greece and Turkey at the beginning of July to discuss the possibility of resuming talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive settlement on the divided island.

Calling on all sides in the upsurge of violence in the Gaza Strip to exercise maximum restraint and ensure that civilians are not harmed, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today the first step towards a solution would be the release of the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

World sports stars are playing hard to promote United Nations causes, with England’s World Cup football team autographing a soccer ball for auction to help refugees and Asian cricketers teaming up with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to boost girls’ education and fight HIV/AIDS.

Although Governments and businesses are coming to understand that the prevailing model of energy use in the world is unsustainable, and that conservation is a necessity for economic growth, constant pressure from individual citizens is needed for real change to occur, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told a global environmental forum today.