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Responding to the recent explosion of violence in the Middle East, a number of United Nations human rights experts have joined their voices to Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, urging the parties to respect their obligations to protect civilians.

Governments and private-sector representatives from 11 Southern African countries decided at a two-day United Nations-backed meeting this week to explore, in cooperation with Philips, the global electronics and electrical products corporation, the feasibility of producing energy-saving light bulbs in the region.

A spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency today raised alarm about the worsening violence in Darfur, Sudan, where international organizations have had to suspend activities in camps for the internally displaced in one part of the West following attacks.

All parties in Côte d’Ivoire, which has been divided between a rebel-held north and Government-controlled south since 2002, must work to advance the peace process as the country moves to elections scheduled for October, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report to the Security Council.

The top United Nations aid official in Timor-Leste helped formally launch an employment programme today for some of the estimated 155,000 people, 15 per cent of the population, who were forced to flee their homes after violence erupted in the tiny nation in April.

Regretting that his meetings with leaders in Lebanon and Israel found “serious obstacles” to a comprehensive ceasefire in the violence-racked region, a top United Nations envoy today called on the Security Council to unite in the coming days to dramatically reduce the devastating toll on civilians, and to quickly develop the framework for a political solution.

Expressing concern over reports of political repression in the lead-up to the historic elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) planned for 30 July, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged all Congolese, and especially the candidates, to ensure that the electoral process is free, fair and open.

The United Nations force that monitors the line of withdrawal between Israel and Lebanon reported today that it has maintained its positions and humanitarian activities despite continuing heavy exchanges of fire between Israeli and Hizbollah forces in the area.

Painting a grim picture of the worsening humanitarian situation in the Middle East, the top United Nations emergency relief coordinator announced he will fly to Lebanon today, repeated calls for a cessation of hostilities and again urged all sides to allow access for urgent relief supplies to get through.

After two days of discussion at the General Assembly on proposals to reform the Security Council, broad consensus began to emerge that despite recent significant reform of the world body as a whole, without changes to the composition and operation of the Council, there could be no genuine United Nations reform.