Haitians caught up in food crisis receive helping hand from UN Volunteers
United Nations Volunteers (UNV) working in Haiti have helped provide emergency relief to elderly and handicapped residents suffering from the current global food crisis.
International Criminal Court calls for arrest of Congolese militia leader
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has called for the arrest of a militia leader accused of forcibly enlisting children as soldiers to fight in the volatile, resource-rich Ituri district in the far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from July 2002 until the end of 2003.
Starting new lecture series, Secretary-General issues warning on food crisis
The current food crisis threatens to undo all the recent efforts to lift people out of poverty around the world and could spark related economic, social and political crises, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today at the inaugural event in the Geneva Lecture series.
UN gardening scheme provides fresh start for Afghan women, ex-combatants
A United Nations gardening and literacy project for Afghan women and ex-combatants seeks to pave the way to peace and prosperity in the war-torn nation.
Alarmed by post-election violence in Zimbabwe, UN rights chief urges restraint
The United Nations human rights chief, alarmed at reports of continuing post-election hostilities in Zimbabwe, has called on the country’s political leaders to restrain their supporters and renounce the use of threats, intimidation and violence against opponents.
Asia-Pacific must encourage sustainable, efficient energy use – Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Asia-Pacific countries to promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy, given the backdrop of surging oil prices and the health problems caused by traditional fuels.
Biofuel production is ‘criminal path’ leading to global food crisis – UN expert
The United States and the European Union have taken a “criminal path” by contributing to an explosive rise in global food prices through using food crops to produce biofuels, according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
Trial of Congolese defendant ‘crucial step’ to end impunity – senior UN official
The trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, who has been charged by the International Criminal Court with recruiting child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), will be “a crucial step in the fight against impunity and will have a decisive deterrent effect against perpetrators of this outrageous crime against humanity,” according to the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.
Secretary-General urges Israel to exercise restraint after latest violence in Gaza
Condemning today’s loss of civilian life in the Gaza Strip – including the “tragic” deaths of a mother and four of her children – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Israel to exercise maximum care and restraint.
UN to assist African farmers threatened by climate change
Some 10,000 farmers in five African countries, where crops are expected to be badly affected by climate change, are to receive help from the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in the form of low-cost rain gauge equipment and roving seminars provided by agricultural experts.