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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today joined other senior United Nations officials in urging States to refocus attention on human rights in the fight against terrorism, at the opening of a meeting exploring innovative ways to combat the global scourge.

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of U Thant, the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon today honoured the Myanmarese diplomat and paid tribute to the mark he made in the quest for peace.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is evaluating the impact of atrocities committed by a notorious Ugandan rebel group against Congolese civilians.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will embark on a trip early next week that will take him to three major international events in the Spanish capital of Madrid, the Swiss city of Davos and the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The number of people killed in natural disasters spiked in 2008, with most of the lives claimed by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the Sichuan earthquake in China, according to figures released today by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).

Two United Nations agencies will be able to boost research into “child size” medicines designed and formulated specifically for children thanks to a $9.7 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

With synthetic drugs such as the party favourite ecstasy on a steep rise, and often “cut,” or mixed, with unknown substances to frequently fatal effect, countries vulnerable to the trend will be aided by a new monitoring programme from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today encouraged top government officials from around the world gathered in Guatemala City to push for greater progress on gender equality, stressing that women’s empowerment is key to realizing other major international development targets.

A senior United Nations official today expressed concern over the fate of thousands of children caught up in the conflict in Sri Lanka pitting Government forces against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Water supplies for over a billion people around the world are under threat from increasing populations, expanding cities, industrialization, climate change and even the rising demand for food, warned the United Nations, as delegates from more than 60 countries kicked off a meeting today in preparation for the upcoming World Water Forum.