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The United Nations is “straining every nerve” to ramp up its aid to the countless victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, from medical care, food and water supplies to security and logistics, but there is still a very long way to go, the world body’s humanitarian chief said today, eight days after the disaster struck.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is assessing the structure of buildings and working to avoid potential environmental emergencies in Haiti where the immediate focus is on medical assistance, clear water and sanitation, emergency shelter, and food for the nearly 3 million people affected.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed recent strides made towards restoring constitutional order in Guinea, which has been gripped by unrest since Government forces opened fire on unarmed protesters at a rally last year, killing at least 150 people.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced optimism that 2010 will be a “historic year” for progress on disarmament and non-proliferation goals, vowing to press ahead with efforts to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction.

The Security Council today backed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call to increase the overall force levels of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti to support the immediate recovery, reconstruction and stability efforts following last week’s devastating earthquake.

Last week’s catastrophic earthquake in Haiti not only provides a symbol of extraordinary faith, enduring hope and international solidarity amid the worst devastation, it must also serve as a reminder of the global community’s wider responsibilities to help the poor worldwide, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in an article published today.

The global financial crisis threatens to deprive millions of children in the world’s poorest countries of an education, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, with a knock-on effect on future economic growth, poverty reduction and progress in health and other areas, according to a United Nations report released today.

While violence and poverty are widely thought to be the major challenges confronting Afghanistan, nearly 60 per cent of the population said corruption is their biggest concern, according to a new United Nations report, which states that Afghans paid $2.5 billion in bribes over the past 12 months.

The top United Nations envoy in Sudan has announced he will step down from the post at the end of next month after more than two years in the African nation.

The United Nations is “very encouraged” by political progress made in Lebanon since a new government was formed late last year, a senior official with the world body told the Lebanese Foreign Minister today.