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The tenth anniversary of a massive cyanide spill in northern Romania is a reminder of the need for vigilance to prevent industrial accidents, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said today.

The emergency relief operation in Haiti continues to make progress on a daily basis although considerable logistical restraints have meant large numbers of people suffering from the impact of the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake have not yet received the aid they need, the United Nations humanitarian chief said today.

On her first district visits since assuming the top United Nations post in Timor-Leste, Ameerah Haq this week saw first-hand the strides made by the Timorese police force, who are gradually assuming responsibility from the world body’s peacekeeping force.

Even before this month’s earthquake, Port-au-Prince could be a difficult place to work. Now, with half the city destroyed, 1 million residents displaced and the stress from frequent aftershocks, there are new challenges to working in the Haitian capital.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for a coherent political strategy to assist Afghanistan in its quest for peace, security and development, noting that the country’s challenges cannot be overcome by military efforts alone.

Ibrahim Gambari, who recently took up his new post as the head of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur, has met with the Defence Minister to discuss peace prospects in the strife-torn region as part of a series of meetings with Sudanese officials.

HIV and AIDS place greater burdens on families, who can sometimes be torn apart by the epidemic, but they are also a major force in prevention education as well as care and support, according to the head of the United Nations agency dealing with the issue.

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), and the French forces supporting it, for another four months to help support the staging of free, fair and transparent elections in the West African nation.

Morocco’s tolerance of Jews and its resistance to anti-Semitic policies during World War II were spotlighted today as part of a series of events being held at the United Nations to commemorate victims of the Holocaust.

The 2005 peace accord that ended Sudan’s north-south civil war has enhanced efforts to rid the vast African nation of landmines that continue to indiscriminately kill and maim decades after they are laid, a senior United Nations official said today.