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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised the role of international political, military, business and faith leaders in pushing for the phased elimination of all nuclear weapons with a global campaign to build public and political support.

Beyond food, hundreds of thousands of Haitian earthquake victims displaced from their homes in Port-au-Prince, Léogâne and Jacmel urgently need shelter, with plastic sheeting taking priority over tents, the United Nations reported today in its latest update three weeks after the catastrophe struck the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

The top United Nations envoy in Iraq is continuing talks with the country’s various Iraqi leaders to ensure that elections scheduled for the first week in March can be conducted in a credible manner with the help of the international community, leading to an outcome acceptable to the Iraqi people.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – who as a citizen of the Republic of Korea says he understands the “emptiness” of a country divided into north and south – today stressed that a solution to Cyprus’ long-running problems is “within reach,” calling for the leaders of the two communities on the Mediterranean island to step up their efforts to reach agreement.

The top United Nations official in Iraq today expressed his shock and sadness at the suicide bombing targeting Shi’a pilgrims, reportedly killing over 40 people.

Women must be given a key role in all aspects of the emergency relief effort in earthquake-ravaged Haiti for it to be effective and to protect the human rights of the most vulnerable, a United Nations committee warned today.

Where did you sleep last night? Where did you eat? What does your neighbourhood look like? These are some of the questions United Nations staff are asking hundreds of children in Haiti after launching a new programme to keep track of children orphaned or separated from their families by the earthquake.

A senior United Nations official today welcomed the release of a Lebanese citizen apprehended by Israeli Defense Forces on Sunday in a disputed area of land located on the border between southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights, announcing that the UN peacekeeping operation in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is conducting its own inquiry into the episode.

Forensic science, more often associated with solving murders in prime time television crime series, is now helping the United Nations fight illegal fishing, fraudulent product substitution and false documentation that not only cheat consumers but also endanger fish stocks and threaten livelihoods in developing countries.

Farmers and villagers are taking part in United Nations-backed efforts to rid Afghanistan of landmines, which is also providing a much-needed boost to their incomes.