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With 90 per cent of the world’s illicit opiates being produced in Afghanistan, the neighbouring frontline states in Central Asia have a key role to play in tackling drug trafficking, the United Nations top anti-drugs and crime official said today, during a visit to Tajikistan.

Primary school students in sub-Saharan Africa face numerous challenges in their education, including overcrowded classrooms, too few trained teachers, insufficient schoolbooks and few toilets, often without separation between boys and girls, according to a United Nations survey.

The Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States on the Syrian crisis, Kofi Annan, today expressed his gratitude to Jordan for its support in receiving Syrian refugees who have fled the fighting in their country.

After close to three months in captivity in Darfur, Sudan, a staff member of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been released.

The United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) today sentenced convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison for planning and for aiding and abetting crimes committed by Sierra Leonean rebel forces during the country's decade-long civil war.

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) today dismissed the Prosecution's appeal against the decision to drop war crimes charges against a Rwandan rebel leader for his alleged role in deadly fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2009.

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the murder of a Somali journalist and called on local authorities to ensure that those responsible for crimes against media professionals are punished for their deeds.

Nearly 5,000 delegates today kicked off a United Nations forum in Geneva focusing on the global jobs crisis and its impact on youth, as well as social protection and rights at work.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the full withdrawal of Sudan's military from the disputed Abyei area yesterday and calls on its Government to withdraw all remaining armed police forces, his spokesperson said today.

The human rights situation in Iraq remains fragile as the country continues its transition to peace and democracy after years of violence, according to a United Nations report released today, noting that Government efforts to protect and promote the rights of its citizens need to be increased.