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Marking International Volunteer Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today saluted volunteers around the world, saying that the information age had provided them with multiple new opportunities to offer their services.

Israel must abide by and fully implement the ceasefire agreement that ended the recent crisis in Gaza, stressed a United Nations independent expert, who called on the international community to exert pressure over the country to fulfil its obligations and investigate its recent actions which resulted in the deaths of Palestinian civilians.

Due to its unique position in the Greater Mekong region and its shared borders with five countries, Laos is “extremely vulnerable” to the trafficking of people, illicit drugs and commodities by organized crime groups, a senior United Nations official said today.

Lacking both early-warning systems and risk-reduction budgets, medium-sized towns in Africa are poorly equipped to respond to emergencies provoked by natural disasters, rural-urban migration and ecosystem destruction, a United Nations report released today says.

A military operation may be required as a last resort to deal with terrorist and criminal elements in northern Mali, but the priority must be on supporting the national authorities to restore constitutional order and reach a political settlement to the ongoing crisis, the Security Council was told today.

During a visit to Kuwait, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he was encouraged by the country’s recent progress in relations with Iraq, adding that the two nations have a “historic” opportunity to begin a new era of cooperation.

On a visit to a Myanmar state wracked by inter-communal violence, the top United Nations relief official today called on the country’s leaders to support UN and other humanitarian efforts in the region.

The security and humanitarian situation in the Kivu provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains fragile, a United Nations spokesperson said today, adding that the world body is continuing to assist the country on both fronts.

Speaking out in the wake of a deadly mortar attack on a school outside Damascus, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today declared that strikes on schools during the Syrian conflict are “unacceptable.”

A senior United Nations official today stressed the need to promote dialogue and ensure free and fair elections in the Maldives, as he wrapped up a three-day visit to assess potential UN support for next year’s presidential polls.