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The United Nations Security Council today welcomed the timely holding of parliamentary elections in Iraq, and, looking forward to the certification of the results by national electoral officials, called on the country’s leaders “to engage, as quickly as possible, to form a Government that represents the will and sovereignty of the Iraqi people.”

Highlighting local climate action happening on the ground in developing countries, the top United Nations climate official today called for greater international support to help these communities harness local knowledge and ingenuity.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal as the head of the United Nations political office tasked with helping to consolidate peace and prevent conflict in the Central African region.

Antibiotic resistance – when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections – is now a major threat to public health, says a new United Nations report released today.

The United Nations human rights office launched in Mumbai today the latest phase of its global fight against homophobia: a Bollywood-style video called The Welcome, accompanied by an appeal from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to end the prejudice that forces millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to live in fear or hide in shame.

Jazz has given rhythm to the struggles of civil rights movements around the world, the top United Nations cultural official said today, hailing the power of this music to bring together artists from different cultures and backgrounds as a driver of integration and mutual respect.

Warning that the world’s youngest nation is on the verge of catastrophe, the United Nations human rights chief today called on South Sudan’s leaders to relinquish their “personal power struggle” and steer their impoverished, war-battered country towards stability.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today condemned ‘in the strongest terms’ the latest attacks in Syria – which left dozens of civilians dead or wounded from mortar fire and shelling in neighborhoods in Homs and Damascus – and called on the Government and opposition groups to resist provocations that could undermine peace efforts.

Describing “alarming” developments in Ukraine – from the capture of European observers and the violent takeover of Government buildings by separatist groups, to the shooting of the mayor of a major eastern city – a senior United Nations official this evening appealed to all sides to “work expeditiously” at putting the crisis-torn country on the path to stability.

The United Nations Security Council today voted unanimously to lift a ban on importing rough diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire and to partially lift the arms embargo, differentiating between lethal and non-lethal arms.