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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his condemnation of the bomb attack that took place yesterday near a shopping centre in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, which reportedly resulted in the death of at least 21 people.

Four months after the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding unimpeded access to people in need of assistance in Syria, relief agencies continue to face obstacles to aid delivery while the needs continue to grow and are now outpacing response efforts, the United Nations humanitarian chief reported today.

The United Nations human rights chief today called on authorities in Iran to halt the imminent execution of a juvenile offender, while also voicing concern about the excessive use of the death penalty in the country since the start of the year.

Global drug use has stabilized, but some 200,000 people are still victims of drug-related deaths, according to the latest World Drug Report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The global number of out-of-school children aged 6 to 11 is still as high as 58 million, showing little overall improvement since 2007, according to a new United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report, which also reveals that positive change is possible, spotlighting success in 17 countries that have reversed that trend over the past decade.

Reiterating their pledge that every victim of torture will one day gain his or her right to acknowledgement, senior United Nations officials marked the International Day in Support of those victims by calling on the international community to strengthen efforts “to eradicate this heinous practice.”

The Security Council today extended the mandates of United Nations peacekeeping forces in Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and the Golan, in separate meetings, as part of its efforts to maintenance of international peace and security.

Yet again, another humanitarian crisis has hit war-torn Iraq, disproportionately and negatively impacting the hungry poor, the head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today, wrapping up a two-day visit to the country, which has in recent weeks, seen violent armed groups sweep through a number of provinces sending massive numbers of desperate people fleeing for safety.

The United Nations will help Equatorial Guinea to reduce poverty and inequality, and promote food security, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged today as he arrived in the country on the eve of his address to the African Union Summit.

With all United Nations Member States now online, more Governments are expanding electronic participation and using more mobile and social media tools to reach people, the world body reported today as part of an e-government survey that also highlighted a lack of resources and a continued digital divide.