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At the closing today of a conference in Cotonou, Benin, ministers, senior Government officials and United Nations representatives called on donor countries to fulfil their commitments and go even further, by allocating at least 50 percent of their overseas development assistance (ODA) and “aid for trade” disbursement, to the world’s least developed countries (LDCs).

In the wake of the recent downing of a passenger plane over eastern Ukraine, the United Nations and its partners have set up a task force to reduce the risks of civilian planes flying over conflict areas and ensure that the “right information reaches the right people at the right time.”

During his recent visit to Viet Nam, the United Nations independent expert on religious freedom, Heiner Bielefeldt, stressed the need for religious communities in the country to be able to operate also outside of the officially established channels for religious practice.

All parties have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Thursday, culminating the latest diplomatic push to end the deadly violence that has gripped the tiny enclave for nearly a month.

A senior UN official in Iraq expressed concern today over rising levels of violence and instability across the crisis-torn country and its impact on the lives of civilians.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today that food insecurity continues to deepen in South Sudan as funding for life-saving assistance dwindles.

As the United Nations “re-hats” some of the African troops currently serving in the Central African Republic to a peacekeeping mission that will take over in mid-September, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced that the current African force commander will remain in charge under the UN flag.

The United Nations envoy in Somalia welcomed today the agreement stating intent and principles for forming a new regional administration in the central part of the country.

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today advised that while travellers should be aware of Ebola, they will not contract the highly-contagious, often fatal disease unless they actually touch someone who is showing active symptoms.

With the United Nations and its partners in Syria begin to ramp up aid deliveries across battle lines, the Organization’s Emergency Relief Coordinator warned today that attacks on civilians by all parties to the conflict and human rights abuses continue “in flagrant violation of the most basic principles of…international law.”