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Guyana became the latest country to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is widely regarded as the first international human rights treaty of the twenty-first century and one of the fastest to be ratified.

Sustained funding and support will be vital if the United Nations and its partners are to continue assisting the millions of Iraqis affected by the ongoing crisis in the country, particularly as winter approaches, the world body's top humanitarian official said on Sunday.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday strongly condemned an attack on a military vehicle of the United Nations mission in Mali that resulted in the death of a Chadian peacekeeper and left four other troops wounded.

Members of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday strongly condemned the “heinous and cowardly” murder of David Haines, a British humanitarian aid worker, by the armed group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Beginning Sunday 14 September, international trade in specimens of five shark species and all manta ray species, including their meat, gills and fins, will need to be accompanied by permits and certificates confirming that they have been harvested sustainably and legally, as new United Nations-backed trade protections go into effect.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Mohammed Ibn Chambas as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA).

Cooperation between and among developing countries offers a path to balancing growth and equity, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, marking the United Nations Day of South-South cooperation with a call to encourage – and learn from – emerging partners in the global South to promote prosperity for all.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed signs of solidarity in the fight against the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa and called on all countries and organizations to move swiftly to support the Governments of the countries affected.

Expressing grave concern today about the resumption of arrests, detention and deportation of asylum-seekers and refugees in Sri Lanka, the United Nations refugee agency called on the Government to refrain from such actions and abide by its obligations under international law.

A Colombian women’s rights group, whose members put their lives on the line to assist survivors of forced displacement and sexual abuse, is this year’s winner of a prestigious award presented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).