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At the root of crises confronted by the United Nations usually lies a “complex web” of violations of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights requiring solutions that can only come from more emphatic and comprehensive protections, the Organization’s top human rights official said today.

States must take full responsibility to solve all aspects of the issue of enforced disappearances: prevention; search for the disappeared; punishment of the perpetrators; and reparation for the victims, the Chairs of two United Nations expert bodies addressing the General Assembly on the issue declared today.

The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as MONUSCO, has stepped up its security following several attacks on its bases in North Kivu, including one this morning, when a large number of youths converged on the premises, and another yesterday which required the evacuation of 12 staff members.

A United Nations health committee has met for the third time in three months to evaluate the Organization’s ongoing response to the global Ebola crisis amid broader agency-wide efforts in confronting the deadly disease, UN officials confirmed today.

While noting the progress made to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia, the United Nations political chief today said that a sustained long-term solution must include the presence of effective Government and State institutions that provide basic services and alternative ways for people to make a living.

The world is fighting a difficult battle against the spread of tuberculosis (TB), the United Nations health agency announced today, as it released its latest report on the disease, revealing a greater number of cases than previously estimated and a shortfall in research funding.

There is no alternative to silencing the guns and immediately agreeing a comprehensive peace deal so South Sudan can return to the path of peace and stability, the United Nations envoy for the strife-riven country said today, urging the Security Council and regional leaders to help bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.

The growing menace of desertification poses a distinct threat to the world’s agriculture and eco-systems, the United Nations agriculture agency warned today, as it announced a new initiative aimed at curbing the spread of land degradation and building resilience to climate change.

Nearly half of all cultivated land in the occupied Palestinian Territories is planted with olive trees making them a major driving force of the economy, said a senior United Nations official today as he travelled to two Palestinian olive-producing communities in the central West Bank.

Over half of Cambodian children have experienced at least one form of violence before the age of 18 while roughly a quarter have been emotionally abused, a new United Nations-backed survey has revealed, exploring the magnitude and nature of violence against children in the Southeast Asian country.