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Several United Nations agencies are working closely with humanitarian partners to deliver life-saving assistance to thousands of families in the Salah al-Din Governorate of Iraq amid heavy fighting between Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has caused the displacement of thousands of people.

The world may be at a “turning point” as violent extremism and intolerance remain pervasive across the spectrum of global society, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said today as he urged Member States to uphold the human rights principles underlying their communities in their fight against radicalism.

Reducing poverty, improving health and education for all, achieving of sustainable and equitable economic growth and protecting the health of our planet now depend on the management of disaster risks in the day-to-day decisions of governments, companies, investors, civil society organizations, households and individuals, according to a new United Nations report out today.

In eradicating sexual violence related to Colombia’s internal armed conflict, the main challenge now is translating resolve into tangible solutions in communities where the crime continues to occur, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence said at the conclusion of her trip to the Latin American country.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, met today with the country’s Defence Minister, Samir Moqbel, in Beirut to discuss the security situation, with a particular focus on Lebanon’s eastern border.

The United Nations Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, met with the country’s President, Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, in Aden today, according to an announcement made by the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.

An emergency meeting convened by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) noted today that Pakistan had become the 10th country to be ‘infected’ by polio and that “the possibility of international spread still remains a global threat worsened by the expansion of conflict-affected areas, particularly in the Middle East and Central Africa.”

The overall situation in Libya is “deteriorating rapidly” amid a growing terrorist threat and continuing violence, the United Nations envoy to the country warned the Security Council today, as he urged national stakeholders to move firmly in defining the country’s future.

A United Nations rights expert praised today the move made in Australia to repeal restrictive laws that regulate protests, and encouraged the reversal of any legislation that curtails the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly.

The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, today demanded the release of hundreds of child soldiers forcibly recruited by militias and groups aligned with the warring factions or the South Sudan Government, saying “there needs to be accountability for child recruiters and those who commit grave violations against children.”