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The United Nations has the mandates and tools it needs to prevent human rights violations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegations gathered in Geneva today for the opening of the current session of the world body’s Human Rights Council, while he warned that the biggest challenge to using these tools is lack of political consensus among Member States.

In his introductory statement to the Agency’s Board of Governors, the head of the United Nations atomic energy watchdog said he remains “seriously concerned” about nuclear programme of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and that he is not yet in a position to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is used for peaceful purposes.

Hundreds of children seized by armed men from a village in South Sudan have generated fears that “they are going from the classroom to the front line,” says the top United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in that country who demanded their immediate release.

Peace in the Middle East hinges on resolving the ongoing crisis in Gaza, where reconstruction efforts are faltering and the blockade continues, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process, Robert Serry, said today during his final visit to the war-ravaged enclave.

The estimated death toll caused by the continuing fighting in Ukraine has now surpassed the 6,000 mark, the United Nations human rights office confirmed today, amid broader warnings that the country stands on the brink of a “new and very deadly chapter” in its conflict.

The United Nations agency leading the world's HIV/AIDS response has kicked off the 2015 global edition of Zero Discrimination Day as part of the Organization's wider effort to spur solidarity towards ending discrimination.

The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is continuing discussions with the Government of Syria on his proposed 'freeze' of localized hostilities in the city of Aleppo, the United Nations spokesperson's office said today.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the people of the Kingdom of Lesotho on the “peaceful conduct” of the country's parliamentary elections, held on 28 February.