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With civilians in war-battered eastern Aleppo braving sub-zero temperatures, evacuations escorted by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) resumed today, as the agency estimates that more than 25,000 people have been evacuated from besieged neighbourhoods over the past five days, the United Nations said.

Calling on Congolese political leaders to place the interests of the country and its people above partisan considerations, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he is keeping a close eye on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the mediation led by the Conférence épiscopale nationale des églises du Congo (CENCO) resumes.

The number of people living in Gaza is expected to more than double over the next 30 years, according to a report released this month by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which examines demographic changes and opportunities for development in the Gaza Strip and throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Welcoming the African Union’s decision to recognize Adama Barrow as President-Elect of Gambia, the United Nations Security Council reiterated its call on outgoing President Yayha Jammeh to transfer power to the President-Elect in peaceful and orderly manner.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has applauded the Government and the people of Côte d’Ivoire for this Sunday’s peaceful and inclusive legislative elections as well as the progress in the country since last year, his office said.

According to a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the vast majority of all human trafficking victims – some 71 per cent – are women and girls and one third are children.

Expressing concern over the impact of a prolonged political and institutional crisis in Guinea-Bissau, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the country's leadership to work towards a long-lasting political solution to the crisis on the basis of a regional roadmap agreed in September this year.

The United Nations envoy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) expressed grave concern today over the wave of arrests and arbitrary detention “of those who seek to express their political views” in the country over the past three days, and reiterated the necessity for all Congolese authorities to respect the rules of the country and ensure protection of free speech.

While the world has achieved significant progress in human development over the past two decades, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pointed out today that “prosperity has not been shared by all,” as he lauded the virtues of confronting the void with solidarity.

Highlighting the plight of victims of human trafficking, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined today the need to ensure justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators, as well as to address underlying factors by focusing on human rights and stability.