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Kosovo: top UN official sees progress in work on self-government framework

9 May 2001
The head of the United Nations mission in Kosovo said today that a "good compromise" between the province's Serb and Albanian communities on a key legal document was drawing near.

UN seeks funds for Palestine refugees facing unprecedented economic collapse

9 May 2001
The head of the main United Nations agency providing relief to Palestine refugees appealed today for emergency funds needed to cope with an unprecedented economic collapse in the West Bank and Gaza.

United Nations to continue peace-building in Tajikistan through mid-2002

9 May 2001
The United Nations will continue its peace-building efforts in Tajikistan, consolidating reconciliation in the country that "still bears the tragic traces of civil war," according to a document released today at UN Headquarters in New York.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: protest against anti-Muslim violence held without incident

9 May 2001
A protest against recent Serb violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina has concluded "without incident," a United Nations spokesman reported today.

UN mission confirms renewed clashes in eastern Sierra Leone, urges restraint

9 May 2001
The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) today confirmed a renewal of fighting in the eastern part of the country and urged all parties to refrain from further violence.

Detailed surveys vital to prevent arsenic poisoning, UN-backed expert group says

9 May 2001
Experts attending a recent United Nations meeting in Bangkok have warned that arsenic poses a serious public health threat in a number of countries in the Asian region, where the poison can seep into drinking water.

UN agency calls for faster disposal of toxic pesticide waste stocks

9 May 2001
More than 500,000 tonnes of banned or expired pesticides are seriously threatening the health of millions of people and the environment in nearly all developing states and countries in transition, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in a new report issued today.

Informed media coverage of world affairs key to global progress: UN official

9 May 2001
Just as a free and well-informed national media is critical to peace and democracy within countries, so too is international coverage essential to progress at the global level, a United Nations official told a major forum of Asian journalists in Singapore today.

UN relief official 'deeply saddened' by death of Red Cross pilot shot over Sudan

9 May 2001
A top United Nations relief official said today that he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the death of a Danish pilot from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who was killed when his plane came under fire during a humanitarian mission over southern Sudan.

Asian Development Bank, UN agency join forces against poverty

9 May 2001
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today entered into a new strategic partnership to strengthen poverty reduction initiatives in Asia and the Pacific.