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Two United Nations agencies are working to alleviate human suffering in Côte d'Ivoire, as food security deteriorates in the conflict-torn country, exacerbated by the new influx of Liberian refugees.

Underlining the importance of "glocalization" or decentralized cooperation, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said that development cooperation between rich and poor cities can, and must be, a central element in the fight against hunger.

A deadly firefight between rival armed militia erupted in Bunia - the main city of the embattled Ituri district in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - once again leaving a trail of dead and wounded, according to a United Nations spokesman in New York.

Angolan refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are moving a step closer to their homeland, as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has begun registering and signing them up for a voluntary repatriation exercise set to begin next month.

The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has handed down its first war crimes conviction, and also announced it had become the first court of its kind to receive a prestigious award for its vital contribution to the cause of human rights.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the decision taken by the Israeli Government to accept the Road Map, and underscored the commitment of the United Nations, along with the other Quartet partners - the European Union, Russian Federation and United States - to helping both sides achieve the plan's vision of two states within three years.

In order to give the Security Council time to consider the best way forward on a plan to resolve the situation in Western Sahara, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today proposed a two-month extension, until 31 July, for the UN mission responsible for organizing a referendum in the territory.

The members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the positive steps recently underway to advance the peace process in Burundi and further encouraged the political actors and armed groups there to opt for dialogue and to eschew violence.

The remarkable information technology advances have created vast new opportunities, yet they have also generated "new divides" between rich and poor, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in a message to ministers meeting in Bangkok, to discuss challenges facing the broadcasting industry in Asia and the Pacific.

With a primary goal of emphasizing that all parties in the wider Great Lakes region continue pressing for peace - particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - the United Nations Security Council today released details of its upcoming mission to the region.