Latest News

The East Timor Transitional Cabinet today endorsed a draft regulation formally establishing the territory's first Police Service and Police Academy, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) said in a statement issued in Dili.

A new variety of rice developed in Africa can yield up to 50 per cent larger crops without fertilizer, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which supported the research that led to the breakthrough.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today announced the appointment of internationally renowned Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado as a Special Representative to help raise awareness about the rights of young people worldwide.

The economic performance of the Asia Pacific region grew stronger last year following an impressive recovery after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, according to a United Nations economic survey released today.

The United Nations refugee agency reported today that it was still awaiting full access to tens of thousands of Afghans encamped in a makeshift site in Pakistan, where conditions have deteriorated recently under the force of heavy rains.

The eradication of polio is 99 per cent complete but finishing the job presents a major challenge, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, an umbrella organization which brings together United Nations agencies and other partners fighting the disease.

A senior United Nations official in Bosnia and Herzegovina has warned police in the country to steer clear of politics, stressing that officers are prohibited from supporting the unconstitutional concept of Croat self-rule.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today that the United Nations remains in contact with two of its staff members who have been detained in Somalia since last week, as talks continue to secure their release.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi in Nairobi today to discuss a wide range of regional issues, including conflicts in various parts of Africa and the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the continent.

In an effort to prevent Iraqi crude from being diverted to unauthorized destinations, United Nations oil monitors have begun issuing notification forms to be signed by those in charge of vessels loading the petroleum.