The latest events in Georgia - including the downing earlier this month of a helicopter with the United Nations observer mission - show that unless meaningful negotiations on the future political status of Abkhazia are restarted, the entire peace process can be jeopardized, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report.

Honouring United Nations staff as the "backbone" of the Organization, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today paid tribute to their work and dedication during a ceremony to recognize UN personnel for their efforts to improve the world body's activities.

After four decades of civil war, the people of the Sudan are in a precarious humanitarian situation that requires unrestricted access by aid workers in order to save lives, Secretary-General Kofi Annan writes in a report released today at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

In an effort to sustain the momentum of the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that the Security Council authorize the United Nations mission in the country to move into the next phase of its operations and begin the process of disarming combatants.