UN News

Labour experts from around the world are spending the next two weeks focusing on how to boost the success of small and medium-sized enterprises or SMEs.

They’re meeting at the UN’s International Labour Conference currently underway in Geneva.

With two-thirds of the world’s workers employed in SMEs, policies to bolster their success is a priority of the Conference as Carla Drysdale reports.

Duration: 2’19”

Mohammed Assaf might not be a household name in the West, but to millions of people in the Middle East, he’s a hero.

That’s because the 25-year-old singer risked everything when he escaped from Gaza to take part in Arab Idol, a, Egyptian TV talent show, which he ended up winning.

Now a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN’s Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Assaf is in Geneva to raise awareness about its work at a one-off concert.

Africa has made progress in cutting the number of hungry people, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In its first edition of the Regional Overview of Food Insecurity in Africa, FAO says that West Africa in particular made notable strides, reducing the prevalence of undernourishment by 60 per cent.

Bukar Tijani is the FAO’s Assistant Director-General based at the Regional Office for Africa in Accra, Ghana.

Gains made in the protection of human rights in Afghanistan “will be sustained” according to the outgoing director of rights issues at the UN mission in the country, UNAMA.

Georgette Gagnon is leaving the country after five years.

She’s warning that, despite those gains, security, political and economic challenges continue to pose a threat to human rights.

Setyo Budi reports from the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Duration: 2’32”

Child abuse and violence is costing countries in East Asia and the Pacific around US$209 billion a year, according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

It’s the first ever costing of child maltreatment in the region.

UNICEF says it will use the findings to take action with governments to reduce the abuse of young people.

Daniel Dickinson asked Andrew Brown, who’s based in Bangkok, Thailand for UNICEF where the maltreatment is taking place.

There have been tremendous challenges faced by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in its 65 years of existence.

That’s according to Pierre Krähenbühl, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA who came to New York to attend a special event marking the agency’s 65^th anniversary on Tuesday.

UNRWA, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, is mandated to provide assistance and protection to about 5 million Palestinian refugees.