This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has “strongly rejected” the Guatemalan Government’s decision to unilaterally terminate the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), an independent body set up by the UN and Guatemala to investigate illegal security groups and high-level corruption in the country. On […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. More than a week after voters went to the polls to choose a new President in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), results have yet to be announced and all primary telecommunications remain shut down – prompting a UN expert on Monday to urge the authorities to restore internet […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The abduction and killing of an aid worker last week in Syria’s Idleb region, brings into focus the daily risks faced by humanitarians working in conflict zones, said the Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, in a statement deploring the killing on […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, announced on Monday that he is stepping down, after more than six years in the role. Kristalina Georgieva, CEO of the World Bank CEO, will assume the role of interim President, from 1 February. In […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Monday that 18-year-old Saudi national Rahaf Mohammed Al-qunun, who had been stranded at Bangkok airport after fleeing her family in Kuwait, saying that she would be killed if forced to return, was “now in a secure place”. […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. A new UN report published on Monday shows that human trafficking is on the rise and taking on “horrific dimensions”, with sexual exploitation of victims the main driver. Children now account for 30 per cent of those being trafficked, and far more girls are […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. In the wake of the Somali Government’s decision last week to expel the head of the UN’s assistance mission, UNSOM, the Security Council on Saturday cautioned that 2019 would be “a critical year” for the east African nation that is reconsituting itself after decades of conflict. […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. More than 40 civilians have been reportedly killed during intercommunal clashes this week in northern Burkina Faso, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a statement on Friday night condemning the violence and “deteriorating security situation” in parts of the West African country. The […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. A group of deaf and hard-of-hearing Syrian refugee and local Lebanese children have sung in a choir in Beirut giving a performance that was “nothing short of miraculous,” according to conductor Pascal Khairallah. The children, who practiced for six months for a Christmas carol […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. For students attending schools funded by the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, (UNRWA), uncertainty over the future has become a constant worry, said the agency’s Director of Operations in Gaza, Matthias Schmale. UNRWA faced an unprecedented financial crisis during 2018 that threatened the […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. On Friday, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) demanded that the stealing of food by warring factions in Yemen must stop immediately; and welcomed a statement from Houthi rebel leaders saying that the situation was now under investigation. WFP’s demands were issued in […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The UN Secretary-General said on Friday he “deeply regrets” the Somali Government’s decision to expel his Special Representative in the country, adding that he had “full confidence” in Nicholas Haysom’s abilities and track record as an international civil servant. According to news reports, Mr. […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has called for the immediate release of a prominent human rights defender in Bahrain, after the country’s highest court rejected a final appeal for his release on Monday. Nabeel Rajab was jailed in 2016 for tweeting criticism of […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Violence and alleged human rights violations in Bangladesh “before, during and after” 30 December elections have prompted the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) to call on Friday for those responsible to be held to account. “There are credible reports of fatalities and numerous […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The post-election environment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is “calm but tense” as the country waits for the results of the presidential poll, the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday. Amid reports that journalists and opposition political candidates have […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The criminal trial in Saudi Arabia of individuals suspected of being involved in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi does not meet the requirements of an independent and international probe requested by the UN’s top rights official, Michelle Bachelet, her office said on Friday. […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. To raise awareness of the importance of Braille for approximately 1.3 billion people living with some form of distance or near vision impairment, on Friday the United Nations is observing the first official World Braille Day. Recognized henceforth each 4 January, the Day was […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The United Nations Security Council has condemned “in the strongest terms” a series of coordinated attacks aimed at security checkpoints in northern Afghanistan which took place on Monday night, killing at least 27 and wounding dozens of others According to news reports, the assaults […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Somali Government efforts to build a lasting peace through political reform and transformation have progressed along a “positive trajectory” but everyone involved in the process needs to “pull in the same direction”, the UN Special Representative in the country told the Security Council on […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. In the wake of an ongoing Ebola outbreak affecting the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), neighboring Uganda is implementing a series of preventative response measures to keep the deadly disease at bay. With the total number of recorded patients in and around […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. An attack on a village in central Mali earlier this week in which at least 37 civilians died, is to be investigated with the help of United Nations human rights experts, the UN stabilization mission in the country (MINUSMA), announced on Thursday. Women and […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Women and activists have been reflecting on the progress made across the world in 2018 in reducing discrimination and inequalities based on gender and what hopes they have for 2019. The United Nations gender-focused agency, UN Women, has outlined some of the most urgent […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Solar power is helping make universal healthcare a reality in places where unreliable power supplies regularly affect access to vital services, and can out people’s lives at risk, thanks to support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa have partnered […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned Tuesday’s attacks against the UN compound in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, saying that intentionally attacking UN personnel may constitute “a violation of international humanitarian law.” Seven mortars landed inside the compound, injuring two UN staff members […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. As the calendar flips to 2019, about 395,072 babies will be born around the world, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday, adding that a quarter will be born in South Asia alone. As revelers say ‘hello’ to 2019 with great festivities, the […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. As the world – and the United Nations – continues to grapple with political crises, we look at the political landscape with Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo. We begin by asking her what it’s like to be the top UN political officer. “My […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The United Nations said on Monday that it is aware of violent incidents and reports of irregularities in Sunday’s general elections in Bangladesh. “We regret the loss of life and injuries sustained by candidates and voters during the electoral campaign and on election-day,” said […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), on the last day of 2018, called on UN Member States to urgently offer safe ports of disembarkation for 49 refugees and migrants, including young children, aboard rescue vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. An NGO (non-governmental organization) Vessel […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Amid reports that Afghanistan’s 2019 presidential election may be postponed, local electoral authorities confirmed a polling date delay; a decision the UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomed for its clarity on Monday. On Sunday, Afghan officials indicated that the highly-anticipated election, scheduled for […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. After uncovering evidence that humanitarian food supplies are being diverted in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital, Sana’a, and other parts of the country, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has demanded an immediate end to the practice. “This conduct amounts to the stealing of food […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Last year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued “a red alert” over a range of dangers confronting the world, which “still persist” as 2019 looms: “These are anxious times for many, and our world is undergoing a stress test,” the UN chief said on […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. Yemen’s warring parties have begun the process this week of implementing a comprehensive ceasefire agreement across the key rebel-held port city of Hudaydah, raising hopes that groundbreaking consultations convened by the UN in Sweden can lead to a lasting peace through further talks next […]

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all those playing an active political role in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to “continue working together” to ensure free and fair elections, as the country heads to polls this Sunday. In a statement, […]