DR Congo: In Goma, Secretary-General hails regional accord as ‘best chance for peace in years’
23 May 2013 – Arriving today in restive eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all the leaders of Africa’s Great Lakes region to throw their support behind a recently-signed peace accord which aims to ensure security, as well as development, for the long-troubled country.
UN rights chief warns Egypt at risk of drifting away from ideals that ignited revolution
08 May 2013 – Expressing concern about key legislative measures being considered by Egyptian authorities, the United Nations human rights chief today urged the Government to take steps to ensure it does not drift further away from the ideals that drove the 2011 revolution in the country.
Ban spotlights key role of private sector in UN effort to boost maternal health
07 May 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today highlighted the role that the private sector can play in contributing to improve maternal health services across the world through the United Nations Every Woman Every Child initiative.
UN Envoy tells Security Council there is ‘renewed opportunity’ for DR Congo peace efforts
06 May 2013 – There are encouraging signs that the new push for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can succeed, Mary Robinson said today in her first briefing to the Security Council since taking her post as United Nations Envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes Region.
FEATURE: Aided by UN, star coach builds football team of Syrian refugees and young Lebanese
26 April 2013 – In Halba, in the district of Akkar, in northern Lebanon, a football team called “Al-Nour” – “the light” in Arabic – is drawing increasing attention from the inhabitants of the region. The team was set up by Tareq Al Awaychi, a former star of the Syrian team Al Karami, who had to flee the violence in his country that has killed over 70,000 people since the beginning of the uprising against the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad in March 2011.
Asia’s soaring consumption of raw materials unsustainable, UN warns
24 April 2013 – The Asia-Pacific region, which has overtaken the rest of the world in consumption of raw materials as affluence and manufacturing increase, must boost its resource efficiency or risk losing ground in lifestyle, economic growth and environmental sustainability, according to a UN report released today.
Debt crises hitting both rich and poor countries threaten UN development agenda, officials say
23 April 2013 – Debt distress, no longer just the province of poor countries, is a drag on development programmes as well as on the world economy, United Nations leaders said today as economic experts and representatives of international financial institutions met to discuss practical and equitable mechanisms for restructuring sovereign debt.
Global migration can spur opportunity for social and economic growth, Ban says
22 April 2013 – The United Nations Commission on Population and Development kicked off a five-day session today with a call for the international community to seize upon the opportunities for social and economic growth presented by demographic shifts resulting from global migration.
