UN News stories

80 stories found over the past 45 days
Continuing push for Great Lakes peace, UN chief in Uganda after visit to Rwanda

24 May 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today thanked the Government of Uganda for its contribution to peace and security in Africa, travelling alongside World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on a first-of-its-kind visit to support a recent peace accord and promote economic development in the Great Lakes region.

UN rights experts call for stronger protection of victims of caste-based discrimination

24 May 2013 – More than 260 million people across the world are still victims of human rights abuses due to caste-based discrimination, United Nations independent experts warned today, urging South Asian countries to strengthen legislation to protect them.

UN official encourages Kyrgyzstan to tackle causes of 2010 inter-communal violence

23 May 2013 – A senior United Nations official has encouraged Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to address the causes of the inter-communal violence that erupted in 2010, while stressing that they must be fully in line with human rights standards.

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.

Greater attention needed for safe childbirths, UN urges on inaugural Day to end obstetric fistula

23 May 2013 – The prevalence of obstetric fistula – a preventable and treatable condition linked to women’s reproduction – among women and girls in developing countries is a denial of their human rights, senior United Nations officials today said urging global action to make childbirth safer.

Political participation by indigenous peoples in Latin America still low – UN report

22 May 2013 – Indigenous peoples in Latin America have undergone an unprecedented mobilization in the past 20 years, but political participation, particularly among women, is still low, the United Nations said in a new report released today.

Over 7 million people now receiving HIV treatment in Africa – UN report

21 May 2013 – The number of people in Africa receiving antiretroviral treatment increased from less than 1 million to 7.1 million over seven years, according to a United Nations report which documents the progress in the AIDS response in the world’s second largest continent.

Number of Syrians in need of humanitarian aid rises to over 8 million – UN

21 May 2013 – A senior United Nations humanitarian official reported today that the total number of people in need of assistance as a result of the ongoing conflict in Syria is now 8.3 million, representing about 38 per cent of the country’s population.

UN envoy proposes set of principles to guide peace efforts in DR Congo

21 May 2013 – The United Nations Envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes Region today proposed a set of principles to guide immediate peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while voicing concerns over renewed fighting in the eastern part of the country.

UN chief promotes education, gender empowerment during final day of Mozambique visit

21 May 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today commended the Government and people of Mozambique for steady progress in political development, but urged greater efforts to overcome human rights challenges, including discrimination and violence against women, through education and awareness-raising.