UN News Centre

Presenting his new report to the General Assembly, the United Nations expert on counter-terrorism and human rights has warned that migration policies which are restrictive or violate fundamental human rights may in fact create conditions conducive to terrorism.

A Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation between urban development and aviation was signed in Quito, Ecuador, during the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development.

Opium production in Afghanistan rose by 43 per cent to 4,800 metric tons in 2016 from 2015, according to the latest figures released today by the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Some 18 people have been killed and 60 injured due to ongoing fighting in Gaalkacyo, Somalia, over the past two weeks, according to the United Nations humanitarian wing, which also reported today that more than 75,000 people have been displaced, though local authorities have indicated that the number could be higher as more people continue to flee the violence.

Two United Nations agencies will support the Iraqi Ministry of Health in marking World Polio Day by launching a weeklong nationwide campaign to immunize Iraq’s children against the infectious viral disease.

With the start of the school year and the number of school attacks exceeding 4,000 in war-ravaged Syria, more than 1.7 million children there remain out of school and another 1.3 million are at a risk of dropping out, according to new education data.

In his last United Nations Day message as Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon recognized the efforts of courageous UN staff members who are on the frontlines of disaster and violence and continue to respond to the plight of the vulnerable people across the world.

The head of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, has informed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that she will be stepping down at the end of November after more than two years of leading the Mission.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has partnered with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to generate job and business opportunities for young people in rural Benin, Cameroon, Malawi, and Niger, thanks to a $4 million grant from the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund.

After more than two years of being held hostage by Boko Haram, in northeast Nigeria, Chibok girls have finally been reunited with their families, however, their return emphasizes the necessity of urgent and intensive psychosocial care, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The absence of progress towards a two-state solution has led to growing anger and frustration among Palestinians and profound disillusionment among Israelis, the top United Nations Middle East envoy warned today: “We must all avoid the risk of sleep-walking into another violent conflict at a time when the region as a whole needs moderate forces” to stand up to rising radicalization.

After a visit to Bhutan yesterday, actor and director Aamir Khan, a UNICEF Regional Goodwill Ambassador, praised the country’s progress to end malnutrition and recognized young mothers’ efforts to safeguard their children’s health despite high levels of stunting.

On 13 June 2016, the United Nations General Assembly elected Peter Thomson of Fiji to serve as President of its seventy-first session, which runs from September 2016 to September 2017. Mr. Thomson, who had had been serving as the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations until his appointment, announced that the theme of the 71st session will be ‘The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform our World.’

Following a month that saw civilians continuing to bear the brunt of the conflict in Yemen, a 72-hour halt to fighting set to take effect later today is welcome, but not nearly enough time, according to a senior United Nations relief official, who appealed for more predictable access to be able deliver aid to hard-to-reach communities caught up in the crisis.

There is a need to reforest Africa’s highest mountain to help protect vital water supplies that are under threat across large parts of East Africa, a UN Environment report urged today.

With a price drop to below $1 a dose, UNICEF has successfully secured a five-in-one vaccine for children at half the price the agency currently pays, which will allow it to buy 450 million doses for 80 countries over the next three years.

Even though overall conflict-related civilian casualty numbers in Afghanistan fell by one per cent in the first nine months of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, child casualties saw a marked increase of 15 per cent, the United Nations mission in the country said today.

The head of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification told delegations gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to assess the treaty’s implementation, the impacts of land degradation affect the sustainability of the entire world, so a global effort is needed to tackle it, including through the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Following a discussion with the main committee of the United Nations General Assembly responsible for social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues affecting people all over the world, three UN human rights experts briefed reporters in New York, highlighting steps to strengthen protection against torture.

Hurricane Matthew, which ripped through Haiti 13 days ago, has left more than 700,000 people in an “extremely difficult situation,” United Nations Special Adviser David Nabarro said today, and while steady progress is being made, led by Haitians themselves, the response must be accelerated as the needs are still great, frustrations are high, and access to hard-hit areas remains tough.