UN News Centre

A new report by the United Nations human rights office shows that, after two years of conflict, the situation in eastern Ukraine remains volatile and continues to have a severe impact on human rights, especially for those living near the contact line and in territories controlled by armed groups.

Expressing his deep concern at the plight of civilians trapped in the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah in Iraq, the most senior United Nations relief official today underlined that the Organization and its partners are doing everything they can to scale up humanitarian assistance.

The United Nations Security Council today strongly condemned the deadly attack on 1 June 2016 perpetrated by Al-Shabaab militants on the Ambassador Hotel, Mogadishu.

A total of 867 Iraqis were killed and another 1,459 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in May 2016, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

A global education action agenda affirming the importance of Sustainable Development Goal 4 &#8211ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong opportunities for all &#8211 was adopted today in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.

The United Nations human rights office has condemned the execution of three men by authorities in Gaza today, despite serious and widespread concerns that international fair trial standards were not respected, and in spite of appeals by many local and international actors to halt the executions.

About two million people, or half the population, in the Sahelian belt of Chad face hunger and more than a quarter of them are in severe need of external assistance to meet their minimum daily food needs, the United Nations food relief agency said today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has determined that based on the current assessment of the Zika virus circulating in almost 60 countries globally and 39 countries in the Americas, there is no public health justification for postponing or cancelling the 2016 Olympic Games.

Concluding a three-day visit to Côte d&#39Ivoire, the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict has welcomed progress made thus far by the Government, and in particular by the national armed forces, in addressing sexual violence crimes in the country.

The verdict announced by a special court in Senegal on the conviction of the former President of Chad, Hissène Habré, of crimes against humanity sent “a strong signal” to those who perpetrate serious crimes of international concern, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.

The number of HIV-positive people taking antiretroviral medicines more than doubled to an estimated 17 million people from 2010 to 2015, with two million people gaining access to the life-saving drug last year alone, the United Nations agency leading the world’s HIV/AIDS response announced today.

Two United Nations humanitarian officials expressed deep concerned over the fate of an estimated 8,000 Syrians trapped by fighting around the towns of Mare’a and Sheikh Issa in northern Aleppo Governorate following advances in the past three days by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) into areas controlled by non-State armed groups.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process today welcomed statements by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on the Arab Peace Initiative.

As the global community marks World No Tobacco Day, the United Nations is advocating for the use of plain packaging of tobacco products in an effort to save lives by reducing demand for such products, which kill nearly 6 million people every year.

Nearly 3,700 people, or 624 families, have fled Fallujah over the past week amid a new offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the besieged city from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), the United Nations said today, with humanitarian officials also reporting that those civilians left behind risk being used as ‘human shields’ by the terrorists.

At least 880 people appear to have died over the past week as their vessels capsized in the Mediterranean, bringing the total fatalities along the dangerous crossing route to 2,510 so far this year, the United Nations refugee agency said today, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a comprehensive and collective response to large movements of refugees and migrants.

The third Sustainable Development Goal &#8211 to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all &#8211 was front and centre at a United Nations conference in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, providing face-to-face opportunities for tackling a range of issues, including the education gap.

The United Nations human rights office today added its voice to the concerns raised over a decision this past week by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to deny the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) consultative status.

While global citizenship means many things to many people, discussions at the sixty-sixth United Nations/Non-Governmental Organizations Conference maintained that cultivating empathy, a scientific appreciation for the natural world and responsibility towards future generations must be at the core of education for global citizenship.

A major United Nations meeting focusing on the world&#39s least developed countries (LDCs) has closed today in Antalya, Turkey, with a call for greater support to the world&#39s most vulnerable nations, and the adoption of an outcome document paving the way for further concrete action and progress in the years to come.