UN News Centre

The United Nations in Somalia strongly condemned today&#39s blasts in the capital, Mogadishu, which reportedly killed or injured dozens of people.

A committee to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will discuss its work at the annual IPU forum, which began today in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Japanese comedians on Friday competed to make people laugh by weaving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their performance at a United Nations-supported special event in Kyoto, the country&#39s cultural centre.

The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide has strongly condemned provocation of ethnic and religious hatred armed groups and politicians in the Central African Republic and impressed the need for urgent, concerted and coordinated steps to end violence, defuse intercommunity tensions and alleviate the suffering of the civilian population.

Concluding her visit to Ukraine, the United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator underlined on Friday the urgent need for humanitarian funding to address the dire situation faced by millions of civilians during the coming winter months.

Visiting Gaza for the first time since taking office as United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres today called for Palestinian unity, saying division &#8220only undermines the cause of the Palestinian people.&#8221

Calling for creative ways to work towards peace in Syria, the United Nations Special Envoy today outlined the political path forward, which includes holding another round of the so-named Astana talks and behind-the-scenes efforts by the international community.

Extensive human rights violations and abuses have been committed in the wake of anti-Government protests in Venezuela and point to &#8220the existence of a policy to repress political dissent and instill fear in the population to curb demonstrations,&#8221 a report by the United Nations human rights office has found.

The United Nations adviser on the prevention of genocide today expressed deep concern at the deteriorating situation of up to 25,000 civilians trapped in Syria&#39s Raqqa, noting that civilians are used as human shields in this de facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da&#39esh) terrorist group under intense bombardment.

The United Nations Security Council today extended its authorization of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until 31 May 2018, approving a reduction of its uniformed personnel to a maximum 21,626 by 31 December 2017, with an eye towards the gradual handover over of responsibilities to Somali security forces.

Skilled health personnel are desperately needed in north-eastern Nigeria, the United Nations population agency today said, after training hundreds of health providers in Borno State on the basics of reproductive health needs.

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for one year.

The head of the United Nations agriculture agency today called for greater funding for a sustainable response to the refugee crisis in Uganda, as he concluded a visit to the country&#39s north hosting those crossing the border for safety.

The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the latest ballistic missile launch by the Democratic People&#39s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which flew over Japan, as well as the series of launches that took place on 25 August.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged all countries to sign and ratify a global treaty that bans nuclear explosions on the Earth&#39s surface, in the atmosphere, underwater and underground.

Alarmed at renewed fighting and incitement in the wake of the attacks on Myanmar security forces in northern areas of Rakhine state, the top United Nations human rights official today urged all sides to renounce the use of violence and called on State authorities to ensure they abide by their obligations under international human rights law.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today reiterated his call for a political solution to the Middle East conflict that would end Israel&#39s occupation of Palestinian land and would create an independent Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel in peace and security.

The United Nations migration agency is working with Libyan authorities to help rescue more migrants off the Libyan coast.

The United Nations aid chief released today $45 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to four countries &#8220struggling in crises away from the headlines&#8221 &#8211 Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Chad and Sudan &#8211 where more than 21 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance.

The United Nations is reacting to the devastating images from Tropical Storm Harvey, which has affected an area the size of Spain in the southern United States, and which is likely to worsen in the coming hours as the rain continues.