Human rights are the foundation of peaceful societies, yet they are under attack in many countries globally, according to the deputy UN human rights chief, Andrew Gilmour. The "danger, intimidation and reprisals faced by courageous human rights defenders" are a visible manifestation of this backlash, he stressed. This Human Rights Day, 10 December, also marks the [...]

Theatre, music, and other creative forms of artistic expression are a big help for persons with disabilities who may struggle to express their inner-most emotions. That's one of the ideas that motivated Dario D'Ambrosi to bring a version of the ancient Greek tragedy, Medea, to the United Nations in New York, on the occasion of [...]

UN advocate to give voice to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse Transforming those who have suffered sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by UN personnel from victims into survivors, is the goal of the first-ever official appointed to advocate on their behalf.  Jane Connors took up the post of UN Victims' Rights Advocate in August [...]

Aid resumes to Rohingya in Myanmar's northern Rakhine State Food aid deliveries have resumed to thousands of people affected by violence in Myanmar's northern Rakhine State, the UN said on Friday. Bettina Luescher from the World Food Programme (WFP) said that 32,000 individuals had received supplies, out of the 36,000 the agency planned to reach. [...]

Listen to our daily bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, presented by Matt Wells and Daniel Johnson. In today's programme: "a tragic day for the UN family" says the Secretary-General, as at least 12 Tanzanian peacekeepers are killed in the worst attack on blue helmets in recent history; and: The number of [...]

Countries have pledged $383 million dollars to support a UN fund that provides timely humanitarian aid during crises. The commitments by 36 donors were the outcome of the latest annual pledging conference for the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), which was held in New York on Friday. CERF also reached a record high income of [...]

It can take up to 1,000 years to form a single centimetre of soil, which is why "soil preservation is essential for food security and to ensure our sustainable future." That's the view of Yusuf Yigini, Soil Mapping Specialist with the Global Soil Partnership Secretariat at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The UN celebrated [...]

Raising the profile of UN Volunteers in Sudan Building roads, empowering young people and contributing to peace and development efforts: those are just some of the duties performed by more than 200 international and local volunteers working with the UN in Sudan.  Roughly half of these UN Volunteers are serving at the joint African Union-UN [...]

A young engineer from Yemen hopes his UN prize-winning project to convert food waste into "green" energy will help reduce the staggering rate of cholera in his country. Omer Badokhon is one of six winners of the Young Champions of the Earth prize presented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and materials science company, Covestro. [...]

Famine conditions "likely" to return in parts of South Sudan next year Famine conditions which were reversed this year in South Sudan, are "likely" to return next year if conflict continues, the UN relief chief told Security Council members on Thursday. Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Lowcock said almost two thirds of South Sudanese were still in [...]