The Security Council has to be careful not to negatively impact "ordinary people" in North Korea through sanctions aimed at stopping its nuclear weapons programme. That's the opinion of TomĂĄs Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The main challenge he faces is being [...]

Changing realities on the ground in Sudan's Darfur region have led the joint United Nations-African Union mission there, UNAMID, to refine and adapt its Protection of Civilians strategy. The new approach involves focusing more on coordination as well as greater clarity on roles and responsibilities, according to Zurab Elzarov, who's in charge of civilian protection, [...]

Women entrepreneurs need opportunities, not handouts: UN official When it comes to growing their businesses, women entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities, not "waiting for handouts," according to an official with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).  Adot Killmeyer-Oleche, chief of UNIDO's Institute for Capacity Development, was speaking after a panel discussion on women in industry [...]

Statelessness affects millions of people and three in four belong to minority groups At least 10 million people are stateless worldwide, and it's a problem that affects individuals and society as a whole. That's according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, which cautions that the problem is largely undocumented. In a new report, it notes [...]

Grave human rights violations were committed by ISIL fighters against civilians trapped in the Iraqi city of Mosul which amount to "international crimes", a new UN report published on Thursday claimed. Focusing on the insurgents' efforts to resist the Iraqi military which finally retook the city in July, the report indicates that more than 2,500 [...]

  The UN chief has called the plight of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh a "humanitarian and human rights nightmare". So what has it been like trying to ease the suffering on the ground? For this latest edition of our UN News podcast, The Lid Is On, we'll take you inside the biggest and fastest exodus [...]

South Sudanese civilians will only "feel ownership" of their country when fundamental freedoms and rights are respected by all, and for all. That's the essence of a new campaign aimed at internally-displaced people sheltering in Protection-of-Civilian, or PoC, sites around the country, run by the UN Mission, UNMISS. Much of the violence which has wracked [...]

"Staggering" violence against babies and children worldwide: UNICEF "Staggering numbers" of children are being attacked and abused around the world, often in their own homes, according to a new report published by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday. Worldwide, three-quarters of children are regularly subjected to violent discipline by their caregivers. The report entitled [...]

When it comes to growing their businesses, women entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities, not "waiting for handouts," according to an official with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Adot Killmeyer-Oleche, chief of UNIDO's Institute for Capacity Development, was speaking after a panel discussion on women in industry held in Bahrain on Wednesday as part of [...]

Listen to our daily bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, presented by Matt Wells and Dianne Penn. In today’s programme:  Why women entrepreneurs need opportunities, not handouts; and: A human rights campaign focuses on displaced people in South Sudan.