UN rights chief "appalled" by mass execution in Iraq UN Human Rights High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said he is "appalled" at the mass execution of prisoners in Iraq over the weekend. Forty-two inmates at the Al Hoot prison, located in the south of the country, were hanged on Sunday. The men were Iraqis [...]

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said that the violence experienced by refugees who've fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh is among the worst he has encountered – and that their plight is a "recipe" for a health "disaster". Speaking to journalists in Geneva on Wednesday, Filippo Grandi praised the Bangladeshi authorities for keeping their [...]

The scourge of human trafficking needs to become "a real priority for international cooperation," the UN Secretary-General urged on Wednesday. The plea from António Guterres came as the General Assembly adopted a new Political Declaration to fight trafficking in persons, during a high-level meeting in New York. The two-day meeting to appraise the UN Global Plan [...]

UN chief welcomes Saudi Arabia decision giving women the right to drive UN officials are welcoming Saudi Arabia's decision to lift the ban on women drivers. The announcement was made on Tuesday and will come into effect in July 2018. On Twitter, UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the move as "an important step in the [...]

Citizens in Sudan and South Sudan have to embrace a larger understanding of their common citizenship and common future. That's the assessment of the UN Special Envoy for the two countries, Nicholas Haysom, who was in New York for the UN General Assembly. The UN has long supported peace efforts in Sudan, which has been [...]

Youth and rural populations in Tanzania are looking to increase their access to financial services, according to Bank of Tanzania Governor Benno Ndulu. Mr Ndulu said "financial inclusion" was a high priority for the East African country, and diversifying the economy at all levels of society will reduce dependence overall. In his capacity as chair [...]

The Caribbean can become "an engine for change" in reducing childhood obesity. That's according to Trevor Hassel, president of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, speaking about the issue at UN Headquarters in New York, during the General Assembly's High Level week. The Caribbean has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world, and [...]

Listen to our daily bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, presented by Dianne Penn and Matt Wells. In today's programme: Countries reaffirm the goal of achieving a nuclear-free world; and the UN environment chief calls for more action to combat pollution and climate change.  

In July, countries adopted a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons following decades of diplomatic efforts. This Tuesday in New York, they reaffirmed the ideal of achieving global nuclear disarmament—one of the oldest goals of the United Nations. Dianne Penn reports on a ceremony held at UN Headquarters to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination [...]

UN chief condemns deadly attack on blue helmets in Mali The killing of three peacekeepers in Mali has been condemned by the UN Secretary-General. The blue helmets from Bangladesh were part of a convoy travelling in the Gao region on Sunday which came under attack. Five of their colleagues also were seriously injured. UN chief [...]