UN official draws attention to "complex emergency" in Mali A senior UN official is drawing attention to the complex emergency in Mali and the deteriorating humanitarian situation resulting from the conflict, following a three-day visit to the country. John Ging, the Director of Operations for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), warned [...]

Ceasefire urgently needed in South Sudan, says UN special envoy Ending the hostilities in South Sudan should be the global community's "number one priority", David Shearer, the UN Special Envoy to the country said, just ahead of briefing the Security Council. South Sudan's neighbours should also be "in lockstep" when it comes to pressuring the various [...]

There are around 100 million African children out of school which is endangering the global push towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That's according to the former President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, who is leading The Education Commission's push to convert its call for new ways of financing classrooms around the world, into action. [...]

She pulled refugees to safety across the Mediterranean Sea and then swam in the Rio Olympics. For her next challenge, Syrian teenager Yusra Mardini says she wants to change people's preconceptions about refugees. The 19-year-old was in Geneva on Thursday where she was named Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the youngest appointee in [...]

Indigenous women from the Americas are creating their own media to tell their stories and preserve the traditional knowledge of their people. That's according to Nidia Bustillos Rodriguez, a representative of NOTIMIA, a news agency created by women journalists of indigenous or African descent from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Brazil. Thirteen members of the [...]

Hollywood star Matt Damon's been telling the World Bank how a simple loan scheme has allowed around 5.5 million people to access affordable water. Mr Damon was speaking at a World Bank event on Sanitation and Water for All; part of the Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, held in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund. [...]

Yemen conference "about hard cash and resources": UN Coordinator The donor conference on Tuesday which raised US$1.1 billion to bring Yemen back from the brink of famine was about "hard cash and resources" not "pledges and promises". That's according to the UN Resident Coordinator for the war-torn country, Jamie McGoldrick, who said humanitarians needed the [...]

Women and girls paying "heaviest price" in Yemen as famine looms: UNFPA Women and girls are "paying the heaviest" price as Yemen's humanitarian crisis deepens, increasing their vulnerability to violation and abuse. That's the view of Anjali Sen, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in the country, who's in Geneva ahead of a High Level [...]

  More than 2,000 Afghan civilians killed or injured in first quarter of 2017 A total of 2,181 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest data from the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). That represents a four per cent decrease compared with 2016, but the [...]

Ishmael Beah, former child soldier, helps amplify Syria youth voices Ishmael Beah, author and former child soldier from Sierra Leone has been helping young Syrians in exile amplify their voices, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, said on Thursday. The UNICEF advocate for war-affected children wrapped up a three-day trip to Jordan where he helped around [...]