A young Rwandan poet is bringing her message of hope "straight from the artist, to the leaders," at the UN on Friday. At the same time, Malaika Uwamahoro says that it's "up to the people" themselves in countries where a genocide could occur, to step away from the abyss. The performance artist, currently studying in [...]

Raphael Lemkin is hardly a household name these days, but back in the 1940s he became the driving force behind what would become The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. An American of Polish-Jewish descent, Lemkin coined the term genocide after dedicating his life to pursuing the international legal means [...]

During the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, "rape was as much a tool of genocide as the machete," the UN special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Bangura has said. Women from the ethnic minority Tutsi group in the African country were "systematically targeted and raped" during that period, investigations by the UN International [...]

The renewed interest of the United States in resolving the Syria conflict is to be welcomed but more countries with influence must stop "fuelling (the) fire", a top UN humanitarian adviser said on Thursday. Those comments, by UN Special Advisor Jan Egeland, followed a meeting of the Humanitarian Access Task Force in Geneva. It convened [...]

Gender equality is "central to development": UNFPA Access to services, removal of stigma and "education, education, education," are crucial aspects of promoting gender equality and empowering women to make decisions about their reproductive health. That's according to Dr. Babatunde Osotim-ehin, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Dr Osotim-ehin was at UN [...]

Alleged chemical attack overwhelms Syria medical staff Medical staff and facilities in Syria's Idlib governorate are "overwhelmed" and short of lifesaving medicines after a deadly suspected chemical attack this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. More than 70 people reportedly died in the attack on Khan Shaykun and hundreds more have been affected, [...]

UN peacekeeping chief urges support for Mali peace process Parties to the conflict in Mali must be encouraged to accelerate implementation of a 2015 peace agreement, the new UN peacekeeping chief Jean Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Thursday. The deal signed by the Government and armed groups sought to end three years of [...]

Sport a force for physical well-being and social empowerment: Bokova Sport, a passion shared by women and men across the world, is a force for physical well-being and social empowerment, the head of UNESCO, the Director-General of the UN scientific and cultural agency has said. Irina Bokova issued this message to mark the International Day [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, with Dianne Penn and Jocelyne Sambira. In today's programme: the new UN peacekeeping chief urges support for the peace process in Mali; and the UN Refugee agency explains why refugees are often the first victims of terrorism.

Parties to the conflict in Mali must be encouraged to accelerate implementation of a 2015 peace agreement, the new UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council on Thursday. The deal signed by the Government and armed groups sought to end three years of instability, including a failed military coup and the seizure of [...]