"High number of deaths" reported in Kananga area of DRC The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO, has received "credible reports of high numbers of deaths" in clashes between militia and government troops in the Kananga and Kasai regions. Maman Sambo Sidikou, head of MONUSCO, called for the "immediate cessation [...]

Voice actors who play the “Smurfs” in an animated movie joined UN officials on Saturday to celebrate the International Day of Happiness and launch a campaign to promote a more peaceful, equitable and healthy world. The small blue cartoon characters will encourage children, young people and adults to learn about and support the 17 Sustainable Development [...]

During 2016, more than 117,000 refugees arrived in war-stricken Yemen, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), despite the escalating conflict there. Many were lured by smugglers to take a perilous boat journey from Africa across the Gulf of Aden, or the Red Sea, in search of a better future. UN figures released on Wednesday [...]

Voice actors who play the “Smurfs” in an animated movie joined UN officials on Saturday to celebrate the International Day of Happiness and launch a campaign to promote a more peaceful, equitable and healthy world. The small blue cartoon characters will encourage children, young people and adults to learn about and support the 17 Sustainable Development [...]

Support for people with disabilities around the world who are preparing for disasters is "still in a symbolic stage". That's the frank assessment of veteran activist and NGO chief executive, Carlos Kaiser from Chile, speaking at a recent UN-backed conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas. A global conference on the issue takes place [...]

The UN is putting the "rights and dignity of victims first" in its fight against sexual abuse and exploitation, the Secretary-General has promised. António Guterres unveiled a new approach to rid the organization of the scourge, including the appointment of an advocate for the victims. Last year, 145 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation involving both [...]

South Sudan refugee crisis "world's fastest growing": UN Refugee Agency South Sudan is now the world's fastest growing refugee crisis and no neighbouring country is immune, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has warned. People are fleeing into Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR), the agency [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, with Matthew Wells and Jocelyne Sambira. In today's programme: "tremendous progress" has been made stabilizing Central African Republic but security's still volatile. We'll hear from the top UN representative there. And support for people with disabilities facing disasters, needs to become more than [...]

Rural women can be "powerful economic agents" but policy makers should recognise their needs in order for them to "unleash" their potential, an expert from the UN food agency has said. Hajnalka Petrics is a Gender and Development Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Ms Petrics was at UN [...]

Children seeking asylum in Europe are facing greater risks of deportation, detention, exploitation and deprivation a year after a main refugee route was closed and a deal over migration between the European Union (EU) and Turkey was passed, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned. The so-called “Balkan border” includes countries like Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia [...]