WHO: we can stop genital mutilation of girls More than 200 million girls and women around the world are victims of female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that the UN says is spreading, along with global migration. For the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM on Monday 6 February, new guidelines were published by [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, with Matthew Wells and Daniel Johnson. In today’s programme: Somalia has a new president. We’ll hear reaction from the UN Mission there, and what it might mean for the country’s future. And “mass starvation” could be the reality facing millions of Yemeni civilians [...]

Confronting "pandemic" under-reporting of sexual crimes and "victim-blaming" practices are key challenges in the fight against gender inequality in India. That's according to Trisha Shetty, founder of SheSays, an online platform designed to rehabilitate and empower women to combat sexual abuse. Ms Shetty is also a UN Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [...]

There are some "signs of normality" returning for children living on the frontline between Ukrainian government forces and separatist rebels, after an escalation in fighting over the past week. That's according to UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in Ukraine, Giovanna Barberis, who said on Wednesday that 675 children were able to return to the classroom [...]

Somali president faces “formidable” set of challenges, international partners say Somalia’s new president faces a “formidable” set of challenges in meeting the expectations of the Somali people, the country’s international partners have said. The United Nations, African Union, European Union (EU), the African regional trade bloc, IGAD, Ethiopia, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the [...]

2017 "must be a year of decisions", where political deadlock in Libya is broken in order to restore "basic services" to the people. That's one of the key messages delivered by the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Martin Kobler, to the Security Council on Wednesday. The UN brokered the signing of [...]

A US$2.1 billion appeal to help 12 million Yemenis who depend on aid "for their survival" has been launched by the UN and its humanitarian partners. Without international support, UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien warns in a statement released on Wednesday, Yemen could face famine this year. Since March 2015, violent conflict has created a [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, with Matthew Wells and Jocelyne Sambira. In today's programme: Libyan leaders need to make 2017 a year of decisive action to bring the country back together, the Security Council hears. And as the UN commemorates 20 years of work focussed on children and [...]

  Security Council condemns "heinous and cowardly" attack on Afghan court The Security Council has described the terrorist attack outside Afghanistan's Supreme Court in the capital Kabul on Tuesday as "heinous and cowardly." At least 21 were killed, and more than 40 wounded. Many of the victims were women, said the UN Mission in Afghanistan, [...]

There is no "band aid" solution to rehabilitating and reintegrating former child soldiers, a Somali activist warned UN Member States on Wednesday. Ilwad Elman, Director of Programs and Development at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Somalia, made the remarks ahead of an event to commemorate 20 years of work to protect children. [...]