A new project to empower women in the refugee camps of Turkey has been launched by the UN's Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Having fled conflict from countries like Syria and Iraq, they are being offered training in textile production with the aim of helping them find jobs and greater independence. Priyanka Shankar reports. Duration:3’46″

  Praise for humanitarian efforts in northeast Nigeria Aid workers are reaching increased numbers of conflict-affected people in northeast Nigeria, which the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) described on Friday as a significant achievement. WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin, who was in the country this week, has welcomed what she called the "tremendous [...]

The death has been announced of pioneering anti-torture human rights expert Sir Nigel Rodley; he was 75. Tributes have been paid to Sir Nigel from all around the world, not least for his major contribution to drafting international law on torture and ill-treatment in all its forms. UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Rupert Colville is [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, with Jocelyne Sambira and Dianne Penn. In today's programme the upcoming Somali presidential elections must be handled "correctly," a senior UN official has urged; and we'll hear the story of how a Japanese diplomat rescued 6,000 Jewish families during the Holocaust.  

The Nazi party in Germany used "strong graphic images" like the swastika to brand themselves and make the "jump from obscurity to political prominence", a curator for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has said. Stephen Luckert launched a photo exhibit at UN Headquarters entitled "State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda" ahead of [...]

A Japanese diplomat who rescued 6,000 Jewish families fleeing Nazi persecution in Lithuania showed how one person can make a difference, Cellin Gluck, the Director of a movie entitled “Persona Non Grata” has said. Recently screened at the UN, the film tells the story of how Chiune Sugihara disobeyed his Government during the Second World War [...]

The peaceful transition of power in the Gambia to President Adama Barrow this week is "clear evidence" of the power of "preventive diplomacy". That's according to Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Head of the UN’s Office for West Africa and the Sahel, who has been a key figure in resolving the political crisis there, alongside regional leaders [...]

It is "imperative" that the upcoming elections in Somalia are handled correctly given that the electoral process for parliament was marred by corruption and intimidation. That's the message that Michael Keating, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in the country, UNSOM, delivered to the UN Security [...]

Ensuring peace and stability and accelerating infrastructure projects are the main priorities of the new head of the UN's Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). New Zealander David Shearer was appointed to lead UNMISS, with its 13,000 uniformed personnel, in December. Arriving in South Sudan this week, he said his main job was to help the [...]

Refugees who have fled to Europe from countries like Syria and Afghanistan are still being portrayed as "potential terrorists", especially on social media, while so-called "hate speech" is on the rise. That's according to Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser , the High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), a group of experts who explore the [...]