Although the UN has made great strides towards gender equality within the organization, there's still "far to go". That's according to Ourania Yancopoulos, Project Manager and Lead Researcher of HERStory, an exhibition showcasing women leadership in the UN. As of June this year, she said, only 34 out of 159 senior level positions in [...]

The international community "must not give up" on the right of both Palestine and Israel to exist as independent states, living in peace and security with their neighbours. That plea for the UN Security Council to reaffirm the so-called two-state solution came from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his final address to the council on the [...]

There has been a "lack of recognition" in addressing sexual violence against men and boys, according to a gender specialist, speaking at UN Headquarters. Kelli Muddell is Director of the Gender Justice Program at the International Center for Transitional Justice, a UN partner organization that specializes in providing redress for human rights abuses in post-conflict [...]

Migrants in Libya "treated as animals" in detention In Libya, fresh evidence has emerged that tens of thousands of migrants are subjected to serious human rights abuses and "treated as animals", the UN has announced. From arbitrary detention to beatings with sticks, rocks and bricks, investigators say that individuals hoping to use the north African [...]

Women are on the receiving end of violence in today's conflicts and therefore better at prevention and sustaining peace, the Ambassador of Colombia to the UN has said. Maria Emma Mejia spoke ahead of a UN exhibition showcasing how women helped shape the United Nations throughout the years. Along with a coalition of 66 UN [...]

Lack of funds and access to "life saving" interventions  continue to make malaria a threat according to a representative from the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s Global Malaria Programme. Richard Cibulskis stated that some households consistently do not have access to resources which could treat the disease, transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. This year's [...]

Reports have emerged from Syria's Aleppo city that dozens of civilians – including women and children – have been executed by pro-government forces as they close in on the last remaining neighbourhoods still held by opposition groups. The UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, said that civilians have paid a "brutal price" as the Syrian military [...]

Human existence is "absolutely dependent" on healthy biodiversity, from the food we eat, to the viability of the global economy. That's the passionate view of Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, UNEP. He was speaking at a major UN conference on biodiversity which took place in the Mexican coastal city of Cancun [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from United Nations Radio, with Jocelyne Sambira and Daniel Dickinson. Today: Antonio Guterres was sworn-in as the ninth Secretary-General succeeding Ban Ki-moon who steps down after ten years on the job.

Strengthen international cooperation to fight terrorism The international community needs to cooperate more closely in the fight against terrorists, according to the head of the UN’s anti-terrorism body (UNCTED). Jean-Paul Laborde was addressing the UN Security Council in a debate on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. Groups like Al-Shabaab, Boko [...]