Films, videos and sound recordings are a means to tell stories about the world's people while also reflecting their diversity. That's according to the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, which highlights their value on the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, observed on 27 October. The celebrations this year include a film festival in Myanmar that pays [...]

Human rights monitors have received reports of mass killings, abductions, recruitment of child soldiers and other abuses, as families continue to flee communities surrounding Mosul in Iraq. Government forces backed by allies have launched an offensive to free the northern city from the terrorist group ISIL. Basma Baghall has been speaking to Roueida El Hage, [...]

Humanitarians are taking a closer look at "neglected and protracted" refugee situations as well as new refugee flows under a global compact aimed at addressing challenges faced by people on the move, a senior UN official has said. Countries adopted the "New York Declaration" in September to protect and save the lives of refugees and [...]

Forgotten humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria A "forgotten crisis" is taking place in north-eastern Nigeria which the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) warns could be the worst on the African continent. Seven years of insecurity sparked by the terrorist group Boko Haram has affected up to 15 million people in four states, leading to mass [...]

Afghanistan is being asked to intensify efforts to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of its citizens who have been displaced due to ongoing insecurity in the country. That recommendation has been made by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Internally Displace People (IDPs). Chaloka Beyani has also urged the international community [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from United Nations Radio, with Jocelyne Sambira and Matthew Wells. In today's programme: The UN secures tents to receive families fleeing the Iraqi city of Mosul; And: A "forgotten humanitarian crisis" is taking place in north-east Nigeria;  

A study of 55 women members of parliament (MPs) from across the globe reveals that the majority have experienced death threats, rape threats and other forms of psychological violence. Furthermore, 20 per cent of the MPs reported that they have been slapped, pushed or struck by an object that could have caused injury, while 12 [...]

A "forgotten crisis" is taking place in north-eastern Nigeria which the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) warns could be the worst on the African continent. Seven years of insecurity sparked by the terrorist group Boko Haram has affected up to 15 million people in four states, leading to mass displacement. It has also caused a [...]

Thousands of tents have been airlifted to Iraq in anticipation of a large-scale displacement from the northern city of Mosul, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has confirmed. The agency says it is securing 50,000 tents and 50,000 emergency shelter kits for families on the move. A military offensive launched by government forces is underway to [...]

When it comes to the New Urban Agenda for world cities, action needs to start at "the base" and not come from the top-down. That's the passionate view of Alima Sagito, a grassroots campaigner from Ghana, speaking at the UN's Habitat III conference on the future of world cities, which took place recently in Quito, [...]