Jihadist extremists do not exist on the fringe of Islam but are "altogether outside" it. That's the emphatic view of King Abdullah of Jordan, who devoted his speech during the United Nations General Debate in New York to debunking misconceptions about his faith and the need for a "new mind-set and new partnerships" to fight [...]

The future of war-torn Syria should not rest "on the fate of a single man", according to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The UN chief indicated that the removal of Syria's president could not be the only consideration for ending the civil war which has left hundreds of thousands dead, and millions displaced. Addressing the [...]

Climate change is one of the biggest human rights issue in the world today and it's also a matter of justice, a senior UN envoy said on Tuesday. Mary Robinson, the UN special envoy on El Niño and Climate, stressed how the poorest countries and communities are being affected although they are the least responsible. [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from United Nations Radio, with Matthew Wells and Dianne Penn. In today's programme…a young Syrian refugee stands at the podium of the General Assembly Hall and tells world leaders that "inaction" will no longer do…. And…we've a special interview with a US-based activist on Syria who says [...]

A longstanding UN partner is now part of the family. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) officially joined the United Nations system during an agreement signing ceremony in New York on Monday. Dianne Penn reports. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was founded in the wake of the Second World War. Its chief, William Lacy [...]

"Pained and disappointed" is how the UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator described himself on Monday over the delay in delivery of aid to a besieged Syrian city. Stephen O'Brien expressed disappointment that a 20-truck UN convoy has yet to reach eastern Aleppo, where up to 275,000 civilians are trapped without food, water and medical care. Humanitarians [...]

There's now a collective commitment within the international community to work together on the response to the global refugee and migrant crisis. That's the view of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, speaking in New York before world leaders adopted what's been described as a "bold plan" to enhance protection for those people who have [...]

All children have a right to an education, two former refugees turned activists told global leaders during an event to debate the world's greatest challenges. Muzoon Almellehans of Syria and Zaynab Abdi of Yemen both campaign for the Malala Fund, an organization that raises funds for girls to go school. Muzoon Almellehans is sometimes referred [...]

A pedestrian crossing outside the United Nations which has been painted in the rainbow colours associated with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or LGBT movement is a reminder to world leaders that the fight for equality continues. That's according to a senior UN official. The rainbow crosswalk is an initiative of the US, as [...]

  Funding to assist refugees, host communities in rural areas An initiative to mobilize US$100 million has been launched to address the rural dimension of the global refugee and migrant crisis. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said the money will go towards assisting refugees, displaced people and their host communities in rural areas [...]