It's "too early" to declare an end to inter-communal conflicts in Sudan's troubled Darfur region. That's the view of Mike Dzakuma, the Officer in Charge of Civil Affairs for the Joint African Union-UN Mission in Darfur, (UNAMID). Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir declared on Wednesday that peace had returned to the region saying that the government [...]

The international community may have failed to broker a lasting peace in South Sudan, but it is "not prepared to give up." That's the passionate view of former Botswanan President, Festus Mogae, who is Chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission for South Sudan (JMEC). JMEC works closely with the UN and is made [...]

There is an "emergency spike" in the number of newly-displaced people across Afghanistan, who are in need of life-saving aid. That's according to the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, speaking at the end of a two-day fact-finding visit to the country. He announced that the UN was launching a "flash appeal" for US$150 million [...]

  UN deploys observers on Western Sahara no-man's land to maintain calm Unarmed military observers have been deployed by the UN on a strip of land that serves as a neutral area in Western Sahara in an effort to de-escalate tensions there. Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is located on the north-west coast of [...]

Some 50 million children have been uprooted from home, more than half by conflict, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, said Wednesday. In a new report on the global challenge, the agency highlights that children and youngsters make up a growing proportion of those seeking shelter outside their countries of origin. UNICEF's Director of Programmes, Ted [...]

  Syrians in "despair" amid increase in fighting, say investigators Syrians are in a state of despair amid a tragic increase in fighting and besiegement that's crushing hopes of peace, a United Nations rights investigators said Tuesday. In a new report on the more than five-year conflict, the UN Commission of Inquiry authors note continued [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from United Nations Radio, with Daniel Dickinson and Jocelyne Sambira. In today's programme: Political will" is in "short supply" when it comes to the responsibility of countries worldwide to Protect their citizens And, why multinational companies are not paying enough in tax to Africa

African countries are losing out on significant tax revenues from multinational companies despite the "huge profits" those companies are making. That's according to the Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's International Cooperation and Development directorate. Klaus Rudischhauser was recently at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC. Many of the countries whose raw materials [...]

The "political will" to protect vulnerable people from so-called "atrocity crimes" has been in "short supply" especially when it comes to UN Security Council taking action. That's the view of Edward Luck, former Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the "Responsibility to Protect" principle. He was speaking at the annual General Assembly dialogue on Responsibility [...]

  Secretary-General visits UN-backed drug treatment centre in Lao UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has met with patients and their families at a community-based drug treatment centre in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The Sisattanak district hospital in the capital city of Ventiane is supported by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as well [...]