Condemnation for deadly blasts in Thailand A series of bomb attacks against popular resort areas in Thailand has been condemned by the United Nations. Four people were reportedly killed in the blasts which occurred on Friday. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Mr Ban extended condolences to [...]

When it comes to the world's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, "we should know a lot more about them." That's the view of Sophia Smith Galer, one of the winners of a multilingual essay contest who came to UN Headquarters in July to attend a global youth forum. Speaking ahead of International Youth day [...]

Bid to end violence "that affects one billion children per year" An ambitious strategy to end violence against children has been unveiled by UN health experts. It was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) which says a new global approach is needed as around one billion children every year are affected. Despite the alarming [...]

South Sudan Olympians say "being a refugee is only a status" Five runners who fled South Sudan have been given the chance to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as refugees. A total of 10 refugees from various countries have been competing in the ground-breaking team and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says they [...]

#TeamRefugees symbol of hope for millions of displaced people When the top athletes from more than 200 countries strode into the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the opening ceremony, one team in particular brought the world to its feet. For the first time ever, a Refugee Olympic Team is competing at the [...]

"Ensure safety and dignity of civilians" in Aleppo urges UNHCR All parties to the fighting in and around Aleppo in Syria have a duty to "ensure, first and foremost, the safety and dignity of civilians," according to a statement issued on Thursday by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Heavy fighting in recent weeks between rebels [...]

In Bulgaria, refugees and migrants fleeing conflict and persecution all too often find themselves treated as criminals. That's according to the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who said on Thursday that "xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism are among the most worrying threats" in Europe today. Zeid said that more effective national [...]

Ukraine challenges Russia for proof of alleged "terrorist" attack inside Crimea The Ukrainian ambassador challenged Russia on Thursday to provide proof of Ukrainian involvement in an alleged "terrorist" incursion inside Crimea. Speaking after a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the issue, Ukrainian Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko, said his government had asked the UN Human Rights [...]

Three-hour daily pauses in the fighting around Aleppo are "not enough" to get life-saving aid in the Syrian city because the logistics are "enormous". That's the reaction of two senior UN officials to the truce proposed by the Russian Federation on Thursday. Fighting is raging inside Syria's second city where two million people are living [...]

A group of child refugees who've found a new home in California were given a special message by the UN chief on Wednesday: "If I could do it, you can do it." During a visit to the west coast of the United States, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the children that he had once been displaced [...]