The top UN official in Libya has underscored the importance of inclusive and transparent elections for peace and security in the country.

Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) was in New York this week to brief the Security Council.

Mr. Bathily spoke to UN News’s Khaled Mohamed about why stability in Libya is also critical to regional security.

The envoy began by detailing his recent intensified consultations with major players, and ordinary citizens, in Libya. 

Millions of people in Niger could fall further into severe food insecurity due to the impact of sanctions in the wake of the 26 July power grab, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.

Some 4.3 million people in the country need assistance, including 3.3 million facing severe food insecurity. Another 7.3 million were already facing moderate food insecurity prior to the crisis and are at risk of falling deeper into hunger.

UN News’s Cristina Silveiro spoke with Jean-Noel Gentile, the WFP Representative in Niger, who said $92 million is still needed to maintain its operations between September and February. 

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The UN is standing by the people of Niger as border closures increasingly impact the movement of lifesaving supplies into the country which has been wracked by the fallout from last month’s military takeover.

That’s according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in the country, Stefano Savi, who issued a plea for restrictions to end, allowing aid stranded at logistics hubs such as polio and measles vaccines, into the landlocked West African nation.

Florence Westergard from our UN News French service began by asking him to outline the needs faced by vulnerable Nigeriens today.

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The parents of an American teenager killed in one of the nation’s worst school shootings are hoping the international community will do more to end gun violence.

Manuel and Patricia Oliver visited the UN this week for a tour and briefing, part of their cross-country road trip visiting communities affected by mass shootings.  

Their son Joaquin, 17, was murdered in Florida’s Parkland high school shooting in February 2018 but lives on through their non-profit Change the Ref, which uses art and non-violent creative confrontation to raise awareness about mass shootings.

Dianne Penn spoke with the Olivers, who came to the UN through the Non-Violence Project Foundation, a non-governmental organization that has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

John McKenna, US Country Director, began by providing an example of how art, activism, non-violence and peace, are linked here at UN Headquarters in New York.