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The Philippines, Cambodia, and India were the countries most affected by extreme weather events in 2013, according to the results of a new climate risk report. The Global Climate Risk Index, created by the environmental organization Germanwatch, was released on the second day of UN-sponsored climate talks in Lima, Peru. Last year in the Philippines, [...]

The private sector should play an active role in respecting and promoting human rights, according to business people attending a major UN event in Geneva. The three-day UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, which opened on Monday, has brought together more than 1,500 people from over 100 countries representing a wide cross-section of industries. [...]

The Egyptian authorities have been urged by the UN not to use excessive force against demonstrators protesting the dropping of charges against a former president. At least five people including two security officers were reportedly killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces during protests. Many Egyptians are reacting to a court's verdict to drop [...]

Mali has been approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to immediately receive $11.7 million dollars in aid, following a suspension last May. An executive board of the IMF recently reviewed the West African country's performance under an economic programme supported by a three-year extended credit arrangement. The board's decision brings the total disbursement to [...]

The deadly Ebola epidemic continues to "cripple" the economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone according to a report by the World Bank. Almost 6000 people have died so far from the disease. The Bank has revised down its projections for economic growth in the three West African countries as its President, Jim Yong Kim, [...]

Liberia has met targets for treating Ebola patients and for the safe burial of people who died from the disease. That's according to the UN's senior official on Ebola in the West African country. December 1st was the deadline set by the UN to isolate and treat 70 per cent of cases and to bury [...]

Twenty-one million women, men and children are trapped in slavery all over the world according to the United Nations. To help eradicate contemporary forms of slavery, the global community is on Tuesday marking the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Modern forms of slavery include human trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labour, forced marriage, and [...]

Don't define someone by their disability but define them by their ability, said United States Senator Tom Harkin when taking a tour of the United Nations Centre for the audio, visual, and physically impaired on Friday. Senator Harkin is the lead advocate for disability rights in The United States Congress. The Senator's visit to the [...]

The sky will be the limit for African countries once they industrialize their agricultural sector. That's the view of Ambassador Arthur Kafeero, Chef de Cabinet in the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly. Ambassador Kafeero participated in an event on the occasion of Africa Industrialization Day, observed on 20 November, and which [...]

The outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease in West Africa should be "contained" and could end by the middle of 2015, the UN Secretary-General has said. Almost 5500 people have died after catching the virus, mainly in Guinea Liberia and Sierra Leone. The United Nations has set up a special health mission UNMEER to fight [...]

Around 25,000 people whose homes were destroyed in a conflict in the Gaza strip in July and August are to have access to materials to rebuild their houses, according to the UN. The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, said an "understanding" had been reached between the Israeli and Palestinian authorities [...]

An airlift of supplies to support displaced people through the winter has begun in Iraq. Winter aid supplies, including thousands of tent insulations kits for displaced people, were delivered in northern Iraq's Kurdistan. Six more flights are scheduled to arrive in the next three weeks. Iraq has experienced increasing instability in 2014 as a result [...]

News and features from United Nations.

Significant commitments have been made by over 170 countries in the fight against malnutrition, a senior UN official has noted. Ministers and senior officials responsible for health, food, agriculture and other aspects of nutrition have agreed to adopt firm policies and actions at the Second International Conference on Nutrition or ICN2. A Rome Declaration on [...]