The United Nations political mission in Libya today welcomed the North African country’s adoption of new electoral laws, calling the move "an important step in Libya’s transition to democracy."

After another day of deadly violence in Syria, a senior United Nations official today added her voice to calls on the country’s Government to stop the killing and maiming of children.

The top United Nations peacekeeping official today stressed the need to boost the mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to facilitate the next phase of elections in the vast, impoverished country and protect civilians in areas where national authorities are not present.

Haiti has made some progress in restoring the rule of law, the United Nations independent expert on the human rights situation in the Caribbean country said today, citing as examples the appointment of the president of the highest appellate court and the upcoming establishment of the supreme council of the judiciary.

General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser today called on countries to throw their support behind a United Nations housing programme for Palestinians, stressing that it will enhance not only their living conditions but also prospects for peace in the region.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced deep concern over the outbreak of fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebel groups in northern Mali, stressing that he was particularly troubled by the large-scale humanitarian consequences of the conflict.

The resumption of dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo has led to the easing of tensions on the ground, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, cautioning, however, that other significant political challenges continue to emerge.

A new United Nations-backed survey has found that most workers in Afghanistan’s brick kilns are bonded child labourers, and calls for a strategy that will both provide relief to bonded families and help them escape the cycles of debt, dependence and poverty.

A series of independent United Nations human rights experts today voiced concern about the impact of the trial of a prominent Spanish judge on his independence, particularly his efforts to investigate more than 100,000 allegations of enforced disappearances during the country’s civil war and then under the regime of Francisco Franco.

An increasing crime rate is threatening economies and livelihoods in Caribbean countries, states a new United Nations report that calls for the right mix of policies and programmes to tackle the problem.

Two United Nations agencies warned today that millions of people in South Sudan are facing worsening hunger and called for urgent action to improve food security through adequate food aid and projects to boost agricultural production.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed today the inauguration of the Darfur Regional Authority, a body intended to stimulate development and facilitate peace in the war-torn western region of Sudan.

The head of the United Nations agency in charge of defending press freedom today condemned the recent death of a Pakistani journalist and called for measures to improve security conditions for reporters in the Asian country.

The United Nations and the League of Arab States are considering sending a joint observer mission to Syria to try to end the crisis engulfing the Middle East country, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warning today that recent attacks against civilians in the city of Homs were "a grim harbinger of worse to come."

A United Nations-backed census has been launched in the Dominican Republic to improve to the lives of hundreds of refugees and asylum-seekers.

The President of the General Assembly Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser today stressed the potential of all of the world’s religions to promote global peace and stability, saying that faiths have common principles that can be used to bring about grater unity and harmony among people.

A new United Nations food voucher scheme aims to help vulnerable families in the Libyan port city of Benghazi get the food they need while also boosting the local economy in the wake of the conflict that wracked the country last year.

The head of the United Nations political office in Central Africa and the President of the African Football Confederation (AFC) met today to discuss how the continent’s passion for soccer could promote the spirit of peace and development in Central Africa.

The current cold spell that has paralyzed much of Europe and reportedly killed almost 300 people over the past week should start to ease slowly from next week, a senior official at the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced hope today that the resignation of the President of the Maldives and the appointment of his deputy as the new leader will help to peacefully end the ongoing political crisis in the Indian Ocean country.