UN News Centre

The United Nations General Assembly has approved a global arms trade treaty that failed to achieve unanimous support last week but garnered the support of a majority of Member States when put to a vote today. The resolution containing the…

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the current crisis on the Korean peninsula “has already gone too far,” following an announcement by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to restart its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. “I am deeply troubled. As Secretary-General,…

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Cuba, Peru and Uruguay discussed the issue of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) during their meeting today at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom have…

The United Nations today honoured the memory of an estimated 15 million innocent victims who suffered over four centuries as a result of the transatlantic slave trade, while highlighting the plight of millions more who still endure the brutality of…

The process of establishing a post-2015 development agenda must include youth input and participation to reflect the issues that concern them, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Envoy on Youth stressed today in his first press conference since he assumed office. “We are…

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has welcomed the news of the transfer of Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda to The Hague, where he faces charges for a range of alleged war crimes, including rape, murder and the recruitment…

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon today said that the United Nations will launch an independent investigation into allegations of the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria, after receiving a formal request from the country’s Government. “The investigation mission is to look…

Marking the first ever International Day of Happiness, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the international community to commit to an inclusive and sustainable human development that will improve the well-being of those who lack basic services needed to pursue…

Top United Nations officials today welcomed an agreement by more than 130 Member States on the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, and urged governments to translate the outcome of the ‘historic’ gathering into…

Norway, Australia and the United States lead this year’s Human Development Index (HDI) rankings, the annual United Nations measure of progress in human well-being, while Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mozambique are at the bottom. The…