United Nations

Migrants who survived a shipwreck are escorted as they arrive at the Lampedusa harbor on Wednesday. Some 300 others drowned in the latest such disaster triggered by people fleeing conflicts in North Africa.

World News

U.N. Calls On EU To Expand Rescue Of Migrants In Mediterranean

12:19pm February 12, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The High Commissioner for Refugees wants the European Union to expand its Operation Triton to intercept and rescue would-be migrants, most of them trying to reach Italy.

Survey teams are part of the Ebola army: They determine who's sick and send out burial teams when needed. Here, Osman Sow talks with Kadiatu, who is eight months pregnant and suspected of having the virus, as she waits at a health center in Freetown, Sier

To Get To Zero Ebola Cases, It'll Cost A Lot: Roughly $1.5 Billion

10:34am February 09, 2015

by Linda Poon

A new U.N. report lays out how much money is needed and where it should go — everything from transportation for contact tracers to cash incentives for health care workers.

Anthony Banbury (second from left) just completed his final tour of West Africa before stepping down as the head of U.N.'s Ebola mission.

U.N.'s Anthony Banbury: Zero Cases Of Ebola Is The Only Option

11:59am January 03, 2015

by NPR Staff

Anthony Banbury is stepping down as the head of the U.N.'s Ebola mission. He says the Ebola can't become entrenched in West Africa. And he thinks the fight is heading in the right direction.

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Manuel Pulgar-Vidal (center), Peru's environment minister, applauds on Saturday after delegates to the Lima climate conference agreed on a deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Nations Salvage Deal To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions

3:07pm December 14, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The deal is the first-ever to require all nations to reduce emissions, but it doesn't include a mechanism to monitor compliance.

Edet Belzberg's other films include the documentaries Children Underground and The Recruiter.

Arts

The Man Who Coined 'Genocide' Spent His Life Trying To Stop It

7:40pm October 18, 2014

by NPR Staff

Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the word in 1943, as part of his lifelong campaign to make the world acknowledge and prosecute the crime. A new documentary, Watchers of the Sky, tells his story.

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U.N. representatives for Venezuela, including Foreign Minister Rafael Ramirez, right, celebrate after being elected to a two year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday.

Venezuela, A Diplomatic Rival For U.S., Wins Seat On U.N. Security Council

4:46pm October 16, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

The last time Venezuela tried for a seat in 2006, the United States successfully lobbied against it. The U.S. expressed disappointment about Venezuela's inclusion.

Islamic State flags on the Mullah Abdullah bridge in southern Kirkuk earlier this week. A U.N. report says the extremist group has perpetrated possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.

World News

U.N. Report Details Possible War Crimes By Islamic State Militants

10:27am October 02, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The High Commissioner for Human Rights says mass executions, forcing women and girls into sex slavery and the use of child soldiers may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A United Nations helicopter flies overhead as a burial team collects the body of a woman suspected of dying of Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia, in August.

Promised Help To Fight Ebola Arriving At 'Speed Of A Turtle'

7:17am September 26, 2014

by Michele Kelemen

The head of a leading aid group warned the United Nations that the situation in West Africa is desperate. U.N. officials said they're getting help on the ground as quickly as possible.

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President Obama addresses the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

Obama At U.N.: World Risks Being Caught In 'Undertow Of Instability'

11:54am September 24, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The president, in an address to the General Assembly, says nations are at a crossroads and that the international system must meet challenges ranging from terrorism to disease.

"I want to grow up and become a police. But I need to study in a good school for that. I want to become a police to protect the country." - Fiza, 13, India

It's All About The Girls: Is The World Listening To Them?

5:17am September 14, 2014

by Linda Poon

More than 500 girls living in poverty have lent their voices to Girl Declaration, a campaign urging world leaders to include the needs of girls in the next set of global development goals.