POLITICS: Ban Tries to Avoid Roadblocks on Path to Reform

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose plans to restructure the U.N. Secretariat have hit a political roadblock, assured the 192 member states he is not heading towards a collision course with them.

POLITICS: Scepticism Greets Plan to Split U.N. Peacekeeping

India, the third largest troop contributor to U.N. peacekeeping missions, has expressed strong reservations over a proposal by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to split the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) into two entities.

POLITICS: South Rejects Deadline for U.N. Restructuring

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has been in office for less than a month, is getting an inkling of the hard political realities of U.N. diplomacy: that you cannot ask member states to approve your restructuring plans at short notice - and on a firm deadline.

POLITICS: U.N. Chief Moves to Restructure World Body

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has taken the initial step towards a significant restructuring of the United Nations Secretariat by realigning the organisation's peacekeeping operations and bringing disarmament directly under his wing.

POLITICS: U.N. Move to Downgrade Disarmament Triggers Protests

A proposal by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to downgrade the U.N.'s Department of Disarmament Affairs (DDA) - and possibly bring it under the umbrella of the Department of Political Affairs - has sparked a critical reaction from member states, peace activists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

DISARMAMENT: The Silent Killers in the World’s War Zones

When mortars and rockets fall silent in the world's battle zones, the killings do not necessarily end with ceasefires and peace talks.

POLITICS: Big Powers Split on Proposed Arms Trade Treaty

The United Nations is responding positively to a call from peace activists and human rights organisations for a new international treaty to monitor the world's growing 1.1-trillion-dollar global arms trade.

POLITICS: Anti-War Activists Push for U.N. Arms Treaty

A coalition of human rights organisations and anti-war activists has renewed its campaign for a new international treaty to regulate the world's fast-growing 1.1-trillion-dollar global arms trade.