Armed Conflicts

The U.N. at 70: A View from Outer Space

By Dr. Nandasiri Jasentuliyana
When the founding fathers of the United Nations met in San Francisco 70 years ago, an American banker named Beardsley Ruml made a remark:

Opinion: Paying Real Tribute to All Victims of War and Conflict

By Christian Guillermet Fernández and David Fernández Puyana
The international community will have a great opportunity to jointly advance on the world peace agenda when a United Nations working group established to negotiate a draft U.N. resolution on the right to peace meets from Apr. 20 to 24 in Geneva.

Instead of Scaling up Funding for Education, Major Donors Are Cutting Back

By Valentina Ieri
Despite commitments by the international community to achieve universal primary education by 2015, funds for education have been decreasing over the past ten years, according to a report released Friday by the global advocacy campaign ‘A World at School’.

Foreign Fighter Recruits: Why the U.S. Fares Better than Others

By Jasmin Ramsey
More than 25,000 fighters seeking to wage “jihad” or an Islamic holy war have left home to join terrorist networks abroad.

U.N. Struggles to Cope with New Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations, which is providing humanitarian aid to over 50 million refugees worldwide, is struggling to cope with a new crisis in hand: death and destruction in Yemen.

Q&A: Iranian Balochistan is a “Hunting Ground” – Nasser Boladai

By Karlos Zurutuza
Nasser Boladai is the spokesperson of the Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran (CNFI), an umbrella movement aimed at expanding support for a secular, democratic and federal Iran. IPS spoke with him in Geneva, where he was invited to speak at a recent conference on Human Rights and Global Perspectives in his native Balochistan region.

Sexual Violence in Conflict “The Contemporary Moral Issue” Says United Nations

By Valentina Ieri
Impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence in war must end, said Zainab Hawa Bangura, the Special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on sexual violence in conflict, who presented to the U.N. Security Council the Secretary-General's 2015 report on the issue on April 15.

U.N. Warns of Growing Divide Between Nuclear Haves and Have-Nots

By Thalif Deen
As she prepared to leave office after more than three years, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane painted a dismal picture of a conflicted world: it is “not the best of times for disarmament.”

Opinion: Moment of Truth for the Nobel Peace Prize

By Fredrik S. Heffermehl and Tomas Magnusson
The Nobel Peace Prize is about to bow out to critics. As of Jan. 1, the Oslo-based Norwegian Nobel Committee that selects the winners has a new secretary, Olav Njølstad, who announced that “changes loom” in a recent interview.

U.N. Secretary-General Calls for International Unity on Yemen and Syria

By Valentina Ieri
"Political negotiations, not military intervention, are the solution" said United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on the rapidly deteriorating conflict situation in Yemen and recent developments in Syria at the Yarmouk refugee camp.

State of Palestine in Overtime

By Joseph Chamie
The large majority of countries, and most of the people in the world, already recognise Palestine as an independent state.

At Least 18 Already Killed in Yarmouk Attacks: Amnesty International

By Josh Butler
At least 18 civilians have already been killed in the attack on the Syrian refugee camp of Yarmouk, according to Amnesty International.

Israeli Forces Target Journalists in West Bank

By Mel Frykberg
It is becoming increasingly risky to cover clashes and protests between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters in the West Bank as the number of journalists injured, in what appears to be deliberate targeting by Israeli security forces, continues to rise.

Situation in Besieged Yarmouk Camp ‘One of the Most Severe Ever’

By Josh Butler
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has described the situation inside the Syrian refugee camp of Yarmouk, under attack by Islamic State (IS) militants, as “one of the most severe ever” for the already spartan camp.

College Massacre Throws Up Questions about Kenya’s Security

By Lisa Vives
In a prepared speech after the murder of dozens of Kenyans last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared a national war on terror. “This is a war against Kenya and Kenyans,” he said. “It is a war that every one of us must fight.”

Effective War Crimes Inquiry Could Heal Sri Lanka’s Old Wounds

By Amantha Perera
Jessi Joygeswaran seems like your typical 23-year-old young woman. She has an infectious smile and laughs a lot when she talks. Like many other young women anywhere in the world, her life is full of dreams.

U.N.’s Next Stop: Humanitarian Summit to Resolve Exploding Refugee Crisis

By Thalif Deen
As the world's spreading humanitarian crisis threatens to spill beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq into Libya and Yemen, the United Nations is already setting its sights on the first World Humanitarian Summit scheduled to take place in Istanbul next year.

Opinion: Where Does Nigeria Go From Here?

By Lisa Vives
After several tension-filled months, a majority of Nigerians swept in an opposition leader and former military man, Muhammadu Buhari, to succeed incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, whose failure to contain a terrorist wave in the northern states doomed his re-election chances.

Landmine Threats Down, IED Threats Rising

By Josh Butler
Almost 90 percent of recent deaths or serious injuries to United Nations peacekeepers in Mali have been attributed to improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a U.N. panel has heard.

Pledges for Humanitarian Aid to Syria Fall Short of Target by Billions

By Thalif Deen
When United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stood before 78 potential donors at the Bayan Palace in Kuwait Tuesday, his appeal for funds had an ominous ring to it: the Syrian people, he remarked, "are victims of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time."

U.N. Staffers Caught in Deadly Crossfire in Ongoing Conflicts

By Thalif Deen
The deadly Syrian military conflict - now entering its fifth year - which has claimed the lives of over 200,000 mostly civilians, including women, children and aid workers, has not spared the United Nations either.
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