A new report shows only a small fraction of official development assistance goes toward ending violence against children. For the first time, a review of official development assistance (ODA) to end violence against children has been done. The report Counting Pennies found that in 2015, total ODA spending was $174 billion and of that, less than 0.6 per cent was allocated to ending violence against children. Civil society partners that collaborated on this report were World Vision International, SOS Children’s Villages, Save the Children and ChildFund Alliance.

The US permanent Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, visited Turkey and Jordan to see the humanitarian challenges both countries face and to hear possible solutions for the humanitarian situation in war-torn Syria. [...] Earlier on Tuesday, Haley visited a UNICEF treatment facility that was providing emotional support to refugee children from Syria. “Today we visited a health center that trains Syrian doctors and nurses to practice medicine in Turkey, helping their fellow refugees.” Haley wrote on Twitter.

Taiwan's health minister on Monday accused China of playing politics with health after Taiwan was blocked from taking part in the annual meeting of the governing body of the World Health Organization for the first time since 2008. Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung lashed out at China's actions, which Beijing said was taken because Taiwan's year-old government has reneged on the "One China" principle.

Izumi Nakamitsu took office as U.N. undersecretary general and high representative for disarmament affairs — the highest U.N. post dealing with disarmament affairs — on May 1. She is currently the highest-ranking Japanese official at the United Nations. In a recent interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nakamitsu revealed her intention to “quietly” support discussions between member nations on reducing armaments.

Speaking at a major international conference in Beijing, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today drew comparisons between China's 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals, saying both are rooted in a shared vision for global development. “Both strive to create opportunities, global public goods and win-win cooperation. And both aim to deepen 'connectivity' across countries and regions...

The more people go hungry at home the more likely they are to migrate, according to the United Nations as the world grapples with four potential famines simultaneously for the first time in recent history. If governments want to curb global migration flows, they should tackle the hunger crises that are displacing so many people from their homes, the United Nations' food aid agency said on Friday.

'Hard power' can no longer stop conflicts nor the rise of violent extremism and “ancient hatreds” such as antisemitism and racial discrimination, the head of the United Nations cultural agency said today, insisting that “we need 'soft power' of education, knowledge, culture, communication, the sciences, to strengthen the values we share and recognize the destiny we hold in common.”

Scottish police officers are to take their expertise on tackling violence against women and children into the scene of one of the world’s most brutal civil wars of recent times. Police Scotland will team up with the United Nations-backed specialists on gender-based violence and child abuse in the Rwandan capital of Kigali to develop policing techniques and better protect victims.