UNITED NATIONS — There is no job description for the world’s top civil servant, except to solve its messiest problems. There are no campaign rules, nor is there any list of qualifications, except what is left unsaid: He (and it has always been a he) must be palatable to the world powers.

First published in September, 2014 by the Editor, Business Day. At least $1 trillion is being taken out of poor

Women’s rights, voices and participation must be at “the centre of peacekeeping decision-making”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday, describing them as “central to sustainable solutions” to challenges facing the Organization worldwide.

THE ADO ABOUT DEVELOPMENT RESULTS – I had my first experience of international development as an undergraduate working as a volunteer for AIESEC, the world largest student-run international organization. AIESEC runs like a mini United Nations, giving young undergraduates the opportunity to work on community issues with a global perspective.

Social inclusion central to 2030 Agenda, UN Social Development Commission hears as new session opens – To reap a demographic dividend, countries must empower, educate and employ their young people.

Food price index starts 2016 dropping to nearly 7-year low – UN agency

Somalia: UN political chief visits top leaders in show of support for electoral process

Haiti: Ban welcomes agreement reached towards ‘swift’ conclusion of ongoing electoral cycle – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the agreement reached by Haitian stakeholders, noting that it provides for immediate arrangements to preserve the institutional continuity of the country as well as a roadmap for the swift conclusion of the ongoing electoral cycle.

‘Violence must stop now,’ says UN expert as fresh fighting displaces thousands in North Darfur – Warning that, in the last two weeks, a new escalation of violence has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur, a United Nations human rights expert today called for an immediate end to hostilities that have triggered new protection and humanitarian concerns in the long-restive region of Sudan.

UN in Central African Republic releases $9 million to respond to urgent needs

Senior UN officials urge elimination of ‘violent practice’ of female genital mutilation by 2030

Unprecedented food crisis looms over strife-torn South Sudan, UN agencies warn – South Sudan faces unprecedented levels of food insecurity, with 2.8 million people, nearly 25 per cent of the population, in urgent need of aid, at least 40,000 of them on the brink of catastrophe, at a time when the war-torn country is traditionally most food secure, United Nations agencies warned today.