The World This Week

19.02.2016 - This week's #PhotoFriday highlights some of the most important UN news stories from around the world.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with representatives of the Mohawk Nation in Montréal, Canada in a special welcoming ceremony. Photo: UN Photo

On 11th February 2016, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon embarked on a three day visit to Canada, his fifth visit to the country as Secretary-General. He met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and applauded the country's commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees, stressing that they “deserve opportunity, human rights protection and peace.”

Visitors write their comments on a wall after listening to speakers at TEDxPlaceDesNations, Geneva, Switzerland.  Photo credit: UN Photo/UNOG Library/Coralie Chappat 

TEDxPlaceDesNations took place on 11 February in at the Palais des Nations Geneva, Switzerland. The event, held under the theme ‘Transforming Lives’, showcased remarkable stories of scientists and peacemakers, innovators and humanitarians who are transforming lives of people around the globe and finding solutions to shaping tomorrow's world. 

Photo: UN Photo/Marco Dormino 

Peacekeepers from the Guinean Contingent serving with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) remove debris from a rocket-hit container in the aftermath of the terror attack on 12 February during which six peacekeepers from Guinea were killed and many others injured in Kidal, Mali.

A Blacktip reef shark swims in the ocean. Photo Credit: Klaus Stiefel

Marine wildlife experts from more than 30 governments, the EU, UN agencies IGOs, NGOs and academia convened in San José, Costa Rica on 15 – 19 February to agree on urgent measures to protect shark and ray populations from extinction. 

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations, arrives at the Secretariat Entrance for his first working day at the United Nations. Aly Teymour, Chief of Protocol, escorts him into the building. Photo: UN Photo

The Egyptian diplomat, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, became the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations on 1st January 1992. He guided the organisation through a tumultuous early 1990's and helped shape the UN response to post-Cold War realities, drafting a seminal report on preventative diplomacy, peacemaking and peacekeeping. He died in Cairo on 16th February 2016 aged 93.  

Afghan men are trained and employed for mine clearance teams from all over Afghanistan. Photo Credit: DFID 

The 19th Inte​rnational Meeting of Mine Action National Programme Directors and United Nations Advisors took place in Geneva from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 February 2016. This annual meeting is an opportunity for members of the mine action community to meet and assess the progress and challenges in demining and mine-risk education.