10 Stories the World Should Hear More About.

Concerned that some issues continue not to receive sustained media attention or slip off the radar screen, the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) has unveiled a new list of Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About. "The media and the UN share an interest in getting information about what is happening in our world to the public", says Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor. "But journalists are often inundated with stories, all competing for their and the public's attention. Our aim is to make it easier for them to see that important issues do not fade from the headlines."

As in previous years, the 2006 list covers a spectrum of issues and geographical regions, some of which draw on troubling humanitarian emergencies and conflict situations (such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nepal), while others focus on vital areas like human rights (asylum law and child prisoners) and development (Liberia and water as a shared resource). The ranking of the stories in the list is not a reflection of their relative significance. Some stories focus on conflicts that may have been in the media spotlight, but highlight a perspective that does not usually get much play. The initiative, first launched in 2004, is not meant to be representative of the UN agenda.

LIBERIA

Development challenges top agenda as the nation recovers from years of civil strife

Setting off on an obstacle-strewn road of transitioning from a vicious war to stable peace and development, the nation grapples with an array of critical challenges that often escape the glare of the world media spotlight.

LOST IN MIGRATION

Asylum seekers face challenges amid efforts to stem flows of illegal migrants

Against the backdrop of escalating migratory flows and growing concerns over security, the institution of asylum finds itself in need of protection, as the line blurs between victims who flee persecution and migrants who seek economic opportunity.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

As the country moves boldly towards historic vote, humanitarian concerns continue to demand attention

As the world is applauding the determination of the Congolese leadership and people to take a crucial step in the country's transition from a bloody civil war to peace and democracy, the steep humanitarian challenges facing the devastated nation must not be forgotten.

NEPAL'S HIDDEN TRAGEDY

Children caught in the conflict

Caught in the violence that has plagued the country for over 10 years, Nepal's children have become the often-overlooked victims of the ongoing strife, their plight exacerbated by poverty and abuse.

SOMALIA

Security vacuum compounding effects of drought

Against the backdrop of a fragile peace process and encouraging prospects for reconciliation, the persistent insecurity in many parts of the country presents mounting challenges on the humanitarian front as Somalia struggles with the effects of its worst drought in a decade.

PROTRACTED REFUGEE SITUATIONS

Millions caught in limbo, with no solutions in sight

While news of major refugee emergencies often dominate headlines, the plight of millions of people who have languished in exile for years, and sometimes decades, remains a low-profile, high-risk situation, with serious humanitarian and security implications.

SOUTH ASIAN EARTHQUAKE

Relief effort saves lives, stems losses, but reconstruction tasks loom large

In the wake of a successful relief effort that helped to prevent additional casualties in quake-devastated areas, the aid community is facing the crucial new task of restoring livelihoods to hundreds of thousands of people left homeless and destitute by the disaster.

BEHIND BARS, BEYOND JUSTICE

An untold story of children in conflict with the law

Amid important strides in global efforts to ensure a protective environment for the youngest members of society, an alarming number of children in many parts of the world are held in detention without sufficient cause, often for offences that are not considered criminal when committed by adults.

FROM WATER WARS TO BRIDGES OF COOPERATION

Exploring the peacebuilding potential of a shared resource

Despite widespread perceptions that water basins shared by countries tend to engender hostility rather than collaborative solutions, water is an often untapped source of fruitful cooperation.

COTE D'IVOIRE

A strike away from igniting violence amidst a faltering peace process

As the country gears up for October elections, postponed from 2005, Cote d'Ivoire is on a knife's edge with fears that a renewed eruption of violence will destroy any progress towards political reconciliation. The so-called "hate media" is playing on people's fears, stoking the violence and is a major threat to peace and reconciliation.

LIBERIA

DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES TOP AGENDA AS THE NATION RECOVERS FROM YEARS OF CIVIL STRIFE

As Liberia emerges from the shadows of a devastating 14-year civil war, the aftershocks of its history of ethnic hatred, violence and corruption, including the arrest of former President Charles Taylor on war crimes charges, tend to draw the most intensive media attention. There is, however, an equally dramatic story of the formidable challenges facing the country in its efforts to bring a semblance of normalcy to what has been a nonfunctioning State, with no civil services of any kind. The effects of economic mismanagement, corrupt government, administrative abuse and infrastructure collapse were compounded by the socio-economic and humanitarian impact of sanctions.

The importance of this undertaking is hard to overestimate since any progress towards greater stability and security depends on how quickly basic services are restored and the economic engine restarted. "Experience has taught us that an incomplete effort in consolidating the peace is often a prelude to renewed conflict", says Alan Doss, the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Liberia and head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which played a vital role in the stabilization of the country and remains a key force in laying the foundation for durable peace and stability.

Africa's first woman Head of State, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who won the recent UN-organized elections, faces numerous pressing tasks as Liberia attempts to get past the trauma of its long civil war and proceed with its development agenda. These include the reintegration of ex-combatants, the resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returning refugees, the creation of jobs and other income-earning opportunities, the repair and rehabilitation of infrastructure, the restructuring and reform of the armed forces and police service, the consolidation of State authority throughout the country, and the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A major key to revenue growth is installing mechanisms to meet the conditions for lifting the UN-imposed sanctions on exports of Liberian timber and diamonds, which would provide revenues for national reconstruction and economic recovery.

* Liberia is staggering under an external debt of $3.7 billion, a per capita gross domestic product that is estimated to have declined 90 per cent, from $1,269 in 1980 to $163 in 2005, as well as an unemployment rate of over 80 per cent.

* There are no functioning public utilities and the vast majority of Liberians have no access to electricity, water, basic sanitation facilities and health care. Almost all medical services are provided by international non-governmental organizations and UN agencies.

* Roads and bridges, which are needed to open up markets, increase employment, sustain humanitarian access to rural areas and expand the overall protection environment, are in dire need of repairs. While UNMIL engineers and UN country team members have undertaken rehabilitation work on important road networks to facilitate the return of IDPs and refugees, much more remains to be done.

* The education system is dilapidated, with a dearth of qualified teachers and available resources to rehabilitate school buildings.

* Liberia has no effectively functioning judicial system. Outside of the capital, Monrovia, most courts have been destroyed and trial-by-ordeal is not unheard of. The culture of impunity that has developed in the absence of justice must be replaced by respect for human rights and the rule of law.

* During the civil war, the country's human resources suffered from a "brain drain" and crisis-related deaths. Vital socio-economic infrastructure was swept away as bad governance, embezzlement, smuggling of natural resources and economic mismanagement took their toll.

* At the end of civil war, there were 314,000 registered IDPs in the country and 340,000 refugees in neighbouring countries registered with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). While the UN-backed return process for IDPs came to an end in April 2006 and the majority of the refugees have returned to Liberia, resettlement activities continue as returnees struggle to rebuild their lives and communities.

LOST IN MIGRATION

ASYLUM SEEKERS FACE CHALLENGES AMID...