the u.n. has come a long way in responding to this scourge of sexual abuse with strong support from the united states. it has built up its investigative capabilities, increased training and vetting of troops, implemented greater community outreach to increase awareness about sexual abuse, instituted penalties for offenders, and is improving victims assistance. but clearly,en t given the shoc scale and gravity of the sexual abuse incidents being reported from the central african republic and other missions, these actions by themselves are not sufficient to address the crisis. the u.n.'s recent commitments to greater transparency and accountability absolutely must result in a long overdue sea change that ends impunity. our work is not done. we continue to make it our highest priority both in new york and bilaterally to see perpetrators held to account and sorely lacking integrity restored to peacekeeping. thank you. >> thank you. >> mr. chairman, members of the committee, i'm honored to be here w

the u.n. and our partner countries. to rid us of the scourge of sexual exploitation and abuse. thank you for your time. i stand by for your questions. senator corker: we thank you all for the testimony. look, my guess is that you all are as upset as we are. you work in an organization, that whether it is at state, certainly at the u.n. making something happen. it is almost impossible. and my sense is that you do welcome a hearing like this to highlight the problems that exist. my understanding is that the level of violence, sexual abuse, the kinds of things are happening to vulnerable people that we are supposed to be protecting, is actually much higher than reported. because the very people out there "protecting" populations are also protecting in many cases the human rights workers who may be reporting this. would that assumption, ambassador coleman, be appropriate that reporting levels are far lower than they otherwise would be? people out in the field, these peacekeeping folks are there to

as the u.n. a spotlight on this issue, we will see more allegations, not fewer. >> which countries are the ones that are the worst? name them. >> you know, i wish i could say that this was just a couple of countries but what we're seeing is that it runs the full gamut of countries, from countries with seemingly very well trained and equipped, disciplined troops. the french forces, two countries, baroody, ambon, the tanzanians and the drc, the drc troops themselves, the morocca moroccans, the are many, many countries that have these allegations. so i can't point a finger at one being particularly bad. we do know that in the central african republic the contingent that had been repatriated where the troops from the republic of congo and the democratic republic of congo and they were repatriated does -- >> i got it. i need, i apologize, i've got to get things in with a certain amount of time that i have a whole list of countries hear that, it's beyond belief that some of them, germany, germany, othe

the u.n. and agreement between them and country they're employed in, not you must in 90 days establish a pattern of practice or -- status of forces says you will be liable and you will be punished for rape, for murder, for whatever capital felonies we want to include, most egregiouss of which, do our best make a couple people example of it, until that happens and withwi holding money are two things get the guy's attention. we don't have anybody's attention right now, none whatsoever. it's a frightening, frightening thing. i think the gpoi, which is an agency, which is a division of the state department, right? >> yes, sir, that is the division under my leadership. >> i hope you would meet with bob froman the trade representative. united states. find out ways you can tie country's compliance with fighting violence against women with the agreements we make with them in trade and commerce. senator coons and i opened markets in south africa for domestic united states chicken they were being blocked

she went down to the u.n. to get dna testing done, but it's been two years, and she still has not gotten the results yet. >> her plight is not unique, and in some cases it goes deeper. over the summer the united nations released a scathing report about the soldiers detailing their wild exploitation of haitian women. 229 women told investigators what they called transactional sex with soldiers. trading their bodies for food and medicine that are so often in short supply. we went in search of these women and found five women who had babies allegedly fathered by u.n. soldiers who have all since left the country. each of these women went to the u.n. to get dna testing done to get a match with those soldiers with the idea of securing child support. but after years without word many are given up hope. >> nearly all of these women acknowledge receiving money or some other form of help during their relationships with soldiers. but they say that the relationships were mutual. u.n. soldiers are prohibited from such relat

the u.n. push for accountability that is meaningful to and these crimes. crimes.d these ambassador, tell me what training methods have proven most effective so far? all panel members to answer this question. what has been successful to -- is the training of the many of the contributing countries that sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war yet what training is most effective at preventing that he ? if you would allow me to say i want to reiterate a point that general rothstein made which is that this is not fundamentally about a training issue. there is no training that will guarantee that this will not occur. when you look at the troops committing abuses, some of them are among the best trained. we know that they have explicit components of sexual exploitation prevention in the training methods. ultimately, it is an accountability issue. there is no contributing country that is immune from these abuses, it is how they deal with it that provides prevention. how effective is naming and

the u.n. calls for safeguards for refugees before they are sent back to turkey from greece, as conditions in makeshift camps deteriorate >>> hello. i'm nick clark live in doha. also ahead - an israeli military report releases a soldiers accused of killing a palestinian, to a military camp >>> myanmar's parliament hopes to give aung san suy kyi a more powerful role in running the country. >>> and construction employees detained after an overpass collapses killing at least 24 people in india. >> the plight of refugees fleeing conflict appears to be getting worse, the u.n. is calling for safeguards to be put in place before refugees come to turkey. it follows a warning of deteriorating conditions in makeshift camps in greece. the u.n. high commissioner is urging sport to boost greece's conditions. zeina khodr has more. >> the u.n. expressing concern about the e.u. turkey deal, three days before it is to be implemented. hundreds of migrants and refugees that anded on the shores since -- that landed

yes, the u.n. blished an annual report tallying the numbers and types of abuses by mission, by peacekeepers. but under pressure from the roop-contributing countries themselves, it withheld the nationality of alleged perpetrators. that made it difficult for member states to take collective action on tracking the status of investigations, and the outcome of disciplinary action to hold perpetrators to account. and in short, without transparency, real accountability was at best, inconsistent. and this, finally, is changing. and senator, i share your outrage on this. to look back over so many years of words, rhetoric that has not resulted in true accountability is simply unacceptable. last year, usun led negotiations in the general assembly for a breakthroughs a finally on transparency, gaining consensus among member states to support the secretary general in his intent to name countries in his annual report. those countries with allegations against them, a long-overdue step. and as of early march this y

yes, the u.n. d an annual report tallying the numbers and types of abuses by mission, by peacekeepers. but under pressure from the troop-contributing countries themselves, it withheld the nationality of alleged perpetrators. that made it difficult for member states to take collective action on tracking the status of investigations, and the outcome of disciplinary action to hold perpetrators to account. and in short, without transparency, real accountability was at best, inconsistent. and this, finally, is changing. and senator, i share your outrage on this. to look back over so many years of words, rhetoric that has not resulted in true accountability is simply unacceptable. last year, usun led negotiations in the general assembly for a what i view as a breakthrough finally on transparency, gaining consensus among member states to support the secretary general in his intent to name countries in his annual report. those countries with allegations against them, a long-overdue step. and as of early mar

the u.n. special envoy to syria just announced new talks to end the conflict have been pushed back by two days to next wednesday. >>> in the north of the aleppo countryside, rebel fighters have taken over a town. they launched an offensive against isil fighters there. it's an important stronghold for the armed group. >>> meanwhile, syrian state tv is reporting that islamic state of iraq and the levant have abducted as many as 300 people near the syrian capital of damascus. those kidnapped were cement workers and contractors from the cement company. they say it's unclear exactly what happened, but several of those who were taken have now been released. >> there were complicately reports with the factory workers and cement workers, and state television saying isil kidnapped roughly 300 workers. sources on the ground have told al jazeera that the number was far less and one of the armed rebel groups, one of the armed opposition groups fighting the regime as well as fighting isil managed to secure

year, of early march this the u.n. is now reporting on its time, along with the nationality of the alleged perpetrators. with this information, we are pursuing a comprehensive approach to track individual cases and follow up with the appropriate authorities. the issuewe brought of the security council, which adopted un security council 2272 - another significant step forward for accountability. the clear indication of insufficient command and control. the secretary-general is empowered to repatriate all troops from a mission from a particular country, if not taking the appropriate steps to investigate allegations of personnel or not being accountable. implemented asit -- that has persisted for too long. the other part of the strategy is to increase the overall supply of peacekeepers. such that when military units are repatriated, there are others are well-trained able to deploy quickly to take their place. the u.n. has come a long way and responding to this scourge of sexual abuse. with strong support from the united st

the u.n. expresses concern about the welfare of refugees being sent back from greece to turkey. >>> myanmar's parliament votes to give the prime minister more power unrunning the country. >>> a collapse kills 24 people in india. >>> the world championship u.s. women's football team demands the same pain at their male counterparts. >>> the plight of refugees fleeing conflict appears to be getting worse. the u.n. is calling for safeguards to be put in place before refugees return to turkey under a deal between ankara and the european union following a warning of deteriorating conditions in makeshift refugee camps in greece. amnesty international is accusing turkey of forcibly returning syrian refugees back to the war-torn country. the rights group said turkish authorities have been illegally expelling 100 syrians daily since early this year. we'll speak to amnesty in a moment but first sedona hodor joins us from the greece-macedonia border. a lot of concern about how this process is going so unfo

the u.n. disrupts testimony from more than 100 girls and women in the central african republic who say they were abused by international peacekeepers. tom: good evening. a global security summit got underway in washington take. more than 50 world leaders are gathering there, the last such a summit of the obama presidency. last month's deadly attacks in brussels have field concerns about nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorist organizations. despite those threats, president obama says some progress has been made in the field of nuclear security. here is what he said. 102 nationsama: have ratified the treaty, the convention on the cisco production of nuclear material. as a result, we expect that the treaty will enter into force in the coming weeks, giving us more tools that we need to work together in the event of theft of nuclear material or an attack on a nuclear facility. in short, everybody has been participating, and by working together, our nations have made it harder for terro

the u.n. about to decide. >>> a attack in the vicinity of two palestinian refugee camps in southern lebanon has killed a fatah member. it's believe an explosive device was placed on his car. he was in charge of security at the camp. two others with him were injured. the head of the islamic force which is the biggest palestinian refugee camp in lebanon joins us now here on the news hour on the line. how would you describe the security situation for us in this particular camp? i think we've lost the line there. we will try to go back to it if we can. we move on. the syrian government is preparing to launch an operation to retake aleppo. charles stratford is on the turkey-syria border, so rewarding aleppo, they seem to be exactly on schedule. this is the time table they were talking about towards the end of the laugh year. >> that's right. it's difficult to say exactly what's happening on the ground with any real verification, but certainly the people that we are talking to, activists and members

the u.n. yet again expressing concern about the e.u. turkey deal just three days before this was to be implemented. hundreds of migrants and refugee who is landed on greece's shores since the 20th of march are now being held in detention facilities. the u.n. is concerned about the conditions inside those detention facilities, which are basically prisons. the u.n. said that they're overcrowded, lack of sanitation but it's not just that. the world organization is worried that these people, their asylum requests are not being processed because of lack of time. and they're also concern thad international law could be violated. >> today we're urging the parties to the recent e.u. and turkey agreement on refugees and migrants to insure that all safeguards are in place before any returns begin. this is in light of this continued serious gaps in both countries. >> the u.n. is also concerned about the 50,000 migrants and refugees who are now stranded in greece. these people are not part of the e.u.-turk

the u.n. is again expressing concern about the eu-turkey deal, just three days before it's to be implemented. hundreds of migrant refugees who landed on the shores from the 20th of march are now being held in detention facilities. the u.n. is concerned about the conditions inside of those detention facilities, which are basically prisons. they are overcrowded, lack of sanitation, but it's not just that. the world organization is worried that these people, their asylum requests, are not being properly processed because of the lack of time. and there are also concerns that international law could be violated. >> today we're urging the parties to the recent eu and turkey agreement on refugees and migrants to ensure that all safeguards are in place before any returns begin. this is in light of continued serious gaps in both countries. >> reporter: the u.n. is also concerned about the 50,000 migrants and refugees who are now stranded in greece. these people are not part of the eu/turkey deal. they h

the u.n. it concerned about the positions inside the facilities. the u.n. says that's an overcrowded lack of sanitation. it's not just that. the world organization is worried that these people, the asylum requests are not processed because of the lack of time. and they are concerned that the international law has been violated. today we are urging the parties to the recent e.u. and turkey agreements to ensure that all safeguards are in place before returns begin. this is in light of serious gaps. >> the u.n. is concerned about 50,000 migrants. the people are not part of the deal. they have been trapped since europe closed their boarders. they are growing and tensions are on the rise. we have heard of fights between the different communities on the ground. many stranded - no one picks up calls. greece does not have the capacity to process the asylum requests. >> without urgent e.u. support, the limited capacity of the greek asylum service to register and process claims will create more problems. there are limited hours of the registration. lack of access to t

what you hear that the u.n. is saying that there's been a sharp rise in the number of iraqi killed in march, possibly more than half the figure that was killed in february. what do you think? >> there is many reason behind this. it is not clear. they join iraqi civilian and casualties ar civilian and soldiers. forces attacked many cities in iraq. they increased the attacks in order that we see more. because the i.s.i.l. targeted the civilian people to cause much more to prove they are still in the ground because necessity lost many ground-- they lost many grounds >>> you say that the figures could be an underestimate, the numbers could be much higher? >> yes. i.s.i.l. attack the civil yian d they attack crowded areas and city and kill many people, civilian >>> what is astonishing about this report is that the u.n. is saying the worst hit area is in the capital which is not controlled by i.s.i.l. what does it tell you about the ability of iraqi government and the security forces to provide security for their own p

the u.n. special envoy to libya is all smiles. that's because he has managed to reach the capital of trip leap to meet part of the unity government he helped form. he knows further progress won't be easy or quick. >> tripoli must become an international city where they reopen their embassies. it will take some time. we all have to push together. >> reporter: he was greeted with the news that the political group will step aside. that government is isn't the only challenger. another has refused the deal to the libyan supreme court. the one based in to bruk has-- tobruk has refused it. politician has been tasked to head the g nchl a and the task to unite the fractured libya. he has been mostly confined to a naval base. this is the first time libyans have reasons to be optimistic after months of fighting that has reduced many cities to rubble and caused a power vacuum that is being exploited including groups by i.s.i.l. >> >> translation: we want to have a government, security and an army. we don'

the u.n. refugee agency says the risk of panic and injury is real. construction company officials detained in india after a flyover collapseed and killed 24 people. north korea fires a missile just hours after obama and president xi jinping call on pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons. >> reporter: i have all the sport, including the united states female footballers step up their fight for equal pay lodging a federal complaint. details later in the program. a new government post for aung san suu kyi. one ruling party legislator says it will make her, in effect, the president's boss. officially her title will be state councillor after her own party drafted a bill creating that post for her. the lower house is expected to vote on the bill on tuesday. she is barred by the constitution from becoming president because her children hold foreign passports. our correspondent sent this update. >> reporter: a large majority here in the upper house have accepted a very crucial bill which will give extende

the u.n. concerned about the conditions inside those detention facilities, which are basically prisons. the u.n. said that they're overcrowded, lack of sanitation, but it's not just that. the world organization is worried that these people, their asylum are requests are not being properly processed because of the lack of time, and they're also concerned that international law could be violated. >> today we're urging the parties to the recent e.u. and turkey agreement on refugees an migrants to insure that all safeguards are in place before any returns begin. this is in light of continued serious gaps in both countries. >> the u.n. is also concerned about the 50,000 migrants and refugee who is are now stranded in greece. these people are not part of the e.u.-turkey deal. they've been trapped since europe closes borders. the u.n. saying anxiety and frustration is growing and tensions have been on the rise. yet in fact, we have heard of fights between the different communities on the ground. >> a

the brazilian people. >> in other world news, a u.n. brokered ceasefire. hours after it came into effect sporadic clashes broke out. it happened in an area, violations reported in tiaz earlier. the houthi rebels promised to maintain the troops. yemen has been at war for the last year and a half, and civilians have been bearing the brunt of it. >> a rare quite in the capital. for marathon a year it became the target of saudi-led air strikes. a break in the fighting allowed some to operate for good. i wished for calm and order. the people are paying the price. >> the truce is holding across much, but not all of yemen, there were reports of shelling in the sworn city of tiaz, where the rebels laid siege for about a year. >> we will not negotiate with killers, what truce are they talking about, a few hours after the truce. the sporadic fighting has not stopped the sides honouring a ceasefire. many say that that in itself is significantly. the houthi rebels hold eight of yemen's 22 provinces and spread out to the edge of tiaz in the south, they are backed and ha

charter. >> reporter: the u.n. secretary general is at the center of resolving global conflicts and humanitarian challenges. it has little power to deploy sources without support from the security council. especially its five permanent members, russia, u.s., france, china and the united kingdom. despite the fact that the general assembly formally chooses the next general, those five countries actually determine who will hold the post. for the first time in the u.n. 70-history, the candidates are able to state why they would make a good leader. >> transparency will help with the fact that they have to be up there. they have to answer questions, including from ngos. it is a good thing. at the end of the day the key will be whether the big power, the members of the council, are willing to choose someone who may at times challenge them. >> reporter: the convention in choosing a secretary general is that each region of the world has a turn. this time eastern europe is favored, although submit among those countries over

right now, government officials are not saying >>> the u.n. has uncovered serious sanitation failures in the haiti peace-keeping mission. a report says it lacked basic facilities. the u.n. has refused to accept that it is responsible for compensating victims of the disaster. the instantly messaging service what's app is encrypting data. it says it will be virtually impossible for government or hackers to intercept calls. technology companies have been pressured their encryption services. more information at aljazeera.com [ ♪ ] >>> everything you are looking at at some point were covered with water. a lot of people want to move away, they can't afford to sell their house, throw another well. >> how did we get to this point. >> assuming that water would never run out.

next u.n.t for the -- changeseneral could be a foot for the u.n.'s 70-year history. a contenders will be taking turns to lay out positions for the top job, more than 50 countries are lobbying the body to elect a woman for the first time. among them, the former prime minister of new zealand. >> i am seeking a position because i think i am the best person for the job. obviously, i am a woman. i would obviously not expect to get the job because i am a woman. i think women have the capacity to be on equal terms with men for these positions. pitted against unesco,etary-general of and the bug arian commissioner, as well as a handful of other bulgarian -- and the commissioner, as well as a handful of other candidates. >> that is the first step to approachitment to this of making sure the senior management team reflects this regional parity, but also gender parity. >> the u.n. has taken steps to make the election process more transparent and inclusive, yet critics say it is far from democratic and still involves plenty of backroom bargaining. puts to aber council vote for the

. >> reporter: the u.n. special envoy to libya is all files balls he has managed to reap the capital of tripoli to meet the government he helped form. he knows further progress won't be easy or quick. >> tripoli must become an international city where embassy reopen their embassieembassies. >> reporter: he was greeted with the news that a tripoli based political group would step aside. that isn't the only challenger. another has refused the u.n. brokered deal to the court. >> reporter: veteran politician has been tasked to head the gna for the challenge to reunite a fractured libya. he arrived in tripoli by sea last week because he was prevented by arriving by air. this is the first time lib i can't answer have reasons to be-- libyans have to be optimistic. >> translation: our main demand is forced to be like other countries, to have government, security and army. we don't want militias. >> translation: we want a government of unity, we want army, police, salaries and disability. we want a state that can prot

>> the u.n. says there has ban sharp rice in the number of people killed in violence in iraq in march. new figures show that more than 1,100 died almost the double the figure in february. and that does not lead to accounts of people who die from secondary violence of those who flee their homes and die from lack of exposure an. >> anbar province, they're prepare to go retake a mall town off the euphrates near ramadi. last year isil was estimated to have lost 14% of the territory it had control in the north including kirkuk. and it still has areas around that city. >> there are many reasons behind the increasing of the death toll that is brought by the united nations and iraq. the clashes and the fighting against isil is still going on. when iraqi forces announced that they're going to launch or they did launch more than operation and more than one area. nomany areas, vast areas in iraq are subjected to military operation between iraqi forces and isil as well. also, we have to take into consideratio

yes, the u.n. published an annual reportal hitting the numbers and types of sexual abuses by mission, by peacekeepers, but under pressure from the troop contributing countries themselves it withheld the nationality of the alleged perpetrat perpetrators, and that made it difficult for member states to take collective action on tracking the status of investigations and the outcome of disciplinary action to hold perpetrators to account. and in short, without transparency, real accountability was at best, at best, inconsistent. and this finally is changing. and, senator, i share your outrage on this. to look back over so many years of words, of rhetoric, that has not resulted in true accountability is simply unacceptable. last year, u.s./u.n. led negotiations in the general assembly for what i view as a breakthrough, finally, on transparency. we gain consensus among member states to support the secretary-general in his intent to name countries in his annual report. those countries whose troops have alle

the u.n. said that. >> in the philippines two people are killed. >> so we begin in iraq where the u.n. said there has been a sharp rise in the number of iraqis killed in march. 1100 people died almost double the figure of february. half of them were civilians. it does not take into account the death linked to the secondary violence. the iraqi army is moving up to mosul and has managed to take over a number of areas not far from the city. in anbar province it is retaking areas along the euphrates river. by the end of last year isil was estimated to have lost almost a sixth of the territory it had control manically i mainly in the north. we have the latest from baghdad. >> there are many reasons behind the increasing death toll of those mentioned by the united nations mission in iraq. first of all because the clashes and the fighting in isis is still going on and recently it is increased highly when the iraqi forces announced that they launched in more than one area. many areas are subjected to m

the u.n. said isil was partly to blame. protesters in greece and turkey are rallying between the e.u. and ankara on the resettlement. they're against the setting up of facilities to house and transfer the refugees. >> kenya is marking the first anniversary of the garissa university attack. al-shabab gunmen stormed in the country's east and killed 148 people and injuring 79 more in a 15-hour siege targeting christian students. >> some politicians, government officials. university staff, residents ofgaries is a town and a handful of students gathered here for a memorial ceremony. some recounted testimonies of what happens. this memorial is unveiled it's being constructed and lists the names of people who were killed that day. there were certainly a lot of unanswered questions for survives and people in this community about what happened, and why it was allowed to happ happen. the event today are certainly helping people to lay those painful memories to rest. >> they said that president zuma should go so they can recover from t

the u.n. which fears that asylum applications are not being properly processed and safeguards are not in place pichlt we feel that there are still deficiencies and gaps in both countries that need to be addressed. we're not opposed to returns as long as people are not in need of international protection. they have not for asylum and pupil rights are adhered to >> reporter: the e.u. insists there will be no mass deportations and international law won't be violated. it's helping greece do prepare for the deportations. the ships are waiting at the port and dozens of guards have been deployed to accompany them back. they have been informed about their choices. to apply for asylum, not to apply or voluntarily return to turkey. choices most don't want to make. some have families that have reached northern europe before it shut its doors >> reporter: the deal and the tighter border restrictions have not stopped the rivals. it may have-- arrivals. it may have slowed, but in the last few days 2,000 peop

the u.n. refugee agency wants assurances that safeguards will be put in place. mean whiwhile amnesty internati accused them of returning refugees to their war-torn homeland. >>> greek authorities in the island of kios say at least ten were injured overnight in clashing between migrants inside a holding center. police sources say two were stabbed in the incident. afterwards 300 broke through a fence and fled telling officials th feared for their safety and didn't want to return to turkey. we're at greece/macedonia border with the update. >> reporter: the u.n. is expressing concern about the eu/turkey deals three days before it's to be implemented. hundreds of migrants and refugees that landed on greece's shores since the 20th of march are being held in detention facilities. the u.n. is concerned about the conditions inside those detention facilities, which are basically prisons. the u.n. says that they're overcrowded, lack of sanitation, but it's not just that. the world organization is worried

the u.n. samantha power was in the car for the inauguration for the country's new president. the u.n. says it is now interviewing 108 potential victims, civilians abused by knows who were supposed to-- those who were supposed to protect them >> we talked to the families about what had happened to their daughters who in many cases were raped by soldiers or who had relationships with soldiers when they were very, very young and who are now left carrying terrible stigmas as the soldiers have gone back to their countries with no accountability, the victims are left here, ostracized in their community and devastated by the experience >> reporter: at u.n. headquarters in new york, this was the reaction from the world organization's leadership >> the secretary general is shocked to the core at the latest allegations of abuse in the car. miss focus is on the victims and their families. we are talking about women, young children who have been traumatised in the worst imaginable way >> reporter: the alle

the u.n. ames isil for increasing attacks on civilians. the armed group loses on the battlefield. they have taken a number of areas around the city. anbar is preparing to retake a small town on the northwest of ramadi. there is heavy fighting around ramadi and newer fallujah. last year, isil was estimated to lost 14% of the territory it had controlled mainly in the north. here is the latest from the baghdad. >> reporter: there are many reasons behind the increasing of the death toll that was mentioned by the united nations. the clashes and the fighting is still going on. recently, it has increased highly. iraqi forces announced they are going to launch or they did launch that they will be operating in more than one area all areas in iraq are subject to an increased military operations with the iraqi forces and isil as well. also, we have to take into consideration the very bad system, earlier, some cities in iraq, when we talk about this issue, we talk fallujah, a surrounded area from all direc

countries that have ignored the u.n. and have gotten on top of their drug problems. ybody in our country will not criminalize you. we will help you. and the prevalence of heroine has dropped by something like 90%. in america, you've got medical marijuana sentence cropping up and legalization in some states. in fact, quite the reverse. the sale of marijuana going into the underworld, the alcoholic centers. >> what can be done to find solutions if it is not the u.n.? >> we need governments to be brave and bold. she introduced needle exchange programs. where people could come and get their heroine fix with a clean needle so that they did not catch hiv or hepatitis c. it works. we just need other leaders to do the right thing. brent: how to deal with drugs remains a global problem and a divisive one as well. the american pop musician has died. he passed away at the age of 57. the tributes are pouring in. u.s. president obama hailing him as a creative icon and electrifying performer. fellow rock great mctaggart describing his talent as limitless. calling him a true visiona

plus warnings more than half the world's u.n. listed natural heritage sites are under threat. >> time now for a reminder of the top stories only al jazeera. refugees and migrants are continue to go cross the seas to europe despite an e.u. deal to resettle in turkey. officials are transporting migrants back from greece back to turkey. police have searched the headquarters of utah's former governing body after names were mentioned in the panama paper's leak. >>> there are conflicting reports as to whether a cease-fire between azerbaijan and armenia is actually holding. they agreed to stop fighting after four days of heavy violence. armenia backed forces say that the cease-fire held overnight. but the azerbaijan defense ministry are reporting violations over the last 24 hours. they. >> i hope armenia will respond to stop the clashes. but if they do not respond, this crime is armenia's fault. russia said that turkey is taking sides. if you're looking for those who are taking sides the most significant country doing that is russia. it

the u.n. calls a cessation of hostilities. tell that to the children of aleppo. this was the view from the streets of syria's largest city today. two months after a peace deal was signed, it appears to have all but collapsed. last night, one of the city's last remaining hospitals was attacked. more than two dozen people were killed here. doctors, nurses, patients and residents nearby. a father called for help but there is little hope for the people of aleppo. this is what the hospital looks like this morning. it had been supported by the charity -- this is the seventh time just this year that one of their clinics has been attacked. >> this was a place for women to give birth. this was a place for children to get specialist treatment. it is now a pile of rubble. they will have to find alternatives and we do not know how many there are. reporter: in the last 48 hours, one syrian has been killed every 25 minutes. [explosion] government forces and their allies are accused of repeatedly breaching th

every year there's a different president of the u.n. general assembly. on that's preaching rightly women's rights and equality and women's empowerment and the prevention of sexual violence and yet itself is a bit of a symbol of the old school. >> seth: and is there any way to enact change there or is it just patience? i mean, what can you do to make that different? >> well, what is challenging about the u.n. generally is it's the sum of the parts. and so, in effect there are 193 countries within the u.n. there are 36 women ambassadors out of 193. that's actually roughly equivalent to women's representation in parliament including in our own congress. so it tends to be a decent representation of how things really are in the world. but those aren't the numbers you want so what has to change is the countries that comprise the u.n., you know, have to better at equality and you'll see then the u.n. be a reflection of that over time. >> seth: this was a very unique approach to your job. "fun home," a fantastic show on broadway right now, and it's about someone

the u.n. accuses both main employers of atrocities and targeting yiflians. there are growing calls for a mediated end to the conflict but peace efforts have failed before >>> the u.n. special envoy to syria is in damascus ahead of a new round of talks in geneva. staffan de mistura is expected to meet syrian officials on monday. a cessation of hostilities began in february, but it is coming under strain with both sides accused of repeated violations. activists say i.s.i.l. is launching a major offensive with turkey. it has captured two villages. russian media is reporting plans with syrian government forces to strengthen efforts to retake the city. as we've been reporting over the past few days, the prime minister has been speaking to a delegation in damascus. charles stratford joins us from the town close to the syria border. the turkish prime minister is there today. what are we expecting his central message to be? >> reporter: he ask here under the pretext of honoring this city, giving it a medal for ridding the city of forces in 1920. this has great symbol

>> well, what is challenging about the u.n. generally is it's the sum of the parts. and so, in effect there are 193 countries within the u.n. there are 36 women ambassadors out of 193. that's actually roughly equivalent to women's representation in parliament including in our own congress. so it tends to be a decent representation of how things really are in the world. but those aren't the numbers you want so what has to change is the countries that comprise the u.n., you know, have to better at equality and you'll see then the u.n. be a reflection of that over time. approach to your job. "fun home," a fantastic show on broadway right now, and it's about someone realizing they're gay, coming out. realizing their father has been closeted their how life. you actually brought 17 fellow ambassadors to the show. and now, did you tell them what the show was gonna be about before you brought them? >> i told them it won the tony. >> seth: okay. >> i thought that was a -- >> seth: that was a good start. >> and i said it was a lot of human rights issues were in play. and a num