10 stories the world should hear more about.

On 3 May, the United Nations, concerned that the war in Iraq has sidelined other important international stories, released its first list of issues that it believes the world should hear more about. The United Nations launched these ten stories on World Press Freedom Day in order to bring attention to critical issues facing the world today. Although they have been reported, the stories concern important issues that need more thorough, balanced and regular attention. The list includes humanitarian emergencies and conflict or post-conflict situations.

Ugandan Child Soldiers: The 18-year-old rebellion of the Lord's Resistance Army against the Ugandan Government has forced children, some as young as eight, to serve their movement as trained killers. The most disturbing aspect of this humanitarian crisis is that this is a war fought by children, 90 per cent of them minors, who brutalized and are even forced to commit atrocities on other children and fellow siblings.

Central African Republic: In the heart of Central Africa lies one of the world's poorest countries, which has become a cauldron of turbulence that threatens to undermine peace efforts in the region. In spite of its economic potential, the Central African Republic ranks 154th among the world's 174 poorest countries, with 95 per cent of its population living on less than $2 a day, and 15 per cent suffering from HIV/AIDS.

AIDS Orphans in sub-Saharan Africa: Often featured less is the alarming and ever-growing number of AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. Eight out of ten children worldwide whose parents have died of AIDS live in that region. Averaging over 55 per cent of all people living with HIV/AIDS, girls and women are disproportionately affected. The ripple effect the epidemic will have on governance, social structures and growth of the worst-hit countries in sub-Saharan Africa is often overlooked.

The Peacekeeping Paradox: Today, fewer people are being killed by war than at almost any time in the past century. Some 25,000 were killed in armed conflict in 2002, barely one tenth the number killed each year during the 1990s. Even the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have not reversed the decline in recent years. Two basic reasons are that fewer wars are starting and many old ones are ending. However, this development is imposing a strain on resources, with new demands on UN peacekeeping in danger of not being met amid the mounting challenge.

Tajikistan: At a time when world attention was focused on the Balkan conflict, civil war also engulfed a small country in Central Asia. Today, Tajikistan persists on the road to peace and recovery. Over the past three years, the United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace-building (UNTOP) has played a lead role in post-conflict activities aimed at consolidating peace and national reconciliation, promoting the rule of law and strengthening democratic institutions. It has helped mobilize international support for promoting demobilization, voluntary arms collection and employment creation.

Women as Peacemakers: While the plight of women in war often gets close media attention, their vital role in negotiating peace and rebuilding societies is often overlooked. Women in conflict situations are shown as powerless victims, but in reality they are in the forefront when it comes to negotiating and building peace. As the Secretary-General has pointed out: "For generations, women have served as peace educators, both in their families and in their societies. They have proved instrumental in building bridges rather than walls."

Persons with Disabilities: In May, Governments considered a treaty which would create a legally binding comprehensive framework for the protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. It will go far beyond access to the physical environment to a broader implication of equal access to social opportunities, health, education, employment and effective political, economic and social development. This treaty brings to the fore the need to raise awareness of a wide range of related issues of vital concern to some 600 million people worldwide who experience various types and degrees of disabilities.

Bakassi Peninsula: The resource-rich Peninsula--the 1,600-kilometre-long border area between Cameroon and Nigeria extending from Lake Chad to the Gulf of Guinea--is not on most people's horizons as a strategic piece of territory. But it has been a bone of contention between the two countries, culminating in mounting hostilities and military confrontations in the early 1990s. Today, the decision by Cameroon and Nigeria to resolve this dispute peacefully through preventive actions and recourse to the principal UN judicial organ is an important example for other conflict States.

Overfishing: Fishing is central to the livelihood and food security of 200 million people, especially in the developing world, and one in five persons depends on fish as the primary source of protein. FAO estimates that over 70 per cent of the world's fish species are either fully exploited or depleted. It reports that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing worldwide appears to be increasing, as stricter rules are sought in response to shrinking catches and declining fish stocks.

Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation: Some 64 indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation in Amazonian Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia are being condemned to gradual extinction. The challenge facing the impoverished Governments of the region is to balance further exploitation of the riches of the Amazonian belt in the name of development with the protection of these fragile indigenous groups and the cultural heritage they represent.