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A young internally displaced Iraqi girl stands on a dusty path at the edge of Debaga camp, near Mosul in northern Iraq.

Europe is facing unprecedented security challenges. Will the traditional reliance on Nato suffice or should the EU invest more in its own defence and move towards stronger cooperation between member states? On Monday 24 October the foreign affairs committee votes on a report calling for a permanent and systematic defence cooperation between EU countries as part of a European Defence Union.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Ellen Margrethe Løj.

With the 72-hour cessation of hostilities in Yemen coming to an end, the United Nations envoy for Yemen on 22 October urged all warring parties to agree to its extension for at least another renewable 72 hours so that humanitarian supplies continue to reach people affected by the ongoing conflict there.

A first gas interconnector between Finland and Estonia will end the long lasting gas isolation of Finland and help, boosting security of supply and bringing an economic lift to the region.

More than 20 million people living today around the world have been trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour and other activities across the world, generating a profit of €117 billion a year. It is also a very lucrative crime in Europe. On the occasion of the EU's Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October, check out the facts in our infographic and discover what the EU and Parliament have been doing to tackle human trafficking.

Culture has the power to make cities more prosperous, safer, and sustainable, according to UNESCO’s Global Report, Culture: Urban Future to be launched in Quito (Ecuador) on 18 October. The Global Report presents evidence on how development policies in line with UNESCO’s conventions on the protection and promotion of culture and heritage can benefit cities.

Governments need targeted policies and investments that focus on agricultural development that is sustainable, raises wages and creates off-farm jobs in rural areas, says a new report to be presented by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on Oct 17. Poverty in the Asia and Pacific region is largely a rural phenomenon and economic growth alone is not enough to eliminate it, the report adds.

The development of the first strategic roadmap for investment in smallholder agriculture and rural development in Iraq is the focus of a high-level meeting being held in Amman from 18 to 20 October.