NORFOLK, Va. - “I open doors for women,” said Rear-Admiral Jennifer Bennett. The distinguished naval officer made her presence felt at NATO’s Chiefs of Transformation Conference (COTC), which was held at the Waterside Marriot Hotel in Norfolk from Dec. 8-10, 2015. Rear-Admiral Bennett was amongst the panel of speakers at the annual event for invited chiefs of transformation and 28 partner nations.

NEW YORK – 2013 was a big year for the United Nations as it achieved several noteworthy triumphs. Here are four of the U.N.’s top accomplishments in 2013: On August 21, 2013, a deadly sarin gas attack killed an estimated 1,400 people including civilians on the outskirts of Syria’s capital of Damascus.

More than 98 Nigerians have died this past week as Muslims and Christians continue to clash in Kaduna state and surrounding areas. The attacks started June 17 when suicide bombers targeted three churches during Sunday services, killing at least 21 people. The radical Islamist group Boko Haram took credit for the bombings, continuing its war on Christians in the country.

GENEVA — The UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) into human rights in North Korea published a report detailing the horrific crimes against humanity committed by the regime against its own citizens. Australian Judge Michael Kirby, chair of the report, presented the 372-page document at a press conference in Geneva.

BANGKOK, Thailand- Muhammad Ismail, a Rohingya refugee, vanished in no-man’s land between Thailand and Myanmar, one October afternoon. Thai immigration officials claimed that he was deported back to Myanmar, but in reality, he was sold to human traffickers. It seemed so official at first,” said Ismail, 23.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government aid agency, was rated as the most transparent donor organization and ranked number one among 67 organizations evaluated in Publish What You Fund’s 2013 Aid Transparency Index. The Aid Transparency Index (ATI) is recognized as the global industry standard for assessing aid transparency among leading development agencies.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia- The Center for Global Justice, affiliated with Regent University Law School, hosted a summit meeting with a panel of distinguished speakers to discuss North Korean human rights abuses. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, has a distinct record of human rights abuses.

Acclaimed actress and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy Jolie used her prominent celebrity influence to heighten awareness of the Syrian crises in an UNHCR video. She told reporters, “The Syrian crisis here in Jordan and across the region is the most acute humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world today.”.

New York City- The United Nations (UN) estimates the number of child soldiers in the Central African Republic (CAR,) a landlocked country with 4.6 million people, has doubled to 6,000. The turmoil in the CAR began when the Seleka rebels forces led by Michael Djotodia ousted President Francois Bozize in a coup in March.

GENEVA, Switzerland- World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports the year 2013 is currently on course to be among the ten warmest years since modern records began in 1850, with greenhouse gases hitting unprecedented levels. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are the top three main contributors to greenhouse gasses, with carbon dioxide being the single most important man-made greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

Below are seven facts that support key issues related to the much needed food aid reform. When Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) responded by sending a ship with rice that was stored or prepositioned in Sri Lanka, airlifted 55 tons of biscuits from Miami and procured food locally.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia – On November 25, countries around the world marked the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This day is specially observed to raise awareness concerning violence against women and is the start of 16 days of global activism, climaxing with Human Rights Day on December 10.