Zeid Ra'ad Al

US Secretary of State John Kerry began tough talks in Geneva on March 2 with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov due to focus on the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
      
Kerry was also expected to press Lavrov to ensure that Moscow carries out a credible investigation into the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.        

A treaty laying down international rules for the $85 billion dollar global arms trade went into force Dec. 24, with campaigners vowing to make sure it is strictly implemented.

The U.N.'s human rights chief on Dec. 10 condemned rich nations for their indifference to waves of global migration, after new figures showed more than 3,400 people died in the Mediterranean this year trying to reach Europe.

Iraqi MPs approved a new cabinet on Sept. 8 but key security posts remained unfilled, as America's top diplomat prepared to visit the region to build a coalition against jihadists.