Asia Pacific

Women and children in the DPRK to be focus of a UN operation to feed an estimated 3.5 million people

DPR Korea: UN agencies begin emergency operations to feed 3.5 million people

29 April 2011
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today announced plans to introduce emergency operations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to feed an estimated 3.5 million people in desperate need after crop losses and a particularly bitter winter.
Maoist army members bid farewell to young people discharged from cantonments in western Nepal on 30 January 2010

As constitutional deadline looms in Nepal, Ban urges all sides to show flexibility

29 April 2011
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Nepal’s political parties to set aside their differences and show maximum flexibility during negotiations over the next month to reach agreement on the contents of a new constitution before the imminent deadline.
UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov

Senior UN official stresses Kyrgyzstan’s key role in regional anti-drug efforts

26 April 2011
The United Nations anti-drug chief today highlighted the key role of Kyrgyzstan in countering illicit drug trafficking, as he met with officials in the Central Asian nation to discuss a range of issues, including drug treatment services and prison management.
Members of the Pakistani Formed Police Unit serving with the UN Mission in Haiti

On golden anniversary, Ban lauds Pakistan’s contribution to UN peacekeeping

26 April 2011
As Pakistan celebrates 50 years of participation in United Nations peacekeeping, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the dedication of the troops, police and civilian personnel who play a crucial role in helping people around the world recover from war.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay

Sri Lanka: UN rights chief urges further probes into reports of war crimes

26 April 2011
The United Nations human rights chief today urged further investigations into the conduct of the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka after a UN panel into those events found there were credible reports that both Government forces and Tamil rebels had committed war crimes.
A young girl and her mother at a displaced persons camp in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka (2009).
IRIN

Panel of experts finds credible reports of war crimes during Sri Lanka conflict – UN

25 April 2011
The panel of experts set up to advise Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on accountability issues with respect to the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka has found credible reports of war crimes committed by both the Government and Tamil rebels and calls for genuine investigations into the allegations, according to a report made public today by the United Nations.
The Temple of Preah Vihear

Ban deplores fresh clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, urges restraint

23 April 2011
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he is troubled by reports of renewed fighting over the past two days between Cambodian and Thai troops along the two countries' border, which has reportedly claimed the lives of many people on both sides.
Many studies have shown that agricultural growth reduces poverty and hunger

Investing in agriculture key to ending extreme rural poverty in South Asia – UN

19 April 2011
South Asia continues to have the largest concentrations of poor rural populations despite the fact that the wider Asia-Pacific region has made major strides in combating poverty, a United Nations agency said today, stressing that agriculture is key to poverty alleviation.
Deputy Rights Commissioner Kyung-wha Kang (right) speaking to reporters on arrival in Nepal

Nepal: UN human rights official urges creation of justice and reconciliation commissions

19 April 2011
A senior United Nations human rights official today urged Nepal to quickly enact the draft laws that will establish a commission to probe enforced disappearances in the Asian country and create a mechanism to seek the truth about conflict-related abuses and facilitate national reconciliation.
Surveyors of the northern region of Afghanistan undergoing training for the Opium Winter Rapid Assessment Survey

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan expected to fall despite high prices – UN

18 April 2011
Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is expected to decline slightly this year despite the prevailing high prices of opium, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported today, saying that Government effort to discourage production could yield further reduction.