Asia Pacific

At UN Climate Change Conference, group on cooperative action plan set up

4 December 2007
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali is off to an “encouraging start,” a senior UN official dealing with the issue has said, citing the decision by participating countries to establish a group that will determine the key elements of a long-term cooperative plan of action to address climate change.

UN agency rushes aid to pregnant women in cyclone-hit parts of Bangladesh

4 December 2007
With some 30,000 babies expected to be born in the coming months in cyclone-hit parts of Bangladesh, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today announced plans to help pregnant women there avoid life-threatening delivery complications.
Koïchiro Matsuura

Sri Lanka: UNESCO chief condemns bombing of rebel radio station

3 December 2007
The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned a deadly attack on a radio station run by the rebel Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.

Post-cyclone situation in Bangladesh much worse than understood – UN agencies

3 December 2007
The humanitarian situation in Bangladesh in the wake of last month’s devastating Cyclone Sidr is much worse than previously understood, United Nations aid agencies said today after revising their estimates of the number of people affected and the scale of the damage to homes and other infrastructure.

Secretary-General calls for solution to water crisis

3 December 2007
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for solutions to urgent water problems which threaten to roll back economic and social gains.

Bail application by Khmer Rouge prison chief turned down by UN-backed tribunal

3 December 2007
The United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia trying Khmer Rouge leaders accused of mass killings and other crimes three decades ago today dismissed a former prison chief’s appeal to be released from provisional detention pending his trial.

Afghanistan: UN mission to boost dialogue with former insurgents, envoy says

3 December 2007
The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said today it intends to continue reaching out to a number of groups previously involved in the insurgency that are now seeking to end the violence and participate in rebuilding the fledgling democracy.

UNESCO chief condemns murder of Pakistani journalist

30 November 2007
Speaking out against the murder of Pakistani journalist Zubair Ahmed Mujahid, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today raised alarm about growing pressures on freedom of expression in the country.
Ibrahim Gambari

Myanmar: UN envoy denounces closure of monastery used as HIV/AIDS hospice

30 November 2007
The top United Nations envoy for Myanmar today spoke out against the closure in the South-East Asian nation of a monastery used as a hospice for those living with HIV and AIDS.
Victim of Cyclone Sidr

Bangladesh: UN agencies to rush aid to children devastated by recent cyclone

30 November 2007
United Nations agencies and their partners will begin distributing much-needed supplies to children and pregnant and lactating women living in areas recently devastated by Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh.