Asia Pacific

South-East Asian countries hold UN-backed meeting to discuss green growth strategies

31 August 2009
Government officials from across South-East Asia have gathered today in western Thailand for a six-day United Nations seminar on how countries can implement low-carbon strategies that will also boost economic growth.
Stop killing journalists.
UNESCO

UN deplores yet another killing of a journalist in Pakistan

31 August 2009
The United Nations agency that defends press freedom has condemned yet another murder of a journalist working in north-western Pakistan after an Afghan television reporter known for his criticism of the Taliban was slain there last week.
Crime scene investigation.

More must be done to take a bite out of organized crime in East Asia, Pacific – UN

31 August 2009
Greater efforts are needed to win the battle against organized crime in East Asia and the Pacific, according to a new study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which calls for a fresh approach to tackle the scourge.
10 years on…. 98.6 per cent of registered voters turned out to vote for the historic ballot on 30 August 1999

Timorese and the UN celebrate and commemorate, a decade after a momentous vote

30 August 2009
Timor-Leste is in festive mode this week. Hundreds of cyclists have criss-crossed the country's rugged and beautiful scenery in the inaugural Tour de Timor. Peace festivals and concerts have been staged in towns and villages. Feasts have been organized. But behind all the celebrations across the tiny nation are darker memories as well.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

Ban welcomes latest steps to improve inter-Korean relations

29 August 2009
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the latest steps to improve inter-Korean relations, including an agreement to resume cross-border reunions next month for hundreds of families separated since the Korean War.

UN voices concern as fresh fighting in Myanmar uproots thousands

28 August 2009
The United Nations refugee agency today voiced its concern about reports that between 10,000 and 30,000 refugees have fled violence in Myanmar's north-eastern Shan state in recent weeks and headed to China's Yunnan province.
Richard Bennett of the human rights office (OHCHR) in Nepal (file Photo)

Nepal army personnel must be held accountable for rights abuses, says UN official

28 August 2009
A senior United Nations official in Nepal has stressed the need to investigate alleged human rights violations committed by members of the national army during the country’s decade-long civil war and to ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
The Menik Farm camp in Sri Lanka holds more than 200,000 people displaced by years of conflict

Sri Lanka: UN rights expert calls for probe into video of alleged executions

28 August 2009
A United Nations human rights expert today called for the immediate establishment of an independent inquiry into the authenticity of a video which purportedly depicts the extrajudicial execution of two naked and helpless men by the Sri Lankan military and the presumed prior executions of others.
Roads are regularly flooded and washed away in the aftermath of typhoons

UN sends disaster assessment teams to Beijing and Taipei after typhoon strikes

28 August 2009
The United Nations has dispatched two disaster assessment teams to East Asia to evaluate the most urgent humanitarian needs in the wake of Typhoon Morakot, which has killed hundreds of people and damaged tens of thousands of homes and wide swathes of farmland.
Stop killing journalists.
UNESCO

UNESCO chief alarmed at attacks on journalists in north-west Pakistan

27 August 2009
The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the recent killing of a television journalist in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and urged authorities to ensure the safety of media professionals in the South Asian nation.