Asia Pacific

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his wife Yoo Soon-taek arrive for the opening of the 6th Annual ASEAN-UN Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

In Myanmar, Ban urges greater capacity in Southeast Asia to promote human rights, justice

12 November 2014
The United Nations stands ready to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its member States in strengthening national capacity to protect human rights, provide justice and promote accountability in the region, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
Opium poppy field in the south of Afghanistan.
IRIN/Abdullah Shaheen

Opium harvest in Afghanistan hits new high in 2014 – UN

12 November 2014
Opium cultivation and production in Afghanistan reached record levels this year, with the former increasing seven per cent to 224,000 hectares in 2014, and production levels potentially climbing as much as 17 per cent, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Opium harvest in a poppy field in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Raw opium is cooked before being suitable for smoking.
IRIN/Manoocher Deghati

In Afghanistan, UN crime chief pledges support to combat ‘disastrous’ drug trade, corruption

10 November 2014
Visiting Kabul over the weekend, the head of the United Nations agency combating all forms of criminal activity, met with newly-elected President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and pledged support to counter the harmful effects of illicit drugs, organized crime and corruption on Afghanistan and its people.
Source: OCHA/ReliefWeb

Ban welcomes release of two US nationals held by DPR Korea

8 November 2014
The release of two United States nationals by the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) provides hope for “positive momentum” as international parties work to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

On Leyte Island in the Philippines, wooden transitional shelters are under construction to house the displaced caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan whick struck on 8 November 2013.
UNHCR/P. Behan

One year after devastating storm, UN says Philippines ‘well on road to recovery’

7 November 2014
One year after super Typhoon Haiyan swept across the central Philippines, destroying large swaths of the archipelago, the United Nations has declared the country to be well on the road to recovery as efforts to rebuild the livelihoods of local communities particularly farmers and fishers begin to yield results.
Transport in Asia.
UN Photo/Kibae Park

Asia-Pacific: UN official urges deeper regional connectivity for landlocked developing countries

7 November 2014
Greater regional connectivity through integrated and terrestrial networks is vital to effectively linking Asia’s 12 landlocked development countries (LLDCs) to the region’s infrastructure networks, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said today.
Relatives of missing persons from Sri Lanka’s 26-year long civil war hold their pictures during a meeting in the capital Colombo.
IRIN/Amantha Perera

UN rights chief condemns ‘disinformation campaign’ to discredit Sri Lanka probe

7 November 2014
The top United Nations rights official today criticized the continuing attacks by the Sri Lankan Government on the integrity of the ongoing investigation being carried out by his Office into alleged grave human rights abuses in the country, and condemned ‘insidious attempts’ to intimidate those wishing to cooperate with the probe.
ESCAP Executive Secretary Shamsahd Akhtar.
UNESCAP/Christian Dohrmann

UN official calls for economic diversification for Asia’s landlocked developing countries

5 November 2014
Asia’s landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) need a stable investment-friendly and competitive macro-economic policy framework, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said Tuesday, calling for action to promote economic diversification in order to reduce volatility of economic and export growth.
Peacekeepers from the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) speak with the local population near Bhimbar UN Field Station, Pakistan.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider (file)

Ban strongly condemns terrorist attack at India-Pakistan border

3 November 2014
Strongly condemning the terrorist attack that took place yesterday on the Pakistani side of the Wagah border with India, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Today urged the authorities in Pakistan to bring those responsible to justice.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

China 'key' to shaping future of global humanitarian action – top UN relief official

1 November 2014
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, concluding a two-day mission to China today said the world can learn a great deal from the Asian country's experience in building disaster management and response capacity.