Asia Pacific

UN Photo/Amanda Voisard

‘Political will, steady action’ can end violence against children, UN envoy tells Indonesia

27 February 2015
During her visit this week to Jakarta, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Marta Santos Pais, stressed that violence against children is never justified and commended Indonesia for addressing the scourge.
UNAMA/Aurora V. Alambra (file)

UN chief ‘deeply saddened’ by loss of life in Afghanistan avalanches

26 February 2015
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is deeply saddened by the loss of life in Afghanistan as a result of avalanches, landslides and floods in the northern part of the country including in the Kabul, Parwan, Panjsher, Kapisa, Badakhshan and Nuristan provinces.
UN Photo/WFP/Amjad Jamal

Natural disasters in Asia and Pacific impact some 80 million people, new UN study shows

25 February 2015
When leaders and decision makers from across Asia and the Pacific gather next month in Japan to discuss how to reduce disaster risks, their top priority will be to build resilience in a region that saw some 80 million people affected and nearly $60 billion in economic losses incurred by natural disasters last year.
Photo: UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

New UN report urges push to end problem of torture in Afghan detention facilities

25 February 2015
The Government of Afghanistan’s efforts to prevent torture and ill-treatment have shown some progress over the last two years but much more remains to be done, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed today as it released its latest report on the treatment of conflict-related detainees in Afghan custody.
UNIFEED

Myanmar ‘needs urgently to get back on track’ – UN rights chief

25 February 2015
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, today warned that Myanmar “seems headed in the wrong direction and needs urgently to get back on track” in a crucial year for the country's democratic transition and long-term reconciliation.
UNESCO

Philippines radio journalist shooting prompts UN call for investigation

24 February 2015
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has denounced the latest killing of a journalist in the Philippines and urged authorities to investigate the murder and “provide the media with as safe an environment as possible to ensure the public’s right to be kept informed.”
UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

In Afghanistan’s deadliest year, civilian casualties top 10,000 in 2014 – UN

18 February 2015
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan topped 10,000 in 2014, a 22 per cent increase compared to the past year, reflecting increased ground battles between armed groups and the Government, and a drastic drawdown of Western troop presence in the country, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said today.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

UN rights chief requests 'one time only' deferral of key report on Sri Lanka conflict

16 February 2015
At the request of the top United Nations rights official, the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council today agreed to temporarily hold off its consideration of a long-awaited report into alleged rights violations during the conflict in Sri Lanka for six months, until September 2015.
Jean-Marc Ferré

UN rights expert calls for halt to Indonesia executions, cites international obligations

13 February 2015
A United Nations human rights official has today urged Indonesia not to follow through with the executions of eight people who were convicted of drug-related offences.
UNDP Pakistan (file)

Ban condemns deadly attack on Shia mosque in Pakistan during Friday prayers

13 February 2015
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemns an attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, during Friday prayers that killed some 19 people – including Mr. Naveed Abbas, a Pakistan national working with the UN Department of Safety and Security – and injured dozens of others.