Asia Pacific

Nepal has promoted farming which helps to reduce the impact of natural disasters.
UNDP Nepal

FROM THE FIELD: Preparing for disaster in Nepal

27 March 2021
Climate and Environment

The UN  is scaling up its efforts to help Nepal, which faces numerous natural threats, to become more resilient, minimize human casualties and preserve livelihoods.

Women are dying in childbirth every two hours in Yemen
YPN for UNOCHA

Motherhood on the brink in Yemen

26 March 2021
Women

War, a humanitarian crisis, a looming famine, a health system close to collapse and the deepening impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a “catastrophic situation” in which a woman dies in childbirth every two hours in Yemen, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

People in Yangon held a night vigil in defiance of curfew.
Unsplash/Zinko Hein

Myanmar army putting country’s future at risk, UN Special Envoy warns

26 March 2021
Peace and Security

The military in Myanmar has turned on citizens and is putting the nation’s future at risk, the UN Special Envoy for the country warned on Friday in a statement issued on the eve of the annual celebration of Armed Forces Day. 

Migrant workers commute to their workplace in the Mandalay region. (file)
IOM/Ko Oo

Myanmar: UN expert calls for emergency summit, warns conditions ‘likely to get much worse’

25 March 2021
Peace and Security

The independent UN Special Rapporteur investigating human rights in Myanmar has called on the international community to hold an “emergency” summit of all stakeholders, including the parliamentarians who were democratically elected prior to February’s military coup. 

On 23 March, a ten-year-old child stands amidst debris at the Kutupalong refugee camp in southern Bangladesh. Behind him, the fire still burns, a day after the massive blaze tore through the camp.
UNICEF/Salman Saeed

UN emergency fund allocates $14 million for Rohingya refugees left homeless by massive fire

25 March 2021
Migrants and Refugees

The United Nations’ top relief official on Wednesday released $14 million in emergency funding to provide life-saving assistance to thousands of Rohingya refugee families, after a massive fire ripped through the Kutupalong camp in southern Bangladesh, earlier this week. 

43rd session of the Human Rights Council.
UN Photo / Violaine Martin

Human Rights Council strengthens rights office probe into Sri Lanka’s long civil war

23 March 2021
Human Rights

The United Nations Human Rights Council has been given a mandate to collect and preserve information and evidence of crimes related to Sri Lanka's 37-year long civil war that ended in 2009.

A train snakes its way through Seoul in the Republic of Korea.
UN Photo/Kibae Park

‘Seize the moment’ to recover and rebuild better, UN deputy chief urges Asia-Pacific nations

23 March 2021
SDGs

Confronting major setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, countries in Asia and the Pacific “must now seize the moment” to rebuild and recover better together, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General said on Tuesday. 

A panoramic photograph of the destruction by the fire that tore through the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
IOM Photo

UN teams assisting tens of thousands of refugees, after massive fire rips through camp in Bangladesh

23 March 2021
Migrants and Refugees

United Nations humanitarian personnel are on the ground evacuating tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees, after a devastating fire tore through the Kutupalong camp, in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp. 

Female tea workers are going to drop the collected leaves at factory. Tea leaf pickers get 120 Taka ($1.5 USD) daily wages to collect 24 KG leaves.
ILO/Alexius Chicham

Exploited and marginalized, Bangladeshi tea workers speak up for their rights

21 March 2021
Economic Development

Tea garden workers in Bangladesh, who are mainly women, are one of the most marginalized groups in the country, with limited access to education for their children and prone to dire health risks. A programme supported by the UN’s Joint SDG Fund, which funds initiatives focused on sustainable development, aims to boost social protection for these works, helping them access their rights and improve their life prospects.

Workers at a Chinese shoe-making factory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Lin Qi

Sharing the story of China’s development miracle: a UN Resident Coordinator’s blog

20 March 2021
Economic Development

What can African countries learn from China’s success in lifting millions out of poverty? UN Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee, formerly the Resident Coordinator in Kenya, considers how China’s admirable rise can provide valuable lessons for developing nations looking to improve livelihoods for their citizens.