Asia Pacific

Afghanistan among worst places for pregnant women, new UNICEF/US survey shows

6 November 2002
In parts of Afghanistan women suffer from one of the world's highest levels of maternal mortality, with almost half of all deaths of those aged 15 to 49 resulting from pregnancy and childbirth, according to findings released today by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

UN agency welcomes donation of Indian wheat to Afghanistan

5 November 2002
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced that the Government of India has donated 1 million tons of wheat for Afghanistan, benefiting hundreds of thousands of Afghan children and transforming India into a donor nation.

UN expert on internally displaced persons to visit Philippines

5 November 2002
The United Nations announced today that Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Representative on Internally Displaced Persons will visit the Philippines later this week.
Kofi Annan

Sri Lanka: Annan 'encouraged' by successful end to latest round of peace talks

5 November 2002
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today said he is "very encouraged" by the successful conclusion of the second round of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

UN development programme to boost constitutional reforms in Solomon Islands

5 November 2002
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today announced the launch of a new project aimed at supporting constitutional reforms in the Solomon Islands, a Pacific Ocean archipelago which has recently been the scene of political and ethnic tensions.

UN announces $12.5 million plan to help vulnerable Afghans this winter

3 November 2002
As temperatures drop in Afghanistan, the Government and the United Nations have devised a $12.5 million plan to help the country's most vulnerable people during winter, a UN spokesman announced today.

Annan renews appeal for dialogue between Myanmar authorities and opposition

1 November 2002
With the reconciliation process in Myanmar at a “pivotal” stage, substantive dialogue between the country’s authorities and opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is essential, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report released today.

UN human rights envoy urges judicial reform in Cambodia

1 November 2002
Facing an acute need for a properly functioning court system, Cambodia must take steps to ensure the independence of its judiciary, a United Nations human rights expert argues in a new report.

Annan urges expanded international contribution to security in Afghanistan

31 October 2002
With sporadic factional violence persisting in Afghanistan, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged the expansion of the international security presence in the country as it emerges from decades of war.

United Nations Children’s Fund condemns bombing of Afghan schools

31 October 2002
Condemning recent attacks on several schools Afghanistan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today said the violence would not suppress the desire for education in the country.