Asia Pacific

Interpreter’s death spotlights perils faced by journalists in Afghanistan – UN

9 September 2009
The death of an Afghan interpreter who was killed during a rescue operation to free him and New York Times journalist Stephen Farrell from Taliban captivity highlights the dangers faced by media professionals working in the country, the top United Nations envoy there said.

UN-backed forum examines low-carbon industrial future for Asia

9 September 2009
Some 1,000 participants kicked off a United Nations-backed conference in Manila today focusing on the transition of Asian economies to a more resource-efficient and low-carbon pattern of industrial development.
A woman casts her vote in the presidential and provincial council elections in Balkh province

Amid concerns of fraud, UN envoy calls for ensuring integrity of Afghan polls

8 September 2009
The top United Nations envoy to Afghanistan today called on national election authorities to ensure the integrity of last month’s presidential and provincial council elections, in light of concerns that have arisen over irregularities in voting.

Number of Bhutanese resettled from Nepal tops 20,000, UN says

8 September 2009
Over 20,000 refugees from Bhutan have left Nepal to embark on fresh lives in third countries as part of one of the largest resettlement schemes of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
A young girl at a displaced persons camp in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, clings to her mother. [File Photo]

Expulsion of UNICEF staff member in Sri Lanka brings dismay from UN

8 September 2009
The United Nations has voiced disappointment at Sri Lanka’s decision to expel a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) staff member from the island nation, saying the Government should be supporting the agency’s efforts to advocate on behalf of children.
Some of the displaced queue up for food assistance in Mindanao

UN health agency urges support for displaced civilians in southern Philippines

4 September 2009
The United Nations health agency today said it is seeking nearly $1 million to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
Peter Galbraith, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan

UN calls for probe after air strike in northern Afghanistan kills dozens

4 September 2009
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is sending a team to the north of the country where an overnight air strike by NATO forces against stolen trucks has reportedly led to dozens of civilian deaths.

China: UN seeks access to newly-arrived Myanmar refugees

4 September 2009
The United Nations refugee agency today called on China to allow it access to civilians who recently arrived in Yunnan province after fleeing violence in north-eastern Myanmar, and proposed a joint needs assessment to offer support for any possible unmet needs.
WFP has reached more than two million IDPs since fighting resumed in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province in May 2009

Focus of Pakistan aid efforts swing to areas of return, reports UN

4 September 2009
The massive emergency aid effort in north-west Pakistan has shifted focus from areas hosting civilians displaced by the Government’s military operation against militants to places of return, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.
10 years on…. 98.6 per cent of registered voters turned out to vote for the historic ballot on 30 August 1999

Timor-Leste: UN marks ten years since historic vote for independence

4 September 2009
The United Nations mission in Timor-Leste today marked ten years since the historic UN-organized referendum that led to the independence of the South-east Asian nation.