Asia Pacific

Former bonded labourers in Nepal still live in appalling conditions – UN

7 September 2010
Two years after the Nepalese Government abolished the system of indentured labour that was prevalent in the country’s west, many of the freed agricultural workers still live in miserable conditions, United Nations agencies have reported, calling on authorities to step up the pace of reform to help the labourers.
Posters of candidates line the streets in Afghanistan for the 20 August 2009 presidential election

UN mission supports decision on final list of polling centres for Afghan elections

7 September 2010
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has voiced its full support for the decision of the country’s independent election authorities to reaffirm the final list of polling centres for parliamentary elections later this month.
Karin Landgren, Representative of the Secretary-General in Nepal briefs the Security Council.

Top UN envoy urges parties to bring Nepalese peace process back on track

7 September 2010
The top United Nations envoy to Nepal today appealed to all parties to urgently tackle the existing climate of mistrust and the problems in forming a government, stressing that the stalled peace process must be brought back on track as soon as possible.
Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL) on parade in celebration of its tenth anniversary

Timorese police resume primary duties in another district, UN says

7 September 2010
The national police of Timor-Leste have resumed primary responsibility for the conduct of operations in another district of the South-East Asian nation, where it will be led by the country’s first female district commander.
Miroslav Jenca

UN unveils new scheme to boost Central Asia’s fight against terrorism

7 September 2010
The United Nations today launched a new initiative aimed at strengthening efforts to assist Central Asian countries in their efforts to combat terrorism.
A young Pakistan girl gets foods and water from WFP

Conditions in flood-stricken Pakistan still desperate, UN agency cautions

3 September 2010
Although flood waters are receding in parts of Pakistan, conditions in the thousands of camps that have sprung up in recent weeks are still desperate, the United Nations refugee agency warned today.
A child walks in front of one of the many UNHCR tents set up in Quetta, Pakistan, for displaced people from Sindh

UN chief deplores deadly attacks against Pakistan’s Shiite Muslims

3 September 2010
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned the terrorist bombings which struck the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Quetta this week and claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and wounded scores more.
Child being vaccinated against Polio in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: UN moves quickly to immunize 1.5 million children from polio

2 September 2010
The United Nations is moving swiftly to vaccinate 1.5 million children after a polio case was detected in an area of north-eastern Afghanistan which had been free of the disease for more than a decade.
A young girl waits for water for her family at a relief camp in Sukkur district.

UN agency warns of tragedy unfolding in southwest of flood-hit Pakistan

2 September 2010
The United Nations refugee agency today called for boosting relief efforts in the flood-hit province of Balochistan in south-western Pakistan, where some 2 million people have been affected by the recent disaster and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.
Farmers in Pakistan urgently need seeds to save the upcoming planting season

Global aid needed to help Pakistan avoid losing wheat crop, says UN agency

1 September 2010
Without urgent global assistance to save the upcoming wheat-planting season in Pakistan, the food security of millions in the flood-hit nation is at risk, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.