Asia Pacific

Maina Sunuwar

Nepal: UN urges arrest of suspects in murder of young girl seven years ago

16 February 2011
The top United Nations human rights official in Nepal today called on the Government to arrest the four army officers suspected to have carried out the torture and killing of a 15-year-old girl, stressing the need to end impunity for a crime that was committed seven years ago.

UN-backed forum to address legal barriers in Asia-Pacific’s battle against AIDS

16 February 2011
Some 150 participants are gathering in Bangkok on Thursday to examine barriers to progress in the AIDS response in Asia and the Pacific, where most countries still maintain laws and practices that curtail the rights of people living with the disease and those at a higher risk of HIV infection, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said today.
Special Rapporteur on the effects of foreign debt on human rights, Cephas Lumina.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

Independent UN expert urges Australia to adopt human rights approach to foreign aid

14 February 2011
An independent United Nations expert has urged the Australian Government to adopt a consistent human rights approach in its development aid policy and programmes to facilitate sustainable development and ensure that recipient countries fulfil their human rights obligations.
Amb. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil

Security Council urges permanent ceasefire after recent Thai-Cambodia clashes

14 February 2011
Voicing grave concern about the recent armed clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, the Security Council today urged the South-East Asian neighbours to establish a permanent ceasefire following closed-door talks on the situation.
Afghan children at play

Ban calls for greater efforts to tackle child rights violations in Afghanistan

14 February 2011
Greater efforts are needed to end grave violations against children in Afghanistan, including their use as child soldiers, sexual violence, killing and maiming, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report to the Security Council.
Damage to Preah Vihear temple

UN world heritage agency appoints special envoy for Preah Vihear temple

11 February 2011
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today named Koïchiro Matsuura as Special Envoy to address the issue of Preah Vihear, a Hindu temple inscribed on the World Heritage List that has been damaged owing to recent border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Ban ‘appalled’ by reported use of minor in Pakistan suicide bombing

10 February 2011
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is “appalled” by reports that a minor was used to carry out today’s suicide attack on an army recruitment centre in Mardan in north-west Pakistan that led to numerous deaths and injuries, his spokesperson said.
A woman cares for her children in a camp in Charsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

As temperatures plummet, UNICEF rushes supplies to vulnerable Pakistanis

9 February 2011
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is rushing essential supplies by helicopter to thousands of people in Pakistan who after surviving last year’s devastating floods are now at risk from plummeting winter temperatures.
Flood victims in Sri Lanka's Ampara district carry home food rations distributed by WFP

UN agency planning long-term food support for flood-hit Sri Lankans

9 February 2011
The head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today that the agency is delivering food aid to half a million people affected by the massive floods in Sri Lanka, while planning for longer-term support to help those affected recover from the disaster.
The Temple of Preah Vihear

UNESCO to assess damage to Hindu temple caused by Thai-Cambodian clashes

8 February 2011
The United Nations cultural agency said today it plans to send a mission to assess the damage caused to the Preah Vihear Temple, a World Heritage site, by the recent armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.