Asia Pacific

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) visits an indigenous community affected by deforestation in Indonesia. UN/M. Garten

Deforestation threatens planet, economies and communities, UN chief warns

17 November 2011
Deforestation not only threatens the planet’s climate and national economic development, but also communities whose income, culture and way of life depend on healthy forests, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed today on a visit to Indonesia.
Ieng Thirith appears before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in October 2011 on her fitness to stand trial.
ECCC/M. Peters

Cambodia: UN-backed court rules former Khmer Rouge leader unfit to stand trial

17 November 2011
The United Nations-backed genocide tribunal in Cambodia ruled today that a 79-year-old former senior member of the Khmer Rouge is unfit to stand trial and ordered her unconditional release.
Unusually heavy rainfall in Thailand has left vast swathes of the country including the capital, Bangkok, inundated

Ban voices UN solidarity with Thailand after viewing flood-hit areas

16 November 2011
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed United Nations solidarity with the people of Thailand after flying by helicopter over areas affected by the massive floods that have inundated large swathes of the country, saying the Organization stands ready to provide any assistance required.

UN atomic agency completes review of Japan’s response to nuclear disaster

15 November 2011
The United Nations atomic energy agency today completed its assessment of Japan’s response to nuclear contamination in areas around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was damaged during the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the country in March.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) and his wife, Yoo Soon-taek meet a mother and child at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka

Ban lauds Bangladesh’s progress on women’s and children’s health

15 November 2011
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spotlighted the progress made by Bangladesh in advancing women’s and children’s health, lauding the South Asian nation for its efforts to end the tragedy of millions of needless deaths.
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

General Assembly chief discusses disaster risk reduction with Japanese officials

15 November 2011
The subject of disaster risk reduction topped the agenda again as General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser continued his official visit to Japan by meeting with senior Government officials in Tokyo.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opens Climate Vulnerable Forum in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh offers lessons on climate change and disaster risks – Ban

14 November 2011
Climate change is the single most important challenge the world faces, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed today in Bangladesh, a country that is all too familiar with the impact of extreme weather events and which the United Nations chief hailed as a global leader in disaster risk reduction.

East Asian and Pacific children most vulnerable to climate change – UN report

14 November 2011
The living conditions of millions of children across East Asia and the Pacific will be worsened by climate change, says a United Nations report released today, which argues that rising temperatures put children at greater risk of contracting diseases such as cholera and malaria, and natural disasters negatively affect their livelihoods and increase malnutrition rates.
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, is interviewed for UN TV and UN Radio.
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

General Assembly President meets with senior Japanese officials

14 November 2011
Security Council reform and disaster risk reduction topped the agenda today as General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser began an official visit to Japan and met with some of the country’s senior officials.
Demonstation on the streets of Kathmandu in favour of drafting a new constitution for Nepal

Nepal: UN concerned over appointment of officials implicated in rights abuses

10 November 2011
The United Nations human rights office in Nepal today voiced concern over recent decisions by the Government to appoint, promote or pardon public officials implicated in serious crimes and human rights abuses, saying such actions undermined efforts to end impunity.