The United Nations Human Rights Council has been given a mandate to collect and preserve information and evidence of crimes related to Sri Lanka's 37-year long civil war that ended in 2009.

Confronting major setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, countries in Asia and the Pacific “must now seize the moment” to rebuild and recover better together, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General said on Tuesday. 

Tea garden workers in Bangladesh, who are mainly women, are one of the most marginalized groups in the country, with limited access to education for their children and prone to dire health risks. A programme supported by the UN’s Joint SDG Fund, which funds initiatives focused on sustainable development, aims to boost social protection for these works, helping them access their rights and improve their life prospects.

Security forces in Myanmar have reportedly occupied more than 60 schools and university campuses across the country, marking a further escalation of the crisis, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.  In a statement issued later in the day, the UN Secretary-General condemned the "continuing brutal violence" being directed at peaceful protesters as the death toll mounts.