Latest news on the Asia-Pacific region from the United Nations
- A stark warning for the people of Afghanistan has been issued by UN migration agency chief António Vitorino who on Thursday said that ongoing conflict, grinding poverty and climate-related emergencies, have pushed the country to the brink of collapse.
- At least 8 children have reportedly been killed or injured in escalating violence in Yemen in the past five days.
- A deadly attack on a military hospital in the Afghan capital, is a reminder that health facilities should never be a target, the UN’s Deputy Spokesperson said on Tuesday.
- The delivery of reproductive health services, including safe childbirth, has been seriously impacted in Afghanistan, due to the turmoil surrounding the Taliban takeover of the country. Najaba, 36, has experienced firsthand how the dangers of pregnancy, collided with rising insecurity, according to the UN reproductive and maternal health agency, UNFPA, which continues to provide lifesaving services on the ground.
- Countries must unite and act urgently to secure stability in Afghanistan, and a better future for its people, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message on Wednesday to a regional conference of the country’s neighbours, organized by Iran.
- The UN Secretary-General on Monday called on China to present an “ambitious” Nationally Determined Contribution in the run-up to the UN Climate Conference, COP26, starting in Glasgow at the end of this week.
- The combined shocks of drought, conflict, COVID-19 and an economic crisis in Afghanistan, have left more than half the population facing a record level of acute hunger, according to a new UN assessment published on Monday.
- Afghanistan’s economy is imploding, with all but three per cent of households expected to fall below the poverty line in coming months, the UN said on Thursday.
- The UN Country Team in Myanmar remains “deeply concerned over the humanitarian impact” of the country’s ongoing crises stemming largely from the military coup in February, the UN Spokesperson said on Tuesday.
- The United Nations has condemned the deadly suicide bombing during Friday prayers at the largest Shia mosque in the city of Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, which killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens more.
- The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on Friday urged countries to step up reunification for Afghans whose families remain in the country or who are displaced across the region, as the humanitarian crisis in their homeland worsens.
- For more than two years, a UN-appointed team of 59 people has been collecting and analyzing more than two million pieces of evidence about possible human rights violations in Myanmar.
- Farmers in Laos are rediscovering ancient practices by cultivating rice and fish in the same field after more modern farming methods are failing to provide them with a liveable income.