Latest news on the Asia-Pacific region from the United Nations

The severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka shows no signs of ending any time soon, with the country’s newly installed Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, warning of more difficult days ahead. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, the most senior UN official in Sri Lanka, told UN News that, amid violent protests and the imposition of a state of emergency, any solution must involve a robust democracy and respect for human rights.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday expressed concern over the current COVID-19 outbreak in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), where no public vaccination programme has been put in place, reiterating its commitment to support the country response to the pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it is committed to helping the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), respond to COVID-19, after its first declared infection was reported in the media there.

Nearly 20 million people in Afghanistan – almost half the population – are facing acute hunger, humanitarians warned in a UN-backed report, published on Monday.  

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) issued a statement of deep concern on Saturday in response to an announcement made by the Taliban de facto authorities saying that women should only leave their homes in cases of necessity and then, with their faces covered in public.

Nearly 60 per cent of women and girls aged 15-49 in Papua New Guinea have experienced some form of physical sexual violence, almost twice the global average. A health support group, backed by the UN, is educating young people and supporting survivors.

The United Nations has condemned a deadly explosion at a Sufi mosque in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Friday, which reportedly killed at least 10 people and injured up to 15 more, many of them seriously. 

With extreme heat gripping large parts of India and Pakistan, the two countries are working to roll out life-saving health action plans to combat the heatwave, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.

In Singapore, the UN rights office, OHCHR, called on Monday for a stay of execution for two Malaysian nationals accused of drug offences. 

As Indonesia celebrates Ramadan, Valerie Julliand, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the country, and  Toily Kurbanov, Executive Coordinator, United Nations Volunteers, explain why volunteerism encapsulates the generosity and compassion of the Muslim holy month.

Yessie Mosby is one of the so-called Torres Strait Eight, a group from the Pacific Islands which lodged a complaint with the UN Human Rights Council, that Australia is not doing enough to protect their people from climate change, in the first ever case of its kind. Mr. Mosby explained to UN News why they decided to take this unprecedented step.

The United Nations has condemned the deadly bomb blasts at two educational institutions in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Wednesday, which killed at least six people and wounded nearly 20 others. 

A World Food Program-backed initiative to deliver millet seeds to vulnerable people is taking root in Odisha, India, where it is helping to ward off hunger and improve livelihoods.