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

Leaders from Pacific island nations collectively rang the alarm on the relentless march of climate change, marked by rising sea levels, extreme weather events and coastal erosion, wreaking havoc and threatening the very existence of their homelands.

The international community must move away from “power politics” by embracing the burgeoning multipolar world, with the UN at its core, the Vice-President of China said in his address on Thursday to the General Assembly.

Yemen has made compromises and worked hard to rebuild its country and regain the trust of its people, but the head of the Presidential Leadership Council on Thursday cautioned the international community that “dealing with Houthi militias as de facto authorities” would likely reverse hard-won gains and could turn Yemen into a hotspot to export terrorism worldwide.
 

Addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal emphasized the importance of collective action in tackling global challenges through peaceful means and diplomatic dialogue.

President Yoon Suk-Yeol of Republic of Korea on Wednesday said that if Russia helps the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) enhance its weapons programmes “the deal will be a direct provocation” and Seoul and its allies “will not stand idly by”.

The Prime Minister of Japan said on Tuesday that he is open to meeting President Kim Jong-Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) at any time and without any conditions “to open up a new era together” between the countries. 

Iran has escalated its crackdown on protests, to prevent public commemoration of Jina Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody last year, UN independent human rights experts warned on Tuesday. 

The international community must ensure that every girl in Afghanistan has an opportunity to learn, the head of the UN fund for education in emergencies said on Monday – the second anniversary of the Taliban’s edict banning secondary education for girls. 

One year since the nationwide protests in the aftermath of death in custody of Mahsa Amini, harassment of women and girls by Iranian authorities are on the rise, an independent UN investigative body said on Thursday.

Thailand has made what has been described as “robust progress” towards meeting the targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but a “whole of society approach” is needed to maintain momentum according to the UN Resident Coordinator in the country.

The “shocking” and “cruel” oppression of Afghan women and girls by the Taliban against the backdrop of a severe humanitarian crisis has put the country’s future in jeopardy, UN rights chief Volker Türk warned on Tuesday.

Political and democratic reforms have not materialized in Sri Lanka despite popular protests last year calling for change, the UN’s deputy human rights chief told the Human Rights Council on Monday.

UN-appointed independent human rights investigators told the Human Rights Council on Monday that Myanmar’s people continue to suffer deeply from the effects of horrific crimes committed by the country’s military, amid intensifying violence.