Latest news on the Asia-Pacific region from the United Nations
- The driving force in international relations must be cooperation, in accordance with the principles of international law, and not confrontation, the Prime Minister of Pakistan told world leaders gathered virtually at the UN General Assembly.
- The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to focus on the importance of achieving a sustainable future for all people and the planet, the President of Timor-Leste said in his speech to the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
- Against the backdrop of the “extraordinary” circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, “global and regional multilateral mechanisms must be strengthened”, the President of Viet Nam told the high-level debate of UN General Assembly on Thursday.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stress test for the world, and has exposed our past mistakes and failures, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Kazakhstan, told world leaders, during his address to the General Debate of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
- The President of Sri Lanka has highlighted the success of his country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the importance of a well-coordinated approach, underpinned by robust local health care system, to contain the disease.
- Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations needs to prove “multilateralism delivers”, the President of Indonesia has said, telling world leaders, gathered virtually “all of us bear the responsibility” to further strengthen the global Organization.
- The President of the Republic of Korea has signaled his country’s support to developing nations during the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes ensuring they have equitable access to any vaccines against the deadly new coronavirus.
- The assaults by security forces in Myanmar on villages in Rakhine state “need to stop”, and a ceasefire should be declared immediately, said the UN independent rights expert on the situation across the country on Tuesday.
- While every country has its own strategy to fight coronavirus, the world needs coordinated international efforts and a common purpose to end the crisis, the President of the Philippines said on Tuesday, underlining the importance of universal access to anti-COVID-19 technologies in the recovery from global pandemic.
- The Chinese President Xi Jinping called for enhanced international solidarity to fight the coronavirus on Tuesday during his UN General Assembly address, declaring that his country would aim to become carbon neutral, in the wider battle against climate change, by 2060.
- Drug trafficking has long been a problem in the Golden Triangle, the region where Thailand’s Chiang Rai province meets Myanmar and Laos. In this blog, Gita Sabharwal, UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand, and Jeremy Douglas, who represents the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, explain how the United Nations and the Thai government are working together to tackle the issue.
- The first ever direct talks between Afghan Government representatives and the Taliban which began on Saturday, present “a major opportunity” to finally realise the “long-held aspirations” of the people, for a peaceful future, the UN chief has said.
- The United Nations has strongly condemned Wednesday's attack in the Afghan capital Kabul, targeting the official convoy of the country's First Vice President, Amrullah Saleh.