Category: Pacific

In a tweet on Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Bachelet, indicated that she had been able to “discuss directly” important issues via videolink with the country’s premier, without providing further information about her talking points. .@mbachelet: Meetings with President Xi & senior officials have been valuable to discuss directly human rights issues & concerns in China & global. For development, peace & security to be sustainable: human rights, justice, inclusion of all, without exception, must be at the core — UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) May 25, 2022 Personal mission “I…

Thankfully, the alarm that prompted them to evacuate, was just a practice drill, but by following the planned evacuation route, students said they felt confident they could respond quickly and calmly in any real emergency. “I will tell my parents, my family, and I will try my best to keep them safe,” fourth grade student, Ni Putu Anika Desintha Pradnyan Dewi, told UN Secretary-General Amina Mohammed after the earthquake and tsunami drill. Telling the world The Deputy Secretary-General, who is in Bali ahead of the Stakeholder Forum of the seventh Global…

She was in the Indonesian capital ahead of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, taking place this week on the island of Bali. Civil society is the bedrock of survivors of gender-based violence. The @UN works with Yayasan Pulih in Indonesia to provide mental health and psychosocial support to women. pic.twitter.com/9FIqBta6WB — Amina J Mohammed (@AminaJMohammed) May 22, 2022 But before discussing disaster risk reduction strategies with policymakers, humanitarians, and members of the private sector there, she heard from 15 youth leaders from across Indonesia, about the struggles they have…

Media Services Pvt. Ltd “Since the start of the crisis, the UN has tracked over 1000 protests. Initially these were peaceful, driven by citizen participation, and characterized by calls for a change of the government: they were joined by political parties, trade unions, student unions, clergy and other interest groups. But as the shortage of gas and fuel became more prominent, we started witnessing violent clashes. Some 60 houses were torched, around eight people killed, and several more injured.  The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the…

In a statement, WHO took note of the “deaths and large number of people with fever” as reported by the official news agency KCNA, for DPRK – commonly known as North Korea – but said they are still awaiting information from the International Health Regulations national focal point, concerning the extent and severity of the first officially recorded outbreak. “We stand committed to assist our member country, as needed, by providing technical support to scale up testing, strengthen case management, implement situation-specific public health and social measures, and provide essential…

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis for the country also revealed a pocket of “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity in the northeast, affecting thousands.  Record levels of hunger persist in #Afghanistan as lingering drought and the deep economic crisis continue to threaten lives and livelihoods. Humanitarian assistance averted a catastrophe in the harsh winter months, and remains a lifeline. https://t.co/zd7Jrivoaq — World Food Programme (@WFP) May 9, 2022 The analysis was conducted in January and February by partners who include the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),…

“Most of the survivors of gender-based violence that we see in the clinic are young adults,” says Primrose, Youth Coordinator for the Family Health Association (FHA) in East New Britain province. She has just stepped off stage after delivering a presentation to senior students of Kokopo Secondary School as part of FHA’s school outreach programme, in which she told students that they can reach out to the FHA if they need help, and that violence is never the survivor’s fault. Primrose and her team of peer educators are hoping to…

According to information received by UNAMA, this is a formal directive rather than a recommendation, any violations of which will lead to the punishment of male relatives. UNAMA is deeply concerned with today’s announcement by the Taliban that all women must cover their faces in public, should only leave their homes in cases of necessity, & that violations will lead to the punishment of their male relatives. Full statement: https://t.co/D7XEsmv1te pic.twitter.com/Iw35PbDju5 — UNAMA News (@UNAMAnews) May 7, 2022 “This decision contradicts numerous assurances regarding respect for and protection of all…

The blast at the Khalifa Sahib mosque, located in the Darulaman area in the west of the city, is the latest in a series of attacks on civilian targets in the capital and provinces.  The explosion tore through the mosque, damaging the roof, which caved in on worshippers, the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) in the country said, citing initial reports.  Casualties likely higher  Local hospitals reported far higher casualty figures, with dozens said to be killed and injured, including many children.   A hospital ran by the non-governmental organization…

The execution of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam and Datchinamurthy Kataiah is imminent, the UN rights office said in a statement, before pointing to an apparently “alarming acceleration in execution notices” in Singapore, since the start of the year.  OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that Mr. Dharmalingam was arrested in 2009 and convicted of drug trafficking.   His family was told just last week that he was due to be executed this Wednesday.  Multiple appeals claiming that he had an intellectual disability were dismissed and requests for clemency denied, Ms. Shamdasani explained.   The second prisoner…