Category: Pacific

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo was speaking during a virtual meeting on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the July 2015 accord that set out rules for monitoring Iran’s nuclear programme and a pathway to easing sanctions.   Iran nuclear issue has global peace & security implications. With JCPOA, countries concerned showed that dialogue & diplomacy, supported by a united Security… Read More

Worldwide trade is expected to fall by 14.5 per cent in 2020 and following that trend, trade in the region could contract by  around 1.9 per cent, estimates from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) suggest.  The rest of the world, however, fared worse, and as a result, the region’s share in global merchandise export… Read More

The protestors were charged under the lèse-majesté provision of the country’s criminal code, which prohibits defaming, insulting or threatening the royal family, and could face between three and 15 years in prison.   “We are particularly alarmed that the 16-year-old activist was yesterday presented by police to the Juvenile Court with a request for a detention order,” said Ravina Shamdasani, an… Read More

Ms. Lyons spoke of the “profound shift” brought about by developments during 2020, which include an agreement between the United States and the Taliban, the start of intra-Afghan peace negotiations, and a major donor conference.  “By all accounts this was a big year. But a bigger year lies ahead”, she said.  “Clearly Afghanistan will continue to move forward in this… Read More

“Criticism of Government policy, including through political satire and cartoons, is permitted under the rights to freedom of expression and cultural rights, and should not be criminalised,” the three Special Rapporteurs said in a statement.   In their appeal, the three UN Special Rapporteurs said that Ahmed Kabir Kishore – who needs insulin to treat diabetes – should be released immediately, as his health is worsening.  ‘Digital security’ charges  Mr. Kishore was… Read More

Mary Lawlor, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said lawyers in China continue to be “charged, detained, disappeared and tortured”, five years on from a law enacted as an apparent national security measure. Criminalized profession “Since the so-called ‘709 crackdown’ began on 9 July 2015, the profession of human rights lawyer has been effectively criminalised in… Read More

Vidyut Mohan has been named as a UNEP Young Champion of the Earth for 2020., by UNEP Vidyut Mohan has pioneered a portable machine which burns agricultural waste without releasing harmful greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere turning it into charcoal and fertilizer which can be used by farmers in India. Farmers have traditionally burnt waste in their fields which not… Read More

“I acknowledge the efforts made by the Afghan authorities over the years to ensure the justice system is fair, equal and does not discriminate against anyone, including women. However, it is clearly not enough”, High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. The report, In search of justice for crimes of violence against women and girls, examined 303… Read More

“Any transfer must follow a voluntary, informed decision,” Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said on Twitter on Sunday.  I am concerned by reports of #Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh being moved to Bhasan Char. UNHCR and UN partners seek access to them in order to hear their voices, understand their wishes and see conditions on the island. Any transfer must… Read More

I am in charge of the Volunteer Leader programme for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which is part of the I Am UNICEF initiative. We have some 22 volunteer leaders in communities across Thailand, who told me that while there is sufficient information and support for parents about COVID-19, there is nothing specifically for children. So, I had the idea of… Read More