Category: Pacific

The graduation is “testimony to years of effort resulting in hard-won sustainable development gains,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message.  #Vanuatu is celebrating, and so are we‼️ Vanuatu is the latest country to graduate out of the category of Least Developed Countries. We join the @UN family and all development partners in extending our best wishes to the people and… Read More

“We are disturbed by escalating violence over the past weeks and months in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua and the increased risk of renewed tension and violence”, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said in a statement. She said OHCHR was concerned by reports that reinforced military and security… Read More

According to UN data, one in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence mostly at the hands of an intimate partner. In 2019, 243 million women and girls, aged between 19 and 49, were affected by sexual and/or physical violence by an intimate partner.  in a rally on ending gender-based violence. The problem only worsened with the outbreak of… Read More

Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said in a statement they were alarmed by the reports that Mr. Djalali had been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution.  “We are horrified by the reports that Mr. Djalali… Read More

Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said in a statement they were alarmed by the reports that Mr. Djalali had been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution.  “We are horrified by the reports that Mr. Djalali… Read More

Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said in a statement they were alarmed by the reports that Mr. Djalali had been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution.  “We are horrified by the reports that Mr. Djalali… Read More

Speaking at the Afghanistan 2020 Conference, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, both listed changes that would improve the lot of ordinary Afghans and prospects for rebuilding the war-torn country.   Six asks OHCHR chief Ms. Bachelet said she had six “asks” for the people of Afghanistan, beginning with an immediate commitment to protect… Read More

The rockets reportedly were fired from vehicles, hitting several densely populated areas.  The ISIL affiliate in the country has claimed responsibility, according to media reports which cited intelligence sources. Deeply shocking and deplorable that civilians should be subjected to such indiscriminate attacks. Those responsible must face justice. Our thoughts are with the bereaved and wishing recovery to all those inured. #Afghanistan… Read More

Released on Wednesday, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) report Geospatial Practices for Sustainable Development showcases examples from the region’s countries employing applications of space technology to advance sustainable development.   “Night-light” satellite images monitoring the impact of lockdowns, “heatmaps” to chart out communities vulnerable to the pandemic and its socio-economic consequences, real-time situational analysis, and dashboards integrating… Read More

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (RCEP) was signed on Sunday by 15 countries including China, Japan, Australia, Vietnam and South Korea, jointly covering a total population of more than 2.3 billion people – five times the size of the European Union.  Framework for the future  “The agreement could help revive post-COVID economic growth, boost intra-regional trade and investment links at a… Read More