Category: Pacific

Balakrishnan Rajagopal, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, also said that none of those affected, appeared to have been consulted or heard by the Court beforehand, and that the judges had initially ruled that no one should be allowed to seek to overturn the eviction order.  “This amounts to a full-fledged denial of justice for the low income people living… Read More

Bangladesh is hosting more than one million Rohingya, a mainly Muslim minority community who are stateless, most of whom fled following a wave of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017.  “More than three years have elapsed. Regrettably, not a single Rohingya could be repatriated. The problem was created by Myanmar, and its solution must be found in Myanmar. I… Read More

The international community must ask if the UN is still relevant 75 years after its founding, said Mr. Modi, noting that despite the Organization’s achievements, including the avoidance of a Third World War, there have since been many conflicts, and today’s challenges are vastly different from those of the past. The Indian leader went on to question whether the Organization… Read More

Addressing the Assembly’s annual high-level debate via a pre-recorded video, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha called on the leaders to “remain steadfast and not be shaken by nationalist sentiments or anti-globalization tendencies.”  The global crisis, he said, should motivate us to “unite as one”, since it has been proven that no nation can face the challenges alone.  “Such is the future… Read More

“As we embark on the Decade of Action to implement the 2030 Agenda , the current crisis has pushed us to the brink of losing the gains made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli told world leaders, via a pre-recorded video message.  Landlocked, least developed and small nations – which are more… Read More

“As we face the current crisis, and guided by the principle of human security, I think it is essential to set the goal of ‘leaving no one’s health behind’ as we work towards achieving universal health coverage,” he said in a pre-recorded speech to the UN General Assembly on Friday.   Based on this shared goal, Mr. Suga said Japan… Read More

In a pre-recorded video address to the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, Prime Minister Imran Khan, highlighted the importance of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.  “This is also a time for us to reflect whether as the United Nations, we have been able to realize the promise we made collectively to our peoples,” he said.  Amid multifaceted threats to… Read More

In a video pre-recorded for the event, Francisco Guterres also highlighted the need for global solidarity to defeat the crisis.  “I am deeply convinced that together in a genuine spirt of solidarity, humankind will overcome this challenge,” he said.  President Guterres reported on steps his administration has taken in the battle against COVID-19, including closing borders, establishing quarantine and isolation… Read More

Although the leaders of Member States have been unable to gather in person for the General Debate, President Nguyen Phu Trong said that “does not diminish our resolve and ability to deliberate and seek solutions for issues of common concern”. In a pre-recorded video address to the Assembly’s annual debate, being held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic,… Read More

Mr. Tokayev described a “critical collapse of global cooperation” in response to the crisis, as well as a lack of mutual confidence, a misunderstanding of international competition, trade wars, and sanctions which, he said, are undermining the prospects and hopes for a better world. In a pre-recorded address to the Assembly’s virtual gathering of leaders, the Kazakh premier put forward… Read More