Category: Pacific

Highlighting his predecessor Philip Alstom’s final report, UN-appointed independent Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter, insisted that without China’s “outsized contribution” in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty during that period, overall progress globally towards reversing the scourge, suddenly appeared far less impressive. According to the World Bank’s international poverty line (IPL) – which is subsisting on $1.90… Read More

Spokesperson Rupert Colville told journalists in Geneva on Friday that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was continuing to analyze the new law after it came into force on Wednesday, regarding its compliance with international human rights obligations: “I think several hundred people have been arrested since protests began on Wednesday, I think the last I heard,… Read More

The appeal from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), also calls for a de-escalation of the conflict to save lives and facilitate discussions in Qatar. It follows a recent spate of deliberate attacks against religious leaders, healthcare workers, members of the judiciary, civil society activists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and journalists. ‘Shocking and criminal’ attacks In the first six months… Read More

Marking International Day of Family Remittances, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has released a message appealing for “people everywhere” to support migrants, at a time when remittances – the money migrants send home to support their families – have fallen by more than $100 billion, causing hunger, lost schooling and deteriorating health, for tens of millions of families. Read More

“It is distressing that caste-based prejudices remain deeply entrenched in our world in the 21st century, and I am filled with sadness for these two young people who held high hopes of building a life together despite the obstacles presented by their accident of birth” said High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, referring to the couple at the centre of… Read More

The appeal for a fresh cash injection comes after more than five years of fighting in the Arabian peninsula country, between the Government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, now based in the south, and the mainly Houthi-led opposition, which occupies the capital, Sana’a, in the north. Yemen was already one of the poorest countries in the world before violence escalated… Read More

Hours before the three-day festival of Eid al-Fitr was due to begin, Taliban militants made the unexpected declaration that they would attack only if their positions were hit, leading President Ashraf Ghani to welcome the move shortly afterwards, and release a statement saying security and defence forces would comply. Reason to hope! A welcomed move by Taliban. Well responded by… Read More

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) declared “profound solidarity” with the countries and people affected by the disease and resolved “to pursue coordinated and decisive actions, to contain, mitigate and defeat the pandemic through reinforced regional and global cooperation.” “ reiterates the importance of multilateralism and international… Read More

Indigenous communities in Malaysia have long been the guardians of the natural environment in the southeast Asian country. , by Sarawak Biodiversity Centre Tan Sri Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot told UNDP how indigenous communities in Malaysia can share their traditional knowledge of how to use local plants to provide food, medicine and sustain thriving local economies whilst protecting the… Read More