Category: Pacific

Wang Yi told the Assembly’s annual general debate that China is committed to resolve trade frictions and differences “in a calm, rational and cooperative manner”, as well as “utmost patience and goodwill.” However, on Tuesday at the general debate, United States President Donald Trump told the UN that he would not accept a “bad trade deal” with China nor hoped a… Read More

“When a nuclear-armed country fights to the end, it will have consequences far beyond the borders. It will have consequences for the world,” Mr. Khan said, adding: “That’s not a threat … It’s a fair worry. Where are we headed? I’ve come here because this is a test for the United Nations. You guaranteed the right to determination of the people… Read More

Narendra Modi painted a picture of a rapidly changing India that in five years has built over 110 million toilets and opened over 370 million bank accounts for the poor. India has given “the world new hope” by launching the planet’s biggest digital identification programme for its citizens – saving more than $20 billion by checking corruption, he said. What’s… Read More

The President said tuna fishing generates $6 billion annually for the handful of small island developing States known as the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), a 1982 accord on fisheries management. “This fishery is projected to disperse and disappear from the waters of the nine-member countries and territories of the PNA in the not too distant future: another victim… Read More

The proposal was floated by Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, in his address to the annual gathering.  The DMZ separates South Korea, as the country is also known, and its neighbour to the north.    “The DMZ is a colossal green zone that stretches 250 km from east to west, and four km from north to south. Its borders define a tragedy spawned by… Read More

In a report detailing alleged violations in Myanmar over the last year, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, insists that many of the conditions that led to “killings, rapes and gang rapes, torture, forced displacement and other grave rights violations” by the country’s military, that prompted some 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017, are still present. Citing the… Read More

As Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW 2019) wrapped up on Friday in Bangkok, a key takeaway was that long-term holistic planning would enable countries there to tap into the huge potential of renewable energy, and new technology while maximizing socio-economic benefits. Other compelling reasons to rapidly shift to low-carbon and resilience were outlined by high-level speakers who warned that current levels… Read More

Over-cultivation, poor land management and industrialization – in addition to the effects of climate change – have led to the deterioration of soils which in turn has contributed to a loss of biodiversity. BSWM-UNDP Philippines-GEF5 SLM Project | Over-cultivation and the effects of climate change have led to the deterioration of soils in the Philippines’ Bukidnon Province. (file) But now,… Read More

“The practice of incommunicado detention must be immediately brought to an end. Detainees’ right to a fair trial, including access to a lawyer, must be upheld,” the UN Special Rapporteurs said on Monday. In custody since the outbreak of armed conflict in northern Rakhine and Chin last December, the experts stressed the need for “a credible independent investigation into the… Read More

“There is a serious deficit of trust among ethno-religious communities in Sri Lanka following the deadly Easter Sunday bomb blasts and subsequent mob violence this year, and these tensions must not be ignored,” Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, said while presenting a report following his 12-day mission to the country.   Noting that the Government has taken… Read More