Category: Pacific

“The reaction to the cataclysmic events of 6 August 1945 was also the beginning of a global push to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again”, Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said on behalf of the UN Secretary-General, speaking at the Hiroshima Annual Peace Ceremony. There is no stronger case for a world free of nuclear weapons… Read More

In a statement, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar called on the international community to impose targeted sanctions and arms embargoes on the Myanmar military.  The mission members declare that their latest report on Myanmar has established, for the first time, the degree to which the country’s military uses its own businesses, foreign companies and arms deals to support “brutal operations” against ethnic groups that constitute “serious crimes under international law”, bypassing civilian oversight and… Read More

The mid-year report from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented  3,812 civilian casualties (1,366 deaths and 2,446 injured) in the first half of 2019.  While the number of civilians killed and injured is 27 per cent down from the same period in 2018 – the year that saw record high numbers of recorded civilian casualties – the UN noted “disturbing patterns”,… Read More

Amina Mohammed was speaking to reporters in the capital Kabul, after leading an all-women delegation of top UN officials for an intensive two-day “solidarity mission”, focussed on women, peace and security. She was joined by UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs chief, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Natalie Kanem, and the head of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.  The Deputy Secretary-General… Read More

Japanese police have now identified the man suspected of carrying out the attack on Thursday morning, who reportedly entered the Kyoto Animation (KyoAni) building, carrying cans of flammable liquid, which he poured across different areas of the film and graphic novel media business, before setting it alight.  According to news reports, witnesses to his arrest said he had alleged at the scene, that… Read More

“Millions of children have seen their lives turned upside down by the torrential rainfall, flooding and landslides,” Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, said on Thursday. ⛈️ Extreme weather.?️ Rising sea levels.?Severe drought.? Floods.?️ Hurricanes.? Wildfires.⚠️ Natural disasters.? Cyclones. This is the link between climate change and displacement. pic.twitter.com/WOBHFwAaxG — UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) July 18,… Read More

Under-Secretary-General Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana was in New York to take part in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the main UN platform for monitoring the progress that countries are making towards the Agenda, which is the UN’s blueprint for ending poverty and preserving the planet. ESCAP’s latest Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report shows that, when it comes to some of the… Read More

Kulbhushan Jadhav, said the Court, had not been informed of his rights by the Pakistani authorities, and that the Indian Government has been deprived of “consular access”: the right to communicate with him. During the hearings, the ICJ had directed Pakistan not to carry out the death sentence until the Court’s final ruling. On Wednesday, the Court ordered a “continued… Read More

“Those in the most vulnerable living situations have been relocated to safer, newly developed land in the camps”, WFP Spokesperson Herve Verhoosel told the regular news briefing in Geneva, noting that 5,600 people had been displaced. Telling reporters that additional rainfall is forecasted for the weekend, he underscored that “the destruction is caused by the most significant weather event in… Read More

“Of the four countries globally that are without women parliamentarians, three are in the Pacific,” she asserted. Turning to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), she pointed out that regarding diabetes, seven Pacific countries are in the top 10 globally. And in 10 SIDS, five out of 10 Pacific islanders are overweight.  “Moving forward, Pacific leaders are committed to more targeted support to… Read More