Category: Pacific

In a joint statement, Hans Grundberg and David Gressley said they were alarmed by the situation and confirmed that January will “almost certainly” be a record-shattering month for civilian casualties in Yemen. Mr. Grundberg and Mr. Gressley also reiterate the UN Secretary-General’s condemnation of air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led Coalition on 21 January against a prison facility in Sa’dah, where migrants were also held. The airstrikes reportedly killed 91 detainees… Read More

“I grew up here in Australia, but I spent my last few years living in Tonga as Pacific Director for climate action group 350.org. I came back to Australia at the beginning of the pandemic, and I have not been able to go home since because the borders have been completely shut off to the rest of the world. COVID-free… Read More

The Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognized Government, has been fighting Houthi militants who control much of the country including the capital Sana’a, since 2015. Conflict escalated this week, following an attack on coalition partner, the United Arab Emirates by Houthi forces, on Monday.  Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson, that Fridays bombings, which included other areas of the country,… Read More

“The resources that we have in the ground are not enough”, Sione Hufanga explained, in an interview on Saturday morning local time, with UN News. “We ought to always look at the situation and ask, have we done enough, for this very small country, isolated in the Pacific islands?” The underwater volcano eruption of a week ago, is believed to… Read More

In total, about 84,000 people, more than 80 per cent of the population of the South Pacific Kingdom, have been affected by the disaster.  Besides the three fatalities reported earlier in the week, no further deaths have been confirmed. In an update released on Thursday, OCHA confirms that the whole economically vital agricultural sector, including crops, livestock and fisheries, have… Read More

Early indications suggest that its depth has protected it from bleaching caused by global warming. “It was magical to witness giant, beautiful rose corals which stretch for as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of art,” said Alexis Rosenfeld, French photographer and founder of the #1Ocean campaign, who led the diving mission. Buried treasure The… Read More

In a warning that the economy has been “paralyzed” since the de facto authorities took control last August, ILO said that there have been huge losses in jobs and working hours. There have been huge losses in jobs and working hours in #Afghanistan since the change in administration with #womenworkers especially hard hit. ➡️May reach 900,000 by mid-2022 ➡️Women’s employment… Read More

Islands covered in ash, dozens of homes destroyed According to a Tongan Government press release on Tuesday, the three fatalities are a British national, and two Tongan nationals. The UN World Health Organization, WHO, has reported that many people are still missing, whilst around 90 people headed to safety in evacuation centres on the island of Eua, and many others… Read More

Small island nations across the world are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, and their problems have been accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely affected their economies, and their capacity to protect themselves from possible extinction. We take a look at some of the many challenges they face, and how they could be overcome. Source UN News Read More

Those first nuclear weapons deployed by the United States, indiscriminately killed tens of thousands of non-combatants but also left indelible scars for the immediate survivors, that they, their children and grandchildren still carry today. “The Red Cross hospital was full of dead bodies. The death of a human is a solemn and sad thing, but I didn’t have the time… Read More