Pacific 

Nuclear-free Mongolia a ‘symbol of peace in a troubled world’: Guterres

Mr. Guterres was speaking to journalists at a press conference in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, following a meeting with the Foreign Minister, Battsetseg Batmunkh.  My gratitude to President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa & the people of Mongolia for their generous hospitality. Mongolia has shown its commitment to non-proliferation & disarmament by declaring itself a nuclear-weapon-free zone. I hope many other countries will follow… Read More
Pacific 

Sri Lanka: UNFPA appeals for $10.7 million for ‘critical’ women’s healthcare

“UNFPA is committed to meeting the critical health and protection needs of women and girls,” said Kunle Adeniyi, UNFPA representative in Sri Lanka.  “Our focus is to strengthen sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence response services to reduce the long-term repercussions of the current crisis.” Appealing for at $10.7 million, UNFPA hopes to coordinate interventions with other UN agencies… Read More
Pacific 

Attacking a nuclear plant ‘suicidal,’ UN chief tells journalists in Japan

“Any attack to nuclear plants is…suicidal,” the UN chief said, adding that he hoped that the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be able to access the plant for inspection. Both Moscow and Kyiv have denied responsibility for the strike on the Zaporizhzhia plant over the weekend.  While Europe’s largest nuclear power site has been under Russian control since… Read More
Pacific 

From Hiroshima, UN chief calls for global nuclear disarmament

“Nuclear weapons are nonsense. Three-quarters of a century later, we must ask what we’ve learned from the mushroom cloud that swelled above this city in 1945”, he urged during the solemn event at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park attended by dozens of people, including hibakusha, young peace activists, Japan’s Prime Minister and other local authorities. The UN Secretary-General warned that a… Read More
Pacific 

Press freedom increasingly under threat in Cambodia – UN human rights report

All of the 65 journalists interviewed in the State of Press Freedom in Cambodia said they had faced some form of interference in the course of their work – and more than 80 per cent described being put under surveillance, facing disproportionate or unnecessary restrictions, including access to information. “The findings in this report are very concerning, and I urge… Read More
Pacific 

Singapore: Rights experts call for moratorium on executions for drugs offences

Nazeri Bin Lajim, a Malay Singaporean national, was arrested in April 2012 for trafficking more than 33 grammes of diamorphine. He was executed last Friday.   “Under international law, States that have not yet abolished the death penalty may only impose it for the ‘most serious crimes’, involving intentional killing,” the experts said. “Drug offences clearly do not meet this… Read More
Pacific 

Top rights experts urge repeal of Hong Kong’s national security law

Chinese and Hong Kong officials have said the law, imposed “overnight” by Beijing in June 2020, was necessary to restore and safeguard stability after anti-government and anti-China demonstrations erupted in 2019. Definition unclear The UN Human Rights Committee underscored the shortcomings of the National Security Law (NSL), including its lack of clarity on “national security” and the possibility of transferring cases from… Read More
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