Asia

Preliminary evidence shows a widespread and systematic attack on civilians in Myanmar in the wake of the coup in February, amounting to crimes against humanity, the head of a fact-finding body established by the UN Human Rights Council said on Friday. Nicholas Koumjian of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar was updating journalists on its work to collect, preserve and analyze evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations committed in the country. The mechanism was created two years ago and prepares files that can facilitate criminal prosecutions in national, regional and international tribunals. New challenges While its mandate covers the period from 2011, “our work has faced new challenges and opportunities due to the military coup and the subsequent events that have occurred,” said Mr. Koumjian, referring to rising violence following the military takeover on 1 February. “We announced soon after the coup that the coup itself is not within our mandate. Issues of constitutionality, of change of leadership, of elections, is not a serious international crime within our mandate,” he said, speaking in New York. “However, being aware of the history of political violence in Myanmar, we were concerned, and we would be watching and collecting evidence if such crimes occur.” Verifying preliminary evidence The mechanism has received more than 200,000 communications since the coup, and has collected more than 1.5 million items of evidence, such as photographs, videos, testimonies and social media posts. “We do feel now having observed the events and collected preliminary evidence that the facts show a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population amounting to crimes against humanity,” Mr. Koumjian said. “So, we’ll be collecting and attempting to verify that preliminary evidence and that has also created many opportunities for us because we receive so many communications, particularly from people inside Myanmar urging us to accomplish some type of accountability, asking us to bring people to account and end the violence that’s happening there.” Patterns in violence Mr. Koumjian said the mechanism noted certain patterns in the violence, which is how it determined the crimes appeared to be a widespread and systemic attack on civilians, given that members had no access to Myanmar. He reported that during the first six weeks of the coup, security forces took a “measured response” towards demonstrations. However, later there was an “uptick in violence”, with more violent methods used to suppress protestors, and which was taking place in different areas at the same time, “indicating to us it would be logical to conclude this was from a central policy.” Additionally, particular groups such as journalists, medical workers and political opponents, were also being targeted for arrest and detention, without due legal process. Mr. Koumjian would neither say how many files the mechanism has compiled to date, nor who is named in them. “I want everyone who committed such offenses to worry that the file’s on them,” he said.

IOM’s Chief of Mission, Christa Rottensteiner, explained that “immunizing people on the move is key to combatting the spread of the disease.” An estimated 36,000 migrants have been stranded on their journeys due to mobility restrictions, nearly 3,500 in Ma’rib alone. Many are sleeping in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions where the virus can easily spread.  “Vaccinating against COVID-19 is even more crucial in places like Ma’rib where ongoing conflict continues to weaken health facilities and disrupt the supply chain for medicines,” Ms. Rottensteiner said.  According to her, there are still not enough doses to protect everyone in Yemen from this disease. “More support from the international community to supply the country with enough vaccines will save lives”, she said. Pandemic So far, the pandemic has had severe consequences for the health, well-being and income of people in Yemen. COVID-19 has compounded the multiple crises already raging due to the on-going conflict which erupted in 2015, between rebel Houthi forces, together with their allies, and a Saudi-led coalition, that supports the internationally-recognized Government. As of 12 December, there have been more than 10,000 cases reported in the country, but it’s difficult to assess the real impact because of limited testing and reporting.   Since April, IOM has been supporting efforts by the Ministry of Health to vaccinate at-risk and hard-to-reach populations. They have included health workers, people with chronic illnesses and elderly citizens.  One Ethiopian migrant who received the vaccine in Aden, Naima Mohammed, told the agency he had one family member die from COVID-19 last year. Since then, he has come to the Migrant Response Point several times to get the facts about protection measures, such as handwashing and mask wearing. “Now that I’m vaccinated, I’m more protected”, he said.   Health crisis Nearly seven years of conflict in Yemen have weakened the health system, which was already in peril before the virus reached the country. The pandemic has had a dire impact on the most marginalized communities who lack access to health care, clean water and sanitation.  For the past three months, IOM has been conducting awareness-raising sessions to spread accurate information and debunk vaccine misconceptions. Vaccinated migrants will receive documents to allow them easier access to health facilities.  Since the beginning of the pandemic, IOM has helped prevent the spread of the disease and provide treatment for those infected. So far this year, more than 135,000 people have been reached with awareness sessions and over 400,000 people have been screened for the virus at health facilities supported by IOM.  The new vaccination campaign is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) with support from the governments of Germany, Finland and the EU Humanitarian Aid programme.  80 per cent rely on aid Yemen’s civil war has generated the world’s worst humanitarian and development crisis and left parts of the country teetering on the brink of famine. The UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, has estimated 80 per cent of the population, or 24 million people, rely on aid and protection assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need.   Following the outbreak of the conflict in 2015, the UN has repeatedly reiterated that there is no military solution to the Yemeni crisis and has called for a return to peaceful negotiation, through the Office of the UN Special Envoy for the country. 

More than 10 months since Myanmar’s military seized power, the country’s human rights situation is deepening on an unprecedented scale, the UN rights office, OHCHR, has warned. In a strongly worded statement on Friday, OHCHR said that it was “appalled by the alarming escalation of grave human rights abuses” in the country. “In the last week alone, security forces have killed and burned to death 11 people, among them five minors, and rammed vehicles into protesters exercising their fundamental right to peaceful assembly”, said Spokesperson Rupert Colville at a news briefing in Geneva.  In addition, serious violations are “reported daily of the rights to life, liberty and security of person, the prohibition against torture, the right to a fair trial, and freedom of expression,” he added. Charred bodies On Tuesday, a unit of the Myanmar army was reportedly ambushed by militia forces with a remote-controlled explosive device in Salingyi Township of Sagaing Region.   Security personnel responded by raiding the village of Done Taw and arresting six men and five minors, the youngest of whom was only 14 years old, according to local reports.  Villagers, who said they saw fire coming from the area, later found 11 charred male bodies.   “The villagers indicated that human corpses were contorted into shapes that appeared as though they were trying to shelter one another and escape from burning huts”, Mr. Colville said. In a separate incident on Sunday, security forces in Kyimyindaing Township, Yangon, rammed a vehicle into unarmed protesters and then fired on them with live ammunition, leaving several casualties.  “These attacks are heinous, completely unacceptable, and disregard common values of humanity”, said the UN official. “They are also far from isolated”. Multiple reports  In recent weeks, the UN Human Rights Office has received multiple reports of villages being burned, including protected structures, such as places of religious worship and residential buildings.  In Thantlang town in Chin State, credible sources reported that the military torched 19 civilian and religious buildings and 450 homes in 10 different incidents”, he said.  And a few weeks ago in Kayah State, villagers were reportedly burned alive when the place they were sheltering in was allegedly set ablaze by security forces.   Other instances of abuse  Since the coup, General Min Aung Hlaing’s forces have repeatedly failed to respect their obligations under international law to protect the country’s people, said Mr. Colville.   As a result, more than 1,300 individuals have lost their lives and another 10,600 have been detained.  “These latest grave violations demand a firm, unified and resolute international response that redoubles efforts to pursue accountability for the Myanmar military and the restoration of democracy in Myanmar”, he underscored.  Today “the courageous and resilient people of Myanmar” staged a universal silent protest to oppose the coup while also marking Human Rights Day, said the spokesperson.  Commemorated annually on 10 December, the Day honours the UN General Assembly’s 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first global enunciation entitling a broad range of fundamental rights and freedoms for everyone.

The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution to delay a decision on who will represent Afghanistan and Myanmar at the world body. The Assembly agreed to defer action, which means the current ambassadors for the two countries will remain in place for the time being. The de facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, as well as the military rulers in Myanmar, had sought to replace the envoys, who were appointed by democratically-elected governments that were deposed this year. Adopted by consensus The resolution was adopted without a vote and follows a meeting held last week by the UN Credentials Committee, which approves diplomatic representation of all 193 Member States. The Committee chair, Ambassador Anna Karin Eneström of Sweden, introduced its report. “The Committee deferred its decision on the credentials pertaining to the representatives of Myanmar and on the credentials pertaining to the representatives of Afghanistan to the seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly,” she said. The UN remains focused on assisting the people of Afghanistan, where the Taliban seized power in August. Needs have risen sharply, with some 23 million people requiring humanitarian assistance. The UN also continues to push for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Myanmar, in the wake of the military coup on 1 February. On Monday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the imprisonment of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been held in detention since the takeover. The Nobel Peace Prize winner was found guilty of inciting dissent and breaking COVID-19 rules. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said the verdict was the result of a “sham trial”.

The development follows media reports that a military vehicle slammed into demonstrators in the city of Yangon over the weekend, leaving an unknown number injured and at least five dead. Political motives In a statement on Monday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet maintained that Ms. Suu Kyi’s guilty verdict was the result of a “sham trial”. “The conviction of the State Counsellor following a sham trial in secretive proceedings before a military-controlled court is nothing but politically-motivated,” she said. “It is not only about arbitrary denial of her freedom – it closes yet another door to political dialogue,” the UN rights chief said in a statement. Ms. Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s former leader, had been held at an unknown location since February; she was tried in a closed court with no access for observers. The verdict had been “politically-motivated”, said Ms. Bachelet, who warned that the State Counsellor’s detention had closed “yet another door to political dialogue”. Myanmar’s military took power in a coup on 1 February, after declaring the results of the November 2020 elections invalid. More than 10,000 political prisoners are believed to have been detained by the junta, and at least 175 have reportedly died in custody, according to the UN human rights office. Immediate release plea In her statement, the High Commissioner called for the immediate release of all those who have been held arbitrarily. Ms. Bachelet also strongly condemned the “vicious, utterly reprehensible” attack reported yesterday in Yangon, the country’s commercial capital, where unconfirmed video footage showed a security forces’ truck running into unarmed protesters and then firing upon the group using live ammunition. In addition to those feared killed and injured, 15 others have been detained, according to reports. The UN’s top aid representative in Myanmar, Ramanathan Balakrishnan joined Ms. Bachelet in speaking out against the violence and said that those responsible for excessive and disproportionate use of force against unarmed civilians must be held accountable. “Initial reports indicate that a number of people were killed in the incident, while a number of others were injured,” he said, insisting that freedom of expression “is a fundamental human right and today’s action by security forces is completely unacceptable…I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and pass on my deepest condolences to the families of all those who were killed or injured.” Armed clashes, violence and insecurity in the country has risen significantly since the coup, displacing tens of thousands of civilians, according to United Nations estimates. End the violence: Guterres Briefing reporters in New York, UN Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said that the Secretary-General António Guterres “reiterates his condemnation of the military takeover on 1 February and repeats the call for an immediate end to the violence and repression, for the respect for human rights, and for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Myanmar. “As you know, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the principles of equality before the law, the presumption of innocence, the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal., and all of the guarantees necessary for a person’s defence”, he added. ‘Hostages, not criminals’ UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, described the sentencing as the “theatre of the absurd”, saying the military-directed process underscored the complete lack of rule of law in the country. “Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint are hostages, not criminals,” the independent expert said. “This proceeding should not be confused with an actual trial – it is theatre of the absurd and a gross violation of human rights. “Aung San Suu Kyi, and thousands of others, are being arbitrarily detained in a system of injustice, guilty of only exercising their fundamental rights.” Mr. Andrews said that the sentencing “demonstrates why the international community must take stronger action to support the people of Myanmar by denying the junta the revenue and weapons that they need to continue their illegitimate grip on the people of Myanmar. “I call upon Member States to significantly increase pressure on the junta as a result of this outrageous action.” The junta’s arrest and sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of others highlights the relentless assault on the people of Myanmar’s right to exercise their civil and political rights, the independent expert added.

A UN human rights expert welcomed India’s decision to repeal three contentious farm laws that sparked a year of nationwide protests which left 600 people dead. In a statement released this Friday, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, also urged the Government to ensure accountability for the casualties. “To truly turn the page on this painful chapter, it is incumbent on the authorities to heed calls for accountability concerning the casualties reported during the protests, and guarantee measures to prevent any repetition of such events”, he argued. Contentious laws The three agricultural laws which had the goal of deregulating the market, were passed in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were widely criticised for having been rushed through Parliament without enough consultation with affected communities. In a surprise announcement on 19 November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the laws would be repealed at the next session of the legislative body. “What was at stake with these laws was the stability of India’s entire food system,” Mr. Fakhri said. “Let’s hope that subsequent actions on reforming Indian agriculture are informed by the country’s human rights commitments and taken through meaningful consultations with farmers, communities and unions”. Along with other UN experts, the Special Rapporteur had spoken to the Government about the laws’ potential to impact the right to food, and the severe restrictions imposed during the demonstrations. Mr. Fakhri acknowledged the lengthy process of passing of the laws but said that what followed “is an indication of the deep dissatisfaction felt by hundreds of thousands of people”. For him, it also shows that freedom of expression “is a valuable tool for empowering people to influence policy change through mobilisation and peaceful protest”. Suggestions Looking ahead, the UN expert suggested learning important lessons for public decision-making. “We should reflect on questions on what meaningful public consultations should ideally entail, and how a more participatory approach could lead to more popular decisions”, he said. The Government should also consider how agricultural reforms can be implemented in full respect and fulfilment of the country’s economic, social and cultural rights. As a final note, Mr. Fakhri highlighted the “important role” India’s Supreme Court played earlier in the year, when it ordered the Government to provide more time and space to hear farmers’ grievances. The call was also endorsed by  Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Boyd, Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, and Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. They work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. 

Shahpirai, 30, is the sole provider for her husband and three children. “With my salary as a teacher, I could just afford to pay rent and buy food for my family, but not to seek treatment for my child”, she said. An upturn Her situation took a turn for the better last July, when while walking through her village she noticed people gathered in front of an elder’s house. “I asked what was going on and learned that some doctors were treating sick women and children”. The doctors were part of a mobile health team supported by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) that provides medical services to those who would otherwise have no or limited access. In the most remote parts of Afghanistan, the nearest health facility can be over two hours’ walk away, with communities in these areas accounting for most of the country’s maternal and childhood illnesses and deaths. Even before the current crisis, malnutrition was a critical concern in Afghanistan: according to the latest data from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), an estimated 3.2 million children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished by the end of the year. © UNICEF Parwana suffers from Sever Acute Malnutrition where children’s nutrition needs have also escalated following recent events, as economic shocks tip more people in Afghanistan into crisis. From emergency to recovery Shahpirai quickly brought her then 15-month-old son to the mobile team where she learned that he was acutely malnourished and needed urgent care. “The doctor prescribed some medicine and referred my son to the Najmul Jihad Health Centre, with a note requesting immediate treatment”, recalled the young woman. At the health centre the toddler was thoroughly examined, given medical and nutritional supplies, and registered in a programme for children with acute malnutrition so he could receive continuous care and be monitored closely. “I returned to the centre regularly, and after three months the doctor said my son was doing better and no longer needed therapeutic feeding. I was also instructed on how to provide him with proper nutrition at home”. An unfolding crisis While the full ramifications of recent events in Afghanistan will only become clear over time, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that humanitarian needs in the country have already risen sharply and that the health care system has been brought to its knees. Since last August, UNFPA has increased the number of mobile health teams it supports across Afghanistan to respond to the humanitarian health emergency. The teams have defied formidable odds to deliver essential reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health and psychosocial support services to mothers and children in hard-to-reach areas that are otherwise precariously underserved. Amid a deteriorating security situation, the teams and UNFPA-supported static emergency clinics reached nearly 50,000 people with urgent medical services just last month alone. Shahpirai says she is grateful for this life-saving support. “It had been impossible for me to find professional treatment for my son, so I’m thankful that the mobile health team regularly comes to our village to provide medical services, especially for women and children”.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Thursday condemned Iran’s execution of a young man who was a minor at the time he was charged with committing a crime. Arman Abdolali, 25, is the second juvenile offender to be executed in the country this year. OHCHR expressed serious concern that his case follows the pattern of child offenders being convicted after a flawed trial and on the basis of forced confessions. “It is deeply alarming and shocking that his hanging went ahead, despite interventions by numerous parties on the case, including direct engagement by the UN Human Rights Office with the Government of Iran,” Spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement. Mr. Abdolali, who was 17 when he was accused of murder, was arrested in 2014 and found guilty the following year. He was retried last year and then sentenced to death again this September. He had also recanted his confession, saying it had been extracted under torture. Commute death sentences The UN rights office also deplored that Mr. Abdolali had been transferred to solitary confinement six times ahead of his scheduled execution, which was postponed each time before going ahead on Thursday. More than 85 people remain on death row in Iran for crimes they allegedly committed as children, according to OHCHR. “We call on the Iranian authorities to halt all executions of child offenders and immediately commute the death sentences against them, in line with the country’s international obligations,” said Ms. Throssell.

UN-appointed independent human rights experts urged the Chinese authorities on Monday to release on humanitarian grounds, imprisoned citizen journalist and human rights defender, Zhang Zhan. Since beginning a hunger strike, Ms. Zhan’s health has deteriorating rapidly, she is unable to walk, and her life is in danger, the rights experts said. “Failure by the Chinese authorities to act swiftly and effectively could have fatal consequences for Zhang Zhan”, the Special Rapporteurs warned in a joint statement before calling for her immediate and unconditional release, along with medical treatment. According to the UN experts, who are appointed by the Human Rights Council, the 38-year-old woman has been detained in Shanghai since May 2020. Jail term She is serving a four-year sentence on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and was originally arrested after posting online a video that criticized the Government’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, the experts explained. They added that she was accused of spreading false information and stirring up negative sentiment about the epidemic in Wuhan. “The arrest and detention of Zhang Zhan and a number of other citizen journalists for reporting on the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, a matter of vital public interest, is deeply troubling”, they insisted. “Not only does it represent an effort by the authorities to censor information in the public interest, but it is a worrying retaliatory measure aimed at punishing those who attempt to circumvent this censorship to share information in the interest of the public health”. Dangerously ill Since her arrest, Ms. Zhan’s hunger strike has resulted in severe malnutrition, a gastric ulcer and advanced oedema of her lower limbs, among other serious complications. And she is so weak that she can no longer raise her head unassisted. In late July 2021, her poor health landed her in a prison hospital for 11 days, during which time she was reportedly tied to the hospital bed and subjected to force-feeding, the experts explained. The experts described her condition as “fast deteriorating”, and expressed serious concerns for her life without immediate care. “The Chinese authorities have a duty of care to Zhang Zhan as long as she is detained, and the failure to provide adequate medical treatment flies in the face of this obligation”, they said. “We have previously voiced deep concerns about the denial of medical care to individuals detained who subsequently died tragically in custody or shortly after their release. We urge the authorities to release Zhang Zhan on humanitarian grounds and prevent her from meeting this same devastating fate”. The independent experts noted that they are in contact with the authorities on the matter. Independent viewpoint The Special Rapporteur statement signatories are Irene Khan, on the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Mary Lawlor, on the situation of human rights defenders; Morris Tidball-Binz, on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and Tlaleng Mofokeng, on the right to physical and mental health. Also, behind the appeal from the Working Group on arbitrary detention are Elina Steinerte, Miriam Estrada-Castillo, Leigh Toomey and Mumba Malila. The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. They work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

The number of musk deer in Mongolia has plummeted by some 83 per cent since the 1970s, landing them on the country’s red list of critically endangered species. A UN-supported biodiversity initiative is helping to stop the deer from disappearing altogether. Herder community members. Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation The Ensuring Sustainability and Resilience (ENSURE) of Green Landscapes in Mongolia project, integrates biodiversity conservation and sustainable land and forest management, and covers the full range of Mongolia’s diverse ecological zones, from dry deserts, to steppe, boreal forests, and alpine mountain ranges. This involves sharing best practice measures for the protection and management of globally threatened and iconic fauna, such as the musk deer, including community-based mobile anti-poaching units, and the implementation of stiff penalties for poaching. You can find out more about the ENSURE initiative here.

Nadya Zafira, an international relations student at Indonesia’s Gadjah Mada University, won a writing competition for her letter to UN chief António Guterres, in which she addressed the inequalities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how indigenous communities and youth are marginalized in global conversations on climate crisis. “In the past two years, my reality, yours, and many others, has changed dramatically. Not overnight, but rather, over a series of incremental global disruptions that began with the news of an unknown pneumonia outbreak. While all countries face the common threat of a deadly virus, clearly the pandemic has not proven to be “the great equalizer”, as deep-seated inequalities between the Global North and South shape each country’s path of survivability in this era of multidimensional crises, with some winning first, and others lagging behind. But the pandemic is just the tip of the iceberg, which in today’s period of rapid environmental degradation, is melting at an alarming rate. There are a wide range of issues that the UN, government leaders, civil society organizations, and everyday civilians must tackle: global poverty, environmental degradation, gender inequality, food insecurity, and so much more. Zeroing in on one issue means forgetting the various contingencies and connections that place global issues within the same constellation. Thus, we face the difficult question: just where do we start? Nadya Zafira Nadya Zafira, Indonesian winner of writing competition, for a letter she wrote to the UN Secretary-General Last year, my hometown, Jakarta, was struck by extreme rain and major flooding — a symptom of climate change, worsened by massive infrastructure projects that cloaked the metropolis in concrete slabs. While I was safe and sound at home, many were not as lucky and were forcibly displaced. Some lost important family documents, others their entire homes, and even their loved ones, in the middle of a pandemic on top of that. I then realised that perhaps, the answer to that question begins with whatever issue feels closest. It is precisely because I, and the youth, are born into a world where environmental injustices are all that we have known, that the youth plays a critical role in climate action. While conferences do a good job at making youth voices heard, it is also important to remember whose voices are represented. Increasing the breadth of youth voices translates into an increase in depths of insight. Although the world has its fair share of bright, young climate activists from urban backgrounds, I believe we owe it to indigenous communities to offer alternative perspectives and practices regarding natural resource management. The UN has already acknowledged the centrality of traditional indigenous knowledge through the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, but more can and should be done. To bridge the gap between indigenous youth and the world, we can begin by including indigenous youth in the discussion table and ensuring that indigenous youth have access to wide-reaching platforms. But their participation should not be tokenistic. Real, structural change is needed. Ensuring that indigenous youth acquire basic literacy education empowers their capacity to communicate with those outside their environment, and deliver their much-needed ideas. Intercultural exchange programs could also create valuable cultural encounters between indigenous youth and their urban counterparts to create opportunities for cooperation. Most importantly, these programs could help shed light on issues of environmental justice, like land dispossession and forced displacement that are often experienced by indigenous communities but can go ignored by urban youth. But of course, the youth can learn from those who are older, if only we are willing to listen. To end this letter, I would like to share a particular piece of wisdom from Mama Aleta Baun, an Indonesian indigenous activist who is fighting to protect her ancestral lands: ‘batu adalah tulang, air adalah darah, hutan adalah urat nadi, dan tanah adalah daging’, which can be translated as, ‘the stone is bone, the water the blood, the forest the vein, and the soil the flesh.’ I hope it reverberates with you just as it does with me.” The letter-writing competition was organized by the UN Association of Indonesia. Read the response to the letter, from the UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, Valerie Julliand, here.