Asia

“There are now 6,000 reminders that the international community is failing the people of Myanmar,” the Human Rights Council-appointed experts stated in a news release on Monday. “It is time for a change, starting with moving this disaster out of the shadows of international attention”. ‘Course correction’ needed The experts called for an urgent “course correction” in the international response, emphasising that while targeted action has proven effective – with sanctions reducing the...

The Mapping of Facilities for Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Afghanistan report, conducted in collaboration with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), is the first comprehensive survey of the country’s treatment capacity. While services are operational in 32 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, systemic barriers – especially for women – severely limit access to care. Gender disparities and strained resources The report found that only 17 per cent of the 82 operational facilities cater...

The joint report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, documented 336 cases of human rights violations against media professionals between August 2021 and September 2024. Threats to press freedom “Journalists and media workers in Afghanistan work under unclear rules on what they can and cannot report, running the risk of intimidation and arbitrary detention for perceived criticism,” said Roza Otunbayeza, head of UNAMA. “For any...

19 November 2024 Human Rights The Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has expressed grave concern over the sentencing of 45 opposition activists in Hong Kong to up to 10 years in prison under China’s National Security Law, highlighting the potential erosion of fundamental freedoms in the region. Spokesperson for the UN human rights office Jeremy Laurence condemned the use of the National Security Law to criminalise activities which are protected under international human rights law, including...

13 November 2024 Human Rights A public execution carried out in a sports stadium in Afghanistan drew condemnation from senior UN officials on Wednesday, who demanded an immediate end to such practices by the ruling Taliban. The latest incident comes amid growing international concern over the use of capital punishment in the country since 2021, when the Taliban swept back into power 20 years on from the allied invasion that ended their rule, in the wake of the 11 September terrorist...

By Vibhu Mishra 6 November 2024 Law and Crime Prevention Opium cultivation in Afghanistan spiked by 19 per cent in 2024, covering an estimated 12,800 hectares despite a ban imposed by the Taliban, a report released on Wednesday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed. The rebound follows a massive 95 per cent decrease in 2023, when the ban nearly eliminated poppy production nationwide, leading to a severe decline in Afghanistan’s opium output. However, while...

The protests, which highlighted demands for human rights, accountability and social justice, must be met with meaningful reforms, High Commissioner Volker Türk urged. “This unique, unprecedented moment in the history of Bangladesh is the result of young men and women having taken to the streets – at great personal risk – to express that they had had enough of being ignored and marginalized,” he said. He added that the despite the loss of life and sense of grief, young people, civil society...

The Southeast Asian country is the most prone to natural hazards in the world, and these hazards are becoming more intense due to climate change. The UN has been working alongside the authorities in the Philippines to prepare for a wide range of disasters, as the UN Resident Coordinator in the country, Gustavo González, explains ahead of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction marked annually on 13 October. “The Philippines, with its 7000 islands and many coastal cities, has...

Research conducted by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, revealed that 67 nuclear tests performed between 1946 and 1958 by the United States Government in the Marshall Islands left communities displaced and contributed to radioactive land and sea pollution. “The nuclear legacy casts a long shadow across generations and the High Commissioner’s report highlights this legacy remains a lived reality for the Marshallese people,” Nada Al-Nashif, the UN Deputy High Commissioner, said in an...

By Vibhu Mishra 1 October 2024 Humanitarian Aid More than 215 people, including 35 children, have been killed and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered flash floods and landslides across Nepal, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday. Many of the deaths have occurred in the capital, Kathmandu, which witnessed the most intense rains in over half a century. Hundreds of houses along with schools and hospitals have been damaged and the southern portion of the city remains inundated...