Asia

13 October 2023Humanitarian Aid UN agencies are appealing for urgent funds to assist the hundreds of thousands affected by deadly earthquakes in western Afghanistan. The region was struck by two massive earthquakes on Saturday, followed a series of aftershocks, including a major one on Wednesday that flattened several homes spared by the original quake. Women and children make up over 90 per cent of the victims, according to UN agencies. Disasters compounded Making matters worse, on...

12 October 2023Human Rights The United Nations premier human rights body on Thursday extended the mandate of the independent expert on the situation of human rights in Russia for a further year. The UN Human Rights Council also “strongly urged” Russian authorities to comply with all the State’s obligations under international human rights law. It also called for upholding fundamental freedoms, including those of thought, opinion and expression, and peaceful assembly, “in particular by...

11 October 2023Humanitarian Aid UN teams have stepped up their response after another strong earthquake struck western Afghanistan early on Wednesday, just days after powerful earthquakes killed over 2,000 people in the same region. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Herat at 5:10 AM (00:40 AM GMT) local time, injuring over 100 people, many of whom were taken to hospitals, according to media reports. UN response UN agencies have stepped up support, deploying teams...

Narges Mohammadi winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. 11 October 2023Human Rights UN independent human rights experts on Wednesday called for the immediate release of Narges Mohammadi, an imprisoned Iranian human rights activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her unwavering commitment to women’s rights in the country. Ms. Mohammadi has been arrested multiple times, the first arrest being in 2011 for her advocacy for incarcerated human rights activists and their...

10 October 2023Humanitarian Aid Nearly 500 people are still missing from the worst-affected area of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that rocked Herat province in western Afghanistan on Saturday, UN aid coordinators said on Tuesday. At the epicentre of the earthquake in Zindajan district, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) recorded nearly 1,300 deaths and 1,700 injuries. In some places, entire villages have been destroyed, according to teams on the ground. Over 12,000 affected An...

Ahead of the International Day of the Girl Child, marked annually on 11 October, Asa Torkelsson, the Fund’s Country Director in Thailand, spoke to UN News and explained how the UN is supporting access to sexual and reproductive health, especially for young people. UN News: How widespread is teen pregnancy in Thailand? Asa Torkelsson: The Thai government, with the support of national and international partners like UNFPA, has made significant progress in reducing teen pregnancy over the...

9 October 2023Human Rights A UN independent human rights expert on Monday called for urgent structural reforms in Cambodia following the “restricted” general elections earlier this year. Vitit Muntarbhorn, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, also said that the hereditary succession to power raised serious concerns with respect to human rights, democratic principles and the international rule of law. Mr. Muntarbhorn and other rights experts had...

8 October 2023Humanitarian Aid The death toll from the major earthquake that pummelled western Afghanistan soared to more than 2,000 overnight as rescue operations continued to fan out over affected villages, UN agencies said on Sunday. “The United Nations and our partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said. UN agencies, partners, and the de facto authorities...

7 October 2023Humanitarian Aid A major earthquake struck Herat, Afghanistan early Saturday killing at least 100 people and triggering a spate of rescue and assessment missions by UN agencies, partners, and the de facto authorities. Initial assessments indicate that the 6.3 magnitude quake caused deaths across eight villages, with a further 500 people injured, according to the latest update from UN humanitarian office (OCHA), which reported that it destroyed 465 houses and damaged...

5 October 2023Humanitarian Aid UN teams on the ground in Armenia are providing vital support to help address the needs of over 100,000 refugees who recently fled the Karabakh region. The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has continued its aid efforts by distributing essential relief items. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said a shipment of 180 foldable beds, hundreds of foam mattresses, beds, pillows, blankets, and more, transported by some 16 UNHCR-backed trucks, arrived on Thursday...