Asia

In a statement issued following Sunday’s mission led by the UN’s Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, together with other senior agency officials, they heard and saw for themselves that in the city of Khankendi at least, there were no signs of damage to public buildings. “The mission was struck by the sudden manner in which the local population left their homes and the suffering the experience must have caused,” the UN team said. The team added that they did not hear – from either locals...

1 October 2023Humanitarian Aid UN World Health Organization (WHO) teams in Goris, Armenia, are tirelessly working to assist not only the vast numbers of refugees fleeing the Karabakh region but also to provide urgent medical support to individuals grappling with severe burn injuries resulting from a massive fuel depot explosion that occurred last week amidst the exodus. More than 170 people were killed and over 200 more injured, many with grievous burns and in a critical condition, in...

29 September 2023Human Rights The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday expressed grave concern at the spate of recent arrests and convictions of human rights defenders pushing for clean energy reforms in Viet Nam. On Thursday, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, an acclaimed climate activist and former World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) employee, was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $4,100 after being convicted for tax evasion. Her trial lasted only three hours, and access to family...

To that end, representation of developing countries that make up the absolute majority of United Nations, must be expanded and strengthened, said Kim Song, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of DPRK to the UN. “The issue to be addressed before anything else in the UN activities is to ensure that the Security Council is not allowed to be used as an instrument of specific forces for pursuing their geopolitical purposes, but strictly observes the principles of objectivity, impartiality...

“Each day, the people of Myanmar are enduring horrifying attacks, flagrant human rights violations and the crumbling of their livelihoods and hopes,” said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He was briefing the Human Rights Council – the UN’s primary body for the protection and promotion of rights globally, including findings since his July report was issued. Junta’s ruthless repression Mr. Türk emphasized the military’s blatant disregard for fundamental principles of...

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, said “we often advocate the promotion of a rules-based order. From time to time, respect for the UN Charter is also invoked.” “But for all the talk, there are still a few nations who shape the agenda and seek to define the norms. This cannot go on indefinitely. Nor will it go unchallenged.” Structural inequalities, uneven development Minister Jaishankar highlighted the pressing issue of structural inequalities, uneven development, and...

Sheikh Hasina said that achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries has been greatly impeded by lingering impacts of the pandemic, the effects of an existential climate crisis, and the wide ramifications of the war in Ukraine affecting global food, financial, and energy securities have greatly impeded the. Looking ahead to next year’s Summit of the Future to reset the global push to attain the SDGs, she said: “We must make all efforts to collectively address...

Addressing the Assembly’s annual general debate, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, said, “the world cannot afford Cold War 2.0,” because there are a raft of challenges facing humankind that can only be addressed through global cooperation. Multiple shocks Indeed, a series of external “shocks” – COVID-19, climate change and conflict – have devastated developing economies, reversed decades of progress, and left hunger and poverty in their wake, he said, and his own country is a “prime illustration” of...

“China is firm in supporting the international system with the UN at its core,” and opposes hegemony, power politics, unilateralism, and a Cold War mentality, Han Zheng reiterated. He stressed that China “will never practise hegemony,” and that “a small number of countries have arbitrarily imposed illegal and unilateral sanctions,” severely undermining the harmony and stability of international relations. Mr. Han encouraged the international community to jointly resist such acts. He...

21 September 2023UN Affairs Addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal emphasized the importance of collective action in tackling global challenges through peaceful means and diplomatic dialogue. He highlighted Nepal’s unique position as regards climate change, saying that even with low emissions, vast forested areas that help preserve biodiversity, Nepal “suffers unfairly from climate crisis.” “This kind of mismatch must be addressed,”...