Asia-Pacific falling behind on sustainable development and climate targets
The 2025 SDG Progress Report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) launched on Tuesday, also revealed persistent data gaps which are limiting policymakers’ ability to address key challenges. “Without urgent action to accelerate…
Bangladesh protests probe reveals top leaders led brutal repression
In addition to those killed by the former government’s security and intelligence services alongside Awami League party associates, a report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) into the alleged crimes indicated that thousands were…
After years of conflict, Timor-Leste turns peacemaker
Timor-Leste’s road to peace has not been easy. In 1976, not long after Indonesia became independent it invaded the eastern part of the island of Timor, formerly a Portuguese colony. An unhappy period of occupation, punctuated by violent repression, followed…
Toxic air threatens children’s lives across East Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF warns
The analysis underscores the devastating impact of toxic air on young lives, with air pollution now linked to nearly one in four deaths of under fives in the region. Exposure begins in the womb, increasing risks of premature birth and…
Myanmar: UN chief urges return to civilian rule as crisis worsens
Following the coup, President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained and the country was plunged into a humanitarian and human rights crisis that has only worsened amid an intensifying civil conflict. “Secretary-General António Guterres condemns…
Four years after the coup, Myanmar remains on the brink
Myanmar’s Enduring Polycrisis: Four Years into a Tumultuous Journey, launched on Wednesday, points to the bleak picture of a nation in freefall, with nearly half the population living below the poverty line, essential services crumbling and the economy in disarray….
Afghanistan: ICC seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over gender-based persecution
On Thursday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for two senior Taliban officials: Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. They are accused of crimes against humanity on the grounds of gender-based persecution…
Myanmar crisis: Civilians killed in airstrikes as Rohingya risk dangerous journeys
Between 15 and 17 January, airstrikes and clashes in the southeast reportedly resulted in nine deaths and left 31 others injured. In Rakhine state, three airstrikes in Mrauk-U Township on 18 January reportedly killed 28 people and injured a…
DPR Korea’s nuclear quest thwarts disarmament efforts, Security Council hears
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for peacebuilding and political affairs, briefed ambassadors two days after the DPRK, commonly known as North Korea, fired off what it described as a new type of intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile (IRBM) loaded with a hypersonic…
‘Absolutely the wrong path,’ Türk warns against Afghanistan’s ban on women in NGOs
The measure, issued by the de facto Ministry of Economy on 26 December, enforces a two-year-old decree prohibiting women from working with both national and international NGOs. In his statement, Mr. Türk emphasised the devastating impact on the delivery of…