UN chief hails Kyrgyz-Tajik border treaty breakthrough
The presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Sadyr Japarov and Emomali Rahmon, signed the agreement at a meeting in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, earlier today, according to media reports. Closed since 2021, two checkpoints on the nearly 1,000-km-long Tajik-Kyrgyz border have…
Bangladesh: Rohingya children’s acute hunger surges amid funding cuts
“Children in the world’s largest refugee camp are experiencing the worst levels of malnutrition since the massive displacement that occurred in 2017,” Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, told journalists in Geneva, almost eight years since hundreds of thousands of…
Afghanistan: Top UN envoy calls for ‘a moment of realism’, as Taliban’s isolation grows
Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, warned that political engagement with the Taliban has yielded little progress, while frustration among international stakeholders is growing. “The space for engagement is narrowing,” she said,…
UN agencies condemn Thailand’s deportation of Uyghurs to China
Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the forced return of the Uyghurs, who had been detained in Thailand for over 11 years, was deeply troubling. “This violates the principle of non-refoulement for which there is a complete…
UN chief calls for peace and justice as Ramadan begins
“In this Holy Month, let us all be uplifted by these values and embrace our common humanity to build a more just and peaceful world for all,” he said in a message. He also extended a special message of support…
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…