To many, the Maldives are a paradise on earth attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. But a campaign of violent repression this year has shattered this idyllic image, exposing a human rights crisis that has gripped the country since President Mohamed Nasheed was ousted in February 2012. As this document shows, the police and military have frequently attacked peaceful demonstrators since then. The government of the Maldives has a responsibility under its Constitution to prevent the country slipping back into the old pattern of repression and injustice.

Introduction

The IFRC’s response and recovery operation in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami reflected the scale of what is recorded as the deadliest tsunami in history – one that swept through coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand, and ten other Indian Ocean countries. Over 4.8 million people benefited from a wide range of Red Cross Red Crescent support that included reconstruction of physical infrastructure such as homes, schools and health facilities as well as long term recovery and disaster risk reduction programming.

New Delhi, 22 March 2012: The number of people with tuberculosis in the WHO South-East Asia Region has decreased by about 40% since 1990, due to improved detection and treatment. According to the World Health Organization, half a million people in the Region die every year from the disease. The South-East Asia Region has almost half of all the world’s tuberculosis cases, and five of the world’s 22 TB high-burden countries. India alone accounts for a quarter of all new cases.

Description

BRIEFING SUMMARY

The harmful effects of climate change are already leading to large-scale loss of life, livelihood and damage to ecosystems around the world. While these effects are ultimately suffered by all, in the immediate they are disproportionately damaging for developing countries and proportionally most severe in vulnerable countries.

Five years ago, on 26 December 2004, a massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra created a tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean. Millions of people around the world watched in horror as the aftermath of the biggest single natural disaster in living memory unfolded on their television screens. Almost 230,000 people lost their lives across 14 countries.

In its wake came extraordinary generosity. Over the past five years, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has channelled public donations into recovery

The December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off the coast of Indonesia triggered a massive tsunami that spread throughout the Indian Ocean, leaving nearly 230,000 dead or missing and devastating communities. In response, the international community provided assistance on an unprecedented scale, with in excess of USD 14 billion pledged for the relief and recovery of tsunami-affected countries - with over USD 5.5 billion of this coming from private sources, such as individuals and organisations1.

The tsunami caused immense social, economic

There are widely differing statistics on the numbers of out-of-school children across the globe, but nonetheless it is agreed as a huge problem, particularly in poor countries. A large proportion of these children are out of school because of conflict or other emergency, and many more of them are girls than boys.

While there is much documentation on the impact of conflict on education, and acknowledgement of the importance of rebuilding and reforming education during and after emergencies, there

For the first time, NOAA scientists have demonstrated that tsunamis in the open ocean can change sea surface texture in a way that can be measured by satellite-borne radars. The finding could one day help save lives through improved detection and forecasting of tsunami intensity and direction at the ocean surface.