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NEW YORK, 30 April (Department of Political Affairs) — The United Nations Trust Fund for the Fight against Piracy today approved a package of projects in support of anti-piracy efforts in Somalia and other affected States in the region, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Maldives and the Seychelles.

The announcement was made in New York by United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, who chaired the Board of the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

Vienna, Austria, March 20, 2013. The Governing Board of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), meeting in its 142nd Session, has approved 16 loans and grants totaling over US$166 million to boost socio-economic development in over 25 partner countries. The majority of the funding will co-finance projects aimed at combating energy poverty, followed by loans to help bolster the transportation and water supply and sanitation sectors.

POLONNARUWA, Sri Lanka, Jan 17 2013 (IPS) - During the dry season, when dirt roads are cracked from the relentless heat, the sight of women walking miles, balancing pots of water on their heads, is common in rural Sri Lanka.

While the men tend to paddy fields, the women are left with the arduous task of collecting water for household use. They account for every drop of water consumed, utilised or wasted – making them crucial players in rural water projects.

Focus: Impunity and transitional justice

In Asia, while notable progress has been made in building and strengthening democratic institutions in some countries, authoritarian or essentially un-­ democratic political systems persist in many others. Regardless of the form of government, however, impunity remains a key challenge to the promotion and protection of human rights across Asia. Several countries, including Afghanistan, Burma, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, are torn apart by protracted conflicts and other situations of violence, resulting on widespread human rights violations

Severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall on Monday has forced several residents of Hoarafushi in Haa Alif atoll to evacuate their homes after flood waters damaged furniture and electrical wiring in 95 households.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Hoarafushi Island Council Chair Ahmed Mauroof said 95 households were flooded, affecting an “estimated 600 people.”

“The cost of the damage caused by flooding is expected to rise to millions,” Mauroof said, explaining that furniture and electronic equipment were damaged in the affected households.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 6 September, 2012: Health Ministers from WHO’s South-East Asia Region renewed their commitment to improving disaster risk management in the health sector. Member countries are increasing investments and building capacities for all phases of disasters: risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery. The Health Ministers deliberated on this issue at WHO’s 65th Regional Committee Meeting from 5 to 7 September.

Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator
‘Building Resilience: the importance of prioritising disaster risk reduction – a United Nations Development Programme Perspective’
Hopkins Lecture, University of Canterbury
Aurora Centre, Burnside High School, Christchurch
6.30 pm, Wednesday 15 August 2012

I am pleased to be delivering this year’s University of Canterbury Hopkins Lecture here at Aurora Centre, Burnside High School.

6 June 2012, Bangkok: WHO has called on countries to invest more in strengthening the resilience of communities to save lives during disasters and emergencies. The UN health agency today applauded the efforts of community-based NGOs and community health volunteers at a Regional Meeting on Disaster Risk Management in Health in Bangkok.

MAAFUSHI, Maldives, 17 May 2012 – Fathimath Nafsa takes her 2-year-old son Ismail Nashiu to the local health center on Maafushi Island for a check-up. The doctors want to monitor his growth because he is malnourished and underweight. His mother is concerned that Ismail may not grow to his full potential.

She and her husband spend hours trying to feed Ismail, but he often grows irritable and refuses food. "He stays cranky and doesn't eat enough food. He also doesn't play often with other children, and we are concerned about his growth," says Ms. Nafsa.