9 May 2013 – The upcoming elections in the Maldives represent an important opportunity to move forward with its democratic transition, a senior United Nations official stressed today, as he wrapped up a three-day visit to the country.

“We are at a critical juncture in the Maldives, and the forthcoming elections will be an important step in its democratic transition,” Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told reporters in the capital, Malé.

This report covers the period 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012

This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2012

Overview

Top-line achievements:

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.

The Commonwealth is working with its members in Africa on improving accountability and adherence to International Humanitarian Law

Even in times of war and conflict, countries are governed by international laws to minimise the suffering of civilians and those no longer taking part in hostilities.

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.

On 13 December 2012, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government, donated 10,000 USD (or approximately 300,000 Baht) as financial support towards the flooding situation to the Maldives Government via Mr. Sanan Angubolkul, Honorary Consul-General of Maldives to Thailand.

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

Chronic conflict, earthquakes, recurrent seasonal storms, floods, droughts, and severe winter weather, as well as limited government response capacity, present significant challenges to vulnerable populations in South Asia. Between Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 and FY 2012, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) have provided humanitarian assistance in response to a diverse range of natural and complex emergencies in the region, including cyclones in Bangladesh, earthquakes in India and Pakistan, and complex crises in