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

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.

SEAR/PR 1551

Yogyakarta, 5 September 2012: Eleven countries in WHO’s South-East Asia Region are now on track to declaring the Region Polio free, this was recognized during an event at the WHO’s Regional Committee Meeting in Yogyakarta, today. The last case of wild poliovirus in the Region was reported on 13 January 2011 in India making a regional polio free certification possible in early 2014. However, the Region remains at risk with poliovirus circulating in the endemic countries - Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

During the 10th replenishment of the Asian Development Fund (ADF XI), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and ADF donors agreed to pilot the Disaster Response Facility (DRF) in the ADF XI period, 2013–2016. ADB will report on the implementation progress of the DRF at the ADF XI midterm review, and discuss the future of the DRF with the ADB Board of Directors and ADF donors at the ADF XII negotiations.

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.