9 April 2013 – The international community is losing vast amounts of agricultural production due to the effects of continuing land degradation such as desertification, a new United Nations study has warned, adding that without sustainable land management, development initiatives the world over will be stymied.

Protect Refugees, Asylum Seekers From Forced Returns

(Bishkek, February 26, 2013) – An Uzbek refugee has been missing from Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, since February 18, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today. Another asylum seeker from Uzbekistan is in custody while he contests an extradition order issued by the Kyrgyz authorities in violation of international law.

01/10/2013 08:38 GMT

BICHKEK (Kirghizstan), 10 jan 2013 (AFP) - Le Kirghizstan a fermé partiellement sa frontière avec l'Ouzbékistan pour éviter une escalade des violences, quelques jours après des heurts entre Ouzbeks et Kirghizes provoqués par un problème frontalier entre ces deux pays d'Asie centrale, a-t-on appris jeudi.

Almaty, 23 October 2012 – Between 1 July and 30 September humanitarian funding to the Caucasus and Central Asia decreased threefold compared to the funding received during the previous quarter, according to the regional humanitarian funding update prepared by the Regional UNOCHA Office for the Caucasus and Central Asia (ROCCA). Countries in the region received a total of US$5.5 million during the reporting period.

Almaty, 17 October – Over 30 representatives of regional international organizations and Central Asian Governments gather in Almaty for a two-day Central Asia Regional Risk Assessment (CARRA) conference to agree on specific collective measures that need to be taken in order to be fully prepared for the upcoming winter season. The participants will identify potential needs and gauge the capacities at national and regional levels in the following key areas: information management, vulnerability assessment and early warning.

3 September 2012, ALMATY - For the first time since establishing its presence in Central Asia in 2007, the Regional Office of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) for Caucasus and Central Asia signs a year-long grant agreement with the European Commission's Department of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO). The grant comes within the framework of ECHO's worldwide Disaster Preparedness programme (DIPECHO) that for the past 16 years has addressed vulnerabilities in dozens of countries at risk of devastating disasters.

9 August 2012 – The Security Council has voiced its support for the role that preventive diplomacy and early warning mechanisms play in settling disputes peacefully, and praised the work carried out by a United Nations centre in Central Asia to strengthen this practice in the region.

Millions of people from the most vulnerable and poorest communities in Central America, Central Asia and the Caucasus region, South-East Asia and Southern Africa will benefit from the European Commission's Disaster-Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO). This year € 35 million has been allocated to help those at risk from natural disasters.

"Building up the resilience of people who face the forces of nature is a central plank of our humanitarian aid policy", said Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.

Johannesburg, 6 June 2012: CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Expert Working Group, Uzbekistan, demand an end to the persecution of human rights activists in Uzbekistan and proper access for international human rights experts