At the two-day regional preparatory meeting in Muju, Republic of Korea, participants underlined that a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region had responded to the global food, financial and fuel crises with green stimulus packages and strategies, which have helped to spur job creation and economic growth.

They also emphasized that while many initiatives were underway, there was no one-size-fits-all approach, and that countries were tailoring green growth to national priorities.

The meeting, organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), produced three draft regional environment and sustainable development initiatives for endorsement by the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific (MCED-6) to be held from 27 September to 2 October in Astana, Kazakhstan.

These are the draft Regional Implementation Plan for Asia and the Pacific, the draft Ministerial Declaration and the draft Astana Green Bridge Initiative to be endorsed at the Astana forum.

This preparatory meeting has done the homework necessary to lead to a consensus at the MCED-6 on the structural changes needed in the current invisible and physical infrastructure of the economy to foster and promote low-carbon sustainable economic growth model, said Rae Kwon Chung, the top UN official responsible for coordinating environment and development policies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Participants at the meeting also agreed to work towards formulating a common regional platform for green growth in preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012.

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

The UN office in the Sri Lankan capital has been the scene of recent protests against the panel set up last month by the Secretary-General to advise him on accountability issues relating to alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the conflict that ended last year between the Government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The UN has repeatedly clarified that the three-member panel is not tasked with investigating individual allegations of misconduct. Rather, it is a follow-up to the Joint Statement issued by the Secretary-General and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa after the UN chief visited the island country in May 2009.

The Secretary-General believes the strong reaction to his establishment of a Panel of Experts on accountability in Sri Lanka is not warranted, his spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement added that the panel has been set up to take forward the objectives of the Joint Statement, including the further fostering of reconciliation and related issues as well as reflecting the commitment by Sri Lanka to the promotion and protection of human rights and the importance of accountability in order to continue the strengthening of peace and development in that country.

Yesterday, Mr. Ban announced he is recalling the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, to New York for consultations, and closing the Regional Centre in Colombo of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in light of the evolving situation on the ground.

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

The UN office in the Sri Lankan capital has been the scene of recent protests against the panel set up last month by the Secretary-General to advise him on accountability issues relating to alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the conflict that ended last year between the Government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The UN has repeatedly clarified that the three-member panel is not tasked with investigating individual allegations of misconduct. Rather, it is a follow-up to the Joint Statement issued by the Secretary-General and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa after the UN chief visited the island country in May 2009.

The Secretary-General believes the strong reaction to his establishment of a Panel of Experts on accountability in Sri Lanka is not warranted, his spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement added that the panel has been set up to take forward the objectives of the Joint Statement, including the further fostering of reconciliation and related issues as well as reflecting the commitment by Sri Lanka to the promotion and protection of human rights and the importance of accountability in order to continue the strengthening of peace and development in that country.

Yesterday, Mr. Ban announced he is recalling the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, to New York for consultations, and closing the Regional Centre in Colombo of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in light of the evolving situation on the ground.

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

The Government presented 23 national priority programmes at the 14th Joint Coordination & Monitoring Board (JCMB) meeting held in the capital, Kabul, which brought together senior Afghan ministers and representatives of the international community.

These programmes are evidence of the transition to Afghan responsibility and leadership, said the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura.

The JCMB, which is co-chaired by the Afghan Government and the UN, oversees implementation of the Afghanistan Compact a five-year development blueprint launched in January 2006 by the country and its international partners.

The Government and the UN will also be co-chairing the Kabul Conference the first major international gathering inside Afghanistan on 20 July.

Afghan priorities for the Afghan people will be the focus of the Kabul Conference, Afghanistans Minister of Finance, Omar Zakhilwal, told participants at todays meeting, which discussed issues related to economic development; governance; security, peace and reconciliation; and regional cooperation.

The 20 July gathering, which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and foreign ministers and top officials from over 70 countries will be attending, follows the London Conference held in January, during which the Government and its international partners jointly endorsed a strategy of transition to greater Afghan responsibility for the affairs of the country.

Mr. de Mistura, in his briefing to the Security Council last week, said the main objective of the Kabul conference is to foster confidence in a public contract between the Afghan Government and the Afghan people and promote the delivery of social and economic improvements.

The international community, he added, will not be expected to bring new funds to the meeting which is not a pledging conference but to re-align the resources which they have already allocated for Afghanistan with the countrys own priorities.

It will give an opportunity for the international community to support Afghan-led priorities including fighting corruption, building up self-reliant Afghan national security forces, and undertaking reconciliation and reintegration activities to reach out to opposition and to encourage combatants to lay down their arms, a joint news release issued by the UN and the Government stated.

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

The Secretary-General finds it unacceptable that the Sri Lankan authorities have failed to prevent the disruption of the normal functioning of the United Nations offices in Colombo as a result of unruly protests organized and led by a cabinet minister of the Government, a statement issued by his spokesperson said.

The protests in the capital, in which hundreds of people took part, were led by Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa, who reportedly said today he will not eat until the UN disbands the advisory panel it set up last month.

Mr. Ban set up the three-member panel to advise him on accountability issues relating to alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the conflict that ended last year between the Government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The Secretary-General calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to live up to its responsibilities towards the United Nations as host country, so as to ensure continuation of the vital work of the Organization to assist the people of Sri Lanka without any further hindrance, said the statement.

It added that in light of the evolving situation, Mr. Ban is recalling the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, to New York for consultations.

He has also decided to close the Regional Centre in Colombo of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

The number of hungry people in Asia and the Pacific climbed by more than 60 million in 2009 to 642 million, Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said in a video message to an investment forum in Manila, Philippines.

The sheer magnitude of food insecurity is the result of the low priority that has been given to agriculture in economic development policies, he said, citing the plummeting share of agriculture in official development assistance (ODA) from just under 20 per cent in 1980 to 5 per cent today.

Currently, agriculture accounts for 11 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Asia-Pacifics developing countries and more than half of total employment.

In view of the critical dependence of this regions people on agriculture for their food security, it is encouraging to note that the long-standing neglect of agriculture is finally being reversed, Mr. Diouf stated in his address to the event, co-hosted by FAO, the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The commitment made last year in Italy and again recently in Canada by the leaders of the so-called Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries to boost resources for food security and agriculture is a step in the right direction, provided that it is implemented effectively and rapidly, he added.

A recent FAO report warned that global food prices could climb by as much as 40 per cent in the coming decade, as the global population continues to surge.

The Agriculture Outlook 2010-19 anticipates that wheat and coarse grain prices could jump to levels of between 15 and 40 per cent higher than they were between 1997 and 2006, while vegetable oil and dairy prices are also projected to rise by more than 40 per cent.

Spikes in livestock prices are not expected to be as marked, even in the face of rising global demand for meat which is set to outpace demand for other commodities as some segments of the population in emerging economies alter their dietary habits due to increased wealth.

The role of developing countries in international markets is growing quickly, and as their impact grows, their policies also have an increasing bearing on conditions in global markets, Mr. Diouf said at the reports launch last month in Rome.

As a result, these nations role and contribution is global policy is crucial, he stressed, urging a more global scope to discussions on fighting hunger and malnutrition.

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

Hundreds of people took part in the protests, which were reportedly led by Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa in response to the setting up of a UN advisory panel on human rights violations committed in the final stages of the conflict between the Government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which ended in May 2009.

According to UN spokesperson Farhan Haq, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, met yesterday with Sri Lankas Ambassador to the UN, Palitha Kohona, who gave full and clear assurances of UN staff safety and security.

He added that Mr. Weerawansa himself said in a press conference that UN staff would be allowed to move in and out of the compound.

We trust that the Government of Sri Lanka will honour the commitments made in ensuring the safety and security of our staff so that they can continue the vital work being carried out by the United Nations each day to help the people of Sri Lanka, Mr. Haq told reporters in New York.

The UN Country Team (UNCT) confirmed today that essential staff will return to normal work starting tomorrow.

However, as there are some indications of demonstrators remaining outside the compound, the UNCT will assess whether all staff could return soon, said the spokesperson.

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

In the report, entitled UNEP in China: Building Back Better, the agency details its main interventions on the ground, including raising awareness on environmental and ecological considerations within the overall State planning processes for post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction.

The 8.0-magnitude quake affected 70 million people, destroyed some 6.5 million homes, and caused 15 million people to be evacuated. The release of the publication coincided with UNEPs Nature of Cities exhibition in the UN Pavilion at Expo 2010 in the Chinese city of Shanghai.

With regard to capacity-building in the aftermath of the earthquake, UNEP was able to bring together the best international experts to share practical knowledge with Chinese civil servants on a wide range of environmental issues linked to disaster recovery and reconstruction.

UNEP also strengthened its office in Beijing by hosting international experts and technical staff from across the agency to assist Chinas Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) to address the environmental challenges of the post-earthquake period.

In addition to lending support for the drafting of inputs to national recovery plans and appeals, as well as numerous reports and project proposals, UNEP worked closely with the MEP and local governments to help green the reconstruction, while addressing environmental improvements across sectors such as industry, education and agriculture.

UNEP deployed experts on the ground to assess the situation and advise national and provincial
authorities engaged in reconstruction, providing specific guidance on the approaches that should be adopted for rehabilitation and restoration.

According to the report, the Chinese Government appreciated UNEPs ability to be flexible and respond quickly to changing needs and circumstances.

Cooperation with the Government resulted in better quality of support and technical assistance relating to environmental health and safety, prevention of secondary damage by industries, monitoring of water quality for drinking, and the prevention of contamination of water resources during the rescue phase of the earthquake.

In particular, UNEP was recognized for its environmental expertise in debris and waste management and for helping to green the recovery work.

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

Armenias capital and largest city was chosen for the quality and variety of the programme it presented to the selection committee, which met at UNESCOs headquarters in Paris on 2 July.

The selection committee brings together representatives of UNESCO and some of the main professional associations in the book industry the International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

I congratulate the city of Yerevan, which has presented a particularly interesting programme with many different themes, including the freedom of expression, as well as several activities for children, who will be the readers and authors of tomorrow, said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

Mobilizing the entire world of books and reading, from authors to printers and publishers, will undoubtedly help to make the Yerevan programme a major success, with a sustainable impact, she added.

The city chosen as World Book Capital holds the distinction for one year, beginning on World Book and Copyright Day, which is observed on 23 April.

Yerevan is the 12th city to be designated World Book Capital, after Madrid (2001), Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Antwerp (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin (2006), Bogot (2007), Amsterdam (2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana (2010) and Buenos Aires (2011).

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific

El Nio refers to an abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific, while La Nia is characterized by unusually cool ocean temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Both events can disrupt the normal patterns of tropical precipitation and atmospheric circulation, and have widespread impacts on climate in many parts of the world.

The prevailing conditions are more likely than not to strengthen into a basin-wide La Nia over the coming months, according to the El Nio/La Nia update issued by WMO.

By mid-June, the sea-surface temperatures had decreased to approximately 0.5 degrees Celsius below normal over the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, near the borderline of La Nia conditions.

Further, below average sea temperatures exist beneath the surface of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. Forecast models continue to predict further decreases in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature. In particular, most dynamic models strongly favour further La Nia development, according to WMO.

While it is likely that La Nia conditions will further develop in the next several months, the timing and magnitude of such an event in 2010 are as yet uncertain, with no indications at this time of a particularly strong event in terms of sea-surface temperatures.

The unusual climate patterns and extremes that occur in association with La Nia conditions also occur independently of La Nia, and therefore individual users of climate information should seek detailed interpretation for their locations and sectors, WMO said in the update.

Over the coming months, the climate forecasting community will provide detailed interpretations of regional climate conditions through the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, it added.

UN News Centre – Asia Pacific