Asia Pacific

Sri Lanka's initiatives, coupled with a focus on multi-sectoral policies, reflect a progressive approach to addressing mental health risks across the life course.

Vanuatu is emblematic of the cascading disasters that Pacific Island nations increasingly endure, where frequent earthquakes intersect with the escalating impacts of climate-induced hazards such as cyclones, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion accompanied by staggering loss and damage experienced by vulnerable populations and ecosystems.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines ordered restrictions on health workers moving abroad, a move that was strongly criticised by health unions in the country.

At the ICJ hearing, Ammar Hijazi, Ambassador of Palestine to International Organisations in The Hague, linked the relationship between climate change and emissions during armed conflict.

The Report records a 25 per cent increase in the number of trafficking victims detected globally in 2022 compared to 2019 pre-pandemic figures. Between 2019 and 2022, the global number of victims detected for trafficking for forced labour surged by 47 per cent.

Setting up forests or “tree islands” in large oil palm farms can help restore biodiversity and ecosystems by aiding the natural regeneration of native trees.

The push for ICJ involvement was led by Pacific nations like Vanuatu, whose very existence is threatened by rising sea levels. Vanuatu’s ambassador to the UN emphasized the moral and existential urgency of the hearings.

Carbon deposits have been found in the lungs of children as young as four undergoing unrelated surgeries. This condition, known as anthracosis or “black lungs,” is usually observed in adults exposed to heavy smoke and dust, such as coal miners and smokers.