United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Asia faces challenges that could put at risk global goals of prosperity, stability and dignity with the ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea in his recent address to Stanford University.
These include competing territorial or maritime claims, political and communal tensions, and non-traditional security threats such as transnational organised crime and terrorism.
Ban, who was in San Francisco over the weekend to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Charter, said has consistently called on all parties to resolve their disputes in the South China Sea in a peaceful and amicable manner, through dialogue and in conformity with international law, including the UN Charter.
“It is now more important than ever to avoid actions that would provoke or exacerbate tensions,” he said.
On the migration crisis in Southeast Asia, Ban said people in search of asylum are being left trapped at sea and saving lives must be the number one priority.“Resolving this complex situation also requires addressing the root causes of migration, which include human rights violations and lack of economic opportunities,” he said.
On the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar, Ban said three years after the inter-communal violence in western Rakhine state, some 130,000 still remain in camps requiring urgent humanitarian assistance.
“The United Nations has, through various channels, strongly urged the government of Myanmar to ensure that the human rights of the Rohingya and other Muslim populations are fully respected and that the longer-term issues of citizenship, identity permits, work permits, and birth registration are properly addressed,” he said.
MANILA BULLETIN
