The new Japanese government should take a leadership role in helping to improve human rights conditions in North Korea.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other foreign ministers attending the inauguration of President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan on November 19, 2009, should press for concrete action to sideline warlords, criminals and human rights abusers.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should exonerate three Papuan men convicted of rebellion on November 12, 2009, for raising a pro-independence flag.

Behind the foreign secretary's assurances that this will not be a war without end is the admission that defeating the Taliban is not realistic - hence the drive for reconciliation. While political solutions are welcome, many questions remain unanswered. Why would the British and others expect deals with the Taliban and other insurgents to stick? Why would they expect such people, if given positions of power, to respect the rights of Afghans, particularly women?

President Barack Obama should take a strong stance on North Korean human rights issues during talks in South Korea on November 18 and 19, 2009.

Cambodia is considered one of the few success stories in the global fight against AIDS. Yet, the positive achievements of government health authorities and their partners have been outmatched in the past year by the negative actions of the police, Ministry of Social Affairs and municipal authorities.

Speaking in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall on Saturday on the first leg of his visit to Asia, President Barack Obama stressed the importance of promoting human rights in the region.

The Obama administration should revise its detention policies in Afghanistan to make them consistent with international law.