The declaration is set to be issued by the leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations when they meet in an annual summit on Friday in the central Philippine island province of Cebu.
Shipping rates from UNHCR's three main source countries for emergency supplies, India, Pakistan and China, have shot up by nearly 18 percent, the agency said.
Freight charges have increased sharply from about $1,800 to nearly $9,500, with shipping companies citing ‘war risk charges’ due to the uncertainty involved in operating in the current conditions.
To address immediate supply constraints, permission has also been granted for LPG unloading at Porbandar jetty in March, to improve logistics and availability in western India.
Balikatan comes as Iran and the United States, along with Israel, edge towards the end of the two-week ceasefire that halted the West Asia war, ignited by surprise US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic re ...
