Category: Human Rights

While there have been remarkable gains for girls in education, little headway has been made to help shape a more equal, less violent environment for them, warned the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), together with UN Women and the non-governmental organization Plan International in their report, A New Era for Girls: Taking stock on 25 years of progress. “25 years ago,… Read More

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2020 Joint Response Plan (JRP) launch for 855,000 ethnic Rohingya, and the more than 444,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in host communities, Mr. Grandi urged Myanmar to take quicker action to help the displaced to return home. “The solution continues to be in Myanmar”, said the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “The problem is that things… Read More

In a report to Member States at the UN’s top rights forum, independent expert Maud de Boer-Buquicchio reiterated concerns about protection gaps for children who are increasingly using the internet at a younger age. She warned that while the growth of the internet had benefited people’s lives in many ways, it has also offered “secrecy, anonymity and opacity” to perpetrators… Read More

“I firmly reject any claim that religious beliefs can be invoked as a legitimate ‘justification’ for violence or discrimination against women, girls or LGBT+ people”, said Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, noting that “the right to freedom of religion protects individuals and not religions as such.” In his report, the UN expert urges States… Read More

“For years, my mandate has raised concerns about the worldwide overuse of solitary confinement which is subject to widespread arbitrariness”, said Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on torture. The Connecticut Department of Corrections (DOC) has appeared to routinely repress inmates through prolonged or indefinite isolation, excessive use of in-cell restraints and “needlessly intrusive strip searches”, the expert said. Precarious correctional… Read More

The High Commissioner also presented her oral update, as well as country reports of the Secretary-General and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), followed by a general debate.  Ms. Bachelet said she welcomed the engagement and constructive input of the Government of Myanmar in the compilation of the report.  She reminded Member States that for over… Read More

“Impunity continues to prevail,” the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report on accountability for alleged violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) since 2008, including during large-scale protests beginning in March 2018 along the Gaza-Israel fence.  According to the report, which is produced annually at the Council’s request, and was presented today by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris, Israeli security forces killed 131 Palestinians throughout the OPT from November 2018 to… Read More

Ms. Bachelet, taking part in a panel discussion, held at the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, said that the Beijing Declaration should be celebrated but noted that the Plan of Action agreed at the event is still unfinished. According to Ms. Bachelet, the risks of setbacks to women’s rights are real, and growing. The rights chief noted that, whilst… Read More

Opening the inaugural session of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement in Geneva on Tuesday, Mr. Guterres spoke of the acute and relentless crisis of people forced from their homes by conflict and human rights violations alone.  Many have been living in limbo stranded for years after their initial displacement without secure housing, jobs, education or other needs and opportunities.… Read More