Category: Human Rights

“These latest killings and the violence, along with the inflammatory rhetoric, serve only to drive Israelis and Palestinians deeper into an abyss,” said the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as his Office warned of the “terrible impact on both Palestinians and Israelis” of the escalation, before calling for an immediate end to the bloodshed.  Mr. Türk’s comments followed remarks by the UN… Read More

“The tendency of family courts to dismiss the history of domestic violence and abuse in custody cases, especially where mothers and/or children have brought forward credible allegations of domestic abuse, including coercive control, physical or sexual abuse is unacceptable,” said Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, in a report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday. A… Read More

The Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, warned that technology enabled easy sharing of sensitive health data of adolescents, migrants and people whose sexual orientation or health status was subject to discrimination. “Accessibility of information through digital tools should not impair the right to have personal health data treated with confidentiality,” Ms. Mofokeng insisted.   Technology used to… Read More

With 360 million people worldwide in need of humanitarian assistance, up 30 percent since early 2022, global humanitarian needs have yet again reached record levels. In a video message to the Humanitarian Affairs Segment, a platform created by the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to find solutions to pressing humanitarian aid issues, Antonio Guterres cited some shocking figures: more than 110… Read More

“The overall human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran has markedly deteriorated against the backdrop of continuously worsening socio-economic conditions, aggravated by sanctions and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Nada Al-Nashif, UN deputy human rights chief, presenting the report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report focuses on developments since the onset of nationwide… Read More

Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland was reacting on Twitter to the news of a shooting attack reportedly by two Palestinian gunmen, who opened fire at a petrol station on a road outside an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. News reports quoting the Israeli military said both of the gunmen had been shot dead,… Read More

Mr. Kőrösi was speaking at an event to commemorate the 2nd International Day for Countering Hate Speech, which is officially observed on 18 June.  “It would be my wish that we would not have to observe this day. It would be my wish that hate speech were a thing of the past,” he said.  Rising violence  Hate speech is most often directed at women and girls,… Read More

In his message marking the day, the Secretary-General condemned the use of sexual violence as a tactic of ‘war, torture, and repression’ in the conflicts that affect hundreds of millions of people around the world. “Harrowing reports from across the globe are a terrible reminder that this despicable crime persists despite international commitments to stamp it out. And many of… Read More

In his annual review presented to the Human Rights Council, which opened its 53rd regular session on Monday, Mr. Türk insisted that such cooperation was “vital” in a world plagued by conflict, climate disasters and development setbacks. Rights monitoring ‘in the interest of all Malians’ Human rights “must always be above the fray of politics”, Mr. Türk said, following a request from… Read More

Hate speech reinforces discrimination and stigma and is most often aimed at women, refugees and migrants, and minorities. If left unchecked, it can even harm peace and development, as it lays the ground for conflicts and tensions, wide scale human rights violations.  To turn back the rising tide of hate, the United Nations is marking the International Day for Countering Hate… Read More