Tag: human rights

The appeal by David Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, comes after several governments have announced plans to lower environmental standards, or other related measures. “In light of the global environmental crisis that predates COVID-19, these actions are irrational, irresponsible, and jeopardize the rights of vulnerable people”, he said. “Such policy decisions are likely to result… Read More

“We simply cannot return to where we were just a few months ago”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in an informal briefing to the Human Rights Council, urging instead, a more “cooperative, global and human rights-based approach” to the crisis.  “We are physically distant today, but we must stand together”, she stressed. And while it is… Read More

The 82-page report is the first from an OPCW Investigation and Identification Team (ITT) that is tasked with identifying the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in Syria’s brutal civil war, now in its tenth year. “Military operations of such a strategic nature as these three attacks only occur pursuant to orders from the highest levels of the Syrian… Read More

Shells hit the prison in Al Mudhaffar District in Taizz on Sunday, at a time when there did not appear to be any direct clashes on-going, in the years-long battle for the country being waged between pro-Government forces and Houthi rebels, who hold large sections of the country, including the capital, Sana’a.  “We share our deepest condolences with families who are grieving for their loved ones and we… Read More

The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said that structural discrimination could worsen inequalities surrounding access to healthcare and treatment, which could lead to a rise in disease and death rates among people of African descent. “Despite robust responses, States have not recognised the specific health risks faced by people of African descent or how racial discrimination… Read More

The development comes after an appeal last week from the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prevent “catastrophic” rates of infection, as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise worldwide.  To date, there have been more than a million confirmed cases and in excess of 50,000 people have died.  But on Friday, Ms. Bachelet’s spokesperson, Rupert Colville urged States to release “every person detained without sufficient legal basis, including political prisoners, and those detained for critical, dissenting… Read More

António Guterres’s appeal came in his message for World Autism Awareness Day, observed annually on 2 April. People with autism have a right to education and employment on an equal basis with others. We must ensure that a long disruption caused by the #COVID19 crisis does not result in rollbacks of the rights they have worked so hard to advance.… Read More

The continued imposition of such measures on Syria, Venezuela, Iran, Cuba and Zimbabwe in particular, severely undermines the fundamental right to sufficient and adequate food,Hilal Elver, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, stressed. History has shown that unilateral economic sanctions generally have dramatic and detrimental impacts on economic, social and cultural rights, she recalled. “As a result,… Read More

“COVID-19 is not just a health issue; it can also be a virus that exacerbates xenophobia, hate and exclusion,” said Fernand de Varennes, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, in a statement issued on Monday. He reported that politicians and groups are exploiting fears surrounding the disease to scapegoat certain communities, leading to a rise in violence against them.… Read More

“Everyone, without exception, has the right to life-saving interventions and this responsibility lies with the government”, said the group of 42 experts – representing nearly every independent rights specialist working within the Human Rights Council-mandated system –  maintaining that the scarcity of resources or insurance schemes should never justify discrimination against certain groups of patients. “Everybody has the right to… Read More