human rights

A flower is held in peaceful protest against the disputed presidential election in Belarus.
Kseniya Halubovich

Human rights in Belarus continue downward spiral, warns Bachelet

24 September 2021
Human Rights

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that she continues to be alarmed by “persistent allegations” of “widespread and systematic torture” of protesters in Belarus. 

People across ethnic and religious divides hold vigil in Yangon, Myanmar.
Unsplash/Zinko Hein

Human rights ‘catastrophe’ in Myanmar: UN calls for urgent action  

23 September 2021
Human Rights

Urgent action is needed to prevent the situation in Myanmar from escalating into a “full-blown conflict”, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Thursday.   

Asylum-seekers and migrants have been transiting through Belarus in order to reach the European Union.
UNDP

UN agencies shocked by deaths near Belarus-Poland border 

21 September 2021
Migrants and Refugees

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and migration agency IOM, called on Tuesday for an immediate investigation into the deaths of four people near the border between Poland and Belarus, due to causes yet to be determined.  

Photo: UNODC
The Mission’s findings are based on 177 interviewsincluding many with justice system actors

Venezuela's justice system aiding repression: Human rights probe

16 September 2021
Human Rights

The independence of Venezuela’s justice system has been “deeply eroded”, to such an extent that it plays a significant role in the State’s repression of government opponents, UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Thursday.   

Artificial intelligence could help to boost the provision of healthcare around the world.
Unsplash/Michael Dziedzic

Urgent action needed over artificial intelligence risks to human rights

15 September 2021
Human Rights

States should place moratoriums on the sale and use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems until adequate safeguards are put in place, UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday. 
 

 

 

Food and blankets are handed out to people in need in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. UNHCR warned that the world cannot allow this “to become a humanitarian catastrophe”
© WFP/Arete

'Major' humanitarian crisis looms in Afghanistan, as UN convenes fundraising conference

3 September 2021
Humanitarian Aid

A major humanitarian crisis is looming in Afghanistan, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned again on Friday, amid ongoing uncertainty about the situation for vulnerable Afghans seeking shelter across the country's borders. To address the crisis, the UN announced a major fundraising conference to take place in Geneva on 13 September.

Millions of people in Bangladesh have been impacted by climate shocks, like flooding.
WFP/Sayed Asif Mahmud

Race is on to limit extreme weather impact on most vulnerable: Guterres  

19 August 2021
Humanitarian Aid

As the global aid community marked World Humanitarian Day on Thursday, UN chief António Guterres paid tribute to all those who help people in need and urged support for the day’s #TheHumanRace campaign, which aims to protect the most vulnerable people from the climate emergency.  

Stan Swamy, who was 84, was jailed last October on terrorism charges . (FILE)
Unsplash/R.D. Smith

Death in custody of activist priest, a stain on India’s rights record: UN expert

15 July 2021
Human Rights

A UN-appointed independent rights expert has spoken out following the death in custody of a renowned Catholic priest, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease.

People in Yangon held a night vigil in defiance of curfew.
Unsplash/Zinko Hein

Myanmar: From political crisis, to ‘multi-dimensional human rights catastrophe’ – Bachelet

6 July 2021
Human Rights

What began as a coup by the Myanmar military has ‘rapidly morphed’ into an all-out attack against the civilian population that has become increasingly widespread and systematic, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Tuesday.

Boys reach through bars at a jail for juveniles in the Delmas neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 2005
© UNICEF/Roger LeMoyne

Urgent action needed to end ‘inhumane conditions’ facing Haiti prisoners: UN rights chief

30 June 2021
Human Rights

Extreme overcrowding and lack of access to food, water and health, are among the ‘inhumane conditions’ that prisoners in Haiti must endure, often over the course of many years, according to a new UN report.