This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Gaza: With eyes on Gaza, UN chief launches rights protection pledge 

An all-out Israeli offensive on Rafah would spell the end for UN-led humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday.

The UN chief was speaking to the Human Rights Council, where he urged the international community to fulfil its “primary responsibility” of promoting and protecting human rights everywhere and for everyone.

Almost 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza and over 70,000 wounded amid intense Israeli shelling since 7 October last year, according to the enclave’s health authorities.

In Geneva, Mr. Guterres again condemned Hamas-led attacks on Israel but insisted that that any further extension of the Israeli ground operation in the south of Gaza would be “terrifying for more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there”; it would put the final nail in the coffin of our aid programmes”. 

“Nothing can justify Hamas’s deliberate killing, injuring, torturing and kidnapping of civilians, the use of sexual violence – or the indiscriminate launching of the rockets towards Israel. But nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”

Mr. Guterres went on to say that the “rule of law and the rules of war” were being undermined in conflicts from Ukraine to Sudan and from Myanmar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

To produce long-term solutions to these crises, the UN chief called for Member States “to step up and re-commit to working for peace and security rooted in human rights”.

And he pledged the UN’s total support, as he announced the launch of the United Nations Agenda for Protection, in partnership with the human rights office.

UN migration agency teams up with top manufacturer against ‘slave’ labour

The term “Modern slavery” is often used to describe forced labour; it’s a scourge that frequently affects migrants, and according to the UN agency for migration, IOM, there are 28 million victims worldwide.

In a bid to tackle the problem, IOM has announced that it’s beefing up a successful partnership with Japanese electronics giant Panasonic, that protects and reinforces workers’ rights and wellbeing.

The manufacturer has worked with the UN agency for years in Malaysia to promote the ethical recruitment and employment of migrant staff, who face three times more exploitation in the wider private sector than local staff, data has shown.

The agreement is in line with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and IOM’s own Migrant Worker Guidelines for Employers.

The pact is an important part of the UN agency’s efforts to help migrant workers find jobs legally - as an alternative to irregular migration, which is often dangerous and exploitative. 

Harassment of Russian anti-war campaigner reflects pressure on judiciary: top rights expert

A top rights expert on Monday condemned continued efforts by the Russian judiciary to silence anti-war dissident Orleg Orlov.

According to reports, prosecutors sought a two-year, 11-month prison sentence for Mr. Orlov, after he “repeatedly discredited” Russian armed forces involved in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia, insisted that the charges against him had no basis in international law. 

Ms. Katzarova, who is an independent rights expert and who reports to the Human Rights Council, also said that the case flouted Russia's obligations to create a safe environment for activists.

Mr. Orlov is co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize winning human rights centre Memorial. In October last year, a court in Moscow fined him 150,000 roubles - or around $1,600 – after he staged several protests against Russia's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.