UN human rights report shows rise in reprisals against activists, victims
New York: Cases of intimidation and retaliation against victims, civil society and activists who cooperate with the United Nations are on the rise, a new report from the UN Human Rights Office reveals.
New York, Apr 11 (IBNS): Over a month after two competing resolutions on Venezuela failed to pass, the UN Security Council met on Wednesday to discuss the “very real humanitarian problem” facing the country, where close to seven million people are in dire need of aid, and some 5,000 people continue to flee across borders every day.
New York, Mar 28 (IBNS): The UN’s top rights official on Wednesday rejected claims by Sri Lankan officials that she distanced herself from a report on the country and instructed her staff to be more “cautious” in future, before stressing her commitment to justice for victims of grave abuses during the civil war.
Human rights ‘core to sustainable development’: deputy UN chief
New York, Mar 8 (IBNS): “Human rights are core to the 2030 Agenda, and sustainable development is a powerful vehicle for the realization of all human rights,” the UN’s Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, said in a speech to the Human Rights Council, on Thursday.
More urgency needed to help increasing numbers ‘locked out’, before 2030, says UN’s Bachelet
New York, Jan 17 (IBNS): Many countries are failing to protect and promote the interests of all their people – despite pledging to do so in 2016 – the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday.
How to stay in shape and step up support for refugees
New York, Jan 9 (IBNS): At a time of year when many resolve to get fit, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the huge distances many are forced to cover to escape persecution, in search of a better life far from home.
Human Rights Watch urges Thailand authorities to halt deportation of Saudi woman
Bangkok, Jan 7 (IBNS): Thailand authorities should immediately halt the planned deportation of a Saudi woman who says she is fleeing domestic abuse and fears for her safety if forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.
First-ever World Braille Day underscores importance of written language for human rights
New York, Jan 4 (IBNS): To raise awareness of the importance of Braille for approximately 1.3 billion people living with some form of distance or near vision impairment, on Friday the United Nations is observing the first official World Braille Day.
New York, Dec 29 (IBNS): The excessive use of force during large-scale demonstrations against food and fuel shortages in Sudan is alarming, and an infringement on the right of peaceful assembly, said UN independent experts on Friday.
Nicaragua: UN rights chief ‘alarmed’ by imminent expulsion of key human rights groups
New York, Dec 22 (IBNS): After the Nicaraguan Government announced that it has asked two key human rights institutions to leave the country, the UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said on Friday that she was “extremely alarmed” by a decision that means, in effect, there will be “no functioning independent human rights bodies left in Nicaragua”.
Human rights champions from across the world receive top UN prize
New York, Dec 19 (IBNS): The “clear and profound” guidelines enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “have made it the world’s most widely translated document”, the UN Secretary-General told the General Assembly on Tuesday at an event to commemorate the Declaration’s 70th Anniversary, marked 10 December.
Worldwide UN family celebrates enduring universal values of human rights
New York, Dec 11 (IBNS): Across the world, the UN family has been making sure that this year’s Human Rights Day – which falls on Monday, and marks 70 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – succeeds in raising awareness of the principles enshrined in the document, which are as important and relevant today, as they were in 1948.
UN calls on everyone to protect human rights in Afghanistan
Kabul, Dec 10 (IBNS): Marking International Human Rights Day, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) underscores the enduring importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on its 70th anniversary and renews its call to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan.
Increasingly under attack, women human rights defenders need better back up
New York, Nov 28 (IBNS): A group of United Nations human rights experts issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling on States to live up to their commitments to protect women human rights defenders, as they come under increasing attack, and with inadequate protection.
China hails human rights progress amid calls to close detention camps
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS): China has pledged to eradicate poverty in rural areas by 2020 during a scheduled United Nations review of the country’s human rights record, amid concerns over the alleged arbitrary detention of religious and ethnic minorities there.