Human rights through the eyes of Andy Vermaut

For Faustina Torres, from the Bribri indigenous community in Costa Rica, feeling invisible to others is a stinging form of discrimination she has fought against since childhood. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/10/1141692?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Protecting the dignity and human rights of older persons, and addressing the challenges they face in society will ultimately benefit all of humanity, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141722?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A new global framework to reduce environmental risks from chemicals and waste was adopted at a UN conference on Saturday, with countries committing to phase out the most harmful ones. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141717?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

At least 57 people were killed, including children in suicide bombings that targeted two religious ceremonies in Pakistan, as people gathered to celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. Secretary-General António Guterres described the attacks as “particularly abhorrent” and called for the perpetrators to be held accountable. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141712?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A refugee from Afghanistan who moved to Ukraine two decades ago has been talking about his motivation for supporting the relief effort for people affected by the ongoing war there. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141552?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

More than 11,600 unaccompanied children have crossed the Central Mediterranean to Italy so far this year the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, an increase of 60 per cent compared with last year. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141677?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

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Ending the war in Ukraine, promoting climate action and ramping up efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) topped the agenda of the High Level Week of the UN General Assembly, the man at the helm of the global platform for dialogue said on Thursday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141637?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The establishment of a multinational security support mission for Haiti is being discussed this week by the UN Security Council as the Caribbean nation continues to face a crisis of violence and insecurity caused by entrenched criminal gang activity https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141632?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

More than 16,000 children are displaced in eastern Libya following Africa’s deadliest storm in recorded history the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Thursday, highlighting the urgent need for psychosocial care.   https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141627?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN-appointed expert on freedom of opinion and expression has called for governments to strengthen efforts to close the “digital divide” and remove all barriers to the right to information.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141602?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Top UN officials pledged support for Pakistan on Wednesday as it continues the painstaking process of rebuilding in the wake of last year’s devastating floods. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141587?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141572?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

As the climate crisis threatens the tourist industry and the communities who depend on it, greening the tourism sector is the only way forward. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141567?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With record numbers of people transiting through Central America and Mexico in search of a better life further north, UN migration agency IOM on Wednesday appealed for regional action to address their immediate needs while tackling the drivers of migration. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141557?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

When done well, tourism can serve as a sustainable cornerstone of a country’s economy, simultaneously supporting ecosystems and livelihoods, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP). https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141512?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The international community must maintain the universality of global multilateral forums and not turn them into “clubs reserved for a few elites...where some are tolerated” if they stay to themselves, a senior Holy See official told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141507?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) raised concerns on Tuesday over the movement of a large number of civilians to Armenia as a result of the recent hostilities in the region.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141457?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In Mali, one million children under five are at risk of malnutrition amid polio and measles outbreaks, increased armed violence and displacement, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141452?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Young people continue to be “relentlessly” targeted with tobacco and nicotine products, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday, in a call to ban smoking and vaping “whether sitting in class, playing games outside or waiting at the school bus stop”. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141442?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

When “geopolitical mistrust and competition” has pushed the nuclear risk to Cold War levels, total elimination of such weapons is the only route to a peaceful future, the UN chief has said. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141432?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Attacks on civic and democratic space in Venezuela are increasing through policies aimed at silencing opposition and criticism of the Government, the head of a UN-appointed human rights body said on Monday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141422?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Russian forces in Ukraine faced new allegations of war crimes on Monday as UN-appointed independent rights experts published the findings of their latest report into Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141417?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Palestinian authorities must strengthen fundamental legal safeguards against torture and ill-treatment, especially from the first moments of detention, a group of UN human rights experts said on Monday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141412?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

“We are not going anywhere” is the message coming from UN nuclear safety watchdog IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, about the agency’s commitment to continued monitoring of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants during Russia’s ongoing invasion.   https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141402?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

All nations must honour the UN Charter, including the non-use of force and respect for human rights, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Saudi Arabia told the UN General Assembly on Saturday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141387?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Fatalla Elzuni, Libya’s Minister of Youth, in an address on Thursday to the UN General Assembly, expressed deep sympathy and offered his condolences to Libyans “in the throes of a disastrous tragedy” following the devastating rains and floods that hit the east of the country last week.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141382?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Russia’s Foreign Minister told the UN General Assembly on Saturday that a new world order is being born through a struggle between a neocolonial minority and a “global majority” seeking to end decades of Western domination. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141372?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

To make multilateralism work in this age of insecurity we need to ensure that a much wider group of voices are heard – in this United Nations, and around the globe, the Prime Minister of Malta said on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141377?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A spirit of consensus prevails in Iraq, with a broad political coalition now governing the nation, encompassing all aspects of society, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al Sudani said on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141367?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The consequences of poor chemicals and waste management worldwide are fuelling an “unprecedented global toxic emergency”, independent UN human rights experts have warned, ahead of a major summit next week. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141312?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israel is at the cusp of a “dramatic breakthrough”: a historic peace deal between his country and Saudi Arabia. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141302?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), increasing armed violence, forced displacement and devastating floods have fuelled deadly disease outbreaks and jeopardized healthcare, the UN health agency (WHO) said on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141292?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Yemen has made compromises and worked hard to rebuild its country and regain the trust of its people, but the head of the Presidential Leadership Council on Thursday cautioned the international community that “dealing with Houthi militias as de facto authorities” would likely reverse hard-won gains and could turn Yemen into a hotspot to export terrorism worldwide.   https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141192?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The President of the UN General Assembly told foreign ministers gathered in New York on Thursday that forecasts predicting the death of effective diplomacy are premature.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141187?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

After the decades-long presence of a large UN peacekeeping mission, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will, by the end of the year, aim to take full control of its destiny and become the primary actor in its own stability, the country’s President told the General Assembly on Wednesday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141182?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Peace requires strong mobilization for human rights, sustainable development and the environment, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on the International Day of Peace observed on Thursday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141167?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the president of Mozambique said that the main reason for lack of progress on the 2030 Agenda is similar lack of trust and solidarity “between those who have a lot and those who have little or almost nothing at all”. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1141077?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A large UN aid convoy was able to cross into northwest Syria on Tuesday following the reopening of a vital border crossing. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140987?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

It is high time countries made reparatory justice a priority to address the legacy of slavery and colonialism, which continues to negatively impact the daily lives of people of African descent across the globe. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140982?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Global unity and solidarity are needed in the face of myriad crises that threaten to reverse decades of development gains and resign millions to poverty, the President of the UN General Assembly said in his address to the opening of its 78th General Debate on Tuesday.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140967?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Only determination and compromise can rescue a world that is becoming “unhinged” Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday, delivering a stark message to leaders gathered in New York: reform the multilateral system and come together for the common good. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140947?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In Ethiopia, war crimes have continued unabated almost a year after a ceasefire was agreed between the country’s Government and forces from the northern Tigray region, UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Monday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140872?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Now is the time for a global plan to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are woefully off-track halfway towards their 2030 deadline, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday in New York.  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140857?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The centrepiece of the UN General Assembly’s 2023 high-level week, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit, will see world leaders gather in New York on 18 and 19 September. Their goal: to put the world back on track towards a greener, cleaner, safer, fairer future for all. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140852?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

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Achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can seem link “a staggering proposition” for resource-starved small island developing States, but in Trinidad and Tobago, an “inexorable spirit” is helping the country get closer to realizing the challenging targets. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140847?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

With several high-profile world leaders opting out of the UN General Assembly’s annual opening session next week, Secretary-General António Guterres has said that he cares less about who comes to New York and more about what gets done, especially to revive the lagging Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140842?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday rallied a diverse cross section of civil society actors to use their passionate voices and energetic grassroots networks to “help rescue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fight for the better future every person deserves.”  https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140837?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Unilateral sanctions and over-compliance are threatening the health and well-being of people across the world, an independent UN human right expert warned on Friday. https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/09/1140812?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger