World

March 23, 2023 – At least 80% of sites identified as being internationally important for biodiversity on land currently contain infrastructure − of which more than 75% contain roads. In the future, more sites that are important for biodiversity could contain powerplants, mines and oil and gas infrastructure. A study has found that infrastructure worldwide […]

INTERLAKEN, Switzerland, March 20, 2023 — There are multiple, feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change, and they are available now, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released today. “Mainstreaming effective and equitable climate action will not only reduce losses and […]

Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova. Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born on 7 October 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is […]

GENEVA (14 March 2023) – States must pursue justice “at home” for crimes of torture, to achieve meaningful accountability, healing and reconciliation, the UN independent expert on torture said today. In a report to the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or […]

Stockholm, March 13, 2023 – Imports of major arms by European states increased by 47 per cent between 2013–17 and 2018–22, while the global level of international arms transfers decreased by 5.1 per cent. Arms imports fell overall in Africa (–40 per cent), the Americas (–21 per cent), Asia and Oceania (–7.5 per cent) and the […]

ROME/NEW YORK, MARCH 7, 2023—An appeal has been lodged at the competent court against the detention of the search and rescue ship Geo Barents, said the international medical humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today. On February 23, the Ancona coastguard notified Geo Barents of the 20-day detention and a fine of up […]

March 2, 2023 – Today, the Academic Freedom Index (AFI) project presents its Update 2023, providing an overview of the state of academic freedom in 179 countries. The decline in academic freedom affects over 50% of the world’s population, approximately 4 billion people. The Index identifies 22 countries where universities and scholars experience significantly less academic […]

March 2, 2023 – For the first time in two decades, there are more closed autocracies than liberal democracies in the world, but the future is not entirely bleak. This is shown in this year’s democracy report from the Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem) at the University of Gothenburg. A democratic decline has taken place […]

Regional and international partners must collectively work with greater urgency and determination to help Palestinians and Israelis break chronic cycles of violence and restore a credible political horizon, the UN chief said on Wednesday. “Our immediate priority must be to prevent further escalation, reduce tensions, and restore calm,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at a meeting of the Committee on […]

The UN human rights chief on Tuesday called for taking a measured approach to a package of new laws the Government of Israel is currently considering. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk raised a range of concerns that several sets of proposed legislative changes that Israel’s parliament is considering would pose serious risks to the effectiveness of the judiciary […]

MOSCOW, February 21, 2023 — Today, President Vladimir Putin suspended Russian implementation of New START, the last remaining nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States. Since 2010, New START has limited U.S.-Russian strategic arsenals to 1,550 deployed weapons each. The Treaty has provided both governments with critical insight into each other’s arsenal, preventing dangerous misunderstandings and planning […]

New York, February 16, 2023 – The humanitarian fallout of the war in Ukraine continues to take a heavy toll globally, as the echoes of the conflict are heard far beyond its borders. One year on, its ripple effects are sounding in every corner of the planet, dramatically accelerating other crises around the world. As […]

That’s the message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed this Saturday, who appealed for concrete action to increase their ranks.  Diversity and fresh perspectives  “On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we highlight a simple equation: More women and girls in science equals better science,” said Mr. Guterres.  […]

GENEVA, February 8, 2023 – The formula milk industry’s marketing tactics are exploitative and urgent clampdowns are needed to tackle misleading claims and political interference, according to a new three-paper series published in The Lancet today. Industry influence – which includes lobbying against vital breastfeeding support measures – seriously jeopardizes the health and rights of women and children, the papers show. […]

At a UN ceremony to mark the Holocaust on Friday, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that antisemitism, hate speech, and misinformation are ever-present, 90 years on from the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. In his speech, delivered at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Guterres recalled that, within months, the Nazis had dismantled fundamental constitutional […]

Beirut, January 25, 2023 – Lebanon’s general prosecutor on January 25, 2022, ordered the release of all suspects detained in connection with the catastrophic explosion in Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. The unprecedented move amid rampant political interference bypasses the ongoing criminal investigation into the explosion. […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 24, 2023 –The Doomsday Clock was set at 90 seconds to midnight, due largely but not exclusively to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the increased risk of nuclear escalation. The new Clock time was also influenced by continuing threats posed by the climate crisis and the breakdown of global norms and institutions needed […]

Jerusalem, January 23, 2023 – New Israeli guidelines on access to the West Bank for foreigners threaten to further isolate Palestinians from loved ones and global civil society, Human Rights Watch said today. The guidelines, which came into force in October 2022 and were amended in December 2022, set out detailed procedures for West Bank […]

NEW YORK, JANUARY 20, 2023 — The Israeli government’s plan to forcibly displace 1,000 Palestinians from their homes in the Masafer Yatta area of the West Bank is unacceptable, said the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Israeli authorities must immediately halt this eviction plan and stop implementing restrictive measures that impede the […]

January 20, 2023 – Reacting to the news that the Russian media regulator is poised to censor online content containing references to LGBTI people or rights, including banning movies and TV series featuring LGBTI characters, Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Russia Director, said: “The Russian authorities are preparing to further scapegoat and stigmatize LGBTI people in […]