World

WASHINGTON, February 22, 2024 —In advance of the second anniversary of the Russian military’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Freedom House president Michael J. Abramowitz issued the following statement: “Today we express our solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they continue to bravely defend their freedom and sovereignty against the Kremlin’s unprovoked aggression. We also pause […]

The UN Security Council met in New York on Gaza on Tuesday, where the United States vetoed a resolution put forward on behalf of Arab States by Algeria demanding “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be respected by all parties”.  12:22 PM The latest Council meeting on the Middle East crisis spiralling outwards from the war in […]

GENEVA/NEW YORK/ROME, February 19, 2024 – A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster. As the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip enters its 20th week, food and safe water have […]

We are appalled at the news that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny has died in prison. The UN Human Rights Office, along with others, had repeatedly raised serious concerns relating to the charges against Navalny and his repeated detention which appeared to be arbitrary.  Last August, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk highlighted […]

Occupied Palestinian Territory, February 14, 2024 – We, the signatories of this statement, call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and a massive increase in humanitarian assistance to avoid famine in Gaza, and as the only way to comply with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2417. Allowing access for humanitarian aid to reach the […]

As the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches, a senior UN official on Monday voiced deep concern over the escalatory trajectory of the war with intensifying attacks on civilians. Miroslav Jenča, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), warned that the fighting risked “further diminishing […]

GENEVA (February 13, 2024) – Undue restrictions imposed by States on peaceful protests and civil society working to protect human rights and advocating for respect of humanitarian law in the context of the war on Gaza, run contrary to States’ obligation under international law to prevent atrocity crimes, such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against […]

February 7, 2024 – We, the undersigned Israel-based civil society and human rights organizations, call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and demand the immediate release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. An immediate ceasefire will prevent further loss of civilian lives and facilitate access to vital aid for Gaza to address […]

Any move by Israel to extend its full-scale invasion of Gaza into the massively overcrowded southern city of Rafah could lead to war crimes which must be prevented at all costs, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Tuesday. “We as the UN and Member States of the UN can bear witness,” OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke […]

Ongoing hostilities across the Gaza Strip have been “particularly intense” in the southern city of Khan Younis, UN humanitarians warned on Monday, as the UN agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, reported that its shelters were now four times over-capacity. “There is simply not enough food,” UNRWA tweeted on social platform X, formerly Twitter, with photographs from another city slightly […]

Amid continuing heavy fighting in Gaza on Tuesday morning including reported attacks on hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis, UN humanitarians expressed deep concern for patients and others seeking treatment who had “no way in and out”. Speaking in Geneva, Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that Al-Khair […]

January 23, 2024 – Anti-LGBTQ+ groups continue to exploit the internet to disseminate harmful “conversion therapy” health disinformation, particularly in non-English-speaking regions, while social media platforms lag behind in implementing robust content moderation and improving their algorithms. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) today released a special report titled, “Conversion Therapy Online: The Ecosystem […]

GENEVA, 18 January 2024 – Nearly half a million children – or 456,000 – across Europe and Central Asia live in residential care facilities, including large-scale institutions, according to a new report published today by UNICEF. Pathways to Better Protection: taking stock of the situation of children in alternative care in Europe and Central Asia notes that […]

Medicines for Israeli hostages were reportedly allowed into Gaza for the first time on Thursday along with a consignment of relief supplies for Palestinians, under an agreement brokered by Qatar and France. UN humanitarians are warning the level of assistance for many Gazans is now “almost catastrophic”. The development came as UN aid coordination office OCHA in […]

The Israeli authorities have continued to block lifesaving aid from reaching northern Gaza 102 days since Hamas-led terror attacks triggered the war, UN humanitarians have insisted, just as UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that “the long shadow of starvation” stalks the people of Gaza. “In the first two weeks of January, only 24 per cent […]

Recent weeks have seen a steep increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine following an intensification of Russian attacks, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country, HRMMU, said in a new report issued on Tuesday.  Hundreds of people across the country were killed or wounded in drone and missile strikes in the 10-day period […]

After more than 100 days of war in Gaza and no let-up in sight, senior UN humanitarians issued a rare joint appeal for greater aid access on Monday, expressing renewed fears of death due to famine and disease unless there is a “fundamental step change” in procedures.  “People in Gaza risk dying of hunger just […]

South Africa has set out its case accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention, pointing to the current situation in the bombarded, besieged Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians. Filed with the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ), a UN court, on 29 December, South Africa’s case stated that Israel, particularly since 7 October, “has failed to prevent […]

New York, January 11, 2024 – Global leaders have failed to take strong stands to protect human rights during 2023, a year of some of the worst crises and challenges in recent memory, with deadly consequences, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2024. Governments should stop engaging in transactional diplomacy and do […]