World

GENEVA, Aug 8, 2019 – Land is already under growing human pressure and climate change is adding to these pressures. At the same time, keeping global warming to well below 2ºC can be achieved only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors including land and food, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said […]

GENEVA August 7, 2019 – In a statement to mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, UN human rights experts* are calling for a decade of action to protect and promote the use of indigenous languages, many of which are endangered: “Indigenous languages are necessary for the enjoyment of human rights, as well as […]

Beirut, August 5, 2019 – At least two environmental experts detained in Iran since January 2018 have likely embarked on a hunger strike to protest their continued detention after many months in legal limbo, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities should ensure their adequate access to medical treatment. They are among eight environmentalist experts detained […]

Aug. 5, 2019 – More than three years since Turkey’s 2016 failed coup and one year after its state of emergency was lifted, the government continues its relentless and pervasive crackdown on civic space, media freedom and dissenting voices. Turkey’s human rights record will come under review by the UN Human Rights Council during the […]

GENEVA July 31, 2019 – Two UN human rights experts have called on Israel to halt its efforts to deport the Palestinian photojournalist Mustafa Al-Nadir Iyad Al-Kharouf, and to regularize his status in Jerusalem. During the night between 21 and 22 July, the Israeli authorities attempted to deport Mr. Al-Kharouf to Jordan, a country where […]

BERLIN, July 29, 2019 – Moscow police set an ominous record on July 27, 2019 by arbitrarily detaining at least 1,373 people, including about 25 children, during peaceful protests, Human Rights Watch said today. The police used excessive force at the demonstrations over the exclusion of opposition candidates from upcoming city assembly elections to break […]

July 30, 2019 – To mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed that “human trafficking is a heinous crime that affects every region of the world” – especially women and children. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), some 72 per cent of detected victims […]

La Paz, Bolivia, July 30, 2019. Local communities along with a coalition of organizations request that the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty for the protection of wetlands, send an expert mission to evaluate the health of lakes Poopó and Uru Uru, and issue recommendations to the Bolivian government for the urgent recovery of these key ecosystems. […]

New York, July 30, 2019 – The United Nations secretary-general omitted countries responsible for grave violations against children in armed conflict in his new “list of shame,” Human Rights Watch said today. The list also gave certain countries an undeserved more favorable designation despite their failed promises to improve their record. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released […]

“The murder of Emrya Wajãpi, leader of the indigenous Wajãpi people, is tragic and reprehensible in its own right. It is also a disturbing symptom of the growing problem of encroachment on indigenous land – especially forests – by miners, loggers and farmers in Brazil. The Brazilian Government’s proposed policy to open up more areas […]

Kirchberg, Luxembourg, July 26, 2019 –  Today the European Investment Bank published a draft policy that, if accepted by EU finance ministers in September, will end the bank’s financing of fossil fuel production and infrastructure. Following years of civil society pressure from across Europe, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has signalled its willingness to help […]

GENEVA July 26, 2019 – Two UN human rights experts have condemned Israel’s demolition of 10 buildings comprising approximately 70 housing units in Sur Baher, a Palestinian neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. “We are following the developments in this matter very closely,” said Leilani Farha, the Special Rapporteur for the right to housing, and Michael Lynk, […]

GENEVA July 26, 2019 – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet rang the alarm Friday at the apparent international indifference to the rising civilian death toll caused by a succession of airstrikes in Idlib and other parts of north-western Syria. “Despite repeated calls by the United Nations to respect the principle of […]

July 25, 2019 – The German government has frozen funding to WWF following a series of investigations by Buzzfeed revealing that the charity funds, equips, and works directly with forces that have tortured, raped and killed people. WWF has repeatedly suppressed accusations of violence and abuse. Earlier this month, BuzzFeed revealed that WWF had kept evidence of gang rape and torture at its German- and US- […]

New York, NY, July 25, 2019 — In accessing paid, decent work, refugee women face restrictive labor market laws, increased threat of violence, discrimination, as well as regulatory and administrative barriers. According to a new analysis conducted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), […]

Tunis, July 25, 2019 — A shipwreck off the coast of Libya has claimed the lives of 150 refugees and migrants, the most recent incident in a line of tragedies in the Mediterranean Sea. This is a stark reminder of the humanitarian crisis emerging out of the country, and of the urgent need for search and […]

GENEVA / MOGADISHU July 25, 2019 – The international community must continue to help Somalia strengthen its institutions and the justice and security sector ahead of the next elections, says UN Independent Expert Bahame Tom Nyanduga. “Somalia has made considerable progress in the political, economic, social and human rights situation over the past six years, […]

July 24, 2019 – European Parliament’s newly constituted Brexit Steering Group chaired by Guy Verhofstadt met with EU negotiator on 24 July following the change of Prime Minister in the UK. It reiterates the EP’s position in the following statement: “The Brexit Steering Group (BSG) wishes Mr Johnson, the new UK Prime Minister, well and […]

July 23, 2019: One year after the devastating collapse of saddle dam D of the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower project in southern Laos, none of the entities backing and profiting from the project have been held accountable, according to a joint report released today by International Rivers and Inclusive Development International. “Reckless Endangerment: Assessing Responsibility […]