News by topic: Human Rights

Urgent action needed as violence soars in war-torn Syria - UN

10 February – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an immediate and unconditional de-escalation of violence in Syria as civilians in the war-torn country suffer through one of the most violent periods in nearly seven years of conflict.

Maldives: Democracy under ‘all-out assault,’ warns UN rights chief

7 February – The declaration of the state of emergency in the Maldives by President Abdulla Yameen and the resulting suspension of constitutional guarantees have undermined the checks and balances necessary in any functioning democracy, the United Nations human rights chief warned Wednesday.

UN calls on Maldives to respect Supreme Court decision, says 'ready' to help ease political impasse

3 February – Following the Maldives' Supreme Court decision ordering the release of convicted opposition leaders and the reinstatement of 12 parliamentarians, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed the world body's continued readiness to facilitate all-party talks in finding a solution to the Indian Ocean nation's political stalemate.

Mali human rights situation still a concern – UN report

1 February – Despite the signing of a 2015 Peace Agreement, the human rights situation in Mali still remains a concern, according to a United Nations report published on Thursday.

Security operations by Myanmar show ‘established pattern’ of domination over ethnic groups – UN expert

1 February – What Myanmar’s Government has claimed are military and security operations are “actually an established pattern” of domination and aggression against ethnic groups, the United Nations independent expert on the rights situation there said on Thursday, reporting on her visit to nearby countries, including Bangladesh, which is hosting nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees.

‘I feel guilty I survived;’ youngest Schindler’s list Holocaust survivor tells United Nations her story

31 January – More than seven decades after the end of the Holocaust, Eva Lavi – the youngest living Holocaust survivor saved by German industrialist Oskar Schindler – still feels guilty that she survived when so many of the Jewish children her age at that time were killed, including her cousins.

'We are all at risk' when humanity's values are abandoned; UN honours memory of Holocaust victims

26 January – Calling on the world to “stand together against the normalization of hate, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed in his message for the International Day dedicated to honouring Holocaust victims that everyone has a responsibility to quickly and decisively resist racism and violence.

Davos: UN rights chief stresses leading role of businesses in ending LGBTI discrimination

26 January – With major companies joining the growing list of early adopters of United Nations standards to promote equality for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, the UN human rights chief on Friday highlighted the private sector's crucial leadership role in ensuring the dignity and equal opportunities of LGBTI employees in the workplace and beyond.

Bring human rights to discussion tables and into decisions at Davos, UN experts urge

24 January – With world leaders converging in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum, a group of United Nations human rights experts has called on government and business leaders to use the occasion to decide on concrete actions to bring about positive change.

The Last Swiss Holocaust Survivors: Keeping the memory alive

24 January – After the Second World War, 90 per cent of the Holocaust survivors were between 16 and 45 years old. Today, the youngest survivors, who were born in the last phase of the war, are over age 70.