As the oil-rich North African nation continues to be ravaged by instability and clashes between rival authorities and armed groups, the Council’s statement outlined some of its pressing concerns. Libyan-owned process Members reaffirmed their strong commitment to an inclusive, Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process, facilitated by the UN and supported...
“I am the daughter of a housewife and a car painter” is how Nicaraguan activist Ms. Mesén describes herself, while sitting behind her office desk in San José, the capital city of Costa Rica, where she is now living. Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition that causes bones to break...
In a heartfelt appeal based on his years of visiting the devastated area, as Secretary-General and previously as head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Antonio Guterres said that what had been a “centre of solidarity is now an epicentre of suffering.” ‘Nightmare on top of nightmare’ “People are facing nightmare...
In presenting his conclusions at the end of a 10-day visit to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang, the UN independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, urged authorities to legally recognize LGBT families. “Without exception, State agents with whom I held...
However, its pleas continue to be ignored. “This shocking ordeal and tragedy must not continue”, said Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR’s Director for Asia and the Pacific. “These are human beings – men, women and children”, he added. Unraveling the situation Reports indicate that they have been at sea in dire conditions for a month, lacking...
Secretary-General António Guterres credited the more than 80 per cent of those who cross borders in a safe and orderly fashion as powerful drivers of “economic growth, dynamism, and understanding”. “But unregulated migration along increasingly perilous routes – the cruel realm of traffickers – continues to extract a terrible cost”,...
“With the right policies in place, digital technology can give an unprecedented boost to sustainable development, particularly for the poorest countries,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a press release. “This calls for more connectivity; and less digital fragmentation. More bridges across digital divides; and fewer barriers. Greater autonomy for ordinary people;...
“The military continues to hold proceedings in secretive courts in violation of basic principles of fair trial and contrary to core judicial guarantees of independence and impartiality”, Volker Türk added, calling for the suspension of all executions and a return to a moratorium on death penalty. Dealing out death On...
The development came amid ongoing nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Jina Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old from Iran’s Kurdistan region was arrested by Iran’s so-called “morality police” on 13 September for not wearing her hijab properly. According to OHCHR, thousands have been detained throughout the country for...
“The present climate of irresponsible business practices provides profit for companies but does little for people”, members of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights said in a statement marking the conclusion of their first visit to the country. “A sustainable and stable peace calls for accountability, transparency,...
“But as our human family grows larger, it is also growing more divided”, warned Secretary-General António Guterres in an editorial penned ahead of the milestone moment, citing billions struggling, hundreds of millions facing hunger, and record numbers fleeing home for relief from debt, hardship, wars and climate disasters. “Unless we...
Commemorated annually on 12 August, Secretary-General António Guterres noted that this year’s theme – “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages” – reminds us of “a basic truth” that “we need people of all ages, young and old alike, to join forces to build a better world for all”....