Human Rights International News

Achieving a world where all people have equal access to opportunities is a goal worth fighting for, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday in a speech calling for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in society, including in COVID-19 response and recovery. The UN chief was addressing countries that are party to the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which he stressed can only be fully …

The UN Secretary-General has called for solidarity with all people living in poverty, during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Secretary-General António Guterres issued the appeal in a video message to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed annually on 17 October.He highlighted how the pandemic represents “a double crisis” for the world’s poorest people. “First, they have …

The first-ever guidelines on access to justice for people with disabilities are an “indispensable contribution” towards ensuring justice for all, UN human rights experts said on Friday. The document will help countries dismantle the barriers that block people with disabilities from being able to use justice systems worldwide.“The guidelines respond to the challenges that people with disabilities face in accessing justice on an …

More than a human rights violation against an individual, enforced disappearances have frequently been used as a strategy to spread terror within the whole of society, the United Nations said on Sunday, the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance. “The crime of enforced disappearance is rife across the world”, Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message commemorating the day. “We see new cases …

The COVID-19 pandemic has “starkly exposed” the heightened vulnerability and risks to persons with disabilities, a major meeting convened to discuss the international treaty that supports persons with disabilities, heard on Monday. In the first online session for the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Ibrahim Salama, head of the Human Rights Treaties Branch in the Office of …

On World Autism Awareness Day, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres underscored in his message, the importance of technology which helps people living with autism “achieve their full potential”. Discussions with self-advocates and autism experts covered topics from leveling the playing field through the internet and digital communities, to political participation and advocacy that gives voice to people with autism. In …

More than half of the world’s population lacks access to essential health care and just 29 per cent have comprehensive social security coverage, according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report on the implementation of social protection in more than 100 countries. The findings come in the General Survey 2019, compiled by the ILO Committee of Experts on the …

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Virginia Gamba unveiled a new initiative to generate greater awareness and action to improve the protection of children affected by armed conflict. This support will include advocacy to reach universal ratification or endorsement of international agreements such as the Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of …