Human Rights

Deaths in the Israel-Hamas Conflict

By Joseph Chamie
Tragically, the numbers of deaths of men, women and children in Israel and the Gaza Strip have surged to unprecedented levels following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Smallholder Farmers Gain Least from International Climate Funding

By Maina Waruru
Smallholder farmers from the Global South benefit from a grossly disproportionate 0.3% of international climate finance despite producing a third of the world's food and despite holding the key to climate-proofing food systems.

A New Youth Envoy: Symbolic Change or Real Hope?– Part I

By Simone Galimberti
The recent appointment of Dr. Felipe Paullier of Uruguay as the first Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs is a good news for the United Nations. Yet we need to ask ourselves the following question: Can such development also become a real hope, rather than just a symbolic change, for millions of youths from around the world?

Time to Convert Climate Change Rhetoric into Action, Says WFP’s Gernot Laganda

By Stella Paul
It is crucial to narrow the gaps and ensure that climate finance goes to where people are most vulnerable, says Gernot Laganda, Director of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)—especially as the most fragile states only receive USD 2.1 per capita while non-fragile states receive USD 161.

What Is Israel’s End-Game in Gaza?

By Alon Ben-Meir
Unless Israel establishes an exit strategy and an end-game that will lead to a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in full coordination with the US and Saudi Arabia, the war against Hamas will only be another brutal violent episode that will prepare the ground for the next conflagration that will engulf the West Bank and potentially set the entire region on fire.

‘Taking Palestine Back to 2005’ — UN Warns of Socioeconomic Impacts of Gaza War

By Naureen Hossain
One month into the war in Gaza, Palestine has already seen major setbacks in development that will have severe ramifications for the people of Palestine that will impact any future efforts toward its economic recovery.

Israel’s Military Is Part of the U.S. War Machine

By Norman Solomon
The governments of Israel and the United States are now in disagreement over how many Palestinian civilians it’s okay to kill. Last week -- as the death toll from massive Israeli bombardment of Gaza neared 10,000 people, including several thousand children -- top U.S. officials began to worry about the rising horrified outcry at home and abroad. So, they went public with muted misgivings and calls for a “humanitarian pause.” But Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear that he would have none of it.

Arms Suppliers to Israel & Hamas Should Face War Crime Charges—But Will They?

By Thalif Deen
The killings of thousands of civilians in the ongoing Middle East conflict are largely the result of an uneven battle—a nuclear-armed Israel, equipped with some of the most sophisticated American weapons systems, fighting a rag-tag militant group, Hamas.

Nagorno Karabakh: Displaced, But Far From Safe

By Gaiane Yenokian
From the balcony of the house she's lived in for the past weeks, 32-year-old Margarita Ghushunts says she often looks in the direction of her home, in Nagorno Karabakh.

Why Demography is Key to Unlocking a Sustainable Future for Asia & the Pacific

By Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana and Natalia Kanem
Asia and the Pacific is an economic powerhouse, fuelled by its vibrant and diverse population. Comprising 60 per cent of the world’s population, this region is bursting with both a wealth of experience and untapped potential.

Where Do We Go Once the Israel-Hamas War Ends? – PART II

By Alon Ben-Meir
There are five measures the Israeli government, along with the US and Saudi Arabia, should put in place to move the peace process forward. First, Israel must limit its ground invasion to northern Gaza, as a large-scale war will inevitably inflict massive destruction and thousands of casualties on both sides, especially Palestinian civilians, and put the lives of the hostages at a much greater risk.

Amidst Tears and Grief, Afghan Women Call Out To the World

“When the sun rises in the morning, I see the light but I don't feel like I'm having a bright day. I think about how different these days are from our past days”.

Where Do We Go Once the Israel-Hamas War Ends? – Part I

By Alon Ben-Meir
Since the 1967 Six Day War, many efforts have been made to reach a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians through mediation conducted by an impartial mediator, face-to face negotiations, international conferences, offering incentives, back-channel talks, interim agreements (in particular the Oslo Accords), and occasionally by an influential party exerting pressure on both sides, especially the US.

Zimbabwe’s Election Widens Gender Gap in Politics

By Farai Shawn Matiashe
Zimbabwe’s recent election has exposed weak gender policies both at the political party and governmental levels as women were sidelined despite the fact that they make up more than half of the 6.5 million electorate.

Iran, a Murdered Teenager and a Fading Protest

By Karlos Zurutuza
On October 28, Armita Geravand, a 16-year-old Iranian teenager, passed away a month after she had been beaten by the police in the Tehran subway for not wearing the Islamic veil correctly.

Commonwealth Civil Society Offers Ministers Crucial Recommendations for Gender Equality Advancement

By Alison Kentish
On August 22, 2023, Women's Affairs Ministers from the Commonwealth huddled in a room at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, they were meeting in person.

Gaza Spells Jungle

By Tisaranee Gunasekara
During her 2013 visit to Sri Lanka, then UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay wanted to lay a wreath to commemorate the war-dead. "When I go to a country, I like to honour the victims, all victims, victims of LTTE, soldiers, families,” she explained.

Hurricane Otis and the Indifference Toward the Children of Acapulco

By Rosi Orozco
Acapulco is a paradise. A port of golden sunsets, toasted sand, and deep blue sea. Its dream beaches captivated the hearts of Elvis Presley and Elizabeth Taylor. US President John F. Kennedy chose its shores to spend his honeymoon with Jackie Kennedy. Its luxury hotels and the untamed sea made it the most famous tourist destination in Mexico.

António Guterres in Nepal: Transitional Justice to the Fore

By Kanak Mani Dixit
Many observers found it intriguing that UN Secretary-General António Guterres would want to spend three full days in Nepal even as Israel was carpet-bombing Gaza.

Venezuela’s Young Women Particularly Vulnerable to the Crisis

By Humberto Márquez
Hemmed in by poverty, with barely two days of school a week, and often at risk of unwanted pregnancy or the uncertain prospect of emigration, young women and adolescents are among the main victims of the ongoing crisis in Venezuela.

The Killings in Gaza Should Stain Our Moral Conscience

By Lana Nusseibeh
Thank you for your presence here with us in New York, and for the special dedication that Brazil has given to peace in our region. I also pay special tribute to our briefers, and to their teams’ dedicated work in the most unimaginable circumstances on the ground in the Gaza Strip.
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