Human Rights

ICC Judges & Officials, Under US Sanctions, Live Under Rigid Isolation

By Thalif Deen
The US sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) have intensified the rigid isolation of judges and officials of the Court based in The Hague, Netherlands. According to an interview with the French judge Nicolas Guillou, published in Le Monde, ICC judges are also being refused access to American websites and credit cards.

Trump’s Threat of ‘Military Action’ in Nigeria Stokes Religious Tensions

By Promise Eze
Diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the US have continued to sour after US President Donald Trump threatened 'military' intervention over what some American lawmakers have called  “Christian genocide” in Africa’s most populous country.

Explosive Weapons Now Leading Cause of Child Casualties in Global Conflicts

By Oritro Karim
Recently, global conflicts have grown increasingly brutal, with deaths and injuries caused by explosive weapons now surpassing those from previous leading causes such as malnutrition, disease, and a lack of healthcare services. As these conflicts intensify, children continue to bear the brunt of the casualties while impunity for perpetrators persists and funding gaps exacerbate the lack of critical protection services.

COP30: Broken Promises, New Hope — A Call to Turn Words into Action

By James Alix Michel
When the world gathered in Glasgow for COP26, the mantra was “building back better.” Two years later, in Sharm El Sheikh, COP27 promised “implementation.” This year, in Belém, Brazil, COP30 arrived with a heavier burden: to finally bridge the chasm between lofty rhetoric and the urgent, measurable steps needed to keep 1.5 °C alive.

Bonn to Belém: Three Decades of Promises, Half-Delivered Justice, and Rights-Based Governance Is Now Inevitable

By M. Zakir Hossain Khan
COP30 in Belém is not just another annual climate meeting; it is the 32-year report card of the world governance architecture that was conceived at the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. And that is what report card says: delivery has been sporadic, cosmetic and perilously disconnected with the physics of climatic breakdown.

The Role of Youths in Shaping UN’s Post 2030 Development Agenda

By Ananthu Anilkumar and Simone Galimberti
Less than five years from 2030 it is time for the international community to confront the future of the Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals.

If COP30 Fails, It Won’t Be North vs. South, but Power vs People

By Ginger Cassady
Belém, at the mouth of the Amazon River, was always going to be a symbolic host for the UN COP30 climate summit, but the mood here has gone far beyond symbolism.

The Rising Threat of Digital Abuse: Women’s Vulnerability in the Age of AI and Online Harassment

By Oritro Karim
As the digital landscape continues to expand and integrate into various aspects of daily life, humanitarian experts have raised concerns about the associated risks, particularly as artificial intelligence (AI), online anonymity, and the absence of effective monitoring frameworks heighten the potential for abuse and harassment. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by digital abuse, facing heightened risks, with nearly half of them worldwide lacking effective legal protections.

School Days Lost, but Non-Economic Loss and Damage Not Part of Global Talks

By Cheena Kapoor
Jyoti Kumari missed her online classes again today. Her father, a vegetable seller in West Delhi’s vegetable market, had to go to work, taking with him the only smartphone the family uses. Kumari has been taking online classes since November 11, when the state government declared a shutdown of all elementary schools due to air pollution hitting the “severe” category.

Sidelined—Quilombos Fight on for Health of World’s Largest Rainforest

By Joyce Chimbi
Just 30 minutes from where the UN climate negotiations are unfolding in the port city of Belém, Afro-descendant communities are engaged in a fierce struggle for the full recognition and legal titling of their ancestral territories—critical as their security and livelihoods are compromised by businesses wanting to set up contaminating landfill sites and drug cartels.

From COP28 to Belém – Climate Security is Health Security

By Desta Lakew and Richard Muyungi
Around the world, the climate crisis is fast becoming the biggest public-health threat of the century. Extreme heat now kills more Europeans than any other natural disaster. Floods in Asia displace millions and contaminate water supplies. Mosquito-borne diseases once confined to the tropics are appearing in southern Europe and the United States.

Civil Society Warns of New Land Grabs as World Bank Pushes for Tenure Reforms in Africa

By Isaiah Esipisu
As the COP30 negotiations intensify in Belém, Brazil, civil society organizations and research experts have called out major financial institutions for promoting foreign interests in controlling Africa's land by formalizing land tenure and seeking to convert Africa's land into industrial farms or carbon markets.

Explainer: Inside COP30’s 11th Hour Negotiations for Legacy-Building Belém Climate Deal

By Joyce Chimbi
At a Conference of the Parties, where science intersects with politics, reaching agreements is often a tricky business. What is inside the last-minute negotiations as the COP presidency tries to get the parties to agreement at the final plenary?

The U.S. President Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks

By Joseph Chamie
With the longest shutdown of the U.S. government now over, the White House, Congress, the media, and the public have shifted their attention to the contentious and highly political issue of releasing the files related to Jeffrey Epstein. The White House’s resistance to releasing Epstein-related documents brings to mind the famous line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet that the U.S. president “doth protest too much, methinks.”

Faith Leaders Endorse Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty at COP30

By Joyce Chimbi
Decades ago, a little girl was born in a place called Cleveland, Ohio, in the heart of the United States of America. Born to a woman from the deep South, the place of Martin Luther King, her mother left her ancestral lands for the economic opportunities in the north.

Pope Leo XIV Greetings to the Churches of the Global South Gathered at the Amazonian Museum of Belém


 
I greet the particular Churches of the Global South gathered at the Amazonian Museum of Belém, joining the prophetic voice of my brother Cardinals who have taken part in COP 30, telling the world with words and gestures that the Amazon region remains a living symbol of creation with an urgent need for care.

UNRWA Continues Operations in Gaza Amid Ongoing Insecurity and Shortages of Essential Services

By Oritro Karim
After nearly two years of conflict between Hamas and Israel, displaced Palestinians in Gaza have begun returning home as humanitarian organizations work to restore essential, life-saving services. Despite recent progress, the United Nations (UN) and its partners continue to face major obstacles in reaching the most vulnerable populations due to ongoing insecurity and heightened restrictions. With winter fast approaching—and expected to further worsen living conditions—sustained aid operations remain critical.

Five Breakthroughs for Women’s Rights Amidst Conflict and Crisis

By Revai Makanje Aalbaek and Sarah Douglas
Even as their rights face growing threats, women across the globe are driving progress. From courtrooms to communities, women’s leadership is shaping peace, justice and development—often against the odds. In the face of conflict, exclusion and inequality, we continue to see powerful stories of hope, resilience and change. We are inspired by women who mediate local disputes, push for new laws and champion the rights of survivors, holding communities together.

‘No Land Rights, No Climate Justice,’ Say Activists at Peoples’ Summit

By Tanka Dhakal
Brazilian Indigenous leader and environmentalist Cacique Raoni Metuktire appealed for support for Indigenous peoples and their land. From the podium of the Peoples’ Summit, Cacique Raoni warned negotiators at the UN climate conference in Belém that without recognizing Indigenous peoples’ land rights, there will be no climate justice.

Africa Wants Health to Be at the Center of Adaptation Finance

By Farai Shawn Matiashe
With the COP30 Presidency prioritizing health at the United Nations climate summit in Belém, African leaders are calling for finance to be channeled towards improving the health systems of developing countries.

You Cannot Make Decisions About Our Lives—A Perspective on Global Climate Change Negotiations

By Annabel Prokopy
Immaculata Casimero, a leader of the Wapichan Women’s Movement, remembers the beauty of the mountains that are cultural sites to her indigenous community in Guyana.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*