UN Human Rights

The report documenting the most serious human rights violations committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between 1993 and 2003 will be made public on 1 October, the United Nations announced today.

A senior United Nations official today called on all UN Member States to become party to the world body's landmark convention protecting the rights of the estimated 650 million people with disabilities, which has already acquired 146 signatories and 90 ratifications.

The needs of persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies will be the focus of a meeting set to begin tomorrow in New York that will bring together State parties to the landmark United Nations disability convention.

The United Nations agency charged with protecting the rights of children today welcomed the launch of a programme by the Sudanese Government to end the use of child soldiers by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).

The United Nations today launched a global action plan to combat human trafficking, with senior UN officials urging that governments worldwide take coordinated and consistent measures to try to defeat the scourge.

While Viet Nam has made considerable strides in curbing poverty in the past 20 years, efforts must be ramped up to ensure that no one is left behind as the Asian nation continues its economic growth, a United Nations independent human rights expert said today.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has expressed deep concern after the apparent abduction of a human rights defender who had spoken out against alleged rights violations by members of the country's military.

The United Nations experts tasked with assisting families determine the fate or whereabouts of disappeared relatives is urging States to define enforced disappearances as a crime and to help bring the international treaty dealing with this scourge into force.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal today urged the Asian country&#39s Government to swiftly implement the landmark Supreme Court decision of 2007 that required the State to enact a law to criminalize forced disappearance of people.

Independent United Nations human rights experts today voiced serious concern at last weekend's execution in Equatorial Guinea of four men over their alleged involvement in an armed attack on the country's presidential palace last year.

The United Nations human rights chief today strongly condemned the killing of 72 migrants in northern Mexico and called on the authorities to take urgent steps to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

Although the Russian Government has made "important steps" to protect the rights of its indigenous people, a United Nations independent human rights expert today urged the country to accelerate progress.

The head of the United Nations human rights office in Colombia has strongly condemned the bombing early yesterday morning in the capital, Bogotá, which damaged a number of buildings, including one housing a radio station and a news agency.

An independent United Nations human rights expert today called on the international community to step up efforts to protect civilians in Somalia, where the world body is hoping to boost its presence in a bid to advance the peace process in the war-torn country.

A rise in insurgent attacks has led to a 31 per cent increase in the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009, the United Nations said in a new report released today.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the world to step up efforts to improve living conditions of the planet's indigenous communities and to protect them, saying they continued to suffer discrimination and poverty despite a United Nations declaration that aims to promote their rights.

Addressing human rights issues and ensuring accountability for abuses is vital for the peace process in Nepal, which is trying to rebuild after a decade-long civil war, a senior United Nations official said today.

The economic empowerment of the world's poorest people will not happen unless their human rights are also considered, a senior United Nations official said today, urging governments around the world not to separate development and basic rights when devising policy.

A United Nations expert today welcomed the General Assembly's declaration this week that safe and clean drinking water is a human right, calling it a "landmark resolution" that sends an important signal to the world.

Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, the General Assembly declared today, voicing deep concern that almost 900 million people worldwide do not have access to clean water.