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Global Issues:
Human Rights

's reveals that 77% of children under five globally have their births registered, marking progress in legal identity but highlighting that 150 million children remain unregistered. Challenges persist, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where many face barriers to registration. UNICEF calls for improved systems, digitalization, and legal reforms to ensure every child is recognized and protected.  states affirms every child's right to have their identity established ‘immediately’ after birth through birth registration.

Few documents have had as profound and enduring an impact on global governance as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So central to the mission of the United Nations that the declaration is sealed, alongside the UN Charter, in the cornerstone of the UN Headquarters in New York City. The declaration is not just a set of principles but a living framework that informs the UN’s work at every level, it is both a blueprint and a call to action. Its resonance extends beyond its 30 articles, shaping such landmark treaties as the  and international laws that safeguard the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and the stateless.

A typical day for Priya, 17, and Rani, 18, in Kolkata, India, begins early with the sounds of bustling streets. They clear their sleeping spots, which are protected by plastic sheets. Both girls study in Class 11 at different schools and spend their afternoons with friends, watching over their younger siblings while playing in the street. Despite the challenges faced by street-connected children, Priya and Rani attend private schools, funded by their families and a supporting NGO. They share their education with peers who lack access to schooling.  The Child in Need Institute (CINI) has empowered them to be leaders, naming them "Street Champions." They advocate for children's rights in their community and beyond.

Human rights are fundamental to our values, encompassing the right to life, freedom, equality, health, education, work, and a sustainable environment. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a roadmap for building a peaceful world. shows that nations that protect human rights are , while those that respect these rights are more resilient to challenges like pandemics and climate change. Embedding human rights into development reduces poverty and inequality, benefiting both .

In celebration of Human Rights Day 2024, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, emphasizes that human rights are about people and their lives, needs, and aspirations, reminding everyone that they are central to building a better future.

Under the theme “,” this year’s campaign highlights how human rights act as a preventive, protective, and transformative force, especially during crises.

The 2024 highlights the vital role of minority artists and human rights defenders in promoting understanding and empathy through creativity. This year’s awards honored five winners: Bianca Broxton (USA), Joel Pérez Hernández (Mexico), Francis Estrada (Philippines), Laowu Kuang (China), and youth laureate Jayatu Chakma (Bangladesh), with honorable mentions for André Fernandes (Brazil), Maganda Shakul (Uganda), and Chuu Wai (Myanmar). Organized in partnership with several civil society organizations and the City of Geneva, the contest's theme, Memory in the Present, focuses on the artistic exploration of memory and memorialization by minority artists worldwide.

Human rights empower individuals and communities to create a better future. By recognizing their importance, we can promote peace, equality, and sustainability. This Human Rights Day (10 December), we emphasize that human rights serve as a crucial preventative and transformative force. challenges us to recognize human rights in our daily lives, to take action against hate speech and misinformation, to counter disinformation and to reignite a global movement for human rights. Defending human rights drives social change and helps to create a fairer society. Follow our live coverage!

On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, we remember that 50 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation, and forced marriage. These abuses violate human rights and hinder development. The recently adopted Pact for the Future aims to eradicate forced labor, modern slavery, and child labor. To turn this vision into action, governments must strengthen law enforcement and support victims, while businesses should ensure ethical supply chains and fair labor practices. Together, we can combat and abolish modern slavery in all its forms.

In June 2017, Indigenous Ñomndaa’ journalist Marcela de Jesus Natalia was shot three times by a gunman outside her radio station. Initially presumed dead, she survived and, with support from lawyers, advocates, and UN Human Rights, continues to seek justice. Her attack stemmed from her efforts to inform Indigenous Peoples about their rights, notably regarding education, justice, and violence against women, creating a climate of fear for media workers. “I didn't think he wanted to kill me,” she said. “I turned around. The first bullet went to my forehead. I put my hand up, [and] the bullet went in and came out. The second one shattered my jaw. Then this guy held me, dragged me, gave me a final shot in my head and laid me on the pavement.”

Water should be managed as a common good accessible to all, rather than as a market commodity, says the . Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, advocates for a human rights-based approach to water management, arguing that access should not depend on an individual’s ability to pay. Arrojo-Agudo highlights water's crucial role in societal cohesion and outlines three priorities for water usage: “water for life,” essential for human dignity; “water in functions of general interest,” vital for society; and “water economy,” used for productive activities.  His offers recommendations for managing water as a common good, including principles of non-deterioration, restoration of polluted ecosystems, cost recovery for services, and cost-effectiveness.

“I’m a Black woman, so I cannot approach anti-racism without addressing feminism. As a woman of color, I face multiple layers of oppression,” said Rokhaya Diallo, a French journalist and commissioner of the O’Neill-Lancet Commission on Racism, Structural Discrimination and Global Health. Diallo spoke during a new session of the in Geneva, which addressed systemic racism and intersectionality. Chief Volker Türk presented a emphasizing that is vital for tackling systemic racism and the legacies of enslavement and colonialism. The report notes that systemic racism arises from multiple intersecting forms of discrimination, creating unique experiences of oppression.

Pictured is a refugee family of nine making the most of the limited space in their prefabricated hut in Baqa'a Camp near Amman [circa 1970]. As a result of contributions from governments, voluntary organizations and individuals, prefabricated huts offering better protection against the elements than the canvas tents they'd replaced were set up in the emergency camps in East Jordan.

was by the General Assembly on 8 December 1949 () to carry out direct relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees, following the 1948 war. UNRWA has contributed to the welfare and human development of four generations of Palestine refugees, defined as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 war”. The encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance, including in times of armed conflict.

When the UN agency began operations in 1950, it was responding to the needs of about 750,000 Palestine refugees. Today, some 5.9 million Palestine refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria are eligible for UNRWA services.

documents the critical work the agency has been doing in the region for the last 74 years.

Eva Jiménez Bracamontes, a Mexican illustrator and street artist, created a big mural called “All rights, all people” at the ‘Central de Abastos’ market in Mexico City. The mural aimed to bring attention to human rights issues in Mexico, such as enforced disappearances, the right to food, education, culture, migrants, discrimination, and racism. The project, run as part of the , received support from UN Human Rights in Mexico and other key stakeholders to promote human rights through art.

Journalists reporting from crisis- and conflict zones face severe threats in carrying out their critical work. Between 2006 and 2024, around the world, with close to nine out of ten cases of these killings remaining judicially unresolved. The safety of the reporters in these contexts is a crucial issue. The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (2 November) aims to promote a broader discussion on their security, including the prevention, protection and prosecution concerns of journalists facing such challenges.