United Nations Human Rights Council

India elected for seventh time to UN Human Rights Council for 2026-28 term

The Human Rights Council is the main intergovernmental body within the United Nations responsible for human rights. Established in 2006 by the General Assembly

Starvation as warfare: UN panel finds Israel committed genocide in Gaza

A UN panel accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, citing 60,000 Palestinian deaths and the use of starvation as warfare. Israel rejected the report as 'fake' and biased

India to Switzerland: Don't preach on minorities while ignoring your own

India slammed Switzerland's remarks on minorities, offering instead to help it tackle racism, systematic discrimination, and xenophobia in the Alpine nation

'Grave war crimes': Iran slams Israeli attacks at UN Human Rights Council

Iran's foreign minister's statement comes as the conflict between the two countries entered its second week, with hostilities continuing to escalate

Iran executed at least 975 people last year, highest since 2015: UN report

Iran carried out executions at an alarming rate last year with at least 975 people killed, the United Nations chief said in a report that also cited other human rights abuses, from barriers to freedom of expression to the use of torture and arbitrary detention. UN deputy human rights commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, who presented the report to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on Wednesday, urged Iran to halt all executions as a first step toward a ban. She also called for urgent diplomatic negotiations to end the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. The 975 people executed in 2024 surpassed the estimated 834 in 2023 and was the highest rate of executions since 2015, said the report by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Four of the executions were carried out publicly. Iran carries out executions by hanging. Of those executed, 52 per cent were for drug-related offenses, 43 per cent for murder, 2 per cent for sexual offenses and 3 per cent for security-related offenses, the

Fifteen aid workers found buried in Gaza, UN demands answers and justice

The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged last Friday that it had fired on ambulances and fire engines, saying they had identified them as "suspicious vehicles"

'Baseless': India slams UN human rights chief's remarks on J&K, Manipur

India slammed the unfounded and baseless comments made by the UN's human rights chief, who mentioned Kashmir and Manipur in his global update, with Delhi voicing concern over the update's generalised remarks and cherry picking of situations. As India was mentioned by name, let me begin by emphasising that the world's largest democracy continues to be a healthy, vibrant and pluralistic society. Unfounded and baseless comments in the update contrast jarringly with ground realities, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva Ambassador Arindam Bagchi said Monday. India's strong retort came after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, in his global update to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, mentioned India and referred to the situation in Manipur and Kashmir. Bagchi said the people of India have "repeatedly proven wrong such misplaced concerns about us and we would urge a better understanding

World Day of Social Justice 2025: Date, theme, history and significance

The World Day of Social Justice is celebrated on Feb 20th every year. Building equal societies is crucial since social issues are threatened by severe injustices and widespread labor instability

Trump exits UNHRC, announces halt to funding for Palestinian refugees

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from the top U.N. human rights body and will not resume funding for the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees. The US left the Geneva-based Human Rights Council last year, and it stopped funding the agency assisting Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, after Israel accused it of harboring Hamas militants who participated in the surprise October 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel, which UNRWA denies. Trump's announcement came on the day he met with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country has long accused both the rights body and UNRWA of bias against Israel and antisemitism. Trump's executive orders also call for a review of American involvement in the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, and a review of US funding for the United Nations in light of the wild disparities in levels of funding among different countries. The United

UN announces new plan to counter surge in antisemitism, hate crimes

The United Nations announced new actions Friday to counter the surge in antisemitism, including encouraging governments to enforce laws against hate crimes and discrimination. The UN, created in the aftermath of the World War II Holocaust in 6 six million Jews were killed, has worked to counter antisemitism. But the 193-member global organisation has been accused of being antisemitic, including by US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for UN ambassador, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik. She is pro-Israel and has called the UN a den of antisemitism that she intends to confront. The UN Action Plan to Enhance Monitoring and Response to Antisemitism is mainly focused on strengthening and coordinating work throughout the United Nations, but it also includes recommendations for governments and organisations. Miguel Moratinos, the head of the UN Alliance of Civilisations, which developed the plan, said he was alarmed at the surge in antisemitic incidents online and offline, citing attacks

New UN aid chief admits to challenges in fundraising amid numerous crises

The new head of the UN humanitarian aid agency says it will be ruthless when prioritising how to spend money, a nod to challenges in fundraising for civilians in war zones like Gaza, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine. Tom Fletcher, a longtime British diplomat who took up the UN post last month, said his agency is asking for less money in 2025 than this year. He said it wants to show "we will focus and target the resources we have, even as crises grow more numerous, intense and long-lasting. His agency, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, on Wednesday issued its global appeal for 2025, seeking USD 47 billion to help 190 million people in 32 countries though it estimates 305 million worldwide need help. The world is on fire, and this is how we put it out, he told reporters on Tuesday. The office and many other aid groups, including the international Red Cross, have seen donations shrink in recent years for longtime trouble spots like Syria, South Sudan, the Middle Eas

UN panel backs resolution for first ever treaty on crimes against humanity

A key UN General Assembly committee adopted a resolution late Friday paving the way for negotiations on a first-ever treaty on preventing and punishing crimes against humanity after Russia dropped amendments that would have derailed the effort. The resolution was approved by consensus by the assembly's legal committee, which includes all 193-member UN nations, after tense last-minute negotiations between its supporters and Russia that dragged through the day. There was loud applause when the chairman of the committee gaveled the resolution's approval. It is virtually certain to be adopted when the General Assembly puts it to a final vote on Dec 4. Today's agreement to start up negotiations on a much-needed international treaty is an historic achievement that was a long time coming, Richard Dicker, Human Rights Watch's senior legal adviser for advocacy, told The Associated Press. It sends a crucial message that impunity for the kinds of crimes inflicted on civilians in Ethiopia, Sud

Russian torture of Ukrainians, prisoners is crime against humanity: Experts

Russia's torture of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war is a crime against humanity, U.N.-backed human rights experts said Thursday. Erik Mse, chair of the independent commission investigating human rights violations in Ukraine, told reporters that the panel previously described Russia's widespread and systematic use of torture in Ukraine and Russia against civilians and prisoners, both men and women, as a war crime. Our recent findings demonstrate that Russian authorities have committed torture in all provinces of Ukraine that came under their control, as well as in the detention facilities that the commission has investigated in the Russian Federation, he said. Russia's U.N. Mission said it had no comment on the press conference or the report by the commission, which is appointed by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council. Mse said the commission is an investigative body. He noted that Ukraine's prosecutor general and the International Criminal Court are investigating ...

UN human rights chief urges states to challenge Israel over occupation

He denounced the increased use of the death penalty and "alarming regressions" on gender equality, in reference to new morality laws in Afghanistan

NHRC notice to Centre over 'anti-labour practices' at MNC campus in Haryana

The NHRC has issued a notice to the Centre over reported "anti-labour practices" at one of the warehouses of a multinational company in Haryana's Manesar, officials on Wednesday said. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has observed that the content of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of human rights of the workers in violation of the labour laws and the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment from time to time. The NHRC in a statement said that it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that at one of the warehouses of a multi-national company in Haryana's Manesar "a 24-year-old worker was asked to pledge that they would not take toilet or water breaks until they finished unloading packages from six trucks, each measuring 24 feet long, after their team's 30-minute tea break had ended". "A female employee at the Manesar warehouse reportedly stated that no restroom facilities are available on the working sites," it ...

UN, aid group leaders urge release of 17 staffers held by Yemen's rebels

The heads of six UN agencies and three international humanitarian organisations issued a joint appeal Thursday to Yemen's Houthi rebels for the immediate release of 17 members of their staff who were recently detained along with many others also being held by the Iranian-backed group. Their appeal was echoed by a statement from several dozen nations and the European Union ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Yemen where UN special envoy Hans Grundberg said the Houthis were holding all those detained in the crackdown incommunicado. The Houthis said Monday they had arrested members of an American-Israeli spy network, days after detaining the staffers from the UN and aid organisations. Major General Abdulhakim al-Khayewani, head of the Houthis' intelligence agency, announced the arrests, saying the spy network had first operated out of the US Embassy in the capital Sanaa. After it was closed in 2015 following the Houthi takeover of Sanaa and northern Yemen, he said, they continued

Sri Lanka strongly rejects UN rights report on enforced disappearances

Sri Lanka has questioned the timing and the mandate of a report issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) this week in which it asked the country's government to ensure accountability for enforced disappearances during the armed conflict with the LTTE. The OHCHR report issued on Friday said Sri Lanka's Government must take meaningful action to determine and disclose the fates and whereabouts of tens of thousands of people who have been subjected to enforced disappearance over the decades and hold those responsible to account. According to the Sri Lankan foreign ministry officials, the ministry would officially write to the OHCHR on its unilateral action to issue a report, particularly its timing. Sri Lanka was irked by the timing -- a day ahead of plans by the Tamil diaspora and kith and kin in the country of those who died during the final battle of the government's war with the LTTE in May 2009 to commemorate the dead. Events were held

Indian American lawmakers stress on conversation over human rights

: Reiterating that they would continue to raise the issue of human rights in India with its leadership, Indian American lawmakers on Thursday, however, said that lecturing New Delhi on this issue is unlikely to work and they favoured entering into a conversation with the Indian leadership on their concerns with them. India was colonized for over 100 years. So, when we're having a conversation about human rights, and you're having a conversation with (External Affairs Minister S) Jai Shankar or someone else, you have to understand that just coming in from a perspective of lecturing India. When they say that we've had colonial powers lecture us for hundreds of years is not going to be productive, Congressman Ro Khanna told members of the Indian American community during the Desi Decides Summit of Indian American Impact. Khanna, who is also co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus, was joined by three other Indian American lawmakers -- Shri Thanedar, Pramila Jayapal and Dr Ami Bera --

UN appeals for $2.8 bn to help 3 mn Palestinians who need food, aid

The United Nations appealed for USD 2.8 billion on Tuesday to provide desperately needed aid to 3 million Palestinians, stressing that tackling looming famine in war-torn Gaza requires not only food but sanitation, water and health facilities. Andrea De Domenico, the head of the UN humanitarian office for Gaza and the West Bank, told reporters that massive operations are required to restore those services and meet minimum standards and this can't be done during military operations. He pointed to the destruction of hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, homes, roads and schools, adding that there is not a single university that is standing in Gaza. De Domenico said Israel's recently-ended second major military operation at Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical facility, was so destructive the facility has been forced to shut down. As an example, he questioned what the military objective was in shooting an MRI scanner that examines parts of the body and can detect cancers. He

Pakistan set to launch second phase of repatriation of documented Afghans

Even as confusion prevails about the exact number of undocumented Afghans sent back from Pakistan to their country, preparations are afoot to launch the second phase of repatriation aimed at nearly one million documented' Afghans, a media report said on Monday. The Interior Ministry had already issued directives to district authorities and police to expedite the mapping, and collecting data of the whereabouts of the Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders and given March 25, Monday, as the deadline to complete the exercise, the Dawn newspaper reported quoting documents it had accessed and an official privy to the developments. Pakistan launched the first round of repatriation of what it called undocumented aliens in November last year. No date has yet been announced, but the official said the campaign to repatriate hundreds of thousands of ACC holders could begin in early to mid-summer, following approval from the federal government. We have already started the mapping process, Abid Maje