US State Department Debases Human Rights Diplomacy

The US State Department’s annual human rights report was created to give Congress a clear accounting of how other governments treat their people, measured against international human rights law. Recent media reports indicate that the Trump administration is turning that purpose on its head by mandating reporting in support of ideological priorities at odds with […]

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EU reinforces humanitarian response with €143 million for Sub-Saharan Africa

The European Commission is providing €143 million in humanitarian aid as EU and African Union leaders meet in Angola, responding to continued pressure on relief operations across several crisis zones. The allocation includes €2.5 million euro for aid in the Central African Republic, €8 million in Nigeria, €30 million in Ethiopia, €30 million in Somalia, […]

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Seventy-Nine Years Without a Woman Leader at the UN

In February 2026, it will be 80 years since the United Nations selected its first secretary-general, a man. Since then, eight other people have had that job, all men. Surely, it’s long past time a woman held the post.  António Guterres, the current secretary-general, completes his term in December 2026. Maneuvering over his successor is well underway. […]

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The Legacy of the White Paper Protests

Three years ago, a series of protests in China has sparked a political awakening among Chinese youth, with many questioning Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s authoritarian policies and practices and notably confronting the government’s abuses against Tibetans and Uyghurs. In response to a deadly apartment fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, blamed on harsh Covid-19 restrictions, thousands in […]

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From silence to strength: Women leaders speak out in South Sudan

She knows what it’s like to be silenced. Born into a family that didn’t believe in educating girls, she had to stay home while her brothers went to school. Only when she moved to Khartoum with her uncle did she get a chance to study, though not for long. “I was forced into marriage at 14,” Awrelia said. “Even before then, some […]

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Japan: New Government Should Adopt Human Rights Diplomacy

(Tokyo) – Japan’s new government should make the promotion of human rights central to its foreign policy, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on November 6, 2025. The Japanese government should affirm its commitment to human rights by taking the lead in promoting civilian democratic rule and the rule […]

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Rights Groups Call on African Commission to Address Egypt’s Human Rights Crisis

More than twenty international and regional rights organizations have urged the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) to take decisive action against Egypt’s worsening human rights record. The appeal follows the Commission’s 85th session, where Egypt presented its official report covering 2019–2024, a document that rights groups say misrepresented or omitted key abuses […]

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What Escalating Conflict Means for Women and Girls

Conflicts and crises cause harm based on gender. Because women and girls across the globe experience legal, economic, and cultural discrimination, they also experience the impacts of conflict in distinct and often more profound ways than others. With data underscoring escalating conflict globally, reaching a level not seen since the post-World War II era, creating better […]

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Bahrain: Immediately Release Prominent Activist

(Beirut) – Bahraini authorities have detained Ebrahim Sharif, a prominent political activist, for peaceful comments he made in Beirut, Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said today. Yusuf al-Jamri, a blogger, said that the authorities detained Sharif, former secretary general of Bahrain’s National Democratic Action Society, due to comments he made […]

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