World Refugee Day: telling their stories

While hotspots include Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Palestine, displacement affects every region of the world. In the lead-up to World Refugee Day, Friday, the UN is spotlighting the importance of solidarity with refugees through support, solutions, and the power of storytelling. Zahra Nader: Reporting from exile Ahead of World Refugee Day, UN News spoke […]

Continue Reading

Myanmar Military Urged to End Use of Child Soldiers following Alarming Surge in Violations

UN and Human Rights Watch condemn conscription of children and abuses under junta rule June 21, 2025 – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Myanmar’s military junta to immediately cease the recruitment and use of child soldiers, citing a sharp rise in violations against children since the 2021 coup. The appeal follows the junta’s […]

Continue Reading

UK Social Security Plans Will Harm People With Disabilities

The United Kingdom government has just published draft legislation seeking to “reform” key disability-related aspects of its complex social security system. While the government claims its moves “will protect the most vulnerable,” in reality its plans to cut £4.5 billion in disability-linked benefits by 2030 will have a devastating impact on people’s rights. The bill proposes […]

Continue Reading

Joint statement by the European Commission and the High Representative on World Refugee Day

On World Refugee Day, we commemorate the strength and resilience of refugees, who have left their homes not by choice, but due to conflict, violence, persecution or human rights violations. This year’s World Refugee Day comes at a time when a record of more than 122 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide. The EU […]

Continue Reading

Why is the manosphere on the rise? UN Women sounds the alarm over online misogyny

With more than 5.5 billion people connected online – nearly all of them active on social media – digital platforms have become central to how people interact, UN Women highlights. However, they are also being weaponised to spread misogyny and hate. Once confined to fringe internet forums, the manosphere now reaches into schoolyards, workplaces, and […]

Continue Reading

Philippines Blocks Press Freedom Delegation from Visiting Detained Journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio

June 2025 – Tacloban City, Philippines — Press freedom groups have condemned Philippine authorities for obstructing a delegation’s attempt to visit journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who has been detained for over five years on charges widely viewed as politically motivated. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) denounced the denial of access, calling it a serious […]

Continue Reading

UN Human Rights Office Urges Immediate De-escalation in Israel-Iran Conflict Amid Civilian Toll and Legal Concerns

Geneva – June 20, 2025 — The United Nations Human Rights Office has called for the urgent de-escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, following a deadly exchange of missile fire that has killed over 220 civilians and injured more than 1,000 since June 13. UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif emphasized […]

Continue Reading

UN Reports Sharp Rise in Civilian Deaths in Global Armed Conflicts in 2024

Geneva – June 20, 2025 — Civilian deaths in armed conflicts rose by 40% in 2024, reaching alarming levels not seen in years, according to a new report released by the UN Human Rights Office. The data underscores a worsening global human rights landscape, with widespread violence, deepening inequality, and increased attacks on human rights […]

Continue Reading

From Syria, UN refugee chief calls for greater solidarity with displaced people

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, sounded the alarm on Friday, World Refugee Day, in a message from Syria. He said the abject failure to end conflicts – including in Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gaza – continues to create immense suffering.  Difficulty seeking shelter “Yet the innocent people […]

Continue Reading

🛑 CPJ, Civil Society Groups Urge Immediate Release of Detained Journalist Mario Guevara

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), along with a coalition of national and local civil society and press freedom organizations, has called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to immediately release journalist Mario Guevara from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and drop removal proceedings against him. Guevara, an Emmy Award-winning Spanish-language journalist, was […]

Continue Reading