Category: Human Rights

The Joint Communication on Humanitarian Aid adopted today sets out how the EU will remain a reliable and principled donor in a global aid system under severe pressure. Humanitarian needs are at an all-time high with 239 million people worldwide in need of assistance, yet current global humanitarian funding can assist fewer than half of […]

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the need for reparations in connection with France’s role in the transatlantic slave trade on May 21. Macron said that reparations for enslavement crimes should no longer be ignored. He also warned against “false promises,” emphasizing that the legacy of enslavement could never be fully repaired because it was “impossible.” […]

(Beirut, May 27, 2026) – Lebanon’s recent accession to the Mine Ban Treaty amid an ongoing armed conflict underscores the treaty’s vital importance for saving lives and rebuilding communities, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s decision should motivate other countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, to support the global norm against […]

The Trump administration has deported over 4,300 Cubans to Mexico, many of whom are older people with serious health conditions who had been living in the United States for years or even decades. Many are left stranded without access to housing and health care. Those who cannot access protection as refugees are trapped in a […]

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), the Catholic Church’s authoritative pastoral letter released on May 25, emphasized the need for “safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence,” including the use of AI in warfare and the threat posed by killer robots. Building on the church’s long-held position, Pope Leo wrote that “the […]

(Washington DC) – Federal regulators should act urgently to prevent millions of people with low incomes from losing Medicaid coverage under new work requirements, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America said in a joint letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week.The […]

This weekend, the Commission concluded the European Citizens’ Panel on Preparedness in Brussels. After almost 3 months of deliberation, the 150 randomly selected citizens, from all 27 Member States and representing EU diversity, formulated 20 recommendations on how to strengthen the EU’s capacity to prevent and respond to emergencies.  On Sunday, the citizens officially handed them over to the Director-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, Maciej Popowski. They will now feed into the […]

As European Union commissioners prepare for their April 29 security college meeting on China’s influence on EU security, they should place human rights concerns at the center of those discussions. The Chinese government’s intensifying repression at home and increasingly coercive conduct abroad pose serious risks not only for people’s rights, but also for Europe’s long-term security […]

Russian occupation authorities are seizing civilian property in occupied areas of Ukraine, despite international law prohibiting occupying powers from such conduct. Authorities have introduced a sham process to declare properties “ownerless” and transfer them to municipal ownership, while also imposing administrative and travel barriers making it nearly impossible for displaced Ukrainians to assert their rights. […]

With apparent support from the UAE, Colombian private military contractors have deployed to Sudan to support the abusive Rapid Support Forces. The deployment adds to evidence of UAE military support for the Rapid Support Forces, which have committed widespread atrocities in Sudan.  Other countries should push for investigations, capable of leading to sanctions, into all those, including UAE […]