Ukraine: Recovery Conference Could Be Lifeline for Children

The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin should prioritize donor support to rebuild and make accessible thousands of damaged schools and ensure children and teachers have access to equipment and technology for distance learning. Ukraine still relies on the Soviet-era legacy of institutionalizing children deemed to have disabilities or to be from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Donors […]

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UN chief condemns escalating violence and civilian attacks in Myanmar

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the Secretary-General “strongly condemns” recent attacks by the Myanmar military in Rakhine State and Sagaing Region that have reportedly claimed the lives of many civilians. “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the widening regional ramifications of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar and reiterates his appeal for a unified approach,” Mr. […]

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U.S.-EU Consultations Demonstrate Continued Commitment to Human Rights

Today in Washington, Senior Bureau Official for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Robert Gilchrist and EU Special Representative for Human Rights Olof Skoog co-chaired the 2024 U.S.-EU Human Rights Consultations. The United States and EU reiterated their unwavering commitment to the transatlantic partnership and its importance to upholding and advancing human rights, democracy, and the […]

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Prominent Congolese Researcher Detained | Human Rights Watch

Today, Jean-Jacques Wondo, a well-known researcher on political and security issues in Africa’s Great Lakes region, will have an initial appearance before a military court in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Wondo is one of at least several dozen people arrested following a failed coup attempt in the country last month. So far the only […]

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Amid Gaza war, children now work so families can survive: ILO

Details of that development and the “unprecedented devastation” to the Palestinian jobs market and the wider economy beyond Gaza and the West Bank are outlined in a new report from the ILO. Ahead of its publication, the UN agency’s Director-General Gilbert Houngbo told the 112th International Labour Conference in Geneva on Thursday that the labour market […]

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Human Rights Council Urged to Extend Mandate of UN Anti-Racism Experts

At the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council, the mandate of the UN expert mechanism on racism in law enforcement comes up for renewal. Civil society groups and affected communities have united in calling for its mandate to be strengthened and renewed. A UN Human Rights Council resolution in 2021 created the UN Expert […]

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Leading Scholars Call for Global Treaty on Free Education

Seventy eminent scholars, experts, and researchers from 30 countries have called for a new international treaty to recognize children’s rights to free early childhood education and free secondary education. According to the experts, well-established scientific evidence shows “unequivocally” that education is foundational to children’s healthy development and lifelong prospects, but international law has not kept pace […]

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Italy Migration Deal with Albania is a Costly, Cruel Farce

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s June 5 visit to Albania’s Shëngjin port underscores the folly of Italy’s scheme to send migrants and asylum seekers, intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea, to Albania. Amid spiraling costs, delays, and serious concerns about people’s rights, the plan is revealing itself to be an example of how not to manage migration. The […]

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Conference explores ways of making the EU more resilient against crises

A high-level conference on ‘Crisis Management in the EU and Beyond’, organised today by the European Commission with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, explores how to better prepare for crises and manage them, and discusses issues such as knowledge sharing to help better deal with future risks.  The event brings together 100 high-profile speakers […]

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World News in Brief: Mass floggings in Afghanistan, refugee resettlement crisis, ‘greening education’

Jeremy Laurence described how on 4 June, a group of 63 men and women were publicly subjected to mass flogging at a sports ground in the city of Sar-e-pul for a range of alleged crimes including “running away from home” and “moral crimes”. Close to 50 men and 15 women were reportedly lashed between 15 […]

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