Iran: Unlawful Strikes Across Gulf Endanger Civilians

(Beirut) – Civilians in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are at grave risk from ongoing Iranian strikes in response to US and Israeli military attacks on Iran, Human Rights Watch said today. Many of the Iranian attacks have struck civilian residential buildings, hotels, civilian airports, and embassies, and have unlawfully targeted civilian objects such as financial centers. Since […]

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UN: Global Tax System Undermines Rights, Development

(New York) – UN member countries should work to align the emerging United Nations tax convention with international human rights law to achieve its objective of advancing sustainable development, seven human rights groups said today in a submission to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee. The submission proposes edits to the draft text to incorporate these standards and […]

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The Great Unrooting: A Special Season of Rights & Wrongs

(New York) – A new five-episode narrative podcast will explore what it means to lose home and what it takes to start again, Human Rights Watch said today. Anchored in the story of Maung, a Rohingya refugee now living in New York, the series traces his journey of flight, survival, and rebuilding and explores displacement at a […]

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Yemen: Apparent Excessive Force Against Protesters

Yemeni government-aligned forces appear to have used excessive force in February against protesters supporting the Southern Transitional Council in Aden.  Government forces in three locations fired at protesters supporting the group and made arrests and held people for days without due process in Aden and Hadramout.  The Yemeni government should provide accountability and justice for […]

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Middle East war’s ‘spiral of conflict’ drives mounting civilian toll

The fighting – which has included Iranian drone and missile attacks on Gulf States and Israeli attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after the group launched assaults – is intensifying a regional “spiral of conflict” the council also heard. “On 28 February, the US and Israel launched a devastating aerial campaign against Iran, ostensibly targeting […]

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UN Committee Should Promote, Not Oppose, Civil Society

The United Nations will hold elections in April for the 19 members of the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which controls UN accreditation for nongovernmental groups. The election to the UN’s gatekeeper for civil society comes at a difficult time for human rights and civil society groups around the world, with governments defunding these groups, […]

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EU announces €36 million in humanitarian aid to Mozambique and neighbouring countries in Southern Africa

The European Commission announced today €36 million in EU humanitarian aid that will reach 6 countries across Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region. Millions of people face acute food insecurity, and conflict in northern Mozambique continues to drive one of the world’s most severe displacement crises. Commissioner Lahbib meets today with the President of […]

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EU announces €458 million in humanitarian aid for the war-torn Middle East

The European Commission is confirming €450 million in humanitarian aid for Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt in 2026. With major donors withdrawing from the region and international humanitarian law under unprecedented strain, the EU is sustaining life-saving assistance to millions of people. In Syria, €210 million in EU humanitarian funding will sustain life-saving emergency […]

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EU-funded flight repatriates 134 more European citizens from the Middle East, bringing total repatriations to over 11,000 in recent weeks

The 5th evacuation flight from the Middle East, chartered and fully funded by the European Commission landed yesterday in Bucharest, Romania. The flight enabled the safe repatriation of 134 European citizens, following a request from the Romanian authorities.  Departing from Oman, the flight transported 96 Romanian nationals and 38 citizens from other European countries, who […]

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The Cost of Inaction: Investing in a Generation to Avert a Global Economic and Educational Crisis

WASHINGTON / LONDON — A coalition of global education leaders issued a stark “call to action” on Saturday, March 14, 2026, warning that the world is currently neglecting its most vital economic asset: the 270 million children who remain out of school. According to the latest data from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and […]

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