Systemic Racism, Police Violence and the Right to Protest

By Laurie Richardson, UN Liaison

Last June, the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, and Philando Castile, together with over 650 civil society organizations, called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) to convene a special session to respond to the situation of escalating human rights abuses in the United States. They sought the creation of an...

Controversy over Membership in Human Rights Council

United Nations member countries recently voted by secret ballot to elect 15 countries to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). Human rights observers have raised concerns about the election of China, Cuba and Russia to the body. Saudi Arabia was a candidate, but was not elected. The US withdrew from the HRC in 2018; many observers regretted the US decision...

Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Center Stage at ICPD in Nairobi

As the International Conference on Population and Development is taking place in Nairobi, a group of international human rights experts has called for a renewed commitment to and investment in women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights. "We call upon decision-makers to always put women’s and girls’ human rights at the centre of policy considerations and to meaningfully...

Student Leaders from Palestine Speak

By Karen Castellon, UN Rep (AWC Berlin) 

25 June 2019

The meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for Voluntary Contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) focused on financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Speakers included UN Secretary General António Guterres (which tells me...