Belarus: UN rights chief condemns violence against protesters, calls for grievances to be heard
UN News/Daniel Johnson – Michele Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (file) The flow of free information is “crucial” in a democratic society, the UN human rights chief said on Wednesday, spotlighting the landlocked eastern European nation of Belarus, “especially in a context of crisis and social unrest”. Following the announcement by the […]
‘Business as unusual’: How COVID-19 could change the future of work
Millions of people around the world have been working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic and now experts are asking whether this “business as unusual” could be the future of work, at least for those people whose job doesn’t require them to be tied to a particular location. UN News spoke to Susan Hayter, a […]
‘Lockdown generation’ of young workers will need extra help after COVID-19, urges UN labour chief
ILO Photo/Marcel CrozetThe COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a disproportionate effect on young workers according to the ILO. Further evidence of the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the global job market has emerged in a new study by the UN labour agency, which on Wednesday said that more than one in six young people […]
Hong Kong urged to drop prosecutions of leading activists, not to silence peaceful protest
UN NewsThe skyline of Hong Kong harbour, seen at night. Independent UN human rights experts urged Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday to immediately drop the criminal prosecution of 15 pro-democracy activists who participated in peaceful protests across the Special Administrative Region of China last year. “Nobody should be subjected to administrative or criminal sanctions for taking […]
2020’s ‘wind of madness’ indicates growing instability: UN chief
Rising instability and unpredictable geopolitical tensions have led to a “wind of madness” across the world, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday during his main annual press conference for journalists at UN Headquarters in New York. Following recent flare-ups in some hotspots, the UN chief observed that although de-escalation efforts indicated progress, the situation has now changed. “I have spoken about winds of hope. But today a wind of madness is sweeping the globe. From Libya to Yemen […]
UN ‘determined to lead by example’ on disability rights: Guterres
© UNICEF/Christopher Herwig A 9-year-old girl plays on a seesaw in a new inclusive playground built in her school in Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan. The UN is determined to lead by example when it comes to the rights of people with disabilities, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message to mark the International Day of […]