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Manuel Calloquispe Flores, a journalist for 15 years, has extensively investigated illegal gold mining in La Pampa, Peru, where criminal gangs exploit the region's biodiversity. Despite mining being prohibited due to its environmental impact, the area faces severe deforestation and mercury pollution. Calloquispe raises awareness about disappearances linked to mining and advocates for affected families, transitioning from business studies to journalism upon witnessing the mining crisis. Despite facing multiple assaults and death threats, he continues to report on these issues. Since 2022, UN Human Rights Peru has supported him, documenting numerous attacks against journalists and ensuring his safety through protective measures. His work highlights the significant dangers journalists face when exposing crime and environmental issues.
In the 1970s, the Bajo Aguán region of Honduras became the focus of agrarian reform, with hundreds of families relocated to its fertile lands. However, this area has since become plagued by violence and corruption, leading to land dispossession and murders, as noted by Bardia Jebeli from the UN Human Rights office in Honduras. Legislative changes in the 1990s facilitated land purchases by agro-industrial entrepreneurs, further exacerbating these issues. Rural poverty is significant, with many affected individuals being small-scale farmers facing systemic discrimination and human rights challenges. Despite this, communities in Bajo Aguán, led by women and youth, resist these adversities, viewing their land as a vital life project. International support, especially from UN Human Rights, has provided hope and solidarity, emphasizing the importance of their role as allies in the fight for justice and equity in land rights.
The rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming journalism and press freedom. While AI presents opportunities for improved access to information and global communication, it also introduces serious challenges such as the potential for spreading misinformation and increasing hate speech. Addressing these challenges requires cooperation among governments, media, and civil society. The focus of World Press Freedom Day 2025 (3 May) is the impact of AI on press freedom, media independence, and access to information.
Thirty-one years ago, the world witnessed one of the most tragic events in recent human history. More than one million people – overwhelmingly Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide – were systematically killed in less than three months. On the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda (7 April), we honour those who were murdered and reflect on the suffering of those who survived. To mark the anniversary, the Department of Global Communications and the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the United Nations are hosting a commemorative event.
States and private companies have obligations and responsibilities under international law and standards to prevent, address and mitigate the negative impact on human rights caused by arms transfers. However, there are several gaps between what States and the private sector should do and what they do in practice, with devastating consequences on civilians, rights activists say. As the world faces the highest number of conflicts since World War II, an increasing number of human rights advocates, lawyers and non-governmental organizations are turning to courts to compel States to prevent arms supplies that fuel human rights violations, and hold States and companies accountable.
The relatives of victims of summary executions, enforced disappearances and missing persons need to know what happened to them. The right to the truth implies knowing all the facts about the events that transpired, their circumstances, and who participated in them. Each year, the United Nations observes the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. The observance honors the memory of Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered in 1980. He was engaged in denouncing violations against the most vulnerable in El Salvador.
The death penalty has no place in the 21st century, affirms the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk citing its contribution to wrongful executions. Speaking at the Human Rights Council panel in Geneva, he highlighted the Global South's leadership in the movement to abolish capital punishment, driven by legal reforms and judicial interventions. Despite this progress, 2023 saw a 31% increase in executions, with 1,153 recorded in sixteen countries, primarily in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the U.S. Türk noted that over 40% of executions were for drug-related offenses, mostly in Iran. He stressed the judiciary's critical role in interpreting the law to favor abolition, referencing Malawi's and Malaysia's recent reforms.
One hundred and one UN personnel serving the world’s most vulnerable persons were arrested or detained in 2024, while fifty-two remain in detention. But that’s not the only threat UN personnel face, as they also suffer abductions, violence, harassment, detention, and more. As attacks on the UN workers keep growing, we call for their immediate release and safe return. The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members aims to mobilize action and demand justice to protect UN staff, peacekeepers, as well as our colleagues in the non-governmental community and the press.
Recognizing the atrocities of the transatlantic slave trade is crucial for confronting our history, repairing current injustices, and creating a future that respects dignity and fairness for everyone. It is essential to establish reparative justice measures that confront this past and its ongoing effects recalls the UN Secretary-General for the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (25 March). Today, the General Assembly commemorates the Day with Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature Wole Soyinka as keynote speaker. Watch live on UN WebTV.
In Kairouan, central Tunisia, a shelter established by women's human rights defenders provides protection, psychological care, medical consultations, and legal support for women and children who are survivors of gender-based and domestic violence. “Victims are given a safe space to be heard and assessed,” says director Manel Kochat. The center also focuses on economically empowering survivors through vocational training in skills like sewing, pastry-making, and hairdressing, helping them achieve self-sufficiency and escape the cycle of poverty and exploitation. On International Women’s Day, the UN Human Rights (OHCHR) recognized the efforts of women activists and feminist movements in the fight against violence towards women and girls.
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, education for girls over 12 has been banned, making Afghanistan the only country where girls cannot attend secondary school. This has affected around 1.5 million Afghan girls, with UNESCO warning that over 4 million could be impacted by 2030 if the ban continues. This setback reverses decades of progress, where girls' primary school enrollment rose from nearly zero in 2001 to 2.5 million in 2021. Even more concerningly, the restrictions are taking a toll on women and girls’ mental health. Despite this bleak situation, UNESCO has been funding and training Afghan media outlets to broadcast educational programs to approximately 17 million Afghans.
Islamophobia is the fear and hatred directed at Muslims, leading to hostility and intolerance, which can manifest as threats, harassment, and violence against individuals and places of worship. This rising bigotry includes racial profiling and discriminatory policies that infringe on human rights and dignity. On the International Day to Combat Islamophobia (15 March), the UN Secretary-General calls on everyone to cooperate to promote equality and human rights. By working together, we can build inclusive societies where individuals can coexist in peace and harmony, regardless of their faith.
UN Human Rights in Mexico supports climate-affected communities, advocating for international standards on housing, food, water, and reparation rights.
Communities are essential to the sustainability of the HIV response and the broader global health efforts, and they remain steadfast committed to their mission: ensuring that all people living with and affected by HIV are treated with dignity and respect. For this reason, on this year’s Zero Discrimination Day (1 March), UNAIDS calls on countries, donors and partners to fulfill their commitments to support communities as they work to build sustainable HIV responses. To meet 2030 HIV targets, sustained investment in community-led responses is crucial.