Access to information is the bridge that allows citizens to demand justice, journalists to expose corruption, and communities to secure basic services.

10 June 2025 - Persons with disabilities continue to face persistent barriers in daily life - limited access to education and employment, discrimination, and exclusion from decision-making. While progress has been made since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the pace of change remains far too slow.

Visitors are meant to pass through the Ark of Return—the Permanent Memorial in Honour of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade—to intimately experience three primary elements addressing the past, present and future.

The status of women has improved significantly since the first Beijing conference in 1995, yet there is still much work to be done to achieve true equality.

Today, genocidal and other atrocity violence occurs in all corners of the globe, largely unabated and with near-total impunity. Even in places that do not make headlines, individuals and communities are targeted for identity-based discrimination and violence. 

International solidarity is a principle that recalls the responsibility of States, international organizations, corporations and civil society to strengthen the enjoyment of human rights and peace by everyone through transnational networks of communication.

Together, we can ensure that generative AI is used appropriately, and that its benefits are achieved without endangering information integrity and human rights. 

The direction of the work of the United Nations in the coming months and years will focus on how our institution can better address peace and security, sustainable development and human rights for all, including future generations.

Thankfully, the Government of Timor-Leste, United Nations agencies and civil society organizations all acknowledge the scope of child labour and its deep-rooted causes. This means that there is a great opportunity for different institutions in Timor-Leste to work together towards change.

The international community, led by the United Nations, can continue to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome by addressing stereotypes and misconceptions.