Feature stories
2013
2013 United Nations Human Rights Prize
Every five years, the UN Human Rights Prize is an award given to individuals and organizations in recognition of outstanding achievement in human rights. This year’s awards will be presented during a special ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York on 10 December (Human Rights Day). It will also mark the 20th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and the establishment of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
09-12-2013
The Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Mexico
A report launched earlier this year by the UN Human Rights Office in Mexico provides an update on the situation of human rights defenders in the country.
04-11-2013
Working for a more inclusive policy towards migrant Roma in France
The UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe works with civil society organizations and the French Government to change the policy of forced evictions of migrant Roma in France.
18-10-2013
Human Rights history: a journey through the past 20 years
The UN Human Rights Office launched today a website on the 20th Anniversary of the Office and an interactive timeline of key events in the human rights field in the past 20 years.
11-10-2013
Vienna+20: A new vision for human rights
The Vienna+20 high-level event, held at the United Nations in New York, brought together Presidents, Ministers, civil society, the Deputy Secretary-General and, for the first time ever, two former and the current UN Human Rights Chiefs, to reflect on the human rights progress over the past 20 years and the way forward.
01-10-2013
Post-2015 development agenda must be inclusive of the rights of persons with disabilities
A high level side event at the United Nations in New York provided an interactive forum for promoting a post-2015 development agenda that is accessible and inclusive of persons with disabilities.
25-09-2013
“Unspeakable atrocities” reported by the UN Inquiry into the Human Rights Situation in North Korea
The chair of the UN inquiry investigating human rights in North Korea has called on the global community to respond to a situation which indicates a large-scale pattern of abuse that may constitute systematic and gross human rights violations.
17-09-2013
A new electronic database helps eradicate racial discrimination
A new database, developed by the UN Human Rights Office, illustrates existing measures and practices to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the international, regional and national levels.
16-09-2013
Modern slavery: victims' rehabilitation depends on the UN Trust Fund's financial sustainability
The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery is facing a dramatic decrease in annual voluntary contributions, which impacts on its ability to assist victims of modern slavery.
12-09-2013
Migration: human stories that mirror rising global inequalities
In the lead-up to a summit on migration at the UN General Assembly in New York, Pillay urges a switch in approach by policy makers from one which frames the movement of millions annually as an economic and political phenomenon to one which is based on universal agreement that every person is entitled to the full range of human rights.
04-09-2013
Rajani Maharjan: campaigning for social change for the Newar people in Nepal
Indigenous Rights defender Rajani Maharjan from Kathmandu, Nepal, is working to protect the rights of the Newar people.
30-08-2013
Achieving equality for women in Tunisia
Women and men in Tunisia’s far-flung regions react positively to a campaign promoting the equal rights of women.
23-08-2013
A woman’s mission to eliminate the tradition of FGM in her Kenyan community
Female Genital Mutilation is a traditional ritual afflicting millions of girls worldwide. Nice Nailantei Lengete is working towards eliminating the harmful practice of FGM/C in her Masaai community in Kenya.
21-08-2013
Threatening the rights of LGBT persons in Eastern Europe
At a recent meeting in Kiev, participants expressed concern at the human rights impact of new laws in Eastern Europe, which threaten basic rights of LGBT people.
14-08-2013
Alma Grace Barla: defending the rights of tribal women in India
Indigenous Fellow Alma Grace Barla promotes the empowerment and socio-economic development of tribal women in India.
12-08-2013
Women’s rights in political transitions
A group of leading human rights advocates share their views on political transitions and women’s enjoyment of their rights in their respective countries at an event organized by the UN Human Rights Office.
07-08-2013
Lebanon: a Code of Conduct to recruit migrant domestic workers
A newly-lunched Code of Conduct provides guidance to recruiting agencies on promoting and protecting the rights of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon.
29-07-2013
Free and Equal: a new global public education campaign against homophobia and transphobia
The UN Human Rights Office officially launches Free & Equal—an unprecedented global public education campaign to promote greater respect for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people everywhere.
26-07-2013
Access to justice for indigenous peoples
A major new study finds indigenous peoples are more likely to be the victims of crime, to come into contact with police, be charged with offences and to serve time.
24-07-2013
Migrant workers: their right to health care
The Special Rapporteur on the right to health says many of the more than a hundred million migrants who leave their countries every year have little or no access to medical help of any kind.04-07-2013
The Vienna+20 conference looks to the future of the global human rights movement for the next two decades
Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay calls on the global human rights community to stick with the hard-won fundamentals already in place and strive to bridge the implementation gap.
28-06-2013
Vienna+20 – the future of human rights
The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action agreed at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 has been described as one of the landmark documents of the twentieth century. The global human rights movement reviews progress since and assesses the future.
27-06-2013
UN disability rights body confirms that equal access to banking services should be granted to all
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issues an unprecedented decision on a case involving two visually impaired complainants against Hungary.
16-05-2013
UN Human Rights Prize 2013
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is seeking nominations for the 2013 UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights. Nominations can be sent from a variety of sources: Member States, SA, NGOs and from other appropriate sources.
03-05-2013
Ending abusive practices against people with mental disabilities in Moldova
Procedures that deprive people with mental or intellectual disabilities of their legal capacity put them in a situation of excessive vulnerability to abuse, according to a study on the guardianship system in Moldova.
29-04-2013
Equality in family relations: recognizing women’s rights to property
During its 54th session, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted a General Recommendation on how to protect women’s equal rights to property in or after the dissolution of marriage or similar relationships.
19-04-2013
Breaking barriers to equal access to work for persons with disabilities
“The right to work is a fundamental human right that is inseparable from human dignity”, said UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay at the annual interactive panel on human rights and persons of disabilities.16-04-2013
20 years working for human rights
Two decades on from the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, the international community recalls it as a ‘milestone’ in the development of the global human rights movement.
28-02-2013