The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning heard from civil society organizations from the United Kingdom, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Angola. Non-governmental organizations from the United Kingdom highlighted the severe impact of the cuts in social…

High-level Dignitaries from Switzerland, Viet Nam and Azerbaijan Address the Council The Human Rights Council this morning opened its thirty-second regular session, hearing an address by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in which he updated the Council on the…

GENEVA (Issued as received) – The United Nations Working Group of Experts of People of African Descent today expressed alarm over reports of violence toward people of African descent in Colombia, and called on the authorities to take concrete and urgent measures to protect the Afro-Colombian…

The Human Rights Council this afternoon marked its tenth anniversary by holding a high-level panel discussion, reflecting on its achievements and challenges. Choi Kyong-lim, President of the Human Rights Council, in his opening remarks, said that since its first session 10 years ago, the Council’…

On 25 May 2016, Côte d'Ivoire joined the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Protocol I on Non-detectable Fragments, Protocol II on Mines, Booby-traps and Other Devices, Protocol III on Incendiary Weapons and Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War. Ambassador Tehmina Janjua of…

The Secretary-General condemns the abhorrent attack carried out on 12 June in Idlib city, Syria, which hit a vegetable market and the only bakery in the area. The apparent air strike took place while a ceasefire stipulated in the Four Towns Agreement, which covers Idlib city, had reportedly been…

Ahmad Fawzi, United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing attended by spokespersons for the United Nations Refugee Agency, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the United…

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights today concluded its consideration of the initial report of Burkina Faso on its implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Introducing the report, Bessolé René Bagoro, Minister of…

On 20 May 2016, Montenegro joined the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW Protocol V). Ambassador Henk Cor van der…

Zhanar Aitzhanova, the new Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented her credentials to Michael Møller, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva. Prior to her appointment to Geneva, Ms. Aitzhanova had been serving as Minister…