UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

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A Sri Lankan demonstrator holds a portrait of a missing relative during a protest outside the United Nations office in Colombo on March 13, 2013.

Tamils – and Justice – Can’t Wait: The Need for Decisive UN Action on Sri Lanka

The credibility of the Human Rights Council and the UN system, given its “grave failure” in the past, depends on accountability for Sri Lanka’s atrocities.
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa addresses the nation as Airforce Chief Sumangala Dias, Army Chief Shavendra Silva, Navy Chief Piyal De Silva look on during the Sri Lanka's 72nd Independence Day celebrations in Colombo on February 4, 2020.

US Can Restore Leadership on Human Rights by Promoting Accountability in Sri Lanka

The Biden administration should press the UN Human Rights Council for action and impose its own measures, including further sanctions.
UN human rights chief Navi Pillay speaks to reporters at a Sri Lankan hotel in Colombo on August 25, 2013.

Former UN High Commissioner Pillay Says It’s Time for the Human Rights Council to Act on Sri Lanka

She notes the Sri Lankan government has made clear that it has no intention of pursuing accountability for atrocities committed during the civil war.
Government supporters hold cutouts of portraits of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa during a march outside the U.N. office in Colombo on March 15, 2012.

The Human Rights Council Must Establish an Accountability Mechanism for Sri Lanka’s Victims

The record is abundantly clear that the country’s domestic mechanisms lack effectiveness and credibility. This is a gap that the UN uniquely can fill.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres virtually delivers his Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (July 17-24)

(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
General Assembly Seventy-third session High-level plenary meeting to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the International Labour Organization. Vice President held virtually.

The UN Cannot Live on Past Laurels: The Time for Courageous Leadership on Anti-Black Racism Is Now

The U.N. and its specialized agencies must take action to redress anti-Black racism within and beyond its institutional walls.
A socially distanced UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (July 10-17)

(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam is seen on a giant screen remotely addressing the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's 44th session on June 30, 2020 in Geneva.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (June 26-July 2)

(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
The president of the Human Rights Council, Austrian Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, wearing a protective facemask attends a press conference during the resuming of a UN Human Rights Council session after it interruption in March over the coronavirus pandemic on June 15, 2020 in Geneva.

The UN Should Establish a Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racism and Law Enforcement in the United States

A strong call from the U.N. Special Expert on Contemporary Forms of Racism, professor E. Tendayi Achiume.
UNIFIL soldiers stand in a field with a UN flag as they watch an Israeli army complete routine maneuvers (Israeli army not shown).

National Security at the United Nations This Week (May 29-June 5)

(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres prepares for a virtual press hearing at a desk with a blue backdrop behind him with the United Nations logo.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (April 25-May 1)

(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…
A flooded street in the southern city of Aden, on April 22, 2020.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (April 18-24)

The latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security, human rights, and the rule…
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