UN Human Rights Council

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People walk past destroyed homes in Gaza

Submission to the U.N. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Application of the ICESCR in Situations of Armed Conflict

Outgoing UN Special Rapporteur finds that the destruction of housing in armed conflict is a "central and systemic" violation of international law.
Four men, one in civilian clothes and the others in uniforms of khaki pants, olive shirts and berets, stand and sit on plastic chairs at the left of the image next to a broad concrete stairway on the right, leading to a green-painted double wooden doorway at the top of the stairs. The mostly white building is trimmed in green and tan.

International Crimes and Human Rights Violations Against Muslims in BJP-Ruled Indian States Require Urgent Action

The international community must redouble efforts to press Indian authorities for accountability in growing violence and rights abuses against Muslims.
A woman looking towards the camera gestures to a woman standing in front of her across a desk in a room of similar desks, some arranged in a circle, where others are sitting and standing, apparently during a convening in a meeting room. On the desk is a lighted screen that says "Older Persons Day."

How Can a New International Treaty Address Older Persons’ Decision-Making Rights?

UN treaty talks on older persons’ rights must reconcile dementia-related risks, fragmented legal regimes, and disability-related reforms to ensure autonomy and protection.
A blue banner reads "#UNGA80" in large letters, and below that, it says, "At 80, the UN is upgrading to meet the moment."

The Results of UN80: Reform or Decline?

UN80’s promise of renewal risks fading into bureaucracy. The United Nations must reform honestly, protect its mission, and adapt to survive amid resurgent power politics.
Silhouette of President Donald Trump outside the White House in the evening.

The United States in Retreat

Whatever the modest cost-savings that are generated by this U.S. withdrawal from the multilateral system, the loss of long-term influence will be far greater.
Two Afghan women wearing, from left to right, a light blue and a darker blue burqa sit on the ground with baskets in front of them and what appears to be a more formal market stall behind them, in Mazar-i-Sharif on October 2, 2025. At the left of the photo next to the women is a wheelbarrow turned against a wall. (Photo by ATIF ARYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Walls of Silence, Crumbling Futures: Why the World Must Act on Afghanistan

The credibility of the U.N.'s human rights framework depends on whether it can confront a systematic experiment in gender oppression with more than statements of alarm.
Afghan women walk along a stone-laden street on the outskirts of Kabul on July 22, 2025. (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

What the Erosion of the International System Means for Afghanistan

The ongoing struggle of Afghanistan’s exiled democratic movement is a vital bulwark against a rising tide of authoritarianism and extremism.
view of a detention facility in Jiashi County in Kashgar Prefecture in China's northwestern Xinjiang region

In Argentina, a Bold Step for Global Justice: Holding the Chinese Government Accountable for Atrocities Against Uyghurs

A recent court decision in Argentina offers a source of hope to Uyghur victims seeking justice for Beijing's alleged atrocities in Xinjiang.
Counsellors from The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) talk with clients during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center on February 17, 2025 in Kampala, Uganda

U.S. Foreign Aid Cuts to Healthcare Trigger a Global Human Rights Crisis: How the World Must Respond

The U.N. Human Rights Council's current session offers a critical opening for leaders to address the health crisis spurred by U.S. funding cuts.
People take part in a protest in Trafalgar Square after marching through London ahead of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, on September 13, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Safeguarding Evidence: The Coalition that Preserved Content from Iran’s “Women, Life, Freedom” Protests

Woman, Life, Freedom victims and survivors have been asking the world for help. It is time to amplify their calls and turn these cries for justice into reality.
Chen Xu looks at his watch in front of a projector screen, standing beside an aide.

New Challenges to Xi Jinping’s Alternative Facts on Taiwan: Lessons for the Human Rights Space, Too

Democracies must challenge Beijing’s threats to the UN human rights system and its standards, as they are starting to do on Taiwan.
Supporters at the Move Forward Party (MFP) headquarters react after Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled that former MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat was to receive a decade-long ban and dissolve his party after challenging royal defamation laws, in Bangkok on August 7, 2024. The Constitutional Court in Bangkok voted on August 7 "unanimously" to dissolve the Move Forward Party and ban its executive board, which includes its former leader Pita Limjaroenrat, for 10 years, judge Punya Udchachon said.

Thailand’s Chance to Send the Right Signal

Will the General Assembly elect Thailand to a seat on the Human Rights Council despite the country's cascading decline in human rights protections and democratic freedoms?
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