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Saadah Hamood Ahmed Alhuamaidi
Reproductive Health
Advocating for inclusion via radio in Somalia
E. Roosevelt Human Rights Award 2019
Stand up for human rights

“It is my right to raise my voice. Do not underestimate me.”

Saadah, a visually impaired teenager, is a member of the Children’s Parliament of Yemen. She uses her voice to stand up for the rights of other visually impaired children in a country torn apart by war.
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Accelerating the world's promise of accountability for sexual and reproductive health and rights

At the Nairobi Summit to mark the 25th anniversary of the ground-breaking International Conference on Population and Development, the High Commissioner called for a “more explicit human rights approach, to hold ourselves and our Governments accountable”
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Advocating for Somali marginalised communities’ inclusion via radio

In a Somali society marked by clan-based divisions, inequalities & exclusions, marginalized communities’ activists strive for inclusion with a media campaign supported by the UN Human Rights & Protection Group.
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Chris Mburu, winner, 2019 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award

Right to education defender and former UN Human Rights staff, Chris Mburu, receives the 2019 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award.
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Stand up for human rights

Join us in promoting and defending human rights for everyone, everywhere. Stand up for human rights and take action for stronger respect, greater freedom and more compassion.
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News

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Israel: Expert welcomes ECJ ruling Expert applauds ruling by European Court of Justice which held that food products produced by Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory must indicate that they originate from a settlement, and not as a “product of Israel”.

Summit challenge The international community must prioritise women’s rights to meet 25-year-old promises on sexual and reproductive health, say more than 20 human rights experts ahead of a key summit in Nairobi.

Qatar detention Qatar needs a paradigm shift to guarantee people’s right to personal liberty and ensure judicial control over detention, UN experts find after a 10-day visit.

Cambodia: Kem Sokha UN expert welcomes end to house arrest of Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha. Calls for charges to be dropped.

Women’s Rights Committee UN women’s rights experts issue findings on Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Seychelles, which it examined during its session from 21 October to 8 November 2019

Civilians in Syria Civilians continue to pay a very high price in the ongoing hostilities in Syria. Dozens have been killed and injured in the largely separate situations occurring simultaneously in north-eastern and north-western Syria.

Iraq unrest Since October 1, we have documented 269 deaths and at least 8,000 others been injured. We urge investigations, clear instructions to security forces to abide by international norms on the use of force, and firm steps towards a meaningful dialogue.

Mauritania rape conviction The sentencing of a 30-year-old man for raping a 15-year old girl is an encouraging step for the Mauritanian Parliament to urgently relaunch the discussion a law against gender-based violence.

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International Conference on the Great Lakes The UN Human Rights Office signs an agreement with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region

Protests and unrest around the world There are common threads among many of the protests: populations that are fed up and angry, especially with socio-economic conditions, corruption, inequalities.

Bahamas deportations We are concerned about the deportation of 112 Haitian migrants from The Bahamas to Haiti, including people from the Abaco Islands, which were badly hit by the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian.

Turkey’s offensive in Syria UN Human Rights Office disturbed by reports of civilian casualties in Syria.

Afghanistan: Airstrike casualties UN Report finds “US Airstrikes on Alleged Drug-Processing Facilities” caused a large number of civilian casualties.

Egyptian protests Bachelet urges Egyptian authorities to respect the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

DRC: Increase in violence UN Human Rights Office calls on the DRC authorities, as a matter of urgency, to implement a serious security strategy to resolve the crises and protect civilians in Ituri and South Kivu.

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Gambia The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence will carry out an official visit to The Gambia from 20 to 27 November.

Mali The UN Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Mali, Alioune Tine, will visit the country from 19-28 November 2019.

Maldives mission UN Special Rapporteur on Torture visits the Maldives from 17 to 24 November 2019 to assess progress and identify challenges.

Qatar detention Qatar needs a paradigm shift to guarantee people’s right to personal liberty and ensure judicial control over detention, UN experts find after a 10-day visit.

Zimbabwe The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food will carry out a fact-finding visit to Zimbabwe from 18 to 28 November.

Cambodia: Kem Sokha UN expert welcomes end to house arrest of Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha. Calls for charges to be dropped.

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Human Rights Council forty-second regular session Human Rights Council to hold its forty-second regular session from 9 to 27 september 2019 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

2019 report of the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi The UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi raises red flags at the serious human rights violations committed in the pre-electoral climate

Myanmar experts call for justice for sexual assault victims Report finds Rohingya victims of brutal sexual violence remain without justice, as military continues its use in Kachin and Shan states.

Myanmar Experts expose military business ties, call for sanctions Report maps degree to which Myanmar’s military has used its own businesses, foreign companies and arms deals to support brutal operations against ethnic groups constituting serious crimes under international law.

HRC 41st session The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its forty-first regular session from 24 June to 12 July 2019 in Geneva.

Council closes fortieth session The Council concluded its fortieth regular session.

Council closes fortieth session The Council adopted five resolutions in which it extended two mandates.

Human Rights Council extends mandates The Council adopted 12 resolutions in which it, among other actions, decided to extend mandates.

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Committee Against Torture UN Committee Against Torture will meet in Geneva from 11 November to 6 December to review Burkina Faso, Cyprus, Latvia, Niger, Portugal, and Uzbekistan.

Spain: forced eviction case Spain violated a family’s right to housing by failing to weigh their vulnerability in an eviction, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights determined in a decision published on 30 October.

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights publishes findings on Denmark, Ecuador, Israel, Senegal, Slovakia, and Switzerland, which were reviewed in its latest session.

Women’s Rights Committee UN women’s rights experts will meet in Geneva from 21 October to 8 November to review Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, and Seychelles

Cabo Verde: End of visit UN torture prevention committee ends its first visit to Cabo Verde and encourages the Government to strengthen the recently established National Preventive Mechanism

Committee on Enforced Disappearances UN Committee publishes its findings on Bolivia and Slovakia, which were examined during its latest session from 30 September to 11 October

International Day of the Girl States must better protect and empower girls, UN human rights experts say in joint statement by the UN Women’s Rights Committee and the UN Child Rights Committee for the International Day of the Girl.

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Our priorities

Enhancing equality and countering discrimination

Strengthening the rule of law and accountability for human rights violations

Advancing sustainable development through human rights

Enhancing participation and protecting civic space

Increasing implementation of the outcomes of the human rights mechanisms

Preventing violations and strengthening protection of human rights

Resources

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Reproductive Health At the Nairobi Summit to mark the 25th anniversary of the ground-breaking International Conference on Population and Development, the High Commissioner called for a “more explicit human rights approach, to hold ourselves and our Governments accountable”

Health services in emergencies Sexual and reproductive health services need to be comprehensively and systematically delivered –including in situations of conflict, environmental disaster and humanitarian emergency

African descent In Nairobi, the High Commissioner calls for people to “come together and act as generations of women have done: take a powerful stand to uphold human rights”

African Descent regional meeting In Senegal, the High Commissioner called on young people of African descent to “raise awareness, learn and share their history, stand up for their rights and write their own stories”.

Human Rights Council The Council can play a pivotal role in tackling global human rights issues like inequality, mass migration, climate change and the digital revolution, the High Commissioner notes at a retreat in Senegal.

Human rights solutions As a new global and digital landscape comes into sharper focus, the challenges we face are tightly intertwined, the High Commissioner told students at Harvard's Kennedy School – and they require a coherent approach that is principled, grounded in a very broad consensus, and which has demonstrated its value for decades.

Human rights in the digital age The international human rights framework provides a concrete, legal foundation on which States and firms can build their responses in the digital age, says UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet.

Child death inequalities Broad disparities in child mortality can be solved with comprehensive, human rights based policies, High Commissioner Bachelet writes in Nature magazine

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Standing up for your rights

A collection of 16 stories highlighting the impact of our work around the world

Annual appeal 2018

Annual appeal 2018

Protecting LBGTi people

Living Free and Equal: Tackling Violence and Discrimination against LGBTi People

Human rights info. for Parliamentarians

Human Rights: Handbook for Parliamentarians (co-published with IPU)

Traditional justice in Africa

Human Rights and Traditional Justice Systems in Africa

National mechanisms for reporting and follow-up

NMRF: A Practical Guide to Effective State Engagement with International Human Rights Mechanisms

Right to development

FAQs on the Right to Development

Human rights and government budgets

Realizing Human Rights through Government Budgets

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Committee against Torture / 68th Session From: 11-11-2019
To: 06-12-2019
Palais Wilson 1st

Sub-Committee on Prevention of Torture / 39th Session From: 18-11-2019
To: 22-11-2019
Palais Wilson Gr

Working Group on Arbitrary Detention / 86th Session From: 18-11-2019
To: 22-11-2019
Palais des Nations Room XXVII

Forum on Business and Human Rights / 8th Session From: 25-11-2019
To: 27-11-2019
Palais des Nations Room XX

Working Group on the use of mercenaries / 38th Session From: 25-11-2019
To: 29-11-2019
Palais des Nations Room XXIII

Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery / 24th Session From: 25-11-2019
To: 29-11-2019
Palais des Nations Room XXVII

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination / 100th Session From: 25-11-2019
To: 13-12-2019
Palais Wilson Gr

Forum on Minority Issues / 12th Session From: 28-11-2019
To: 29-11-2019
Palais des Nations Room XX

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UN Charter Body Database

Search for documents and information pertaining to UN Charter-based human rights bodies, including the Human Rights Council and Special Procedures.

Universal Periodic Review

Access information and documents about states that were part of the periodic review of the human rights. It includes documents submitted by countries themselves, UN agencies and external parties.

National Human Rights Institutions Website

Find information on National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and the International Coordinating Committee for National Human Rights Institutions (ICC).

Universal Human Rights Index

Access country-specific human rights recommendations and information emanating from international human rights mechanisms in the UN system: the Treaty Bodies, the Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Database

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Anti-discrimination Database

Search for information, policies and measures taken at the international, regional and national levels to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Human Rights Education and Training Database

Search worldwide for institutions, programmes and materials that aim to foster human rights education and training.

Jurisprudence Database

Access jurisprudence emanating from the United Nations Treaty Bodies that receive and consider complaints from individuals.

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