News headlines for “Human Rights Issues”, page 20
Women’s leadership role in peace and security issues ‘going in reverse’, UN chief warns
- UN News

More women must have a role in shaping peace agreements, security reforms and post-conflict recovery plans, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Monday.
We are not powerless in face of Gaza, West Bank, Ukraine atrocities, insists UNHCR chief
- UN News

The head of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on Monday took aim at the “deliberate abandonment” of the laws of war today, while rejecting the idea that the international community is powerless in the face of ongoing violations.
India’s Durga Puja, where worship meets social change
- UN News

India’s eastern state of Bengal transformed this week into the world’s largest public art festival - an immersive blend of worship, artistic expression, and social messaging, thanks to an annual Hindu festival known as Durga Puja.
Afghanistan: Ban on Girls’ Education Linked to Rise in Forced and Child Marriage
- Inter Press Service

KABUL, October 3 (IPS) - After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, they banned girls’ education beyond the sixth grade. Human rights groups say the policy is a major driver of the rise in underage and forced marriages involving Afghan girls.
Mali’s Blocked Transition: Five Years of Deepening Authoritarianism
- Inter Press Service

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, October 3 (IPS) - When Mali’s former Prime Minister Moussa Mara stood trial in Bamako’s cybercrime court on 29 September, charged with undermining state authority for expressing solidarity with political prisoners on social media, his prosecution represented far more than one person’s fate. It epitomised how thoroughly the military junta has dismantled Mali’s democratic foundations, five years after seizing power with promises of swift reform.
More than 42,000 Gazans Suffer Life-Changing Injuries as Health System Nears Collapse
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, October 3 (IPS) - In recent months, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has sharply deteriorated, with escalating hostilities driving mass civilian displacement and overwhelming the already fragile healthcare system, pushing it to the brink of collapse. UN officials are warning that thousands of civilians have been left with life-altering injuries without treatment.
Justice for Palestinians Can’t Wait for a Peace Deal
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, October 3 (IPS) - The calamitous situation in Gaza, with Palestinian civilians facing extermination and ethnic cleansing by Israeli forces, was a major focus of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) high-level week. Along with recognition of the state of Palestine by France, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, among others, states made key commitments on human rights and accountability that were overwhelmingly adopted by the UNGA and now need to be fulfilled.
Israel, Gaza, and the Erosion of International Order
- Inter Press Service

WASHINGTON DC, October 3 (IPS) - As a world leader and beneficiary of the international system, the United States should be at the forefront of efforts to enforce rules and laws to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, protect civilians in conflict, and block weapons transfers to states that engage in war crimes or genocide.
Weaving Wisdom and Science: Pacific Voices Call for Ocean Protection
- Inter Press Service

HONIARA, Solomon Islands, October 3 (IPS) - In the packed conference hall of the Heritage Hotel, the sound of Pacific voices filled the air—not just through speeches, but in song, rhythm, and poetry. The Dreamcast Theatre Performing Arts group opened the Second Pacific Island Ocean Conference with an evocative performance, reminding leaders and practitioners why they had gathered: to listen. To listen to science. To listen to communities. To listen to the ocean itself.
Cosmic girls: UN nurtures next generation of space professionals
- UN News

Nuriya Maharjan first became interested in space exploration during a traditional coming-of-age ritual in which young girls of Nepal’s Indigenous Newar tribe emerge from 12 days of darkness to symbolically marry the sun.
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