Human rights

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, observed on 25 November:

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), non-performing loans in Afghanistan’s credit market have increased from around 30 per cent at the end of 2020 to 57 per cent in September 2021.  As the massive withdrawal of savings continues, UNDP projects that the deposits’ base could shrink by as much as 40 per cent by year-end.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the third Appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, held today:

United Nations officials in Myanmar report worsening humanitarian conditions due to conflict, political instability and COVID-19 since the military seized control of the Government in February.  More than 230,000 people have been displaced since then, with food running desperately short in some host communities.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore voiced deep concern over reports that child marriage in Afghanistan is on the rise, with families offering daughters as young as 20 days old for future marriage in return for a dowry.  Some 28 per cent of Afghan women aged 15–49 were married before 18.

UNICEF released a report today showing there are nearly 240 million children with disabilities around the world, a new global approximation higher than previous estimates which considers symptoms of anxiety and depression, among other difficulties across several domains of functioning.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to the International Federation on Ageing’s fifteenth Global Conference on Ageing — “Rights Matter”, in Niagara Falls, Canada, today:

This year, to mark the anniversary of the November 1938 Pogrom, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme together with The Braid will host an online discussion about the moving theatrical performance titled “Stories from the Violins of Hope”.  The virtual discussion will take place on Thursday, 11 November 2021, at 1 p.m. New York time via Microsoft Webinar.

While many Member States praised the Human Rights Council for its inclusivity and focus on human rights emergencies in Afghanistan, Myanmar and elsewhere, others accused it of being selective in its monitoring and condemnation, as the General Assembly took up the intergovernmental body’s annual report today.

Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ opening remarks to the Global Ministerial Conference on Addressing Hate Speech through Education, held virtually today: