Special Rapporteurs presenting reports on the human rights situations in Belarus, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Eritrea, and the occupied Palestinian territories invited Governments to show political determination, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues on human rights today.
In progress at UNHQ
Human rights
Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohamed’s video message to the Thirteenth Atlanta Business and Human Rights Conference, convened by the International Organization of Employers, the United States Council for International Business and the Coca-Cola Company, today:
The General Assembly today elected 18 Member States to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe, and paid tribute to Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a former President of Algeria and of the Assembly during its twenty‑ninth session.
United Nations officials in Mali welcomed the Government’s pledge to reintegrate 13,000 former combatants by the end of 2021 and additional 13,000 within the next three years. They also praised willingness of the Malian parties to proceed with the socioeconomic reintegration of ex-combatants that are already registered.
Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message to the European Union Fundamental Rights Forum, in Vienna, being held from 11 to 12 October:
The World Health Organization (WHO) released the latest edition of its Mental Health Atlas, which cites a worldwide failure to provide people with the services they need. It comes as the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts continue to spotlight a growing need for mental health support in countries across the globe.
Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message to the Global Mental Health Summit: “Mind Our Rights, Now!”, in Paris, and held virtually today:
Following is UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ message to the Multi‑stakeholder Forum on Addressing Hate Speech through Education, in Paris today:
Following are Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the General Assembly commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, held today:
World leaders, gathering at United Nations Headquarters today, vowed to accelerate the fight against racism in their respective countries, also renewing their commitment to implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action – a landmark anti‑discrimination framework adopted 20 years ago.