Human rights

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:

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.

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.