UN officials expressed grave concern over a sharp rise in hate speech and populism, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) began discussing racism and self-determination today, amid demands for colonization reparations and alarm over the threat of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara, Palestine and Kashmir.
Ensuring greater participation of people with disabilities and tackling inequities in food and nutrition were among concerns addressed in briefings to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates also engaged in interactive dialogues on the freedom of religious belief, the rights of minorities and the protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Special rapporteurs and independent experts addressing human rights situations in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Ethiopia, Burundi, and Eritrea defended their methods and mandates amid a chorus of opposition during interactive dialogues today with the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), while they warned of severe human rights violations, war crimes and disappearing civic space in those countries.
The raging war in Gaza is the latest symptom of the international community’s epic failure to address decades of Israel’s illegality and impunity, the expert tasked with monitoring human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates also engaged in interactive dialogues on the human rights situations in Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia.
The plight of internally displaced persons and human rights implications of foreign debt were among concerns addressed in briefings to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates also discussed the human rights situations in the Central African Republic, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Myanmar.
Special mandates holders called for domicide, starvation as a war tactic, and poverty wages to be classified as war crimes and rights violations, while delegates also sounded an alarm over terrorist threats to civilian populations in Israel and Palestine, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its series of dialogues on human rights today.
As the global environmental crisis inflicts despair on millions of people worldwide, States must implement and enforce stronger climate and environmental laws, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today, as they also engaged in a series of interactive dialogues on equitable order, coercive unilateral measures and the right to safe drinking water.
Yesterday’s attack on the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, which resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, delegates told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as they also engaged in a series of interactive dialogues on the right to education, cultural rights and the impact of climate change on persons with albinism.
Delegates called on each other to address recent and long-standing conflicts, condemning human rights abuses and violations, including civilian population transfer, ethnic cleansing, and incitement to hatred, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its discussion of the promotion and protection of human rights today.
Enforced disappearances are becoming frequent and sophisticated amid a lack of coordinated investigation in parts of the world, United Nations experts told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates also discussed steps to safeguard the rights of an increasing number of migrants, on the move globally, as conflicts and climate change add to longstanding economic drivers of migration.
