The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed on 21 March to combat racism and eliminate all forms of racial bias. This year’s theme focuses on “A Decade of Recognition, Justice, and Development: Implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent”. Martha Liliana Meza Castillo, a Colombian Black woman, sociologist, journalist, and human rights activist, promoted the International Decade to inform Afro-descendants about their rights and how they could be useful to them. Meza Castillo believes that the International Decade inspired the inclusion of an ethnic chapter in the negotiation of the peace accords in Colombia.

Three women human rights defenders and peacebuilders were honored by the UN Human Rights on International Women's Day. William Yuyada, Laila Alodaat, and Sara are supporting women and girls in their efforts for peace and have been working tirelessly to assist victims and their families and communities, identify the needs of women and marginalized groups, and much more. Their work is crucial in conflict settings, especially when women's voices are silenced or ignored.

Mary Harvey, Chief Executive of the Centre for Sports and Human Rights, highlights the intrinsic connection between sports and human rights values when sport is healthy and vibrant. With her extensive background as a former athlete on the USA women’s football team and her involvement in bringing the FIFA World Cup to North America in 2026, Harvey brings a unique perspective to the discussion.

“If we are trying to make human rights something that is more every day, sport provides that, that connection to people in an everyday way,” she said.

In an episode of the UN Human Rights Podcast, Harvey delves into the significance of sports in making human rights more accessible to people on a daily basis.

She emphasizes the power of sports as a platform for educating individuals about human rights in a relatable and everyday manner.

“It is a wonderful way to educate people about human rights and that makes it very relevant for everyone.” she concludes.

Photo: © Getty

Scott Campbell, a senior human rights officer at UN Human Rights, believes that while there is great potential in using AI and technology for good, we cannot rely on tech companies to do the right thing. Campbell urges both regulation and hard laws to carefully rein in tech companies to protect against potential human rights harms. He also encourages tech companies to apply the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to their policies and products. The UN Guiding Principles are the non-binding global standard for preventing and addressing the risk of adverse impacts on human rights involving business activity.

Every year, thousands of migrants are killed or disappear while attempting the perilous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border, making it one of the world's riskiest and deadliest land routes for migrants, human rights groups say. Many are forced to migrate to escape poverty, violence and human rights abuses. Faced with increasingly restrictive migration policies and limited opportunities for safe and regular migration, many resort to unsafe and irregular routes. UN Human Rights works with Member States, civil society organizations, national human rights institutions, migrants, families and other stakeholders to ensure access to justice and the protection of the human rights of all migrants.

A comprehensive data mapping exercise spearheaded by UN Human Rights in informal settlements in Serbia at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered that more than 30,000 Roma had little or no access to drinking water, over half lived without sewage services, and some 24,000 had limited or no electricity. The six-month effort identified 167,975 inhabitants in 702 Roma settlements and distributed 72,000 packages of essential food items, water, and protective gear to Roma households. The intervention strengthened Serbia’s capacity to gather and use data for broader Roma human rights and development efforts. As a result of this initiative, hundreds of Roma living in informal settlements now have safe drinking water.

For Iveth, the intersection of singing hip-hop and being a lawyer and human rights activist is seamless, as hip-hop's legacy of using music for protest and advocating change deeply influenced her perspective on social justice.

The stories of these young human rights champions serve as a source of inspiration, motivating others to take action and educate their communities on the importance of human rights.

Suamhirs Piraino-Guzman was 14 years old when he was trafficked from his native Honduras and smuggled by his captors into California. He was held prisoner and regularly drugged, alone in a dark and windowless room where he endured unimaginable suffering. Today, almost 20 years later, as an adult male survivor of child sexual exploitation and trafficking he has become an outspoken public advocate and an active member of survivors’ networks. He has also entered his second year as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. For 30 years, the Trust has been accompanying survivors by donating money to grassroots organizations that provide healthcare, shelter, food, legal aid, vocational training, education, income-generating activities and other support. In 2023, the Fund has aided more than 7,000 people.

The UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights is an honorary award given to individuals and organizations for outstanding achievement in human rights. It was established by the General Assembly in 1966 and has been awarded several times. The reward not only recognizes the accomplishments of the recipients but also supports human rights defenders worldwide. Among the 2023 recipients are an NGO from Belarus, an independent Center for Human Rights Studies from Jordan, a Global Coalition of civil society organizations and two human rights defenders from Uruguay and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk's message to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

The Marsh Arabs, the wetlands' indigenous population of Iraq, have fished and cultivated crops for 5,000 years, raising water buffaloes and building houses from reedbeds on floating reed islands at the place where the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers meet before flowing into the Gulf. But climate change, water pollution, oil exploration and the construction of upstream dams threaten the survival of this delicate ecosystem and its ancient Mesopotamian culture, which some trace back to the Sumerians. Jassim Al-Asadi, head of the leading conservation group Nature Iraq, warns that a drought, which is now in its fourth year, is turning vast areas of once flourishing wetlands and agricultural land into desert. As a result, salinity is rising in the shrinking channels and waterways, killing fish and making buffaloes sick.

The UN Human Rights Office recently announced the winners of the Second Edition of the International Art Contest for Minority Artists. The four winners of this year’s competition were Babatunde “Tribe” Akande, Bianca Batlle Nguema, Mehdi Rajabian and Karhoum Dembele. The theme of the contest was for minority artists to expose, explore, and address matters relating to intersectionality and compounded forms of discrimination through their artwork. “Within a minute of looking at each piece of art submitted this year, the reasons to continue the fight for the realization of minority rights is so obvious, just in front of our eyes,” said Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights and a judge for the contest.

The link between humans and the environment must be preserved, for the benefit of safeguarding our planet for present and future generations to come.

A growing generation of young human rights defenders are organizing themselves to hold governments and businesses accountable on climate change.