Source: United Nations (video statements)
We are in the ‘final stretch’ for the UN treaty to protect marine biodiversity in areas that are not within individual States’ jurisdiction the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, BBNJ Treaty, says Under‑Secretary‑General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Elinor Hammarskjöld.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
I’m someone who has felt every kind of pain that girls in my country experience." Fatima Amiri survived the deadly 2022 Kaaj education centre bombing in Kabul. We follow her as she takes her story to the UN Human Rights Council and demands action, as the forum creates a new mechanism to document abuses in Afghanistan – not least the denial of women’s rights.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
I’m here at the Human Rights Council because everybody needs to hear our stories of being Rohingya”. The Myanmar military’s persecution of the country’s people is a matter of deep concern for the UN Human Rights Council. We hear from Rohingya activist Noor Aziza who urges stronger protection for targeted communities like her own.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Young people have been at the forefront of social movements and social change in safeguarding, protecting and promoting human rights." Here’s how youth advocate Palak Rau from the Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund (SAIH) and the Human Rights Council work together to empower young people committed to shaping a better world.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The message that we have here in Geneva for world leaders is clear: we have to act and we have the tools to act.” The Human Rights Council is a key partner in the global push for urgent, inclusive and sustainable climate action. Through its resolutions, special rapporteurs and input from Member States and civil society representatives including The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)’s Francesca Mingrone, the Council’s work also highlights the need to protect vulnerable communities and biodiversity.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Four powerful 90-second films featuring civil society representatives to highlight the value of the Council in taking action to defend the rights of women (Afghanistan), investigate abuses against minorities (Myanmar), protecting young people and on the issue of climate change. Produced in partnership with the European Union
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Four powerful 90-second films featuring civil society representatives to highlight the value of the Council in taking action to defend the rights of women (Afghanistan), investigate abuses against minorities (Myanmar), protecting young people and on the issue of climate change. Produced in partnership with the European Union
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Four powerful 90-second films featuring civil society representatives to highlight the value of the Council in taking action to defend the rights of women (Afghanistan), investigate abuses against minorities (Myanmar), protecting young people and on the issue of climate change. Produced in partnership with the European Union
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Four powerful 90-second films featuring civil society representatives to highlight the value of the Council in taking action to defend the rights of women (Afghanistan), investigate abuses against minorities (Myanmar), protecting young people and on the issue of climate change. Produced in partnership with the European Union
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The United Nations’ newly appointed Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide issues a stark warning that the world is witnessing an alarming erosion of respect for international law, with conflicts increasingly targeting civilians and heightening the risk of atrocity crimes.
Despite the gravity of his mandate, the Special Adviser remains focused on diplomacy and prevention over public condemnation.
Mr. Chaloka Beyani of Zambia was appointed Special Adviser of the Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide at the Under- Secretary-General level in August 2025.
He is an international expert on internally-displaced persons, population transfers, mercenaries and private military companies, sexual and reproductive health, human rights-based approach to development and climate change, having served as Legal Adviser to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner on Refugees, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Development Fund for Women, the European Union, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the African Union.
Mr. Beyani holds a Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford, UK (1992), as well as a Master of Laws and a Bachelor of Laws, University of Zambia (1984, 1982).
