Read on to remain up to date with the latest international human rights news, views and developments!
Women human rights defenders working at the intersection of gender, climate and conflict gathered in Geneva for the Women Human Rights Defenders Advocacy Week from 21 to 25 September 2026 for a week of solidarity, learning and exchange.
At the Human Rights Council's session, 47 States jointly denounced the dismantling of democracy in Nicaragua, while UN experts presented new evidence of systematic repression, enforced disappearance and deaths in State custody.
The Human Rights Council has renewed the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan for another year, maintaining dedicated scrutiny of the rights of women and girls. ISHR welcomes the renewal and calls on States to make sure the new Independent Investigative Mechanism for Afghanistan is up and running without delay.
Organisations delivered a joint statement calling on States to move towards drug policies based on harm reduction, human rights, an ethnic-racial approach.
At the Human Rights Council's 63rd session, 185 civil society organisations urged States to reaffirm their commitment to the UN treaty bodies, warning that chronic underfunding and the liquidity crisis threaten the system's ability to protect rights-holders.
On this day, five years ago, the UN Human Rights Council’s recognised the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. ISHR calls on States to protect the defenders who help advance this right.
Seventeen civil society organisations presented a joint statement urging UN Member States to ensure the General Assembly's Third Committee improves quality, accessibility and effectiveness of its human rights work. Read the full statement below.
A quart of a century after its launch, civil society continues to mobilise around the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
At the 63rd Human Rights Council session, civil society organisations shared reflections on key outcomes and highlighted gaps in addressing crucial issues and situations.
The Human Rights Council renewed the mandates of its Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela and of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor human rights in the country, at a time when global scrutiny is more needed than ever to ensure reforms respect and protect human rights.
This briefing highlights ISHR’s key priorities at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA81). At UNGA81, States must defend the integrity and effectiveness of the international human rights system amid growing political and financial pressures. ISHR’s priorities for the Third Committee include strengthening protection for human rights defenders, countering reprisals and transnational repression, resisting rollbacks on gender equality, SRHR and SOGI, and safeguarding adequately resourced UN human rights mechanisms. The briefing also highlights country situations requiring principled action, including China and Nicaragua, and opportunities for civil society engagement throughout the session.
In March 2025, the GANHRI accreditation body gave India's National Human Rights Commission one year to comply with the Paris Principles. Meanwhile, police still investigate police, appointments lack transparency and pluralism, civil society is sidelined, and serious violations go unaddressed. As such, ISHR urges a downgrade at November's review.
