Human Rights Spotlight
Building human rights into ‘corporate DNA’
August 2010: NHRIs are invited to contribute to the development of Guiding Principles for implementing the ‘protect, respect, remedy’ framework on business and human rights challenges.
New index offers 'multidimensional' picture of poverty
July 2010: UNDP and Oxford University have launched a new approach to measuring poverty levels which they believe could help target development resources more effectively.
Regional cooperation vital in curbing human trafficking
June 2010: Trafficking in persons remains one of the fastest growing criminal activities in the world and the role of regional organisations in fighting it cannot be underestimated, says the UN Special Rapporteur.
Countries agree on roadmap to curb child labour
May 2010: Despite social reforms that have gathered pace over the past decade, more than 200 million boys and girls around the world remain locked in child labour and a staggering 115 million suffer its worst forms.
Special Rapporteur releases global study on torture
April 2010: The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture says the conditions in which the vast majority of the world’s 10 million prisoners and detainees are held are “appalling”.
Narrowing the Asia Pacific’s gender gap
March 2010: A major UN report says that women in the region experience some of the lowest rates of political representation, employment and property ownership in the world.
Making Pacific communities more resilient
The impact of the global financial crisis in the Pacific cannot be fully addressed unless gender equality is integrated into all policy responses.
Journalists under fire in 2009
January 2010: Wars and elections constituted the chief threat to journalists in 2009, according to a review published by Reporters without Borders.
Battle against hunger can be won with right policies
November 2009: While the number of hungry people stands at a record one billion, the battle against hunger can be won with the right policies, investment and political will, says the UN.
Climate change creating deadlier disasters
October 2009: Climate change is contributing to more frequent and deadlier natural disasters and governments need to speed up measures to mitigate their impact, says a senior UN representative.
Independent body needed to represent Indigenous Australians
September 2009: A new organisation to represent Australia’s Indigenous people should be an independent private body headed by elected representatives, says the country’s Social Justice Commissioner.
Global survey highlights key challenges for NHRIs
August 2009: An OHCHR survey has found that national human rights institutions around the world face significant challenges to ensure their independence and effectiveness.
Violence against Afghan women widespread and unpunished
July 2009: A new UN report documents the extensive and increasing level of violence directed at Afghan women taking part in public life, as well as the “widespread occurrence” of rape.
NHRIs join forces to tackle abuse of workers
June 2009: Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission, along with other NHRIs in the region, is stepping up cooperation with regional partners to improve protection for migrant workers from abuse and mistreatment.
Improving food security in the Asia Pacific
May 2009: Any recovery from the current economic crisis will be incomplete if the related food crisis is not addressed, a new UN study has concluded.
