Health and Human Rights News
Week ending 18 October 2025
Financial support urged for UN
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk called on governments to support the UN and its Human Rights Office. Referring to the liquidity crisis in the UN, and conflicts raging around the world, he said, “Financial choices reveal underlying values—right now, we need to move from lip-service to concrete support. Human rights—and the UN Human Rights Office—need full-scale financial, political and strategic support.”
Türk: Climate emergency is a wake-up call for participatory governance
The climate crisis is a profound human rights issue, and embracing human rights could guide the world to a more sustainable future, said UN Human Rights chief, Volker Türk during the first day of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. Mr. Türk envisaged three actions to reach this goal: an open civic space; budgets anchored in human rights; and a concerted push at the global level for effective global action and justice.
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EU countries export banned pesticides
New data reveals that EU countries are increasing their exports of pesticides banned in the EU. Regulators have ruled the pesticides pose unacceptable risks to the environment and human health, including links to cancer, infertility, miscarriage, fetal development, neurological diseases, and death. Human Rights Watch and 14 other organizations have sent letters urging the European Commission to halt these exports, mainly to low- and middle-income countries.
See also:
Human Rights Perspective on Pesticide Exposure and Poisoning in Children: A Case Study of India, Leah Utyasheva and Lovleen Bhullar, Volume 23/2, December 2021
Antibiotic resistance keeps rising
The World Health Organization Global antibiotic resistance surveillance report 2025 notes that antibiotic resistance continues to rise. “Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. Antibiotic resistance is highest in the WHO South-East Asian and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, where 1 in 3 reported infections are resistant. In the African Region, 1 in 5 infections are resistant. Resistance is also more common and worsening in places where health systems lack capacity to diagnose or treat bacterial pathogens.
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WHO: Services and policies needed for neurological services
Neurological conditions affect more than 40% of the world’s population and cause more than 11 million deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization Global status report on neurology. WHO is calling for plans and resources to provide timely, quality neurological services and for governments to address this public health threat urgently.
WHO-EU partnership on digital health systems
The World Health Organization and the European Union will expand the Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) in sub-Saharan Africa. The system enables countries to securely and reliably verify nationally approved digital health credentials across borders. GDHCN supports countries to build digital health systems that provide secure, portable health records accessible wherever they travel, including during health emergencies. WHO says the partnership is also expected to improve pandemic preparedness.
Human Rights and Digital Health Technologies Nina Sun, Kenechukwu Esom, Mandeep Dhaliwal, and Joseph J. Amon, Volume 22/2, December 2020
WHO upgrades its early detection system
The World Health Organization has upgraded its Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system, which identifies and monitors public health emergencies globally. The update incorporates new data sources and improved functionalities, including the use of artificial intelligence. Hosted at the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, EIOS is the world’s leading initiative for open-source intelligence for public health decision-making. It helps public health teams detect and respond to potential threats daily by analyzing large volumes of publicly available information in near real time.
Climate change increases inequality in Bangladesh
Discrimination against Dalit sanitation workers in Bangladesh is worsening as the climate crisis is impeding access to water and sanitation and deepening inequalities, according to a report from Amnesty International. “Dalit women sanitation workers face heightened challenges around their descent-based identity, health, safety, dignity and privacy when access to water and sanitation is further restricted due to climate-induced disasters,” the report explains. “Despite their essential contributions at the frontline of post-disaster recovery efforts, they continue to face systemic discrimination and are rarely included in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) or disaster risk mitigation frameworks.”
Protests in Ecuador as health and social funds reduced
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa is cracking down on protestors who are wanting his government to reverse the latest reduction of the state budget for health, education, and social security, and to reinstate the 5000 state employees, including public health workers. The People’s Health Movement reports that the billionaire president has also raised value-added tax and fuel prices while forgiving the tax debts of big companies, including that of his own family.
Communities transforming health in South Africa
Members of community-based health forums across South Africa are tackling everything from local clinic accountability to climate change, with a firm commitment to equity, dignity, and justice, report the People’s Health Movement. “What these forums collectively demonstrate is that health cannot be separated from the broader context in which people live. From unsafe environments and medication management to climate change, identity documents, and policy advocacy, Health Forums are addressing the real and complex challenges facing their communities.”
See also:
HHR forthcoming special section in December: Exploring Innovative and Effective Accountability Arrangements and the Right to Health, Guest editors: Paul Hunt and Anuj Kapilashrami
Events and Courses
Webinar: Genocide in Gaza, Two Years On: Are We Entering a New Phase?
People’s Health Movement, Sunday October 19, 2025, @ 2 pm UTC
Webinar: Understanding genocide through a public health lens: Perspectives from Gaza
FXB Center, October 22, 2025 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm EST
Registration: https://fxb.harvard.edu/blog/calendar_event/genocide-public-health-lens-perspectives-from-gaza/
Panel: ‘Public Health and Human Rights: New Tensions and Synergies.’
Joseph J. Amon and Payal Shah at International Law Society, October 25 @ 10:30 AM EST
Registration: https://www.ila-americanbranch.org/ilw-2025-registration/
The G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training Program 2026 is now inviting applications for the course held at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University. 1-5 June, 2026; Applications close: 1 December 2025
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