Health and Human Rights News
News to 30 October 2026
UN finds deliberate persecution of children in Palestine
A UN Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israeli authorities have committed the crime against humanity of persecution against Palestinian children. The report states that the recurrence and widespread nature of attacks demonstrate that the harm inflicted on children is not incidental or collateral, but forms part of a pattern of repeated intentional violence against Palestinian children committed with impunity and without effective remedy or redress.
See also: Ghummeida: Outdoor Play in a Militarized Zone, Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian and Razzan Quran, Volume 24/2, December 2022
CEDAW addresses gender stereotypes in all health services
CEDAW has issued General Recommendation No. 41, calling on states to tackle entrenched gender stereotypes and warning that artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies can amplify discrimination and gender-based violence against women and girls. It recommends states adopt measures to identify, challenge, and dismantle gender stereotypes in all health sector practices, including in the provision of sexual and reproductive health services.
UN experts support young Australians’ complaint over coal and gas expansion
Two UN Special Rapporteurs have formally raised concerns with Australia about the human rights implications of continued coal and gas approvals, following a complaint by nine young Australians. The young people describe the effects of bushfires, floods, extreme heat and damage to Country and culture, arguing that government decisions threaten their rights to life, health and a safe future.
See also: Children, Adolescents, and Youth Pioneering a Human Rights-Based Approach to Climate Change, Giulia Gasparri, Omnia El Omrani, Rachael Hinton, et al., Volume 23/2, December 2021
Lancet Countdown: Climate change is a growing health emergency
The World Health Organization’s coverage of the 2026 Lancet Countdown report warns that climate-related health harms are accelerating, with heat-related deaths rising by nearly 36% in the years following the Paris Agreement (2015) compared with the preceding decade. The report calls for stronger emissions reductions, climate-resilient health systems and increased adaptation finance, linking climate action directly to the protection of life, health and well-being.
See also: Health Rights and the Urgency of the Climate Crisis, Editorial, Carmel Williams and Gillian MacNaughton, Volume 23/2, December 2021
Ocean degradation threatens climate stability
The United Nations warned that climate change has reduced the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon by approximately 6%, weakening a major natural buffer against global warming. The ocean absorbs around 30 per cent of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and 90 per cent of excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. “For a long time the ocean has been doing us an enormous climate service, but that service is under increasing pressure,” said Sara Traerup, lead author of the UN’s 2026 Climate Technology Progress Report.
UN Expert: Carbon credits harm Indigenous rights
Carbon credits may not be aligned with States’ international obligations on climate change and human rights, reveals a new report by Elisa Morgera, the Special Rapporteur on climate change. As far as carbon markets contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions, they harm everyone’s human right to a healthy environment, including for children, Indigenous Peoples, and rural women, the report explains.
WHO hosts Health Pavilion at COP 31
The World Health Organization in collaboration with Wellcome will be hosting the Health Pavilion at the COP31 UN Climate Conference, taking place in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026. The 2-week programme of events showcasing evidence, initiatives and solutions to maximize the health benefits of tackling climate change across regions, sectors and communities will be live streamed here.
South Korea: Restrictions on medication abortion
A South Korean government proposal would finally allow medication abortion in South Korea in 2027, but overly restrictive regulations will continue to impair the right of women and girls to safe and affordable abortion services, according to Human Rights Watch. It warns that the proposal for medication abortion could restrict access by limiting early provision to nine weeks of pregnancy and allowing prescriptions only through doctors in large hospitals during an initial trial period.
Health rights violations in Ethiopia exposed
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH) have documented attacks on health care and the devastating consequences of sexual and reproductive violence. The organizations list hospitals destroyed, health workers targeted, and survivors of sexual violence left without care and call for protection of civilians and health workers, access to lifesaving care, support for survivors, and independent investigations that preserve evidence, fight impunity and advance accountability.
COURSES IN 2027
G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training program
The FXB Center, Harvard University will offer the G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training program in June 7-11, 2027. This is a one week, on site (at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, US) intensive course for mid-career professionals who work to protect children from abuse, violence exploitation and neglect. Applications close 1 December.
Rights, health and justice leadership program
The Institute for Universal Rights, Health & Justice is hosting its second Leadership Program from June 3rd to July 8th of 2027. The virtual 6-week program will explore how the moral and legal recognition of rights influences individual and public health outcomes in our more-than-human world, and how a consistent commitment to justice offers opportunities to address complex, interlinked challenges such as violence and conflict, chronic and infectious disease risks, and environmental threats. Follow links for details about the program and application online.
News to 23 October 2026
Editor in Chief on vital role of human rights in public health
Health and Human Rights Editor in Chief Joe Amon reflects on his experiences in programs, advocacy, policy, and publications – demonstrating the vital role of human rights in public health, globally and in the US. Watch his talk,
Eras in Epidemiology: Human rights and political epidemiology.
See also: Global Health, Human Rights, and Car Crashes, Speech to the APHA Annual Meeting, Joseph J. Amon, November 2025; Disaster Epidemiology: Human Rights and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Siege of Minneapolis, Joseph J. Amon, 28 January 2026
CDC refuses to approve high-volume measles test
Health officials from California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington asked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reconsider its refusal to validate a rapid, high-volume measles test, arguing that it would help prepare for major outbreaks. The CDC refused the request and said it was prioritising other emerging technologies for outbreak response, the Guardian reported.
UN concerns about brain data and human rights
Brain signals recorded by a gaming headset or a wellness gadget could one day be used as evidence against you in court, according to a new UN report which warns that neurotechnology is outpacing the laws meant to protect human rights. Neurotechnology “raises profound human rights challenges when applied to the administration of justice,” warns UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Tracking impact of heat on pregnant women and babies
As extreme heat intensifies around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have launched priority indicators to track the health impacts of heat on pregnant women, newborns and children. The new framework is designed to strengthen preparedness, improve monitoring, accelerate response to help protect some of the populations most vulnerable to climate-related health risks.
Deep emissions cuts can still keep global warming to 1.5 degrees
With global temperature rise set to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, countries “must pull out all the stops” and urgently cut emissions to minimize the overshoot and return to the internationally agreed threshold by the end of this century. The recommendation comes in the Emissions Gap Report 2026: The Point of Return, published this week by the UN Environment Programme. Achieving this requires slashing 2025 emissions levels by 18% by the end of the decade, 45% by 2035, and 69% by 2050.
Afghanistan faces record hunger levels amid rampant rights violations
Acute malnutrition and hunger in Afghanistan have reached the highest levels ever recorded, with 15.9 million people facing acute food insecurity, according to a global hunger monitor report. The UN also reports the ongoing exclusion of girls from formal education beyond grade six and UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has documented more than 50 cases of women being arrested or detained related to the hijab and women being blocked from entering health clinics and markets without a male guardian.
Easing abortion penalties in Poland face veto from president
Poland’s lower house of parliament has approved two bills aimed at loosening a near-total ban on abortions, but campaigners describe the move as having no real impact on women’s access to abortion, reports the Guardian. Furthermore, the new measures are likely to be vetoed by Poland’s nationalist president. Currently, abortion is only legal in Poland when a pregnancy results from a criminal act, such as rape or incest, or when it threatens the life or health of the mother.
Ebola case in Nigeria
WHO reported that it was assisting Nigeria following confirmation of the country’s first case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease. Nigeria is the fifth country to detect Ebola since the outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in mid-May. More than 9,500 cases and more than 4,200 deaths were recorded as of 18 October, according to latest data from the Congolese health authorities.
News to 16 October 2026
Pandemic declaration adopted but not by all
The UN General Assembly this week adopted a political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, reaffirming international cooperation, stronger health systems, community engagement, and more equitable access to pandemic-related benefits. States voted 153 in favor to three against (Argentina, Israel and United States) with two abstentions (New Zealand and Paraguay). WHO urged governments to translate commitments into action, including agreement on pathogen access and benefit-sharing arrangements.
Gaza ‘ceasefire’ one year on
One year after the nominal ceasefire in Gaza was reached it exists only on paper, according to Amnesty International, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children, Oxfam, Greenpeace and other international groups. They said that Israeli attacks in the enclave have killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 327 children, in the year since President Trump announced a deal to end hostilities as part of the Gaza Board of Peace framework.
Sudan faces growing famine risk as health services collapse
A new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification alert warned of increasing famine risk in parts of Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan, where conflict, displacement, drought and inadequate humanitarian funding are driving acute food insecurity and malnutrition. WHO reported that 37% of Sudan’s health facilities had ceased functioning and that only 23% of its US$97.7 million humanitarian appeal was funded.
Yemen: siege and aid cuts put access to food and health care at risk
Intensified fighting and restrictions on roads around Taiz have obstructed humanitarian assistance, disrupted supplies and driven up food and water prices. The UN World Food Programme announced this week that fighting had cut off life-saving assistance to approximately 800,000 people. The wider emergency is compounded by cholera transmission, shortages of medical supplies and reduced support for health facilities.
Fear of Ebola disrupts maternal and child health care
Fear of Ebola infection and misinformation are reportedly deterring pregnant women and families from seeking routine health services in eastern DRC. Reuters reported that maternal deaths in Ituri province rose by nearly 70% between May and July compared with the same period a year earlier, while childhood immunisation also declined. International aid cuts have added to shortages of essential medicines.
WHO urges stronger protections against lead exposure
WHO is calling for accelerated action against lead poisoning, which it estimates contributes to more than 3.5 million deaths globally each year and poses particular risks to children’s developing brains and nervous systems. Exposure can arise from paint, cookware, cosmetics, spices, informal recycling, and industrial contamination but fewer than half of all countries have legally binding controls on lead paint.
Eastern Mediterranean at the epicenter of humanitarian need
Addressing the WHO Regional Committee, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the region remains at the epicenter of global humanitarian need, with more than 117 million people requiring humanitarian assistance. Conflict, attacks on health care, climate-related shocks and falling external assistance are putting health systems under pressure with particular consequences for maternal and child health and vaccination, chronic disease treatment and access to essential medicines.
News to 10 October 2026
Pillay awarded Nobel Peace Prize
South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the fifth South African to win it. Making the announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Pillay for her decades-long efforts to prosecute genocide and war crimes, which have been marked by “judicial rigour, personal integrity and considerable courage”. Pillay was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) from 2008 to 2014. She chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory which determined last year that Israel is responsible for carrying out genocide in Gaza.
Ukraine suffers sustained assaults on health care
Physicians for Human Rights has published an interactive, online map currently revealing the 3502 attacks on Ukraine’s health care system since 24 February 2022, of which 1832 attacks damaged or destroyed hospitals and clinics, at which 515 health workers have been killed. In the first eight months of 2026 there were more than 90% of the total attacks in all of 2025, making this one of the most sustained assaults on health care in a modern war, says PHR.
See also: A Decade of Failure: Attacks on Health Care Ten Years After Resolution 2286 VIEWPOINT, Joseph J. Amon and Rohini J. Haar, Vol 28/1, 2026
World Mental Health Day: listen to those who know
On 10 October, World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization will focus on meaningful engagement with people with lived experience. WHO is to launch a practical guidance on deinstitutionalization, towards community-based, person-centered mental health care, with a carefully planned shift in funding, services and support so that people can live in their communities.
See also: Addressing the Global Mental Health Crisis: How a Human Rights Approach Can Help End the Search for Pharmaceutical Magic Bullets, Lisa Cosgrove, Vol 27/2, December 2025
Women face distinct burdens with punitive drug policies
A recently published OHCHR analysis highlights the distinct burdens women and girls can experience under punitive drug policies, including over-incarceration, violence and barriers to health care. The analysis links drug policy to gender equality, non-discrimination, access to health services and protection from violence.
See also: Asking Uncomfortable Questions: Ensuring Human Rights and Upholding the Evidence, Special Section: Health, Rights, and the Future of Global Drug Control, Ann Fordham Interviews Laura Gil, 17 September 2026
HRC adopts resolution on child rights to food
The Human Rights Council concluded its 63rd regular session on 8 October, adopting 34 resolutions, two decisions and a presidential statement. The session included substantial work on artificial intelligence, climate, discrimination and other determinants of health, including equal access of children to nutritious food (A/HRC/63/L.32) and the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation (A/HRC/63/L.34).
Critical funding gap threatens health response in Yemen
Renewed clashes between Saudi-backed Yemeni Government forces and Houthi rebels supported by Iran, have intensified leaving more than 200,000 people displaced. The World Health Organization said its immediate funding requirements have increased from $9 million to $31 million. “The situation is evolving into a complex emergency, with health needs rising as resources are already severely stretched,” said WHO in Yemen.
WHO supports Kenya in Ebola response…
WHO is supporting Kenya following confirmation of its first imported case of Bundibugyo (Ebola) virus disease. Kenya notified WHO on 6 October after the patient died on 5 October. The response raises important issues concerning outbreak preparedness, public-health measures, access to care and protection against stigma and discrimination. Human rights organisations are warning that public-health measures should not result in excessive policing, surveillance, or discrimination.
…and monitors pneumonic plague response in Russia
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on 7 October that Russian authorities were investigating a suspected case of pneumonic plague in a laboratory worker at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute who died. WHO said it was “monitoring the situation and supporting national authorities; the development highlights the continuing importance of laboratory biosafety, surveillance and rapid response to potentially high-consequence infectious diseases.”
WHO releases global guidelines on child obesity
Child and adolescent obesity has quadrupled since 1990, rising from 2% to 8% in the five-to-19 age group, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Obesity not only increases the risk of noncommunicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but also the likelihood of experiencing stigma, discrimination and bullying.
Greenland scandal: UN experts warn against minimising abuse
Independent UN human rights experts have warned that attempts to downplay the forced contraception of thousands of Inuit women and girls in Greenland threaten any prospect of genuine redress. “True and effective remedy or healing cannot be achieved without first establishing a clear, accurate and undisputed record of historical facts…Attempts to minimise or exonerate responsibility for wrongdoing and injustices undermine redress for victims because true and effective remedy should be based on factual records and the lived experiences of victims,” the experts said.
Human rights violations worsening in El Salvador prisons
Human Rights Watch report on El Salvador’s mass trials documents severe detention conditions following the government’s prolonged state of emergency. The prison population is now more than double the system’s capacity and prisoners are experiencing inadequate access to food, water and medical care. It also reports at least 513 deaths in state custody since the state of emergency began in March 2022.
Essential services collapsing in Myanmar
A UNDP assessment has found that years of conflict, displacement, economic disruption and climate shocks in Myanmar have produced a simultaneous collapse of healthcare, shelter, education and livelihoods affecting millions of people. The report reveals that more than two in three people now endure “multidimensional poverty” or are at risk of falling into it, with over 37 million people – 68 per cent of the population – experiencing overlapping crises.
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