Health and Human Rights News
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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