Recommended principles and guidelines on human rights at international borders

International borders are not zones of exclusion or exception for human rights obligations. States are entitled to exercise jurisdiction at their international borders, but they must do so in light of their human rights obligations. This tool is the result of wide-ranging expert consultations to draw up normative guidelines on the governance of international borders. They are intended to inform the work of States, international organizations and other stakeholders with an interest in human rights-based border governance

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Compilation of Recommendations Issued to South Asian Countries by the UN Human Rights Mechanisms on Issues Related to Democratic Space and Women Journalists

This compilation, prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) South-East Asia Regional Office in 2022, includes publicly available recommendations made to South Asian countries by the UN human rights mechanisms on the issues related to democratic space and women journalists from 2014 to 2022.

Compilation of Recommendations Issued to South-East Asian Countries on Issues Related to Democratic Space and Women Journalists

This compilation, prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) South-East Asia Regional Office in September 2022, includes publicly available recommendations made to South-East Asian countries by the UN human rights mechanisms on the issues related to democratic space and women journalists from 2014 to 2022.

Principles and Policy Guidance on Children’s Rights to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment in ASEAN

This document, a collaboration between OHCHR, UNEP and UNICEF, sets out fundamental principles for realizing children’s rights to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and for putting the best interests of children at the center of initiatives by all segments of society in Southeast Asia. It was developed through a consultative process with experts in the fields of child rights and environmental issues, including children and youth from across the region.

Biodiversity and Human Rights: 13 Key Messages

The planet is currently undergoing what scientists are calling the sixth mass extinction. This tragic loss of biodiversity is largely caused by human activity through, amongst others, land use change, climate change, pollution, overexploitation and invasive alien species. States have sought to take action on this issue through implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), its protocols and targets, as well as other multilateral environmental agreements. Many have also undertaken a number of conservation efforts, including the establishment of parks, reserves, and protected areas and the mandating of environmental impact assessments. However, biodiversity loss continues, and it has become clear that the objectives of the CBD can only be met by instituting transformative economic, social, environmental, legislative, political and technological changes in a whole-of-society approach, one that protects and serves those who are most affected. This document highlights the key human rights obligations and responsibilities with respect to biodiversity-related agreements, policies, strategies and actions.

Frequently Asked Questions on Human Rights and Climate Change

The Fact Sheet describes the linkages between climate change and human rights and highlights the obligations of States and businesses under international human rights law – both to mitigate climate change to prevent its adverse human rights impact and to ensure that everyone is able to adapt to the negative effects of climate change. It sets out the most comprehensive guidance on rights-based climate action issued by OHCHR to date, providing illustrative examples of climate litigation, the rights of future generations, and the role of international cooperation and solidarity in climate action. It also underscores how the global recognition of the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment may positively affect climate action. The Fact Sheet also provides an overview of the efforts of various human rights bodies and mechanisms to address climate change, including the Human Rights Council – and the role of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Conference of the Parties in promoting rights-based climate action. It offers recommendations for forward-looking, rights-compliant climate action at all levels – aimed at protecting both people and planet from the scourge of climate change in the years to come.

Compilation of Recommendations Issued to Thailand on Issues Related to Democratic Space

This compilation, prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) South-East Asia Regional Office, includes publicly available recommendations made to Thailand by the UN human rights mechanisms on the issues related to democratic space from 2014 to 2020.

Seven Key Elements on Building Human Rights-Based Narratives on Migrants and Migration

Pervasive and fear-driven anti-migration narratives have flourished in recent years, offering up migrants as the scapegoats for deep-rooted societal problems related to the economy or security, and often actively promoted by those who employ these narratives for political, financial or other gain. Discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, hate speech and hate crime which result from such narratives have a severe impact on the human rights of migrants. UN Human Rights has developed a set of seven key elements to building human rights-based migration narratives in order to respond to the urgent need to reframe narratives and public messaging on migration and migrants to uphold and promote the human rights of all migrants. This toolkit is intended for broad use; including by organizations and institutions that work to promote the human rights of migrants, by migrants’ human rights defenders, advocacy and service organizations working with migrants, public interest lawyers, and migrants themselves.

Human Rights in the 2030 Agenda

The 2030 Agenda is firmly anchored in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international human rights treaties. Both Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and human rights are universal, interrelated and indivisible and are to be realised for everyone, everywhere.