In focus
07 Feb 2014 
“Hatred of any kind must have no place in the 21st century.[..] We must all raise our voices against attacks on lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender or intersex people. We must oppose the arrests, imprisonment and discriminatory restrictions they face. The United Nations stands strongly behind our own “Free and Equal” campaign, and I look forward to working with the IOC, Governments and other partners around the world to build societies of equality and tolerance,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said speaking at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Sochi on 6 February 2014.
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27 Jan 2014 
Every year on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, we commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. We recall the suffering of millions of innocent people, and highlight the perils of anti-Semitism and hatred of any kind.
This year we focus on journeys through the Holocaust -- and I recall a recent journey of my own.
Last November, I walked through the infamous “arbeit macht frei” gate at Auschwitz-Birkenau. I will never forget my visit.
I saw the horrific remnants of the machinery of genocide, as well as moving images of European Jewish life in the 1930s -- weddings, family meals, rituals, other scenes of simple daily life -- all extinguished through systematic murder unique in human history.
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21 Jan 2014 
The Secretary-General continues to follow developments in Ukraine closely and with concern. He reiterates his appeal to all concerned to act with restraint, avoid any further escalation and violence and to uphold the democratic principles of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
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20 Jan 2014 
This year marks the centenary of the birth of modern crystallography. We celebrate 100 years of ground-breaking advances. Crystallography is fundamental to understanding the structure of matter. It is critical for materials science, health care, agriculture and biotechnology.
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20 Dec 2013 
20 December 2013 - At the dawn of this century, at the Millennium Summit, world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to peace and security, human rights and good governance. They agreed on a set of time-bound targets, encapsulated in the Millennium Development Goals, to reducing extreme poverty, hunger, needless disease and other global social and environmental ills by 2015. And they recognized that these objectives demand that we must all practice mutual respect and accept shared responsibility.
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18 Dec 2013
18 December 2013 - International migration is a powerful tool for reducing poverty and enhancing opportunity. That is why there are now some 232 million international migrants bringing consistent benefits to countries of destination and origin through their essential labour and remittances. Yet, this important population remains largely invisible and unheard in society. Too many live and work in the worst conditions with the least access to basic services and fundamental rights, making them disproportionately vulnerable to extortion, violence, discrimination and marginalization.
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10 Dec 2013 
10 December 2013 - Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year’s observance also marks 20 years since a bold step forward in the struggle to make rights a reality for all: the adoption by the World Conference on Human Rights of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Drawing on the participation of more than 800 non-governmental organizations, national institutions, treaty bodies and academics, Member States adopted a far-reaching vision and created the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – thereby realizing one of the international community’s long-held dreams.
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