GENEVA – Three United Nations Special Rapporteurs urged today the Government of Zimbabwe to respect international human rights norms and standards pertaining to freedoms of association, of peaceful assembly and of expression in the run up to the constitutional referendum on 16 March and subsequent elections which may take place next July. (more…)

Pretoria –Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Marius Llewellyn Fransman, and UN Resident Coordinator in South Africa, Dr. Agostinho Zacarias, launched the new United Nations Strategic Cooperation Framework 2013-2017 (SCF) at a ceremony at DIRCO yesterday. (more…)

Nairobi – Local farmers’ cooperatives in Ethiopia are beginning to deliver what is expected to be the largest amount of maize they ever sold to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), as part of a pilot project to promote small farmers’ access to local markets. (more…)

Pretoria – With the support of the United Nations and partners, an all-female team will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to highlight the importance of women’s rights and in particular, education for girls. (more…)

Geneva – I thank the International Commission against the Death Penalty for organizing this discussion, and I commend the critical role of civil society in mobilizing global support on this important issue. The right to life is the most fundamental of all human rights. It lies at the heart of international human rights law. (more…)