UN Human Rights Chief @volker_turk says the mass protests across Albania, Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal are raising human rights concerns. "I condemn all acts of violence, and call on all of those involved to reduce tensions and prevent further violence. The best and only way forward is inclusive and safe dialogue." ohchr.org/en/statements-and-…

The UN General Assembly has adopted the Declaration on Sea Level Rise, establishing a common political framework for States to respond to rising seas and address their consequences for affected populations. The next question is how States will fulfil their human rights obligations as they put those commitments into practice. We are urging Member States to clearly identify and apply their human rights obligations as they address sea level rise. For example, governments will decide which communities receive adaptation funding and how people facing the loss of their homes and land are supported. Human rights standards, including for the meaningful participation of affected communities in determining their future, and the preservation of cultural heritage and livelihoods are directly relevant to decisions States have to take about sea level rise. At the international level, cooperation will shape whether countries facing the greatest risks, particularly Small Island Developing States, can access the resources needed to protect their populations. The Declaration underscores the continuity of statehood in the face of sea level rise, as well as sovereignty, sovereign rights and responsibilities, and calls for international support for States facing land and territory changes due to sea level rise to continue to maintain their functions. Moving forward, making the applicable human rights obligations, including to cooperate, explicit is essential to ensuring they inform actions and decisions from the outset and provide clear standards for accountability. sdgs.un.org/universal/sea-le…

The Global Alliance for Human Rights is now open for participation. Governments, local and regional authorities, organizations, businesses, institutions and public figures, such as artists and athletes, are invited to join. Find out more and sign up: globalalliance.un.org/partic…

#WorldMentalHealthDay: Where you live, the schools you attend and the opportunities available to you can shape your exposure to poverty, discrimination and insecurity, as well as your access to support. The world around young people can have a profound impact on their mental health. Every young person has the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health, and realizing that right means addressing the factors that put it at risk. We call on governments to tackle these inequalities while ensuring access to quality mental health care. Protecting mental health also means preventing the factors that contribute to distress in the first place. * Full report: ohchr.org/sites/default/file… * Annex of young people’s views: ohchr.org/sites/default/file… * Youth-friendly version : ohchr.org/sites/default/file…  (landing page: ohchr.org/en/documents/tools… ) * STORY: ohchr.org/en/stories/2026/10…

UN Human Rights Chief @volker_turk’s reaction to #NobelPeacePrize award for former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1yKAPwgVE…

Five years ago, the UN Human Rights Council recognized that everyone has the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Since then, more States have recognized the right nationally, and it has become part of major international decisions on climate change, biodiversity and pollution. Today, more than 85% of States recognize the right in some form. That recognition changed the human rights equation. Clean air and water, a safe and stable climate, healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, and protection from toxic substances are not simply environmental goals. They are part of what every person is entitled to enjoy. That means people have rights, and States have obligations. That means people need access to environmental information and a real say in decisions that affect them. They must also be able to challenge environmental harm and seek a remedy when their rights are violated. States, in turn, have a duty to make these rights effective in practice. Courts around the world are already applying it, with decisions that better protect people and the planet. In in recent advisory opinion on climate change, the International Court of Justice recognized a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as essential for the effective enjoyment of human rights and held that States had a duty to prevent harm to the environment, including the climate system. Today, environmental crises remain among the greatest threats to human rights. The next step is to close the distance between recognition and reality, through concrete measures to ensure everyone can actually enjoy this right.

Stronger AI safeguards are needed. Governance cannot rest on voluntary pledges or closed-door deals. Safeguards must be binding, transparent, independently enforced, grounded in human rights and shaped by governments, civil society and affected people - @volker_turk lnkd.in/p/ejayshUq