human rights organisations

An international conference of NGOs hosted under the Council of Europe framework is putting climate risks, violence against women and social rights at the centre of its agenda. Delegates and civil society organisations are expected to debate how these interconnected issues should shape future human rights policy, with organisers framing the event as a key forum for international NGO cooperation.

The United Nations has expanded its list of companies with ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to 138 businesses. The so-called blacklist names firms deemed to be operating in or supporting settlement activity, which Israel and several Western governments dispute. The update is expected to draw sharp reactions from Israel, settler groups and businesses named, while human rights organisations welcome it as increased accountability.

The Warsaw Rights Forum has returned, convening human rights advocates at a moment when organisers and participants describe civic space as narrowing. The gathering is expected to focus on pressures facing civil society, from restrictions on assembly to shrinking room for independent voices, and to coordinate responses across the region.

A coalition of civil society organisations has issued a joint statement marking International Safe Abortion Day 2026, declaring that safe abortion is essential healthcare and issuing a call to action. The statement urges governments and health systems to treat abortion access as a fundamental part of medical care and human rights.

Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International UK, are calling for a fresh investigation into the murder of journalist Martin O'Hagan in Northern Ireland. O'Hagan was killed in 2001, the first journalist murdered there during the Troubles' aftermath, and no one has been convicted. Campaigners say his family has waited too long for justice and are pressing authorities to reopen the case.

Human Rights Watch says reconstruction agreements for Syria are being drawn up without adequate human rights safeguards. The organisation warns that rebuilding efforts risk overlooking protections for residents, including those displaced or dispossessed during the conflict. It is calling on governments and donors involved in Syria's reconstruction to embed rights protections into the deals.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has delivered an oral statement at the adoption of the Universal Periodic Review of Singapore at the United Nations Human Rights Council. The UPR process involves UN member states reviewing each other's human rights records and accepting or rejecting recommendations. FIDH's statement likely addresses Singapore's human rights situation and its response to the review's recommendations, though further details are not available.

The Transitional Justice Working Group has released an issue brief documenting North Korea's transnational repression in China. The report examines how Pyongyang pursues and controls North Korean defectors on Chinese territory, a practice that raises serious human rights and refugee protection concerns. Human rights organisations are drawing attention to the findings and calling for greater scrutiny of Beijing's role in detaining and repatriating defectors.

The Baloch American Congress has urged the United Nations and world leaders to take action over what it describes as human rights violations in Balochistan. The group is calling for international attention to the situation in the province, which has long been the subject of rights concerns raised by activists and diaspora organisations.

Nauru's split from the International Criminal Court is drawing warnings from advocacy groups, who say the move risks eroding human rights protections in the Pacific nation. Rights organisations argue that stepping away from the court's jurisdiction weakens accountability for serious international crimes and could set a worrying precedent. The warning was reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Integrity Watch, a Liberian accountability organisation, has conducted training for civil society organisations on business and human rights. The sessions aim to strengthen participants' understanding of corporate responsibility and how companies affect communities, equipping them to advocate for affected populations. Details about the number of participants, dates and outcomes were not provided.

The Left Party branch in Rosenheim, Germany, is organising a trip to a demonstration on 24 October 2026 at Munich Airport's MAC-Forum against the planned deportation terminal there. A preparatory mobilisation event is scheduled for 9 October 2026 at 7 pm at Z, a self-managed left-wing centre in Rosenheim, under the banner of solidarity and human rights.