Sharp reductions in global aid are threatening to reverse decades of progress on human rights and development, warned UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al Nashif. Speaking in Geneva, she cautioned that the world is witnessing a decline in respect for human rights and multilateral cooperation as conflicts, debt, and shrinking development assistance take their toll. According to the OECD, global aid could fall between nine and 17 per cent next year, and up to 25 per cent for the least-developed countries, even as military spending reaches record highs. Al Nashif emphasized that these trends have stalled poverty reduction and left nearly all Sustainable Development Goals off track, echoing the World Bank’s warning of a “lost decade for development.”
Despite the grim outlook, Al Nashif highlighted the right to development as a viable path forward. She called for countries to reform fiscal policies, strengthen social protection, and align global financial systems with human rights principles. Nearly four decades after the UN Declaration on the Right to Development, she urged governments to turn commitments into tangible action, pointing to new momentum from initiatives like the Sevilla Commitment and renewed solidarity expressed at the 80th UN General Assembly.
In a separate briefing, UN independent human rights expert Nils Muižnieks reported that Belarus remains far from being a “worker’s paradise,” despite government claims. Addressing the UN General Assembly, he detailed widespread politically motivated discrimination and harassment within both public and private sectors. His report uncovered cases of forced labour used as punishment against unjustly detained individuals and restrictions on employment based on political grounds. Muižnieks noted that over 1,100 people remain arbitrarily detained, while others released have faced deportation or passport confiscation, leaving them stateless and vulnerable. Belarus continues to face enhanced scrutiny from the International Labour Organization for violations of trade union rights.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is ramping up health preparedness efforts across Africa in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and growing mpox risks. The agency is focused on making all entry and screening points fully operational to prevent disease spread in high-mobility areas. IOM’s regional director, Frantz Celestin, emphasized that these measures are crucial to safeguarding both travellers and border communities. Over 169,000 health screenings have been conducted so far. In addition, IOM is aiding mpox response in countries such as Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, and South Sudan by improving surveillance, contact tracing, vaccination access, and the use of mobility data for outbreak preparedness and public health planning.
