Edited News , Press Conferences | OHCHR
Human Rights Council report analyses impact of digital technology on the right to health
The use of digital technology in health should not impair the right to have personal health data treated with confidentiality, particularly where already vulnerable people are concerned, UN-appointed independent rights expert told the Human Rights Council on Thursday.
The Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, warned that technology enabled easy sharing of sensitive health data of adolescents, migrants and people whose sexual orientation or health status was subject to discrimination.
“Accessibility of information through digital tools should not impair the right to have personal health data treated with confidentiality,” insisted Ms. Mofokeng. “It was brought to my attention that on some occasions the sharing of sensitive data can be problematic and potentially dangerous in specific contexts where for example migrants, adolescents and certain sexual orientations or practices of healthcare procedures are criminalized, or health status could lead to stigmatization.”
Ms. Mofokeng highlighted the dangerous use of both State and non-State actors in the context of criminalized health services, such as contraception and abortion, where people who seek abortion and individuals who help them face risk of arrest or prosecution.
In her third report to the Human Rights Council, Ms Mofokeng analyzed the impact on the digital innovation on the right to health but also the impact of digital technology on privacy and data protection.
Digital innovation and technologies for health facilities have been used extensively to manage the health needs during the Covid-19 pandemic and can help access to broader health care.
“Telemedicine, telehealth and other digital forms of health care solutions offer great potential for scaling up in terms of physical accessibility and can improve the accessibility to mobile diagnostics, healthcare workers for screening and advice, and delivery of therapeutics for example,” noted the UN appointed independent rights expert.
Regarding economic accessibility, Ms. Mofokeng said that “types of remote health care can be less expensive than in-person health care and can lower the direct and indirect costs of clinic visits, travel or unpaid sick leave.”
But Ms. Mofokeng warned that technology allows easy sharing of sensitive health data which might be used in police surveillance and law enforcement, “which further creates vulnerable situations for certain groups, for example those with HIV, migrant populations and LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender-diverse)”.
“Digital tools can perpetuate racism, sexism, ableism or discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, among others in code, design and application”, the UN Special Rapporteur said. “I support the call for “design justice”, in which technology is designed through diverse and inclusive processes to meet diverse local needs.”
The expert called on all stakeholders to respect principles of non-discrimination, equality and privacy and to allow for transparency, accountability and recourse when rights are violated. She also told the Human Rights Council that human contact "remains important for primary care and concerns remain that the digital delivery of mental health services, for example, may be an inferior form of health care in comparison to in-person treatment”.
Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council serve in their individual capacity; they are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.
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Press Conferences | UNECE
UNECE Press conference on the Ministerial Meeting on Housing Affordability and Sustainablility
On 8 October 2025, UNECE member States' ministers meet to focus on the urgent challenges and strategic priorities surrounding housing affordability and sustainability in the UNECE region. Ten years after the adoption of the Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing, ministers will highlight challenges and key priorities for the achievement of the Charter's objectives, and present good practice and strategic solutions in this regard. As the key outcome of the meeting, ministers will be invited to agree on practical commitments towards sustainable and affordable housing.
The meeting will take place as part of the eighty-sixth session of the UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management (8–10 October 2025).
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Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO
Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians
Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.
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Press Conferences | OCHA , UNHCR , UNICEF , UNOG , WHO , IPU
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, and the International Parliamentary Union.
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Edited News
Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.
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Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC
Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital
UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.
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Press Conferences | UNHCR , UNICEF , UNIS , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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Press Conferences | HRC , OHCHR
Report of the Independent Expert on Human Rights situation in the Central African Republic.
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Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.
The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.
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Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire
UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.
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Press Conferences | UNECE , WHO , OCHA , UNHCR , UNICEF
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (the UN Refugee Agency), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children Fund, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the World Health Organization.
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Edited News | WHO
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.