United Nations Human Rights Council

Bulgarian Ombudswoman's office received the highest UN status "A" as national institution for the protection of human rights. The status obtained means that the Ombudswoman works in full compliance with the requirements of the UN Principles of Paris.

Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba had a meeting in Geneva on Thursday with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, in which he voiced Romania's firm commitment as holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to promote respect for human rights, to combat hate speech, anti-Semitism, racism, and intolerance.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern at rising xenophobia, racism and intolerance, and warned that human rights are losing ground in the world, the Associated Press reported.

A United Nations delegation including the special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings was denied entry to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul's Levent neighborhood on Jan. 29.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution Monday condemning the "systematic, widespread and gross" human rights violations in North Korea, according to Eyewitness News. 

The non-binding resolution, which was passed by consensus without a vote, welcomes diplomatic efforts to end the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

"The US has always been at the forefront of the protection of human rights around the world and has for many years been a strong partner for the European Union in the Human Rights Council," a statement posted on the EU External Action said on Wednesday, added:

A  draft proposal on the safety of journalists during armed conflicts will be submitted by Greece during the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations, which will be held this month.

Chinese experts on Sunday called for fairness and greater understanding of the country’s human rights record after a report said a European Union (EU) statement on the country’s human rights record was blocked.

Greece blocked an EU statement at the United Nations that criticized China’s human rights record, Reuters reported Sunday.

Greece has blocked a European Union statement at the United Nations criticizing China's human rights record, a decision EU diplomats said undermined efforts to confront Beijing's crackdown on activists and dissidents.

On Friday, The Washington Post published an op-ed by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in which she condemned the way in which the Human Rights Council (HRC) operates.

Haley wrote that Venezuela and Cuba having seats on the Human Rights Council is an affront to the international body, as both nations are rampant abusers of human rights: